Cadence
I hang my head in shame and cry. Stupid, stupid mare. Tactless, uncontrolled foal. You couldn’t keep a handle on your hormones for five more minutes? You just had to do that right in front of Shining Armor, in what was supposed to be a cuddle to try and make him feel better? Way to go, dear princess, now you’ve rubbed all he’s lost on your account right into his muzzle with a flashing neon sign.
Shining is stroking my mane and trying to comfort me. It’s nice of him, but really it only makes me feel worse about myself. He’s suppressing the negative emotions that I could feel coming from him to try and make me happy – why did I have to ruin his day because I couldn’t reciprocate? He sacrifices part of himself for me, I should have been able to do the same for him. I worry that the natural give and take of a healthy relationship is becoming all take, and I’m the greedy one.
I’m not entirely sure how much time passes on our bed while I mope about and Shining does what he can to try and make me feel better. It’s times like these that I’m tempted to just come clean about everything and throw myself into his hooves and beg him to forgive me for all I’ve done… but no. I can’t do that. Even if by some miracle my mind wasn’t turned into a vegetable by Celestia’s geas, all knowing what happened that night would do would be to get Shiny to march right up to her and confront her head on like I tried to do. The Royal Guard has an old saying: “When in doubt, charge,” and Shining has always put great stock in that particular philosophy. He would get crushed like I did, or worse.
I can’t even tell him about my experiments. There’s no worse tease on suffering mind than just the slightest ray of false hope. I don’t how long my project will take, or even if it will work at all. If Shining finds out, all it will do is give my poor stallion another painful stress on his emotionally-weary mind. Every day will be even worse for him, the knowledge that something might be done about his condition but that it can’t be yet teasing and tormenting his mind day in and day out. It may yet take another twenty years to find my answers. It may take a hundred or more. I wouldn’t have those years be any more painful to Shining Armor than I can help.
Our clock chimes for eight. Let’s see, on Sunday… Tartarus’ Gates. I have a meeting I have to attend of the Grand Council in fifteen minutes’ time. Arse.
I hate these infuriating blowhards. They suck valuable time away from my duties that truly matter so they can discuss petty trivialities and feel like they matter in the grand scheme of things. The idea of telling them all to buck off and spending my whole day with my husband or in the lab is very tempting… but I can’t. Like it or not, I’m a ruler in addition to a wife, and I still have duties to my subjects along with my marital ones. I have to make the Crystal Empire run smoothly, whatever else I may wish I was doing instead.
“Sorry honey,” I find myself saying as I slip out bed. “I’m sorry for everything.”
“I told you, it’s alright, Cady. Why don’t you just believe me?”
“I-It’s not alright. I used you. I shouldn’t have done that. This was supposed to be about your comfort, not mine.”
Shining jumps off our bed and looks up at me, putting a hoof under my chin. “Cadence, when will you learn that your happiness means the world to me? If you’re happy, I’m happy.”
Such a big heart on such a brave stallion. Swoon.
I reluctantly push his hoof back to the ground. “I h-have to go now, Shining. The council has a meeting this morning, and one of us has to be there. And I’m the one…” I trail off, not entirely sure how to finish that sentence without hurting him further.
He smiles wearily. “You’re the one they want. Their beautiful alicorn princess. Not a used-up old statue like me. I’m not an idiot, I can see that.”
“Shining…” I don’t like to hear him denigrate himself like that, even if the words are the truth. Even from his lips they make me angry; anypony else that said them to my face would be likely to get a few weeks to consider their mistake in prison. As of fourteen years ago, lèse-majesté is officially a crime within the borders of the Crystal Empire.
Shiny keeps smiling with that tired expression. “I’m only telling you the truth. Your subjects want you, so go on and do what you need to do. I’ll manage for a while on my lonesome.”
“Our subjects,” I correct him, brushing off the knowing smirk on his face. “And I… I don’t… want to. I want to be here, with you,” I confess, unsure whether I should be feeling guilty about that as well.
His smile vanishes, replaced by a slight frown. “We all have our duties, Cadence. Yours is to your ponies. Get out there and show them what it means to be a princess.” He points his hoof at the door.
I bite my lip, considering it for a moment. “Alright, but on two conditions.”
He shakes his head and smiles, like a father dealing with an eager little filly. “Name them.”
“One, we’re going out. Tonight. Just you and me, doing something nice together.”
“Agreed,” he replies.
“And two, you’ll let me cast a new bit of love magic I’ve whipped up on you.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“Oh…” I smile with just a hint of teasing about it. “I was thinking that since I can’t make new memories with you, the least I could do is bring out the old for your viewing entertainment.”
From his emotional radiance, he’d have a slight blush if any blood existed in his body. “Which memories?”
I giggle. “You’ll just have to find out, won’t you, Shiny?”
He shakes his head. “I guess I will. You have a deal, Cady.”
“Great. It’s a date then,” I smirk teasingly. “Now sit back down and let the princess give her prince something special.”
“As her highness wishes,” he says with an over the top flourishing bow. He clambers back up onto the bed and sits down on all four legs. “Now what?”
“Shhh…” I tap his horn with my own, reaching into his mind. My love magic dredges numerous memories to the fore, but I reject them as unsuitable for the occasion. I want my first use of this spell I’ve designed to be… well, memorable.
Finally, the pink magic finds what it’s looking for. “Now relax,” I whisper to him as invoke the spell. “And enjoy yourself.”
Shining’s eyes go wide and curiously vacant as the whole of mind is dragged back into the memory I’ve pulled up for him. For this, I’ve chosen the first night of our honeymoon, when we were both exhausted from the changeling attack and simultaneously burning with lust for each other. It was the first time we were ever intimate with each other… or with anypony, for that matter. That took years of strict self-control on our parts that was often far from easy, but I think it made our relationship that much the stronger in the end. And it was positively romantic in the extreme. Still brings tears of joy to my eyes, even now.
I leave Shining behind in the depths of my conjured show as I slip out the door. Have fun for both of us, my prince, because I won’t be.
Twilight Sparkle
My long violet wings carry me north with a speed not even the Wonderbolts of the current age could match. Chariots are cozy and royal-looking, but they’re not as quick as I want for this. I’d even hazard that if Rainbow Dash could see me now, she’d demand a race for the title of Equestria’s fastest flyer after I was done with this task.
Yeah, suddenly flying across the nation by yourself without much warning and leaving only a brief explanation behind isn’t exactly considered proper princess behavior, but who cares? My family needs my help, and I’ll be damned if I let them down now. I know Shining and Cadence would do the same for me.
Hours pass in my flight. Below me, the well-populated heart of Equestria slowly gives way first to the smaller villages closer to the border, then to the wilder forests of the north, then to the pine forests and tundra that mark the edge of the Crystal Empire. Small towns of the Empire’s distinctive crystalline architecture style flash below me, growing steadily larger as I continue my journey north towards the Imperial City, the seat of the Empire’s rulers since time immemorial. There isn’t much air traffic to worry about: even after centuries of interconnectedness with Equestria, the Crystal Empire’s pegasus population remains a distinct minority that tends to concentrate itself around the capital in any case.
Eventually, I spy in the distance the enormous tower-palace that marks the Imperial City and my goal. As I begin my approach, I’m met for the first time by a pair of pegasi in the armor of the Crystal Guard.
“Halt!” one of them shouts as soon as she’s in earshot. “This is restricted airspace! All flying visitors are required to land and enter through standard-” She cuts herself off as she recognizes just who she’s talking to. “P-Princess Twilight. Your m-majesty. Please, forgive me.” The mare and stallion bend their heads to me, even though technically as a foreign ruler I don’t have any claim to their allegiance. I don’t believe I’ve met these two before, and they’re no doubt worried about what I might say to Cadence and Shining.
“It’s quite alright,” I reassure them, doing my best to mimic the comforting smile Celestia always uses to make me feel better. “You were only doing your jobs. But if you wouldn’t mind speeding up my entry, I’d be much obliged.” I really don’t blame them - the Crystal Empire has had to take measures to restrict immigration to the Imperial City ever since a major population boom threatened to overtax the city’s resources, and since then has been trying to move more of the population into newer and smaller locales throughout its northern lands.
“Of course, your majesty,” says the mare with a continued look of embarrassment on her face. She leans over and whispers something to the stallion, then points towards the palace. He nods, salutes, and dives towards it and out of sight. She turns back to me. “If you would please follow me, your grace.”
“Certainly.” Still don’t really like all the titles and formality, but I’m not going to waste time arguing about it now.
I’m lead into the very familiar Imperial Palace, seat of the Empire’s governance and site of several of my more memorable adventures. Granted, my first impressions of it weren’t very good, but in all the years since I find that it’s far homier with Cadence and Shining living here instead of Sombra.
I’ve been in this particular waiting room before, but it looks to have been remodeled since last time. The old Imperial-style furniture has been removed and replaced by more modern neo-Canterlot pieces, and somepony’s laid down a carpet. Also, I see a portrait of a younger Cadence and a living unicorn Shining in full royal regalia, sitting on twin thrones and looking benevolently down on their subjects. I don’t believe I’ve seen that particular painting before. Huh. Has it really been that long since I came here last? How the years fly by. I really should visit more often.
I sit back on the sofa and reminisce. A servant comes by to offer me some tea and a platter of refreshments. I take them graciously and eat with all the dignity and poise that – ah, who am I kidding? I stuff my face with cheese and crackers and olives. In my defense, I did just make a cross-country international flight on my lonesome with no breaks and only a light breakfast in my stomach. Sure, I can go without food if I need to, but at the cost of burning magic to fuel my body instead (like Cadence did when trapped in the Canterlot caves for weeks on end) and that makes me weaker. Besides, food is yummy and I want some now.
Wouldn’t you know it; the door swings open just as I’m in the middle of licking the cracker crumbs off the silver platter. Welp, that’s going to be a sight somepony will remember for a while. My ears are down while I’m blushing fiercely and praying to every god I can think of that they don’t have a camera on hoof.
“Twily?” comes the sound of a very familiar voice that is rather obviously struggling to sound less entertained than it is.
I turn around to face the speaker. “Shiny!” I’m blushing even harder now – knowing him, he’ll remember this moment for decades.
“Well,” he spread his forelegs wide. “What are you waiting for? Come here and give your BBBFF a hug!”
I squeal in an embarrassingly filly-like manner, but so what? I rush up to embrace my brother, squeezing him nice and tight. He hugs me right back, and I lower my head so he can give me that playful noogie he’s been doing since we were foals. We both giggle a bit and hold the embrace for a good while before finally consenting to let go.
Between you and me, I think we may have inherited that tendency from Mom.
“It’s been too long!” he says when we are finally apart again.
“Seven years, three months, two weeks, six days,” I reply automatically, before my brain catches up to my mouth and my ears fold back at the realization. Has it really been such a long time since we’ve visited? Here I am complaining about my relatives never visiting me and I’ve neglected my brother and sister-in-law for so long? Nice going, Twi.
Shining Armor chuckles a little sadly and shakes his head. “I should have known my little bookworm would have an exact date.”
“Heh, yeah,” I blush. “I’m s-sorry I didn’t come to see you more, I should have-”
“Twily,” he cuts me off. “We’re both adults. We both have a lot of responsibilities to attend to. I understand that.”
“Yeah, but-”
“But nothing. If anything, I’m the one who should be ashamed. I didn’t find time to visit you either, and aren’t I supposed to be the big brother around here?” A small smile tugs at the corner of his mouth. “Besides, I promise I haven’t been lonely around here.”
Shiny always knows just what to say to cheer me up.
He continues. “I’ve got Cadence and the family and everypony else for company.”
Oh, right. Cadence, the reason I’m here.
“Speaking of Cadence…” I prod him.
Shining looks around the room with a wary eye. “Twily, I’d like to speak to you somewhere a little more private, if you don’t mind,” he says in a serious tone.
I nod. “That’s fine with me. We’ll talk wherever you think you need to.” Now that I consider it, the fact that he didn’t mention what exactly was the matter in his letter implies that whatever it is must be some sort of important secret. I shouldn’t be surprised that he wants more privacy than a side chamber offers.
I follow my brother out the door, past saluting guards, through the hallways, up several flights of stairs, through another set of hallways, and to another door I recognize. Shining opens the door to his office and beckons me inside. I trot in, and he closes the door behind us and activates several protective enchantments that I can see.
“Twilight,” he says once he’s satisfied enough that we won’t be interrupted. “I need you to promise me that what we say here won’t get out of this room, no matter what else happens. Can you do that for me?”
I nod without hesitation. “Of course I can.” I go through the old motions I still remember. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”
My brother chuckles. “Cute. That’s was Pinkie’s, wasn’t it?”
I nod again.
“Alright,” Shining Armor sighs heavily. “Twilight, I need your help to desecrate a grave.”
What.