//------------------------------// // 403. Subtlety by Silver Scrolls // Story: The Sun and the Stars: A Twilestia Prompt Collab // by Fuzzyfurvert //------------------------------// by Silver Scrolls *** Cadence paced, from one side to other side. Over and over, back and forth. Luna watched, her hoof tapping the table each time Cadence turned around. Minutes passed, hours, almost the whole day. Luna growled and flipped the table. “Stop your infernal pacing Cadence and tell me what pray tell has you so troubled.” Cadence froze and looked over at Luna, then resumed pacing. “It’s Twilight and Celestia. Something is...different.” Luna’s brow furrowed. “I have seen nothing wrong with them. They have been acting perfectly normal.” Cadence froze and like a glacier she turned to Luna. A strand of hair popped up, then another and another. Suddenly her hair poofed and she zipped across the floor and grabbed Luna by the cheeks. “NORMAL. THEY ARE ANYTHING BUT NORMAL!” Luna stared down at her niece. “I have seen nothing different.” Cadence let Luna’s face go and ignored the thud that followed. “You’re right, nothing seems different. Something is though.” She started pacing again. Her hoofbeats making a strange melody against the stone. As she spoke it seemed to work into the rhythm of her tapping feet. “Everything is normal but something isn’t. They walk the castle together, like always. They have lunch together, like before. They deal with diplomats like normal. But something isn’t normal.” The more she thought about the harsher her steps became. “Something is different, I can feel it, I can smell it, I can taste it I JUST CAN’T SEE IT.” The stones cracked as her pacing came to a halt and she sat back. Luna got up from the floor and stepped up to Cadence. “It really has you bothered hasn’t it.” Cadence sniffled and nodded. Luna pulled her close with a gentle wing hug. “Take a few breaths and tell me about it, maybe I can help.” Cadence took several deep calming breaths like she had taught Twilight to. As she breathed in she touched a hoof to her chest, as she exhaled the hoof extended. A simple exercise repeated several times and worked like a charm. “Okay so when I first arrived three days ago I sensed it. They were walking to the dining hall to meet us all when I bumped into them. It felt almost awkward like I had disturbed something.” Cadence furrowed her brow. “It lasted only a few seconds but I know it was there.” Luna nodded. “Then what?” “Then we had lunch, a perfectly normal lunch. But it wasn’t normal, Twilight and Celestia, there was something between them. Like a secret.” Cadence shook her head vigorously and smacked her hooves against the side of her head. “Everyone has secrets I know but something about this, I’m missing something.” “Let’s move on then, what happened next to drive you into this corner.” Luna rubbed Cadence’s back calmly in a small circle. “Next, yes next.” Cadence’s breath grew ragged for a moment and she repeated her breathing exercise. “I caught them in the garden, giggling. No they were tittering, no giggling is right.” Cadence paused to do to her breathing motions, albeit slightly quicker than normal. “Okay so, they were in the garden. Nothing strange, no picnic basket, no wine just them strolling through the garden. But when I watched there was something, like they moved closer then further apart. Like they wanted to walk closer together but couldn’t” Luna smirked. “I see, was that all. Maybe they were just embarrassed.” Cadence’s head snapped to Luna. “YOU KNOW SOMETHING!?” “No it was just an observation.” Luna shied away. “Right, right of course. But what would they have to be embarrased about?” Cadence closed her eyes and slid to the floor. “I keep seeing them walking, and it’s the same. They move closer only to seperate. Like they are trying not to...be...c-” The door slammed open behind Cadence and she jumped to her hooves, spinning around to see what it was. The room ground to a halt, not even the mouse in the corner dared make a sound. Twilight and Celestia unaware there was anyone in the room stumbled in. Walking was difficult for them, they only had two hooves on the ground. Cadence stared slack jawed at the two hooves each had that weren’t on the ground. The things they were doing, the motions, it was far from the friendliness Cadence thought they shared, and most definetly in a good way. Luna stepped to the side as Cadence did to allow the two to move unabated through the room. Luna left the room and Cadence closed the door behind her as she left. “Did I just see...” Luna nodded. “More than I ever wanted to of my sister.” Cadence nodded. “Well that umm, answers my questions.” She looked at Luna. “Care for a stiff drink?” Luna nodded slowly and flinched at the sound of her sister’s chest piece clanging to the floor. “Make it a barrel and I’m in.” The two raced away from the room as fast as they could, the sounds from within ushering them to move faster.