//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Ms Sparkle's History Class // by TAW //------------------------------// Ms Sparkle's History Class Cadence stood back, releasing Twilight from their embrace. She stood a little shakily, but surrounded by all of her friends. Twilight knew there was nothing to worry about, not now. "Why did you never tell me, Celestia?" she asked after a few moments. Not accusing, just asking. "Oh, Twilight. Would it have made a difference if I had?" "I wouldn't have had to sit and wait, hoping Cadence would return again." "Yes, you would. I'm sorry, Twilight. I couldn't tell you then for the same reason I couldn't tell you about Princess Luna's return, and by the time I could have, it would have simply been opening old wounds," Celestia explained. "But... but after that, why couldn't she just come back? Cadence, why didn't you just come back?" Twilight asked, sniffing as she struggled to understand. Once the elements of harmony had been revealed, surely Cadence's task would have been complete. "Actually," Celestia interrupted, shuffling awkwardly on her hooves, "that one was my fault too." "Yes," Cadence continued, "Celestia advised me to not interrupt your socialisation. I wanted to come and see you, Twilight, but... well, me and you making friends again isn't important for the security of the kingdom. Sometimes we have to sacrifice things for the greater good." Twilight was silent. Their logic was airtight and Twilight couldn't argue against it, but that didn't make it hurt less. Many moments later, she asked "You won't go away this time, right?" "Right," Cadence agreed, smiling and nodding her head. Rainbow Dash pretended to gag on her own hoof while she thought nobody was looking, but caught Shining Armor's gaze, prompting a quiet chuckle. "You!" Cadence accused, spinning around and brandishing her hoof. "I'm still not done with you!" "Cadence, come on!" he protested. "If anything, I think I should be mad at you, for being indistinguishable from an evil love beast!" Shining Armor immediately regretted that sentence. "ENOUGH!!" Twilight yelled, throwing her forehooves up in the air and slamming them down on the floor to get everybody's attention. "This is your wedding day! Stop arguing! Cadence, he couldn't tell it was you because he was enchanted, and as for you, brother, Cadence is nothing like an 'evil love beast'. She's very nice." The room was silent as nobody dared to oppose Twilight's ruling. "Good! Now, unless anybody has any questions, we have a wedding to get to." "Ah," Rarity interrupted. "I do actually have a question, dear. Now, I realise that nobody has mentioned this, but I feel it needs to be said. Princesses, you were spying on us?" Cadence raised her hoof to the back of her neck and awkwardly scratched while trying her best to look innocent. "Not spying, per-se, more like... guarding." "Without our knowledge. Secretly," Rarity accused. "Well... yes, but-" "Cadence, I'll handle this," Celestia interrupted. "Yes, dear Rarity, we were. You must understand that without your aid, the kingdom would have been lost to Nightmare Moon. Your safety had to be assured, but had you known... well, you know how Twilight was when you first met her. Had your attempts at making friends not been honest, I fear it would all have been for naught." "Hmf." "I assure you, Rarity, I never meant any harm," Cadence assured. "Nor did I interfere in any way, not with you." "'Not with you'?" Dash echoed. Celestia's hoof slowly raised up to her face while Cadence's face slowly flushed red in embarrassment. "Oh, I'm terrible at keeping secrets." She scolded herself, before turning to face Dash. "Yes, I interfered a little," she admitted, "in some of your lives. Never much, just enough to steer you in the right direction." "Such as?" Dash asked, flaring her wings. "That opening in Ponyville's weather team," Cadence admitted. "But Fluttershy told me about that." "I knew she would," Cadence whimpered, as if fearing that Rainbow Dash would take offence and attack. Luckily for her, Dash just nodded and accepted it. "Yeah, makes sense. Always thought it was weird, was gonna go for something in Manehatten before that. Would've paid better, anyway. Anything else, Princess?" "No, no that's all, I promise." Applejack had spent the last few minutes thinking hard about how her friends had all come to live nearby. Rarity had always lived in town, Fluttershy moved from Cloudsdale as it passed overhead, Dash had moved in later, Twilight moved in for obvious reasons, but Pinkie? None of them had ever gotten an answer as to why Pinkie Pie chose Ponyville as her home. She could have gone anywhere at all. "What about Pinkie, princess? How'd you get her to move?" Applejack asked. Cadence coughed and her cheeks reddened a little further. "I didn't. She just appeared one day. I had no idea where she was before that." The other gathered ponies simply nodded. That was Pinkie Pie, alright. "So," Twilight interjected. "Wedding?" Author's Note: I consider this second chapter somewhat beside the point. The story was meant to centre around Cadence's role in Twilight's life--how she came into it, what part she played, and ultimately how she left it. The specifics of the aftermath to those things was never particularly meant to be explored by this piece, but people seem to have taken offence to not touching on them, so here you go.