//------------------------------// // New playmate // Story: The Twilight Years // by Crimmar //------------------------------// “I haven’t babysat in ages!” Cadance cried out in excitement. She just adored little fillies and colts, and babysitting had been one of her greatest joys even with all the problems that came with it. The little sweethearts were worth it!         Maybe not all the time but for the majority of it, sure.         Her aunt cleared her throat in a bid for attention. Cadance was only too happy to oblige. “You are not going to be babysitting so much as being a more… traditional playmate for young Twilight.”         “Twilight? Is that what your new student is called? Huh, that’s a coincidence.”         “May I know what that is?” Aunt Celestia asked with a knowing smile.         “I used to babysit a little filly called Twilight too. Twilight Sparkle. She was just precious, you’d love her,” Cadance responded with a smile of her own.         “Oh, I believe I would,” Celestia nodded, “especially since we are talking about the same filly.”         Cadance’s shock caused her to stay behind a couple of steps before she trotted up to walk right beside her aunt once more. “Little Twilight is your new student? Really?”         “Yes, and a very promising one I may add. Now, I don’t know if you have been told by anyone else but there had been an incident shortly after she became my student.”         “I’ve heard a few things but nothing too clear.” Cadance wracked her brain trying to bring everything she had known in a clear order. “It’s mostly nonsense. Something happened to her and you set some kind of monster following after her like a dog to protect her. Like I said, nonsense…” Cadance’s words trailed off as she saw the guilty look that had settled on Celestia’s features. “Auntie, this isn’t true, is it?” she asked worried.         Celestia let out an exaggerated breath, puffing her cheeks. “Twilight Sparkle was foalnapped, right under our noses, from the castle. Calm down, nothing happened to her, apart from a few nightmares that have already passed as a result of her experience. The monster you heard about is actually the one who saved her. He is currently serving as her bodyguard, babysitter, playmate, listener, carriage, chair, backscratcher, and whatever else Twilight ropes him into doing.”         Cadance let out a laugh. “He certainly doesn’t sound like a monster then. What’s his name?”         “Raegdan. I should warn you that he might try to convince you that he is a monster anyway. He tends to rely on fear and violence to make certain that nopony even thinks of touching a hair on Twilight’s mane,” Celestia said grimly.         Cadance didn’t like the sound of that. “Um, is that kind of person really fit to spend so much time with a young, impressionable filly?”         Her aunt beamed proudly at her. “Only in your teens and you already think more maturely than many ponies working for me. Most ponies worried about the immediate danger of Raegdan hurting her, or others, in a physical way.”         “That’s also a valid concern,” Cadance interjected.         “One that you shouldn’t worry about. You’ll see for yourself Cadance. Twilight is completely safe in Raegdan’s presence and he does his best to ascertain she doesn’t copy any of his more objectionable traits. He is actually the one who asked me to find someone like you to spend time with Twilight?”         “Really?” Cadance exclaimed in surprise.         “Oh yes. He will be present of course, he isn’t going to leave her out of his sight until he really trusts you. He asked if I knew of any young mares that could spend some time with her.”         Cadance adopted an overdone tone of gratefulness. “Thank you for the vote of confidence, oh great aunt of mine.”         Celestia stopped in front of a door and opened it. “Oh hush. We are here. Let’s see if she remembers-”         ”Cadance!” cried a cheerful, filly voice. Yep, little Twilight remembered her alright!         They both rushed forward and set off on their little ritualistic dance of greeting. They both laughed and Twilight almost choked her with the hug that followed. Cadance was about to ask her how she was when she saw… him.         She expected something scary or intimidating. Maybe claws or some very visible teeth. She expected him to be large, certainly, and he didn’t disappoint on that account. He was taller than her aunt or even the minotaurs he slightly resembled with his biped physique. But the rest, oh dear aunt of hers, the rest… she held her breath, reluctant to let the slightest wisp of air escape from her lungs.         “Is that her?” the target of her intense stare asked. Cadance couldn’t not take her eyes off him, even as she knew that she should. His words were broken, obviously not knowing the language very well.         Celestia stared at Twilight’s bodyguard for a second before regaining her composure, and avoiding glancing back to him, said, “let me introduce you to her. Raegdan, this is princess Mi Amore Cadenza but she prefers to go by Cadance. Cadance, this is-”         The tall biped cut her off, something nopony would ever dream of doing. “I’m Raegdan, pleasure to meet y-”         Twilight cut him off in turn. “Raegdan, we are still playing!” she complained with a hint of betrayal in her voice.         Raegdan sighed deeply. He fanned behind him the forest animal themed curtain that he had wrapped around his shoulders as a kind of cloak, flicked the blonde mane wig over his head with an excessive motion, though still careful as to not drop the paper crown that adorned the top, and impressively bowed at his middle, offering them the tea tray he held.         “I am Prince Rumbledumble, envoy from the lands of Glitter to meet with the Sovereign of the Sparklebook kingdom. Would you join us for tea?” Raegdan recited his script utterly deadpan.         “So, prince Rumbledumble, what are the requirements for-”         Raegdan took off his paper crown, followed by wig. “Tea party is over, call me Raegdan now,” he half-heartedly reproached her.         “Raegdan then,” Cadance smiled at him brightly. The pretend game had been pretty fun, even her aunt joined in for a few minutes until a guard came along with a message. Raegdan had kept declaring war at her only for her aunt to ask him with what kind of army did he intend to do this. At this point he would pronounce her heartfelt apology accepted. Celestia had just started egging him on, completely enjoying herself when she had to leave despite Twilight’s and Raegdan’s protests. “I’m surprised you let a little filly dress you up like this for a tea party. Most stallions would be too embarrassed to do something like this.”         Raegdan shrugged. “Not a stallion and don’t need to prove nothing. This?” he pulled at the curtain cloak that trailed behind him, “It was princess dress last time. Little one has fun, that’s enough for me. It’s shame Celestia left. She needs more breaks like this.”         “Do I pass then? Do you have any problems if I am around as Twilight’s playmate?” Cadance asked after she finished laughing at the image.         Raegdan waved his hand downwards and set himself on the task of taking off the improptu cloak, carefully folding it. “Sure. Little one knows you and likes you, you are Celestia’s daughter, no problem.”         “Oh, I’m not Celestia’s daughter!” Cadance piped up.         “Huh? But… wings and horns… you are Alicorn, correct?”         “Yes, but we are not actually related,” Cadance replied. They were getting into a murky area where she wasn’t supposed to answer much and she had no idea what this strange person was allowed to know. “I’m not allowed to say much. Princess Celestia adopted me as her niece and teaches me like Twilight, though different subjects. I was actually gone for some time learning more advanced magic from unicorn teachers, that’s why we haven’t met earlier.”         Raegdan was scratching his hair, examining the bottom of the wig with mistrust. “Makes sense now why she was often gone. Still no problem. Do you do something like Celestia does with sun?” he asked. He got up and stood next to the bathroom door.         “Nothing that physical. I suppose you could say that I am the Princess of Love.”         Raegdan’s head whipped back towards her, frowning intensely. “Aren’t you too young for this?”         Cadance blushed. She loved her pink coat but the way it turned to bright red so easily… not so much. “I’m… I mean the sentiment not the… physical aspect....” He was looking blankly at her. “You know, the emotion of love?” she explained further, pointing at her chest. Raegdan nodded his understanding with a relieved breath.         He gently tapped at the bathroom door. “Little one, everything ok? You have been there too long.”         “I’m fine!” Twilight yelled from inside. “Too much tea!”         “Let her. She will come out when she feels she is all primp and proper,” Cadance chuckled.         Raegdan sat back on the too small seat. “Princess of love, huh? What do you do then?”         “We are still exploring what exactly I can do,” Cadance said. “What I can easily do so far is sense the connections between ponies and those they love, and reinvigorate those feelings. Give them new strength,” she explained before he could ask. “I can show you if you like,” she said, eagerly letting her horn light up.         “Magic doesn’t work on me,” he claimed.         “Really?” Cadance asked dubiously. “It seems to work just fine. I can sense your love for Twilight, very strong and growing, Celestia, and others. There’s this tendril that’s… weird this one looks like it’s... infected some-” Cadance gasped in pain. She felt something akin to a black lance of burning cold piercing her heart, the pain unlike anything she had ever felt before. She opened her mouth to scream when it all faded away.         Raegdan’s hand was around her horn, the magic unresponding to her.         “Don’t. Do that. Again,” he growled.         “I’m, I’m sorry.” She could certainly understand why ponies feared him. She felt a little bit of fear herself as he loomed over her, her magic gone, with his omnivore teeth in full display and too close to her.         He glared at her for a full second before taking off his hand gently and slowly sitting back down. “You should be careful with that. I don’t know magic, but if you can feel love you might be able to feel other things too,” he warned her, looking concerned.         “Other things?”         He picked up a tea tray and showing one side to her. “Love,” he said. He turned it around, showing off the bottom. “Hate.” The explanation and its consequences were simple and to the point.         Cadance gulped. Suddenly, her cutie mark felt like a heavier burden than she believed it to be. She would need to talk with aunt Celestia. She hadn't been able to feel hate before now.         And what was that connection? Why was it like that?         The bathroom door opened with a loud bang, letting an excited filly hop her way out. “I’m back! What are we playing now?”         Cadance fought the morose feeling back for Twilight’s sake. It was getting a little late in the evening. Something quiet would do. “We could play a boardgame. How about cand-”         “I want to build a bookfort!” Twilight cried out, clopping her hooves together.         “Of course you do,” Raegdan said resigned. “I’ll pick up some pillows and we can go.”         “How exactly do you build a bookfort?” Cadance asked. “I don’t see enough books for one in here, unless we make it for dolls.”         “We’re going to the library,” Twilight explained while she was digging out a big piece of folded paper from beneath her bed.         “Won’t the librarians be just a little peeved if we mess with their books for a game?”         “No, Raegdan figured something out. We make it official and legal and they don’t mind. Look!” She unfolded the cardboard she was holding. Written on it with big, childish letters was the phrase; “Bookfort under construction. Please don’t interrupt. All complaints should be lodged with the construction superintendent, Raegdan.”         Cadance had a hunch that there were not that many complaints, at least not anymore.         “Ok, let’s go little one.” Raegdan held a sheet like a sack where he had stashed plenty of pillows.         “Carry us there,” Twilight demanded.         Raegdan knelt down immediately. Twilight climbed on his back, hanging with her hooves from one of his shoulders, leaving space for Cadance.         “Are you… ok with us… climbing on you?” Cadance asked first, not wanting to offend him any more.         “The little one wants to show off what her new toy can do to her friend,” he said spot on, making Twilight blush furiously. “Climb up, I’m fine.”         Cadance took her place next to Twilight. Raegdan rose up, sharing his perspective of the castle with them. Cadance silently thanked him for his thoughtfulness as he held the pillow sack behind him, giving them something to support their flanks on rather than just hanging on.         They left Twilight’s room riding on the giant’s back. A pair of guards they passed visibly held their breath and stared down as they passed them. Cadance wondered if Raegdan had realized that Twilight had put the paper crown back on his head.         “We march to adventure!” the little filly yelled.         “No, you ride my back to the library,” Raegdan said. “You are going to grow up to be the laziest mare ever,” he warned.         Twilight rapped him gently on the head with her hoof. “No, I’m not. I’m very hard working, Princess Celestia says so.”         “You are working someone hard alright,” he said, winking at Cadance.         “What?”         “Nothing,” he said instantly. “I said, bookfort building is very hard work. What do you say we go to kitchens first and get snacks?”         “Yay!”         Cadance leaned towards his ear to whisper. “If she eats something now she will barely be able to keep her eyes open after a while.”         “Really?” Raegdan whispered back. “What a shame. And here I was, willing to allow her to stay up after her bedtime.”         Cadance made a mental note to tell her aunt that she approved of him likewise. A stallion who knows how to put a filly to bed with minimal fuss passes instantly.