"Cadance! Cadance!"
"Twilight!"
Sunshine!
Sunshine!
Ladybugs awake!
Clap your hooves and do a little shake!
Filly and foal-sitter fell to the ground laughing. After a few moments Cadance heard a small voice.
"Cadance?"
"Yes, Twilight?"
"Why do the clouds have shapes?"
"Like what, Twilight?"
"Like a butterfly, or an ice-cream cone."
"Well, Twilight, let me tell you a story."
At this Twilight jumped up, "Yay! Story time, story time!" Twilight sang as she hopped around her foal-sitter in a circle.
Cadance laughed,"Yes, story time. Okay Twilight, settle down."
Twilight froze mid bounce and was seated in front of Cadance with barely contained excitement. The filly was practically vibrating in place.
Cadance laughed again and began her tale.
"Once upon a time, long before Equestria was formed and the tribes were united, a young pegasus was born in a small cloud village. She was a very pretty pegasus. Her wings were as white as cloud, and her mane was the soft blue of a clear sky. Her parents were very happy when she was born, for they had wanted a foal for a very long time. The whole village rejoiced on that happy day. But as she grew older, the villagers noticed something different about this foal. When the other foals started to flap their wings and take their first glides across the clouds, she would merely sit and play with the clouds at her hooves. The village elders were concerned and suggested the couple take their foal to the village shaman.
"What's a shaman?" Twilight interrupted, her head cocked as she looked at her foal-sitter, confused.
"A shaman is like a doctor, Twilight. They help ponies when they are sick."
"Oh. Was the little pegasus sick?" She asked
"No Twilight, she just wasn't learning how to fly as soon as the other pegasi foals."
"So what happened next?" Twilight asked, impatient to hear the rest of the story.
Cadance laughed and continued her tale. "The village elders wanted them to take their foal to the shaman..."
"A pegasus should fly." They told her parents. "Her place is in the sky, not on the clouds." But the couple refused. "There is no need." They told the elders gently. "She is just fine how she is." Well, over the years, as the other little pegasi grew older and bigger, so did she. And while she grew even more beautiful with each sunrise, she never was able to fly quite like the other pegasi. She still had no interest in flying with the others, preferring instead to play with her clouds. Eventually the shaman did come to see if there was anything she could do for the filly.
"What did the shaman say?" Twilight asked, leaning forward until she was about to fall over.
Cadance giggled and steadied her.
"Well, Twilight..."
The shaman looked at the filly's wings. When she was done, the elders asked if she could make the filly fly. And she just smiled and said what the filly's parents had known all along."There is no need. She is just fine." So the young filly grew older and while she did learn to lift herself off the clouds, she never was a very good flyer. And when all of the other pegasi children would fly around and play in the sky after their lessons, she would simply sit and play with the clouds around her, shaping them into all sorts of beautiful sculptures. One day, one of the younger pegasi was playing near the edge of the village. He had wandered away from his group without them noticing. Now as he went this way and that, he would take little hopping flights across the clouds. Because he was such a young pegasus, he didn't really look where he was going. So he didn't notice as he traveled further and further away from the village. And when he turned to hop to the next cloud, there were none. The winds were pushing him away so he couldn't get back without falling. He was all alone. All alone, but for one filly making cloud sculptures on the edge of the village. She heard his cries and ran to the edge, but she was still too weak a flyer to go after him.
"What did she do?"Twilight asked.
"Well, her first thought was to go get help..."
But the wind was blowing the cloud away too fast. She knew she had to act fast, so she pushed all of her sculptures into the air, making a path across the sky. She called to the young foal, but he was too scared to move. She leaped into the air and with a mighty flap of her wings, hopped to each one of her clouds. When she reached the last cloud, she gave a mighty flap of her wings and soared to the young colt. Scooping him up, she used her wings to propel the small cloud they were on back to the main cloud. As they reached the village, the young colt's parents hurried to her side. They had seen them from above and had flown down as fast as they could. A cheer went up from the villagers! Everypony rejoiced at the young pegasus hero. "But what of your sculptures?" A few of her friends asked, for they knew how hard she had worked on them. "How can we save them?" But she just smiled and shook her head. "There's no need. They're just fine." At that moment, the young hero got her cutie mark, a single cloud just waiting to be made into something new. And the ponies stopped and stared at the beautiful clouds floating by. Each one shaped like something new. And from that day forth, all of the clouds floating across the sky have shapes. You just have to be able to see them.
Cadance got up and reached towards the little filly, who was starting to nod off. "Come on Twilight, it's getting late. Time for little fillies to head home."
"But Cadance!" Twilight protested as she was lifted onto her foal-sitter's back."You never finished the story!"
"I didn't?"
"No!"Twilight said.
"What did I forget?" Cadance asked, tapping her hoof to her chin as she pretended to think about it.
"Her name." Twilight yawned as she struggled to stay awake."What was the pegasus's name? And what happened next?"
"Oh, of course! Silly me. Well Twilight..."
"Her name was Facio Nimbus. And she lived a very long and happy life, making all of the clouds into lovely shapes for everypony to enjoy. The End."
"Now let's get you home."
"Good morning, Cadance."
Princess Cadance blinked. Groggily, she lifted her head and shook it gently to try to clear her vision.
"Sleep well?"
"Twilight!" Cadance surged to her hooves and looked around. The room was mostly dark, with the only light being daylight's beginning beams just starting to shine through a pair of tall windows. The dim lighting created long shadows hiding the edges and corners of the room, creating an absolutely spooky atmosphere. But provided she hadn't been kidnapped by yet another egotistical stallion stealing changeling queen, Cadance didn't think she had anything to worry about. Seeing a silhouette in the shadows of the room, Cadance tried to run to her. Only to fall to the ground as something stopped her.
Twilight shook her head as she slowly moved out of the shadows, "You might not want to do that..."
"Wha...?" Cadance looked down at her hooves in shock. Around each one was a gleaming silver shackle, chaining her to the stone floor. She tried to use her magic to escape, but for some reason she couldn't.
Cadance looked up at Twilight in disbelief, "Twilight?"
"I'm sorry, Cadance. Its nothing personal." Twilight said as she stepped out of the shadows completely. "I simply can't have you interfering with my plans."
Cadance stared up at Twilight in shock. "Twilight...why?"
Illuminated by the beams of light coming from the tall windows, was not the Twilight that Cadance knew. Twilight's coat had darkened to a deep smoky grey. Her mane had grown longer and was almost completely black, with a deep purple stripe through the middle. When Twilight looked down at her, Cadance couldn't help a small gasp. Twilight's eyes had slanted and were almost completely purple, with black slits where her irises should be.
But that wasn't the horrifying part. As Twilight looked down at her, Cadance didn't see the young filly she knew. There was no trace of the spark within her. Her gaze was cold, calculating.
"What has that monster done to you?"
Twilight laughed. It was a harsh thing, devoid of any real humor.
Cadance couldn't hide her wince upon hearing it.
"Who? Discord? He's no monster... He's merely a draconaquus. And it's not what he did to me. It's what he taught me. I've learned a valuable lesson from him. From all of you."
Twilight turned away from Cadance and walked towards a tall black throne across the room.
"A lesson I intend to teach to all of Equestria."
"Please, Twilight. Listen to me. Just let me talk to you. We can work through this. It doesn't have to be this way!"
Twilight turned to her and shook her head sadly, "And what other way could it be? Tell me. How to you intend to change my mind?"
"By reminding you of all of the good that's inside you. You are such a beautiful mare, Twilight. You've come so far since I first met you as a young filly. You found true friends and a good home in Ponyville. Your life is filled with ponies who love you and believe in you! Please, please don't let Discord win. You can beat this! I know-"
Harsh laughter cut out her words. "Oh really? Those ponies were willing to drop me like a bad book as soon as I didn't fit with their precious story!" Twilight's voice was virtually dripping with sarcasm as she mocked her old foal-sitter.
Cadance's stomach sank as she realized she had made a critical mistake as Twilight glared at her. "Those so-called 'true friends' of mine are going to be the first ponies who will feel my glorious revenge."
"Twilight, please! Don't do this." Cadance begged. "I understand that you're hurt. I know you feel angry, and like you just want to take away that hurt by hurting others. But please, don't do this. You're a good pony! We can calm down and go talk to everypony together, okay?"
"We can talk to her together, okay?" Cadance comforted the young filly.
Little Twilight was trying not to cry as she stared hopefully into her foal-sitter's face, the broken plate on the floor between them.
"Okay..." Twilight whispered, holding up her hooves for Cadance to pick her up.
"Oh, I don't think so, Cadance. Not this time." Twilight shook her head regretfully. But when she looked at Cadance, here wasn't any regret at all in her face. There wasn't any emotion. Twilight looked cold, unfeeling... and insane.
Twilight tossed her mane back imperialistically as she turned to walk towards the big throne in the center off the room. "Besides, I don't see what you're so worried about. Honestly, all I'm going to do to them, is what they did to me."
A cold fear spread throughout Cadence. "What do you mean by that, Twilight?"
"I'll simply ignore them." Twilight turned back to Cadance, a dark smile spreading across her face. "As they beg for mercy."
"Oh Twilight..."
Sitting regally upon her throne, Twilight waved a hoof in dismissal. She directed a feral smile at Cadance. "Well enough about me. I suppose you must be wondering how you fit into my plans."
Cadance felt sick with fear. Not for herself, but for Twilight. How was she supposed to save Twilight from whatever evil Discord has infected her with? Even with all of the Elements of Harmony, Celestia had to banish Luna to the moon for a thousand years! She couldn't do that to her Twilight. She just couldn't!
Cadance bite back tears. Some princess of love she was! She couldn't even show Twilight how truly loved she was.
But she'd keep trying. No matter what happens, she'd always love Twilight. "What exactly are your plans, Twilight?"
"Well, Princess," Twilight mocked, "I happen to know that Shining Armor will be entering a certain set of crystal caverns on an ill-fated rescue mission. Perhaps you've heard of them? I suppose I should add Chrysalis to the list of creatures I owe thanks to. After all, even as poorly conceived as her plan was, she did give me the perfect location to set a trap."
Cadance gasped, fear for Shining Armor competing with her fear for Twilight. How was she supposed to save them both?
Twilight laughed and flipped her hair back. Leaning back against her throne, she said almost casually, "Oh and don't worry. I have no intention of letting Discord win anything. When I'm through with him, he will learn just how badly he can lose when he's playing by somepony else's rules."