Ch7 - Cadence, Blueblood, and BBBFF
Celestia’s Tiny Student
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Chapter 7
Cadence, Blueblood, and BBBFF
Twilight sat up on her pillow, rubbing sleepily at her eyes. Someone unfamiliar had just called her name, waking her from her slumber, and she assumed that the voice belonged to her new foalsitter. She blinked against the sunlight beaming in from the balcony, and as her eyes adjusted to the brightness of the room, the bright pink blob in her vision slowly condensed into an alicorn the size—and age—of a filly. Twilight blinked again, this time in confusion.
I thought Cadence would look a bit older, considering that the princess told me that she’d been a guest in Equestria for hundreds of years.
***
It’s a unicorn.
A tiny... purple... unicorn...
Cadence stared at the ‘purple mouse’ in disbelief, her mind drawing up blanks as she searched for something to say. The tiny unicorn simply stared back at her before rubbing the back of her head nervously.
At least I know what Celestia meant when she told me that this size difference is one I wouldn’t be able to account for.
Oh my, I must look like a giant monster to her right now. I can’t believe she’s not running away from me.
"Uhhh...Hello! You must be Princess Cadence! Nice to meet you!" Twilight shouted cheerfully before giving a respectful bow. "My name is Twilight Sparkle!"
Cadence looked back stunned before slowly approaching the bed, all the while still staring at Twilight. She’s actually not afraid. “H-hello. It’s nice to meet you too, Twilight. I am indeed Princess Cadence, former princess to be precise, and I shall be your new foalsitter.”
Twilight clapped her hooves in excitement, “That’s great! So, do you have anything planned for today?”
“Of course, but could I just ask a few questions first?”
"Umm, alright. Go ahead."
"Are you afraid of me?" Cadence asked curiously.
Twilight chuckled, "Why should I be afraid of you? That's just silly."
“Because I’m uhh... like several times your size? I’ve been a foalsitter for fillies and colts your own age, and they were cowed even when I was just twice their height. They didn’t really think of me as a friend until I used my magic to make myself look younger.”
Twilight gasped loudly. “You can do that? Are you doing that right now?”
Cadence waved the comment off. “Yes and yes, but it requires the strong magic of an alicorn, and it’s only temporary at best. But back to what I said earlier: Why aren’t you afraid of me?”
Twilight looked thoughtful for a moment. “Hmmm... I guess I don’t really have a reason to be. The princess has always put in a good word about you, and you look like a nice pony. Besides, everypony is bigger than I am.”
Cadence gave a sigh of relief. I’ll have to remember to thank Celestia later for that. It’s so much easier to work with fillies when they aren’t intimidated by my size. "That's good,” she nodded, “but could you answer just one more question for me? Why are you so small?"
“Princess Celestia shrank me after I had my first magical surge. Do you remember the incident at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns about... eight years ago?”
“Of course I do. Back then, one of the applicants to the school had unleashed a dragon, and almost destroyed the examination room during her entrance exam because... of...” Cadence gasped in shock and pointed a hoof at Twilight. “That was you?”
Twilight nodded energetically. “Yep! The princess didn’t want me to cause any more damage if my magic goes out control again, so she used the energy from my first surge to cast a shrinking spell on me. She took me as her student so that I could learn how to control my magic while I’m tiny enough that my surges won’t be harmful.”
Cadence nodded in understanding. I can’t believe I forgot about the Shrinking Spell. I’d thought that that spell was lost since nopony besides me and aunt Celestia was strong enough to cast it. To think that Celestia could still remember it... and to think she used it over eight years ago on such a young filly!
“Oh Twilight,” Cadence began. “I can’t imagine how difficult your life must be, being so small. And to be confined to this room the entire time as well! I’m sure there has to be another way.”
Twilight shrugged. “I don’t think there is another way. Unless I want buildings collapsing whenever I surge. And besides, this isn’t really that bad. I can read as many books as I want, and I can practice my magic all I want without being afraid of leaving a line of transformed potted plants in my wake. Celestia spends time with me every day and allows me to go out, as long as I’m escorted by her guards. I get to see Spike often, and now I get to play with you too! It’s really not as bad as you’d think."
Cadence gave a reserved nod. Well, as long as she says she’s happy... Still, I should be careful around her, and I will need to remember to talk with Celestia about this. She should have more interaction with other ponies than just her guards and... Spike?
“Who’s Spike? I don’t think I’ve met him before.”
“Spike’s the dragon that I, quote-unquote,” Twilight raised her hooves to trace mock quotation marks in the air, “‘unleashed’ on the school, though he’s back to the size he should be, as a baby dragon now.”
Cadence’s mouth was agape. “A dragon! Celestia lets you play with a dragon? Aren’t you afraid he’ll... I don’t know... sit on you or eat you?”
Twilight’s face turned quickly into an angry frown. “Whoa whoa whoa, princess. Time out.” Twilight made a quick ‘T’ with her forelegs. “Spike would never do that to me! He’s really nice and caring, and he knows to be careful whenever he plays with me, not to mention that he loves it when I teach him, so don’t say he’ll do something like eat me before you’ve met him!”
Cadence gave a sheepish smile. “I’m... I’m sorry, Twilight. I didn’t mean to offend you by saying that. It’s just... I’ve had some bad experiences with dragons, and I was really worried about you.”
Bad experiences? ”Bad experiences” is putting it a bit lightly, Cadence, if you’re referencing the time when a horde of dragons decided to see if crystal ponies tasted like gems. Her poor parents paying a huge price for their curiosity.
The pink alicorn gave an involuntary shudder.
Twilight gave the former princess a reassuring smile. “Just wait until you meet Spike. I’m sure you’ll like him! And please, don’t worry too much about me. I’m already fifteen, and Celestia casts a protection spell on me daily. I’m perfectly safe! And I can provide empirical evidence!” she exclaimed before disappearing in a flash of teleportation.
Cadence looked around in surprise before noticing another flash from above her. She looked up, and gasped, her eyes widening, as she noticed the tiny purple unicorn reappearing at the top of the room, nearly five meters up.
“Twilight!” Cadence screamed, before launching herself under her charge, spreading her wings to catch the unicorn just before she landed on the unrelenting floor. The doors burst open and Overwatch and Steel Blade came in, alerted by the shout, just as the filly alicorn caught Twilight in her feathery embrace.
"What were you thinking!" Cadence yelled as she wrapped Twilight up in her wings, holding her pressed against soft surface of her belly. "You could have broken something or died doing things like that! What possessed you to drop yourself to the ground from that height?"
After taking a few quick breaths, Cadence opened her wings and slowly levitated Twilight back over to her pillow while she herself jumped onto the bed, both of them looking a bit frazzled after the experience.
Twilight stammered as she attempted to put together a response, “I-I’m sorry. I guess I... didn’t quite think that one through. I didn’t mean to worry you, really!” She looked down at her pillow, drawing circles on it with a hoof.
Cadence closed her eyes and took a deep breath before turning to the two guards. “I’m sorry for disturbing you two. You may return to your posts now; the situation is under control.”
Overwatch shot a glance at Steel Blade before turning back towards Cadence. “No need to apologize, princess. It’s just part of the job.”
She gave a deep bow and trotted back out, muttering, “Celestia knows how we’re being more useful keeping Twilight safe from prissy nobles rather than herself. Girl’s a walking disaster area.”
Steel Blade gave the alicorn filly a sheepish smile and a quick bow before joining his co-worker outside.
The door clicked shut, and Cadence turned back towards Twilight. She took a moment to compose herself before saying, “It’s okay Twilight. I forgive you, but you really can’t be putting yourself in danger like that.”
Twilight looked back up at her foalsitter again before hesitantly asking, "Y-you're not mad?"
"No, I’m not angry, but you really caught me off-guard with that stunt. Why would you do something so reckless anyway?"
“I-I-I just didn’t want you to worry about me,” Twilight said uncertainly, “I’ve taken much more than this, and I managed to get through those without any issue.”
“Really? Like what?” Cadence narrowed her eyes at Twilight.
“Like that time I almost fell... off...” Twilight trailed off. Deciding that this was perhaps not the best time to tell Cadence about the time she fell all the way to the streets of Canterlot, she quickly corrected herself. “N-Nevermind. The point is that I’ll be fine. Honest! I have the protection spell and everything!”
Cadence brought a hoof to her forehead. “Regardless, you’re still small and you could still get seriously hurt doing such things.”
“I may be small, but it also makes me very light, so the kinetic energy I gain in a fall is reduced as well. Also, being small means that air resistance will slow me down more since I have more surface area per unit volume than a regular-sized pony, allowing me to fall at a slightly lower terminal velocity, like...” Twilight shook her head, as if to clear her thoughts. “That doesn’t matter right now. I just don’t want you worrying so much about me, is all. It bothers me that others look down at me because they think I’m so small and fragile.”
“Hold on a second. You mean you tried to fall all the way from the ceiling because you didn’t want me to worry about you?” Twilight nodded eagerly, but her response was interrupted when Cadence swept her up in between her hooves, holding the unicorn tightly as she gave her a soft nuzzle. “Oooh, you silly filly. You’re just making me even more worried.”
Twilight nuzzled her cheek and then pushed Cadence’s head back a little with all strength she could muster, creating a little space within the alicorn’s hug as she looked up into Cadence’s eyes, “Hey! I’m not a filly anymore! Don’t worry about me so much!”
Cadence chuckled as she released the little unicorn, placing her back on her pillow and sitting down in front of her while lifting her foreleg, “I’ll make a deal with you then. I won’t try to coddle you and worry so much about your safety as long as you don’t give me a reason to be worried. Just give me a little time to get used to your limits. Deal?”
Twilight gave Cadence a suspicious stare. “What about Spike?”
Cadence blinked. I’d almost forgotten about Spike. Maybe that’s the reason she was so adamant on her safety. “I won’t try to keep you away from Spike, as long as he doesn’t try to wrestle you into the dirt or flambé you. Deal?”
Twilight gave a wide smile before grabbing the giant pink hoof while shaking it energetically as she shouted, “Deal! So, what are we going to do now? Have anything fun planned?”
Cadence smiled back. "Of course, Twilight. I bought you some toys, but I'm not sure whether they will be of any use now, though. Auntie Celestia didn’t exactly tell me about your size when I met her earlier today," Cadence explained, although Twilight had already teleported to the saddlebags she had put aside earlier and was curiously looking through them with only her rump visible. With a grin, the filly rose and trotted over to oversee her new charge.
"Hey, what’s this doll? It looks cute," Twilight asked, levitating up a stuffed doll that was slightly larger than her from inside the bag. The doll itself was dark-grey and its laced mane and tail were only more so. A pair of mismatched buttons, one a navy blue and the other a washed-out maroon, acted as the doll’s eyes and around the doll’s rear and hindlegs was a greyish-blue pair of pants speckled with white polka-dots.
"Oh, that one?" Cadence replied, examining the doll over Twilight’s head as the tiny mare's tail was shaking energetically. "I made it myself, a really long time ago. It’s a bit old and ragged, but it has really held together over the years. I must have brought it by accident."
"Y-you made it... I understand," Twilight spoke in disappointment as she lowered her head, her ears drooped while her no longer flapping tail fall against the floor. The doll quickly levitated the towards Cadence as the little unicorn looked to the side and bit her lip.
“You really like this old doll, don’t you?” Cadence asked curiously. Noticing a sad nod, she smiled and spoke cheerfully, “Then I will gladly pass it to you.”
“I can keep it, for real?” Twilight asked, turning to Cadence while giving her best puppy-dog eyes with her bottom lip quivering in a pout.
"Of course you can keep it," Cadence replied with a smile. "I just hope you don't mind it being a bit worse for wear."
"Yay! I have my own doll now!" Twilight exclaimed enthusiastically as she jumped in circles, the doll levitating beside her as if being part of a dance. "We can have tea together and... and... and study together! What should I call her?" Twilight looked up in contemplation for a moment before her face lit up with an idea, “I know! I’ll name her Smarty Pants! Like Fancy Pants!”
Cadence gave a loud bark of a laugh, “I approve! Fancy Pants had always been a delight to talk with, and I’m sure Smarty Pants will be the same way. Now, is there any other toy you want to play with?”
Twilight placed her newest doll next to the entrance to the massive dollhouse before she dove back into the depths of Cadence’s saddlebags as she began levitating the contents of the bag out above her, keeping them in her hold while she dug further. Once she was sure everything was out, she climbed back out to pick and choose, happening to glance at Cadence’s flabbergasted expression at her magic.
Twilight looked back at the large cloud of toys around her and gave a shy smile. Perhaps she could tone down on the magic just a teensy bit this time around.
Over the next few days as Cadence foal-sat Twilight, the unicorn was more than happy to play various games with her. Twilight’s favorites were either puzzles or logical games, as they were similar to reading, with the added thrill of competition. In the beginning, Cadence had been glad to simply read alongside her charge, as it was far safer than any game they could play, but hours and hours of non-stop reading soon changed her opinion.
Cadence could only smile while feeling warmth in her heart whenever the tiny Twilight tried to throw several dice without help of her magic, or would walk herself across a board as one of the playing pieces. They had also played chess a few times, and Twilight usually pushed the chess pieces around with her own hooves or played the role of a king. Whenever Cadence had asked why she was acting as a pawn on the game board, or why she didn't use her magic, Twilight claimed it to be more fun that way.
They had also played a role-playing game occasionally where Twilight would wear a toy-sized dress and play as a princess, while Cadence moved plastic knight-pony figures and a dragon toy around with her magic. Sometimes Spike joined their gaming sessions too, and took on the role of the dragon himself occasionally. He didn't really like the idea of playing the villain of the story though, and had even asked more than once to play the role of a knight in shining armor—which only made Twilight think of her own brother.
There were of course some more exciting games too that Twilight has learned from White Path, where the little unicorn and her giant foal-sitter would use their magic to levitate the knights, and a bunch of soldier-pony toys, imagining the room as their battlefield. But whenever Cadence was about to defeat Twilight's army, Twilight herself just rushed into the front line kicking Cadence's toy soldiers down, or knocked them over with magic bolts. No matter what, in the end Cadence was always forced to surrender and join in the post-victory cookie feast.
As Cadence had spent more time with the little mare and had talked with Celestia about her situation, she had started to be more comfortable about Twilight's safety. On occasion, she even let Twilight play some more risky games too, though Cadence herself was still very careful around her, and always watched the young mare playing in case of accidents.
Still, Celestia didn't want Twilight seen by any nobles while Cadence prefered to keep being an alicorn away from public eye, so the foal-sitter snuck her little charge around the castle grounds under one wing while pretending to be a pegasus or tucked up into her mane as unicorn or earth pony while hiding her wings or horn under the veil of illusion. With a fake cutie mark under each of her disquises while trusting only some royal guards and few servants who swore to kept her and Twilight's secret safe, Cadence was making frequent trips into the garden and even more frequent visits to the library. After all, Twilight was a student who needed the exercise and experience of frequent outings, not some prisoner to be held behind the castle’s walls.
Prince Blueblood trotted briskly towards the Royal Gardens in the warm afternoon sunshine, his fine white coat resplendent with a recent grooming and his blond mane billowing in the breeze. Despite the beautiful landscaping surrounding him and generations of the finest flowering shrubs and plants filling the air with a breathtaking scent that defied description, his mind was far away, and a fierce scowl occupied his handsome face.
My one appointment to see Twilight Sparkle would have to be on the same day she decides to leave Celestia’s room without giving any warning.
He increased his pace as he drew within sight of his destination, ignoring his verdant surroundings with the determination of a pony on a mission. This was one opportunity he was not going to miss because of some silly oversight, no matter how inconsiderate it was.
One of the Royal Guards, a white pegasus, stood near the entrance gates and, as soon as Blueblood approached, snapped out his wing to block the prince’s passage. Maintaining the impassive expression of the Royal Guard, the guard spoke firmly, “Apologies, My Prince. The garden is currently closed by order of both Princess Celestia and Princess Cadence.”
“Yes, yes. Of course.” Blueblood waved off the order. “But I believe that Lady Twilight Sparkle is inside the gardens, and I have written permission from Celestia to visit her.” He presented the document in question, levitating it up to the guard for perusal. Blueblood took a quick glance around as the pegasus read through the document to himself. Unusual. I was under the impression that the Royal Guard worked in pairs. Perhaps Celestia believes that one is enough?
The guard gave a nod and an affirmative grunt, bringing Blueblood’s attention back to him, “You are clear to proceed, Prince Blueblood. You may find Lady Sparkle enjoying the gardens with Princess Cadence, as well as with the dragon, Spike. I believe they are playing hide-and-seek at the moment.” He withdrew his wing and dropped into a curt bow.
Blueblood strode briskly into the garden entrance, scanning for the young unicorn as he walked among the statues dotting the area. Beyond a quick physical description, he really did not know much about her, besides that she was a powerful unicorn shrunk by Celestia and taken in under the princess’s wing as her student. Of course, there were still rumors that Celestia simply shrunk the unicorn for her own amusement. Considering the princess had ruled Equestria for hundreds, maybe thousands of years, there may have been a bit of merit in that rumor, although others meant it as a jab at the monarch. Then again, he also found himself wondering why Celestia would shrink the filly if she just wanted a bit of company. After all, it seems like it’d be difficult to play with a filly the size of a mouse.
Just my luck that of all things, they’d be playing hide-and-seek today. It’s going to be impossible to find such a filly of that size here. Perhaps I should focus on finding Cadence or that dragon. Spike, was it? They shouldn’t be too far behind her and I can’t be wasting time now.
“Twilight?” he called out loudly. “Cadence? Dragon?”
“Y’know, if you’re looking for someone, you could just ask rather than begin shouting.” Blueblood jumped and turned towards the source of the voice, looking upwards at the statue representing victory, to find an alert charcoal-black unicorn guard mare perched at the top, apparently very relaxed despite resting on the hard stone.
“Then again, nopony really tries to ask me anything,” she muttered, before straightening up and scanning the area. “Spike is on the completely opposite side of the garden from Twilight and I’m pretty sure Cadence has gotten herself lost in the hedge maze. By the way, if you’re looking for the princess’s student, you’d have a bit more luck over by that oak tree there.”
Blueblood turned towards the oak tree she indicated, murmuring thanks before trotting towards it. So Celestia did assign two guards to Miss Sparkle, though I’m surprised she would assign such an unprofessional guard to her very own student. Wasn’t there some big complaint in the nobility about a guard a year or two ago? I’m surprised they haven’t gotten stricter with the guards’ behavior these days.
He approached the oak tree, scanning the leafy depths of its expansive foliage. “Twilight?” he asked. His search was interrupted when a single acorn, held in a lavender aura, floated in front of him, waiting until it had his full attention before moving away.
The acorn floated up towards the other side of the tree, which Blueblood obediently trotted towards, before stopping next to a small lavender shape huddled in a crook of a branch.
“Ahh, Twilight Sparkle, I presume?” Blueblood called up to her. “Could you please come down so that we may talk more easily?”
With a flash of light, Twilight quickly relocated herself to Blueblood’s muzzle, startling him into nearly knocking her off as she bounced of the tree and landed back on his nose. The little unicorn reasserted herself and sat down squarely in the prince’s vision before speaking. “Sorry, I guess I should have provided more warning when I do that. Anyway, my name is Twilight Sparkle. You must be Prince... Blue’s Blood? I think the princess mentioned you before, but I didn’t quite catch your name. Nice to meet you!”
Blueblood blinked as he looked at the young mare perched on his nose. My... she really is tiny. I wonder if the rumors of her power were also true, such that Celestia needed to shrink her to keep it under control.
"First off, my name is not ‘Blue’s Blood.’ It’s Blueblood," Blueblood corrected her. "Anyway, it’s nice to meet you too, Twilight Sparkle. I can see why Celestia waited so long before granting me permission to visit."
“Permission to visit? How long did you have to wait?” her expression shifted into one of confusion as she tilted her head.
“Just about a year. I’m surprised it wasn’t longer.”
“Really? That’s kinda depressing. Why won’t Princess Celestia let you visit me? That seems a bit unfair,” Twilight said, now frowning.
Blueblood shrugged noncommittally before stating, “Politics. Don’t worry too much about it,” he said, before deciding to launch into an inquiry of his own. “I was wondering, though. Is it true that Princess Celestia shrunk you because you were too powerful?”
"Yes. She did it so I could learn how to control my power without hurting anypony. My magic is really strong — or at least that is what the princess says — and I sometimes have issues reining it in."
“Could you give me a demonstration, then? I find it hard to believe unless I can see it with my own eyes.”
"Of course!" Twilight replied cheerfully with a wide smile before jumping from Blueblood’s nose and landing with a practiced tumble on the grass.
Turning back to Blueblood, Twilight’s horn lit up as she focused more and more magic into it. Blueblood gave a very slight frown as he watched the tiny mare. I hope that whatever spell she is going to cast will have big enough effect for me to notice, he thought, before noticing the pink aura around him and that he was getting ever so slowly farther away from her. Upwards, to be precise.
Blueblood flailed his legs around slightly, not quite realizing that the ground was not where it was supposed to be. She’s levitating me? But I must weigh at least two hundred times her weight! If she can handle the strain when she’s that size...
A few seconds passed, and Twilight looked as if she was straining harder and harder, clenching her teeth in a tight grimace. Twenty seconds passed before Blueblood began getting impatient. “Twilight Sparkle,” he began. “As impressive as your show of raw power is, I’d appreciate it if you could put me back down.” The sooner, the better. She’s starting to worry me, and I’m afraid I might hurt her if I use my own magic to escape.
A few more seconds passed before Blueblood noticed something was definitely wrong. With a sudden bright burst of light, Blueblood was punted several yards back, landing clumsily in the lawn. He shook his head blearily before looking back to see Twilight levitating in the air, the bright corona of a magic surge easily three times normal size enveloping the young mare and shedding off magic bolts in all directions. No wonder Celestia shrunk her. A surge of that size, not to mention tossing me like a ragdoll, could cause irreparable damage no matter where she goes.
“Twilight!”
Blueblood turned towards the distant voice, spotting an unusually young pegasus he recognized as Cadence flying over to them as well as the guard mare from earlier galloping from the hedge maze, likely coming over after finding the foal-sitter. She landed a short distance from tiny unicorn before backing away uncertainly from the bolts emitted from Twilight’s surge and nervously fidgeting with her hooves.
“Stay back and do not interfere. Twilight’s magical surge will fade out on its own, but there is nothing we can do to stop it ourselves,” Blueblood commanded, earning a glare from Cadence.
“I know what this is, Prince Blueblood. This isn’t the first she’s had under my care,” she warily replied before approaching the surging mare as a blue aura appeared around her invisible horn while a stream of lavender magic was drained into it, watching as Twilight’s surge slowly shrank in size as it consumed her magic reserves. As it ended, and the tiny unicorn slowly stopped floating above the ground, Cadence caught Twilight in her own magic and deposited the little mare on her back.
Looking back worriedly, Cadence asked, “Are you feeling okay, Twilight?”
Twilight gave a sluggish nod, “Y-yes. Just a bit tired. I tried to hold my surge back, but I think I overextended myself there.”
“Well, Twilight. Why don’t you just rest on my back for now? I can cover you up with some of my mane while I go find your more age-appropriate playmate Spike, and by the time we get back to Celestia’s room, you should be rested enough to play something a little less strenuous.” Twilight barely nodded and curled herself into a ball, in exactly the same position she had been sleeping every day since she had been shrunk. Cadence giggled a little at the sight before tucking a few curls of her mane over the sleeping filly and heading out to locate the hidden dragon.
To Cadence’s annoyance, Blueblood decided to accompany them on their relatively short trip. After a quick check to make sure the little unicorn on her back was really sleeping, she decided to at least get some current information out of the stuffy stallion.
“So what happened back there, little cousin?”
Blueblood huffed at the reminder of their relationship, and regarded Cadence rather coldly. “I don’t appreciate your tone of voice, or your negligence towards Auntie Celestia’s rather special young—”
“We were playing hide-and-seek, cousin. The game isn’t nearly as much fun if you never get out of sight. Now what happened back there with you and my little charge?” Cadence lifted the branches of a low bush and looked under it for a sign of the little dragon, still amazed at the ability of a purple creature of that size being able to hide in the middle of so many green plants.
“I’ve been wanting to meet the student that Auntie Celestia has been hiding from me for this long, so when she finally gave me permission today, I hurried right over. I’ve always wondered just exactly why Aunt Celestia would use such a peculiar spell on her, and never really did believe her story about Twilight having so much raw power, so I asked her to show me just how strong her magic really was.”
“Show her power?” Cadence cocked an eyebrow in curiosity, her search for the little purple lizard momentarily lowering in priority. She would have been angry at Blueblood for making Twilight perform tricks for him, if it were not for the obvious fact that Celestia had done the same thing to her many times now for many years, and it felt interesting to see the horseshoe on the other hoof. “So what kind of spell did you have her cast, Professor Blueblood?”
“Nothing fancy, really,” replied Blueblood with an irritated scowl. “She just lifted a heavy — I mean an average weight. Perfectly average.”
“Really? I would think from the reaction she had, she must have been lifting something extremely heavy,” remarked Cadence with a sly wink, keeping from laughing only by the light weight of the sleeping student on her back. “So what, or who was she lifting?”
“M-me,” Blueblood replied with a glance around to make sure nopony was listening. “She levitated me above the ground,” his blush grew as Cadence tried unsuccessfully to suppress a giggle, saved only by her not wanting to wake the little sleeping unicorn who was using her as a mattress.
Once the fit of suppressed laughter died out, realization struck her. “Wait a minute. She actually lifted you off the ground? But you’re so heavy. I mean really heavy. And compared to her present size—”
“I’m not fat,” protested Blueblood, with a quite noticeable sucking in of his gut. “I have a large frame.”
“With very few miles on it, and quite a few doughnuts. Just because you’re Celestia’s nephew doesn’t mean you can eat more than her. She lifts the sun every morning, while all you do is lift drinks with your friends all night. I’ve told you to get some exercise before you turn into a blob.”
Ignoring Blueblood’s look of disbelief, she continued, “Anyway, I had no idea she had enough power to lift a full-grown pony. Alicorn magic and their raw power built up over hundreds of years is about the only thing that could make her look weak by comparison. I really can’t think of any other adult unicorn who could match her power now, let alone exceed it.”
Blueblood sniffed. “I don’t see why you’re making such a fuss over her. I can levitate far more than my own weight.”
“I know you think you’re strong, Blue, but do you think you could lift a couple times your own weight? Or a few hundred times your own weight, like Twilight, who has not even come close to her full potential yet?”
After Twilight’s short nap and a trip to Celestia’s bedchamber, the four of them settled down to much more sedate activities. Spike was set to work coloring an ornate line drawing of a dragon hoard with a huge box of gem-tinted markers while Twilight bounced on her sleeping pillow, feeling recharged and ready for the answer to the question that was just bursting to get out.
“So, how did I do on your test, Mister Blueblood? Did I pass? Do I need to do any extra credit work?”
The look of annoyance that had finally been purged from the proud stallion returned in full strength. “Please, young Miss Sparkle. You really should address me by my title.”
“Oh.” The little unicorn drooped as she whimpered slightly, “Will this cost me points on your test, Mister Prince?”
“No!” he spluttered. “You are to address me as Prince Blueblood, Duke of Canterlot...” Blueblood trailed off at the look of anguish on the little unicorn and the quelling glare he was getting from Cadence. “But as you are my Aunt Celestia’s student, you may simply call me Blueblood, in private.”
“You really need to learn the correct form of address for the nobility, for there are many insensitive louts who would take offence, if you do not use their correct title. As for your test?” Blueblood glanced at Cadence and allowed the faintest trace of a smile to slip onto his face. “I shall be forced to give you full credit and top marks, provided you continue to work on your control—”
“Yippeee!” Twilight gave a high bounce off the pillow, vanishing in mid-air to reappear on an astonished Blueblood’s nose, causing him a slight hesitation before continuing.
"I must say I didn't expect to witness so much power from young mare of your size," Blueblood replied in a neutral tone, considering the powerful subject of his words was still perched on his nose. "I may not be an expert in magic, but I must say it was quite an impressive display of power. I can see why my aunt was so interested in teaching you. Now I am better equipped to deal with the foolish rumors about you that some of the nobles have been spreading, as most of them are quite inaccurate."
“Rumors?” Cadence asked in confusion. “What rumors?”
Blueblood raised his eyebrows. “You haven’t heard? They’ve been fairly common talk among the nobles in Canterlot, and—”
He paused with a frown before suddenly blinking in understanding. “Ahh, you haven’t been in Canterlot these last few years, have you? No matter. You would be better off not knowing. Trust me,” he continued, with a wave of his hoof, once again looking cross-eyed at Twilight. “So, what would you like to do now, Lady Sparkle?”
He considered that it would probably be a good idea to stay on the tiny unicorn’s good side. Twilight was going to return to normal size one day, and when that day arrived, she would not be a pony he’d want to mess with. Hopefully by then, she’d have stopped teleporting onto other pony’s noses too.
Twilight was confused by the praise from Blueblood, but didn't know if she should be worried about whatever rumors were being spread about her. She didn't often have a chance to meet any new ponies — not that she really minded anyway, as she still had her mentor and enough books, and her family visited her from time to time too — but after meeting with Cadence and Blueblood, she was wondering if Celestia would begin to allow her to talk and play with other ponies as well.
"Um... maybe you, or Princess Cadence could tell me more about yourselves," Twilight answered his question. "My mentor has not told me much about you two, and I'd like to get to know you better."
Over the next few hours, both Blueblood and Cadence told her some stories from their respective pasts, while Twilight and Spike listened intently. Of course, Cadence didn't want to traumatize the filly, and left out the frightening details about how Sombra had taken over her empire and banished her. Blueblood, in turn, avoided any stories which could leave a bad impression for Twilight, as he believed the young mare wouldn't likely understand how life worked when it came to politics and social classes. After they had already shared several stories together, another guest approached the room, unbeknownst to them at the moment.
***
"Lieutenant Armor, sir. I assume you are here to visit your sister? Feel free to enter, sir," the guards at Celestia's bedchamber saluted before opening the door for the young lieutenant. Shining Armor snapped back a quick salute before entering.
Although he had at first visited his sister as often as he could, Shining Armor quickly realized that his little Twiley was not as fragile as he had once assumed. As such, he decided to focus more and more on his training, though he still paid visits to Twilight every so often. He still enjoyed his sister’s company, but his quick advancement through the Royal Guard’s ranks gave him much more than mere physical training to worry about, and his visits to Twilight waned.
As Shining Armor passed the guards into Celestia's bedchamber, he noticed that Twilight was not alone. In fact, she seemed to have quite a lot of company with her this time. He first noticed Spike, a now common visitor for his little sister though initially, he had tried to convince Celestia to separate the two for Twilight’s safety. It took a long while and nearly constant surveillance by either him or Twilight’s guards before he began to trust the little dragon and welcome his visits.
The next pony he saw made him somewhat annoyed. It was Blueblood. While the guards in general didn't like him, Shining Armor himself absolutely loathed him. Whenever Shining was appointed to ensure the security of the nobles in Canterlot, he was annoyed to no end by his arrogance, and he hadn't expected that Celestia would let him visit Twilight in the first place.
The last pony in the room Shining didn't recognize. He had never been informed about there being more alicorns than Princess Celestia, and she seemed to be quite a young filly too. The filly in question looked back at him with an awkward smile as her wings spread and covered her head as if trying to hide the horn. He would find more about her later, but there was the other pony he liked to deal with first.
"What is the meaning of this?" Shining Armor yelled at Blueblood with authority in his voice. I don't know how he got here—maybe he blackmailed the guards to let him in or something—but I will kick him out personally and make sure he would stay out. As for that alicorn filly, I will need to ask Celestia who she is, and whether it is a good idea to let her be near my sister, Shining Armor thought, anger building in him as he walked in Blueblood's direction. The guards outside decided not to interfere. Even if it was technically their job to ensure the safety of the royalty in any situation, fighting their respected lieutenant to protect the arrogant prince was not worth it.
Twilight, Cadence, and Blueblood were stunned by his outburst and had no idea what to say. "You!" Shining Armor pointed his hoof at Blueblood, fire in his eyes. "Get out of this room, or I will kick you out myself!"
Fluffing up with anger at the clear lack of respect from the familiar Royal Guard officer, Blueblood looked Shining Armor straight in the eyes and snapped back, "How dare you threaten me, lieutenant? Aunt Celestia herself gave me a permission to visit her student, and I will not stand aside when a mere commoner shows a lack of respect for your proper superior."
"And why should I believe you?" Shining Armor replied, pushing close enough so that his nose made contact with Blueblood's. "An arrogant, worthless snob like you would never receive permission to visit my sister."
"It wasn't easy, but I convinced Aunt Celestia how unfair it was to keep me from meeting her student," Blueblood replied, trying to push his nose against Shining Armor's to push him back. To his disappointment, his lack of physical activity left him considerably weaker than the hard working, well trained officer, and his head was pushed back by Shining Armor's muzzle instead, forcing Blueblood to take a step back.
"I won't believe a word of that unless I hear it from her myself. Now get out!"
"I... w-won't," Blueblood stammered, fear obvious in his voice. "I waited too long to finally meet her, and I won't let a hot-blooded, disrespectful officer throw me out." Truthfully, he was afraid of what was going to happen, but he stood his ground. If anything, he was stubborn in getting what he wanted. It had taken a year of talking and asking to meet Aunt Celestia's student just this one time, and he was not going to give up that easily.
Cadence and Twilight watched the two unicorns yelling at one another with a growing sense of unease. Cadence finally decided to end the foolishness, but when she started to light her horn, she noticed a purple aura already encasing both unicorns, throwing them away from one another. Surprised, the alicorn filly turned her head to see Twilight with an angry expression on her face. Had Candence not been several times larger than the angry mare, she would have been quite intimidated by her.
Twilight's horn lit again as she teleported onto Shining Armor's muzzle. "Twiny?" Shining Armor asked his sister, using his new nickname for her shrunken form, but closed his mouth as he saw his sister angrily stomping her tiny hoof on his nose.
"You stop being a meanie right now, Shiny!" Twilight demanded, punctuating her words with a stomp of her hoof. "I never expected to see you being so mean and impolite to other ponies! Apologize, now!"
Wow, why is Twilight so angry? I guess I really shouldn't have acted like that in front of her, but apologizing to this jerk... why would I ever do that? Shining Armor thought. "But Twiny, I can’t let this jerk bully you!"
Blueblood was now sitting silently where he had been thrown, staring back at Shining Armor and his sister. How amusing, a big brother being lectured by his tiny little sister. I guess Miss Sparkle has not only more intelligence, but also more nerve than most of the other ponies in her family, he thought with amusement as he watched the scene unfolding in front of his eyes.
"He wasn't bullying me, but you were bullying him," Twilight replied, even angrier than before, barely keeping her balance on Shining Armor's nose. "And calling him a jerk was very mean of you! Now stop being mean and apologize!"
"But he entered without permission," Shining Armor retorted, before being cut off by his sister’s yell.
"He had permission! My mentor told me that he would visit me, and she hoped that we could get along. And I must say, I find it unfair she didn't allow her nephew to visit me in the first place."
Shining Armor was shocked beyond words. If what his sister said was true, not only had Princess Celestia allowed this jerk to visit his sister, but he also ended up assaulting Blueblood for no reason. He had jumped to conclusions and let his personal grudge take better of him, and that kind of hastiness was something a good Royal Guard Officer should have avoided at all cost.
"Now be nice and apologize!" Twilight ordered, pointing a hoof in Blueblood’s direction. Her anger started fading slowly as she saw her brother was starting to relent.
Shining Armor was silent for a moment and slowly walked to Blueblood, who was now watching him with a smile, laughing inside of his mind at the scene he had just witnessed. "I..." Shining Armor tried to apologize, but words refused to leave his mouth. Still, he was encouraged by a stomp of his sister's hoof on his nose, and continued, "I'm sorry."
Blueblood clearly enjoying the situation, asked mockingly, "You are sorry... for what, if I may ask?"
Shining Armor felt a bit of anger building inside him again, knowing Blueblood was just playing with him now. He decided to play along before he got another lecture from his sister. Small or not, she was good at lecturing. "I am sorry for assuming that you entered this room without permission, for thinking that you had ill intentions towards my sister, for insulting you with my words, and for not showing you any respect," Shining Armor admitted, trying his best to keep his composure.
"Good," Twilight commented, smile finally returning on her face. In a flash she was gone, and reappeared on Blueblood's nose in turn. The reason why she liked teleporting onto ponies' noses was because from there she could speak to them easily without yelling, and the pony whose nose she was sitting on was forced to speak slowly and quietly to prevent her from falling. And, as much as Twilight hated to admit it, her tiny ears were sensitive, and she didn't want other ponies to speak too loudly when she was nearby.
"Prince Blueblood, would you please forgive my brother?" Twilight asked with a pout on her face and forelegs together in a pleading gesture. "I know he was very mean just now, but inside he is kind, brave, and caring. I'm sure that all was just a big misunderstanding."
Twilight resolved herself to ask Celestia later why he wasn’t allowed to visit sooner, but certainly her mentor had hoped that they would get along, and they were doing just fine at that until her own brother appeared and started bullying him out of nowhere. At this point she felt pity for the poor prince, and hoped to make him and her brother get along.
"Considering that he apologized, and since you asked so nicely, I will forgive him... this time. But I expect that events like this will not be repeated in future," Blueblood replied with a little arrogance in his voice. He spoke carefully since Twilight was sitting on his nose, but inside he was laughing. I must say, this mare is actually much more entertaining than I initially thought.
"Oh, I'm sure this won't happen again," Twilight replied, a smile adorning her face. She turned her gaze on Shining Armor, her expression turning to a more stern and serious one. "Isn't that right, brother?" Twilight yelled so her brother could hear her loud and clear, causing Shining just to nod his head in agreement.
Content that the problem was solved, Twilight teleported back on Celestia's bed. Shining Armor turned away from Blueblood, and walked closer to the pink alicorn filly, who had been silent and rather thin-lipped during the whole argument.
"Greetings, young miss. My name is Shining Armor, lieutenant in the Royal Guard. I see you are an alicorn, just like Princess Celestia. I had no idea there were more than one of your kind. May I know your name?" Shining Armor asked politely. He had made rather bad first impression just a moment ago, so he tried his best to fix it.
"My name is Mi Amore Cadenza, but you can call me Cadence like everypony else. It is nice to meet you... I think." She had no idea what had happened between Blueblood and Lieutenant Armor, but she was still shocked by the scene she just saw, not to mention that she dropped her ilusion spell the moment she entered the bedchamber, and now he knew her secret. I had no idea Twilight had such a handsome brother, Cadence thought, taking an appraising look at the young lieutenant.
"Nice to meet you too," Shining Armor added. "Please forgive me for asking, but are you possibly Princess Celestia’s daughter by any chance? One whom she has been hiding from public eye? I had always thought Celestia was the only alicorn in Equestria."
Of course he would get that idea. Time and a desire to ease the pain through forgetfulness had erased nearly every trace of Luna, and Celestia has never spoken of the past to anypony in centuries. But her daughter? Nopony in Equestria—save for me, and Celestia herself of course—knows that alicorns are not born, but are ascended from once normal ponies. I guess my age changing spell isn't helping either.
The mental image of Celestia as a mother made blood rush to her cheeks. If she was Celestia's daughter, who was supposed to be the father then? Of course, even if Celestia would have a son or a daughter, he or she wouldn’t be an alicorn, just a regular earth pony, pegasus, or unicorn, and her daughter or son would probably be a crystal pony.
Having a filly of my own actually sounds like an interesting idea... wait a minute. What am I thinking? Just because my special talent is spreading love, I can’t make a family for myself, as the pain of losing them would be too heavy once I would inevitably outlive them. But Shining Armor seems like a nice hunk of a stallion... oh, WHAT AM I THINKING?
Cadence started to shake lightly as her mind betrayed her. Shining Armor continued to watch her with his warm, blue eyes, still waiting for an answer to his question.
"W-well, I'm sorry if my question was too personal," Shining Armor apologized hesitantly, as he realized what he had just asked. He was about to say something else to relieve the tension, but his attention turned to his sister when she spoke.
"She's not Princess Celestia’s daughter," Twilight answered, ignoring the awkward silence between the two. "She is a guest, and she is a princess too!"
"P-princess?" Shining Armor asked with confusion while considering do he should bow to a filly. "But if you are a princess, why have I never heard of you before? What country you are ruling? I thought Equestria was the only pony kingdom on this continent."
Cadence's mood darkened as she heard what Shining Armor had just uttered, memories of losing the Crystal Empire flashing back in her mind. They must not know. I have to distract them somehow.
"Oh, I am a former princess," Cadence replied with a fake smile. "I no longer hold any power, but Celestia let me stay in Canterlot so I can live my life away from politics. My subjects merged with Equestria a long time ago, and since my kingdom was small, I wasn't needed to rule anything in Equestria."
Shining Armor was confused, so Twilight decided to explain what she had learned from Princess Celestia. "My mentor didn't tell me anything about Cadence's kingdom, only telling that she no longer ruled it, and during the last hundreds of years she had tried to start a new life in Equestria. Princess Celestia said that she was helping Princess Cadence to find different jobs, and two weeks ago she agreed to be my foal-sitter!"
Shining Armor blinked a few times as his brain tried to figure out how an alicorn filly would be hundreds of years old, and a princess at that. He quietly stammered, “B-b-but you look so young, h-how?”
Cadence let out a sigh. "Well, when Celestia asked me to foal-sit her student, I used an age spell to make myself younger. It has always helped me to get along with other foals easier, and I hoped it would help us to get along too," she explained quietly, not wanting to hurt Twilight's fragile ears.
Cadence turned her head and looked at Twilight with a smile. “In the end it didn’t matter with such a large size difference. Did it Twilight?” The little mare nodded her head in agreement with a smile of her own.
"Wait, if you used an age spell on yourself, how do you really look?" Shining Armor asked casually, but with a hint of curiosity in his voice.
After a moment of thinking, Cadence decided to answer. "I suppose there is no point in maintaining this spell, now that I know Twilight is perfectly comfortable with an adult as her foalsitter, and it is a drain on my magic that I can do without.”
Blue magic encircled the young filly as Cadence lit her horn, her aura growing in size as she aged before their eyes. In less than a minute, the transformation spell was complete and Cadence shook her mane and tail out in a cascade of violet, rose and golden hair that coiled up just short of the floor. She was still significantly smaller than Princess Celestia, but she now stood just barely taller than Shining Armor, looking him straight in the eyes as she fluttered her eyelashes with a smile.
“So, Lieutenant Armor. How do I look?”
The Royal Guard was unable to reply, frozen into an entranced stare at the newly revealed princess, with his sister perched on his nose, waving a hoof in front of his eyes.
“Princess Cadence, I think you broke my brother,” Twilight said, unaware of one sentence repeating itself in Shining Armor's mind, She...is...HOT!
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Did Shiny look a Cadence's flank? Cause he's seeing hearts now!
.
..
...
.....
I am so sorry, I just couldn't resist.
Ugh! Cadance, why are you breaking ponies?! Stop it! These ponies aren't like your crystal ones that could just be super-glued back together! Be considerate!
2988396
I think it was highly possible.
2988431
I am sure she did not mean too, hopefully a small kiss in the neck will fix him.
2988752
Yea, it suits her.
2989066 I think that would only break him more.
I'm so glad you kept this.
I think you just broke me, with laughter, again.
What happened to White Path?
Other than that this is good. It kept the necessary bits the changed bits fit the flow of the story, and was all in all a good edit.
2990754
You mean calling her Twiny in this story is a bad idea ?
I actually liked the old version better...
lol can't wait for the next chapter now that your edits are mostly done
TWINY! Best name.
Cuteness... overwhelming...
oh man this is still going on? wonder when i'll get in the mood for continuing this one.....
3045551
We are currently working on chapter 8, chapter itself is ready and mostly edited, but there are still 3.5k words left to edit before we can upload it.
Also, did you found chapter 7 enjoyable, or you did not read it yet ?
3045626 i stopped at the first chapter cause i knew it was going to go under a whole bunch of editing that i'd rather not read twice lol......
3045987
Well, editing is done, and we are currently working on chapter 8, so go ahead, read and comment, hopefully after all the editing and polishing done, this story is worth reading.
D'AAWWWW
Hebe it is still fun to say teeny tiny twilight.
3115638
Yes it is, why do you think Twilight nickname is now Twiny.
2988396
4th best comment I have ever seen.
3143024
And with was the 3th ?
Also, I cannot wait to ready your opinion about chapter 8, I and my editors put a lot time and sweat into writing it.
Nice chapter. Hope to see more Blueblood vs Shining Armor. Also, you gonna talk more about Alicorns and having families of their own?
3149680
Luna, Celestia and Cadence after ascending into alicorns, they had to outlive their families, it was unavoidable, it was something they had to deal with, it also explain why Celestia, Luna and Cadence never married or had a very special some-pony before, though Cadence break this stereotype as she start to have crush on Shining Armor, and one day this crush will turn into "better love and lose then never experience what true love really is".
You can count on that, you hopes may be realised in next chapter, so feel free to read it and enjoy.
You ACTUALLY did the edit, nice one
I ran through the gauntlet of emotions with this chapter.
just had the image of full size twlight teleporting on NMM's nose during the charge scene of episode (2?). It was hillarious!
That is just too funny.
For some reason I want to sing the troll song!? Why it doesn't even make sense *meh*
I laughed when I thought of Twi landing on ponies' noses, full-sized Twi at that!
4434532
Now I'm reminded of a scene from The Unexpected Love Life of Dusk Shine.(The story AND the manga that is on Deviantart)
*THUNK*
3668023 *Later, at the Dead Villian Bar*
"So, how were you defeated, Nightmare Moon?"
"A purple unicorn teleported onto my nose. Made me fall on my jaw, and my essence began to leak out of Luna. The elements of harmony presumably found where I was injured and pulled me out like somepony's laundry. I also felt like I had gone through the laundry as well."
"Do you own a watch, Nightmare?"
"Yes. Why do you ask?"
"Because it sounds like your clock got cleaned!"
media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lydxf0M9fN1qheyf8.jpg
Isn't Twilight a bit old for a foalsitter?
4474884
I think it's more that she just needs a helper for daily stuff. She has two protectors, but a real helper who can worry about Twi's comfort- not just her safety- would be rather good for someone Twi's size.
That said, I question the idea of twilight not knowing Cadance from before. In the flashback in S2E25, Twilight does not have a cutiemark. Why the change?
what happened to Twilight's previous foalsitter?
4588176 The most gruesome thing imaginable!!!!!!
4588176 Maybe she had to move. A lot can happen in a year or two
In this chapter: The Cuteness Continues!
Not much to say, other than that. Double brain breakage notwithstanding.
Proofreading!
Misspelled: ...approaching...
Misuse - a/an: ...as a blue...
Omission: ...while a stream of...
You got a thing against 'a's mate?
Anyway, I didn't see any other than that. I must say, you have some impressive pre-readers.
According to the wiki, it's actually spelt 'Cadance'.
Evidence mounting.
4591105 Childbirth?
4588176 She wasn't able to handle Twiny.
There's so much* age difference weirdness in this fic. I don't understand
*And by that I mean two instances; one between Cadence and Shining, and the possible one between Rarity and Blueblood.
There's also a fair bit of exposition I don't particularly care to read, not specifically in this chapter, but from what I've read.
Nevertheless, this story is really adorable and I like it.
3149724 Hahaha! Cadance broke SA! Lol that's helarious? Hilarious? Meh you know what I mean! Anywho! I was wondering at what stage of Twilight's life will this story end? Will she be back to her proper size? Or will it end just before NMM is due to appear?
3045551 What is the context of your profile pic?
5095069 I think the context of Iamli3 pic is that Princess Luna should have stayed out of Fluttershy's shed.
3143394 3th? I can't tell if that's a joke or a genuine error. Either way...
th03.deviantart.net/fs70/PRE/f/2013/021/c/2/laughing_discord__by_soren_the_owl-d5s65pp.png
Stop trying to give me diabetes.
But what if she's taken? Does she switch places with another piece, or does the game end?
6915489 If she plays as the king, any movement that could possibly end up taking her, she will either have to run, or the game is over. It doesn't matter, because the king is never really out, the game just ends.
I have a headache right now, so sorry if this makes no sense or sounds stupid.
Nurse give the guard ten cc's of love. LOL