Her First Student

by Burning Skyway

Chapter 3: The Third Letter

A quick jerk of Sunset’s finger broke the wax seal, sending a mild warmth spreading through her arm. Unfolding the letter inside, her eyes began to scan down the blocky writing, scribed by a magically held quill but bearing the stylistic hallmarks of earth and pegasus pony mouthwriting, simple but legibile.

Sunset,

This is Cadance, I hope you can recall me from our brief interactions in Canterlot. I certainly recall you. Perhaps I should use my full title, as that’s the only way I ever remember you referring to me, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.

I’m very good at reading ponies tone of voice, hearing the verbal slings and arrows they hide within their speech to others; it goes along well with my talents. But you never disguised the absolute venom in your voice when you spoke to me. The only pony, if you can call her that, whose voice showed her utter hatred for me more was the changeling Queen Chrysalis, somepony else who made an attempt to conquer Equestria in the recent past. Based on the timing it would have been shortly after your last investigative foray back through the mirror.

At the time I really didn’t understand why. I can read most pony’s emotions like a book, I can help rekindle love and friendships which are strained, but why you hated me so much when Celestia took me under her wing escaped me. I’ll admit to being somewhat naive about what drove a lot of things that went on in the capital and interpony relationships at the time. That’s one of the reasons Celestia arranged for me to become a foalsitter for several families, to give me time away from the manipulations of the court so I could get my feet wet first, as it were.

I even sensed that the relationship between you and Celestia had become strained and attempted to fix it. I’m not sure you noticed; Princess Celestia did and requested politely that I avoid interfering in this particular situation. In her favor, everything seems to have gone from bad to worse at that point. Maybe in some small way I was to blame.

I wasn’t wise enough to the ways of the world to understand the source of your dislike; you didn’t hate me per se, you were jealous that I was taking away the attentions of your teacher, some upstart pegasus who had grown a horn she could barely control taking time away from one of the greatest magical prodigies of the last two centuries.

I never knew what happened to you, just that you disappeared. I’d say fewer than a few dozen ponies actually knew your fate. In fact I found out yesterday that I married one of them and he saw fit to keep that little secret from me.

You stole something precious to Equestria, and threatened everypony in not one but two worlds by your actions. On a more personal note one of those fillies I foalsat for was Twilight Sparkle, and while I tried not to play favorites, I’d have to say she was certainly one of them. Now of course she’s my equal, a fellow Princess of Equestria, and while I’ve had a few shining moments myself she has been far more critical to recent events than anypony could have ever imagined. I should mention as well that she’s my sister in law.

I’ve read her full report, in detail, of what happened over there. Not only were you a megalomaniacally treacherous little madmare fooling with powers you couldn’t comprehend, but you tried to kill my little sister.

Celestia wants you given the benefit of the doubt. Luna argues for caution, but acknowledges that everypony deserves the opportunity for redemption. Hopefully we can convince her to write her own letter to you, she feels reluctant to get involved. Twilight, well, I’ll leave that for her letter.

It may not behoove the ‘Princess of love’ to hold such an opinion but my initial reaction was that had I my way we’d force you back to Equestria at the earliest opportunity, permanently bond a limiter to your horn, and stick you in one of those few facilities we maintain for those ponies who cannot keep their criminal impulses under control. Leaving you free on the other side of that gate is too dangerous for everypony involved.

But dealing with some of the remaining miscreants and toadies left over in the Crystal Empire from Sombra’s days, the handful of hucksters and shysters from across Equestria looking for fertile grounds, not to mention a visit from Discord, I’ve quickly learned to give ponies the benefit of the doubt, and opportunities to make restitution for their wrongs.

So for the time being, I am withholding my judgement on you, and have chosen to sit on the fence as to our options with regards to your long term situation. Assuming you take advantage of what is going to be available to you, I will be willing to give you the benefit of the doubt, but Elysium help you if you threaten my ponies, friends, and family again.

Princess Cadance

Sunset focused on the last few lines of clear, bold block writing and tried to remember what she could of the small pink alicorn that had been new to the court shortly before she became completely estranged with her former mentor. Truly, while jealous of attention the newly minted ‘Princess’ she had been more focused on what secrets and knowledge Celestia was withholding from her. Not to say she had treated Cadance with anything like respect; Having grown up in an earth pony village Cadance had been, in her assessment, a barely competent pegasus and would probably never amount to anything more than a foal’s basic magic skills. Sunset had figured her title of Princess was given solely to insulate her from all but the boldest of noble’s schemes.

It seems, yet again, she had been wrong.

Folding the letter and carefully setting it aside, she flipped over the last envelope, which was sealed, to her surprise, not with purple stamped wax but with what appeared to be a finely painted seal. Something like lavender lacquer had been applied in a circle, with a deeper magenta 6 pointed starburst covering another starburst in brilliant white. Unlike the cutie mark she had seen on the mare in question however, the five symbols surrounding the central stars were not simple white stars but instead multicolored symbols; a red lightning bolt, a purple diamond, a pink butterfly, an orange apple, and a blue balloon.

Before reaching to break the seal, Sunset stroked her fingers across the smooth surface. A strange… something washed over her. She was almost simultaneously giddy and nauseous. This was made by the Element of Magic. The true one, not the twisted thing she had touched a month ago. Not just Magic. She could feel the echos, the connections, the bonds between Princess Twilight and the other mares who were her friends. Those mares whose counterparts had helped crush her insane schemes.

Perhaps one day she’d get to meet them. In the mean time, glancing at the clock ticking across the desk, she noted that even though Vice Principal Luna wore an expression of infinite patience, if she didn’t get things sorted out soon her after lunch study period would be over and she’d be late for physics. Sunset had managed to get away with a lot of manipulation, recklessness, and bad behaviour without much if any consequences over the last few years but no-one was late for Miss Romanadvoratrelundar’s physics class. No-one, under any circumstances, principals, magical pony princesses, overcrowded hallways, there were no acceptable excuses. Miss Romana (as she allowed her students to call her because of her tongue twister of a name), or quite oddly ‘Fred’, (though few were brave enough to consider using the moniker, even though the few who had appeared to have suffered no consequences anyone knew of) was very, very stringent when it came to all things related to time.

Sunset prepared herself for whatever ‘offer’ Princess Twilight was about to make, though oddly felt not a jolt or any other feedback as her finger tore through the odd, painted seal on the envelope’s back.

Author's Note:

Cadance and Sunset have that odd disconnect of not remembering the same level of impact of each other; Sunset treated everypony as badly as Cadance really, it's just that Cadance has never really realized this.

I hope you don't mind the Easter Egg. I pulled Romana aka Minuet aka Colgate into the role of a teacher because I need more. (she's the blue-white maned unicorn mare with the hourglass.) As for Fred... well just go watch the 'Key to Time' series. I also felt the need to move time in the 'real world' along... Sunset IS in school at the moment after all.

I'm sorry this took so long I've been dealing with family things and it's not getting much better yet.

Cadance seems a little vengeful maybe but she lacks the long view of both Luna and Celestia. She's also possibly becoming a bit fed up with what seem like constant personal attacks on her and those she loves; the changeling invasion, Sombra when the Crystal Empire re-appeared, and finally the attempted attack on Equestria in general and Twilight in particular by Sunset (after she goes all uber-demon Sunset decides on some roast pony princess, so yes she DID try to kill Twilight.) Give her three or four hundred years of experience and she would have kept a cooler head and written a more diplomatic letter I'm sure.

If you're wondering why Twilight has such a gaudy/stylish seal, well darling who do you think she would ask to design it for her of course?

Comments, criticism, corrections, and verbal abuse welcome.

Comments

[Burning Skyway]

3344757
Thanks for the comment. I really need to get out of the letters and start having things happen in this story though.
What's coming up won't be exactly what everyone is expecting I think, but it's not in any sense of the word a real twist.

Those are for later...

[LunaChanNekoJin]

Still waiting for that "bad writing" you were talking about. Can't spot it.