Chemistry

by Fuzzyfurvert

Time After Time(Cyndi Lauper; 1984)

Chemistry Chapter 3: Time After Time

by Fuzzyfurvert

“What’s wrong, Shining?” Cadance raised her eyebrow in surprise as she walked in on her husband. He’d beaten her to the bedroom. Between her duties as the Queen Regent of the Crystal Empire and Shining’s duties as head of the guard and de facto leader of the Crystal Municipalities Corps, they rarely made it to bed at the same time. Most evenings, she made it in before him, but tonight he was sitting on the bed with an odd look on his face.

Shining looked up and smiled at his wife. “Hmm? Oh nothing, I just had an odd thought.”

“Oh?” Cadance returned the smile and stepped beside Shining to nuzzle him softly. “I know a thing or two about odd thoughts. Is something on your mind, Shiny?”

Shining slipped off their bed with a grunt and put an arm over her withers. “No, not really. It’s just…” Shining turned them both toward the master bath suite. “Do you think I’m getting old? I completely blew off the gym today because I was having too much fun in the office. Is city planning supposed to be this interesting?”

Shining chuckled and lit the lights with his horn. Cadance turned on the shower and slipped her royal vestments off as she smirked at him. “Having fun rebuilding the kingdom? Where is the stallion I married? Who is this moderately handsome, glorified clerk?”

“Moderately?” Shining groaned. “I’ll have you know I’ve still got all my strength and skill that made me captain of the guard.”

Cadance giggled and stepped into the shower. She let the water cascade down over her coat and mane for a moment. She could feel Shining Armor’s eyes on her like a physical force as she moved to wet every inch of her body. Cadance looked back and lifted her tail slightly. “Oh? Prove it.”

Shining grinned and slipped into the shower next to Cadance, letting the water rain down over him for a moment before kissing her on the cheek. He stayed close and rested his horn against hers. "In the mood, or should I go ahead and throw up a shield just in case, sweetheart?"

Cadance smiled gently and returned the kiss. "In the mood. Besides, I need to prove to this moderately handsome clerk that I'm still young and fun."

---

The rain fell in Canterlot, singing its percussive symphony from the rooftops and the streets and the occasional umbrella of the unfortunate caught out in the downpour. The colorful accessories gaily danced like flowers between the buildings and the castle, going about their business while those inside did the same, but with a great deal less splashing.

On any given rainy day, Princess Celestia was glad when she had no duties that took her out into it. The humidity never seemed to agree with her coat. At the moment she almost wished that some pressing duty did warrant her attention, rain or no rain. It wasn’t a feeling she normally experienced when taking time with Twilight, but the newest princess of Equestria was beginning to make her uncomfortable.

“You can do it, right? One word from you is all it takes. Please?”

Celestia said nothing but shook her head slowly, her eyes focused on nothing in particular as she waited for the inevitable.

“You won’t unseal the documents for me, will you?”

Celestia shook her head and lifted her cup in her magic. “It would not be right of me, you know that Twilight. Cadance hasn’t given her permission for the documents to be released and I highly doubt that she ever would for any reason. It is not something happy from her past.”

“I know.” Twilight sighed and blew on her own hot cup of espresso. “But you know how my mind works. I can’t let go of stuff like this. I want to talk to Cadance about it but...I’m scared, Princess.”

Celestia raised an eyebrow and grinned. “Heavens! The amazing Twilight Sparkle, heroine of all Equestria, is openly admitting fear? Such scandal! Whatever will befall us?”

Twilight rolled her eyes and finished off her coffee. “It’s just a really weird thing to ask! I’ve know Cadance for a long time, and finding out she has parts of her history sealed by the Equestrian Judicial Authority with your stamp on it...it’s just infuriating. I know it’s probably something Cadance wouldn’t want me to know. I know it’s none of my business. But knowing that makes me no less curious!”

Celestia remained silent for a time, watching the steam rise from her mug. After a few moments she set it back on the table next to a large, faded manilla envelope that carried her seal from more than twenty years ago. “I understand your plight, Twilight. I’m sure you see the sense in speaking with Cadance about this. Were you, not a mere ten minutes ago, telling me about your wonderful visit to the Empire and reconnecting with her? My advice would be to tell her you know that something happened and, you have a deep sense of curiosity born from your friendship with her, about it. Cadance knows how your mind works just as well as I do.”

“Perhaps, but I don’t understand her mind at all. Despite spending most of my free time as a foal with her, I’ve never really understood her. Things like this show me just how little I know about one of my best friends.” Twilight turned the envelope around to stare at it. “This is a criminal case and that just does not compute. Cadance isn’t a criminal! She might act oddly every now and then but she is not a bad pony.”

“No,” Celestia agreed, “she is not a bad pony. But the details are hers to divulge or keep hidden, Twilight. I hope you can respect that.”

Twilight frowned but pushed the thick envelope away. “I know. I just really don’t want to hurt her feelings. I don’t want her to think ill of me for looking into this either. I wish I’d never heard her mumbling in the bathroom all those weeks ago.”

Celestia chose not to respond and took up her coffee again. They sat in silence as the rain continued to pour down outside.

---

Cadance lay in bed, staring at the ceiling as she listened to the quiet sounds of the palace. Shining breathed rhythmically next to her, already fast asleep. Infrequent insomnia was a side effect of her medication. Cadance had thought they had taken care of it the old fashion way, but not long after laying down, she felt the tingle and heat building up inside again. So she’d taken her pills. There weren't many left. She turned and watched her husband rest and traced the lines of his jaw with one hoof. She wasn’t exactly sure how she felt at the moment. It was always like that when the medicine hit her system and her emotions rearranged themselves and her mind and nethers grew quiet. She wasn’t confused, just oddly detached from the world around her.

Cadance was glad, in a way, for her sleeplessness. Her emotional state had become a growing concern as of late and she welcomed the opportunity to do some quiet introspection. She certainly seemed to be having a lot of flare-ups recently. Ever since she had decided to visit Twilight and Discord had shown up out of the blue and thrown them all for a loop with his ‘sickness.’ She’d had her trusted doctors go over her with a fine tooth comb after the first flare-up shortly after returning home.

They ruled out Discord’s chaos magic being the culprit...but Cadance had her doubts. It seemed too convenient to run across the mad god and have him be cleared of all guilt. If not Discord, then what could have triggered something she has spent the better part of her life suppressing to the point of nonexistence?

Perhaps it was just time for an adjustment to her medication again. Maybe she was developing a stronger resistance. Cadance gave herself a mental note to speak with her therapist about that when she saw him at her regularly scheduled appointment. Shining would worry again, but she knew he’d see the wisdom in checking everything they could for a solution. Having an alicorn that can control love have a fit in the middle of a public place would not be a PR challenge he would want.

Even in her detached state, Cadance could feel the absence of that old familiar tingle. It wasn’t calling her from down low inside, but it let her know that it would be there if the medicine stopped working. It almost ached, like a ghost remembered, its whisper too quiet to hear unless the medicine stopped working. It rattled in its pony-made chemical cage. It would get out, if the medicine stopped working. Cadance really wasn’t sure what she was going to do.

If the medicine stopped working.

Author's Note:

Next chapter should be up sometime around 9/24/14 - 9/25/14

Comments

[Fuzzyfurvert]

[Bloody_Tofu]

Gah. Each chapter leaves me wanting the next one and makes me want/cringe away from the enevitabe encounter between Twilight and Cadence

[user123]

The medicine will stop working to put twilight and cadance in an unrealistic situation.

[Xaldon Ajide]

Around the release time of the next chapter I'll be locked in dark souls 2 playing the newest dlc and getting owned by mobs of enemy's. Hopefully I remember to read it.

[archonix]

Daaaang... Twilight's asking for trouble if she pursues this. And yet dogged pursuit of mystery is so definitely in character for her, even if she knows the consequences will be... interesting.

Nice MMC ref too.

[Pen Expers]

I think shit is about to go down sometime in the future.

[TheLastBrunnenG]

5014599
I know a little of what's coming thanks to the collab, but it's what comes after that I'm dying to see.

Nicely done as usual!

it’s whisper too quiet to hear

its

[Azure Sandora]

What the hell does Cadence have?! It's driving me crazy!

I can't wait for the next chapter.

[Storm Cloud 6000]

5014599 what does this mean!? ARGH...this is too frustrating what is wrong with her?

[kitsune_shadow]

well I think I understand a little bit what this can be
becoming an armor alicorn at a young age (and already was a alicorn when twin night was the youngest celestia student, and by age, she could not be much older than herself - at least physically -)
then to become the alicorn of love, basically candence, also became of lust, and had times that she could not control herself
then the drug and to help her control her lust
and she from what I've seen so far in the story (chapter 3) had a fall or passion for twin, that she could control a little
now that twin has become princess of friendship (a lower degree or sub-element of love) candence is increasingly attracted by twin
at least and my opinion of what can be the reason
ps. Sorry the bad English online translator

[Orphan]

5021927
A libido so big, she can’t help but share. Cue baby boom

[Fuzzyfurvert]

9779118
Cadance: The FreshBabyMaker