Interrupted Cadance, Part One
Sitting in the back seat of the car, a beautiful but dour redhead snarled, “I don’t want to do this.”
Driving the vehicle, a dark-haired beauty grinned. “You’re going to have to. I won’t let you sit in your house any longer, drinking yourself to death.”
“In case you forgot, I’m not that lucky. Believe me, I’ve tried!” the redhead snapped back.
In the passenger seat, a young man who looked barely out of college sighed. “Could we argue about this later? If we don’t get to the hotel soon, we’re going to lose our reservation!”
The raven-haired woman laughed. “No we won’t – trust me on this one.”
It was a typical evening in Las Vegas. The desert city was filled with its bedazzling cascades of lights, holograms and various other distractions. On the streets, the local residents drove by, used to all the glitter and glamor; visitors driving through the streets slowed down to take in the sheer amount of luminescence that filled the surroundings. In a rented Mercedes Benz, the three humans pulled up in front of the Aqua Maré, the newest and most expensive hotel and casino in the area. They’d just as soon arrived as a well-dressed man walked up, several hand-selected bellhops behind him. Opening the doors, he called to the trio, “Welcome to the Aqua Maré, Ms. Sparks, Mr. Sparks, Ms. Di Amore. I am Chester Sharp, Assistant Manager.”
“See?” the brunette said to her companions as the bellhops opened the trunk and took their bags, and a valet moved to take the car, “Toldja we have everything in position.”
Moving close over to Ms. Sparks, the man whispered, “Your grace, the manager sends her apologies for not being able to meet you this week, but she had some personal issues to attend to. I hope I may be of assistance in her stead.”
“Thank you,” Twilight Sparkle responded.
Spike, still getting accustomed to the general weakness of human eyes – the inability to see certain parts of the color spectrum like he could in his normal form was a little bit on the bothersome side – looked at his sister and said, “Wow, this place is…well, it’s interesting….”
Twilight gave him a smile. “I’m glad you like it. After all, you own half.”
His eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. “I own what?”
She gave him another smile. “Well, to be correct, technically House Shetland owns half and House Palomino owns the other half. You did ask me to put your hoard somewhere safe because you really weren’t sure of how to protect it, right? So I invested it and bought some real estate here on human-Earth. Part of it was this casino that ran out of money before they even got started building. So I bought it, half with your funds and half with mine and finished it.”
“But Twilight….” he moaned, before sighing and shrugging. She was right, after all; he did ask her to do so. It just seemed so…well, undragonlike to have a portion of his hoard like this, not that he actually knew how “real” dragons dealt with their own keepsakes. “Nevermind,” he muttered. “But I’d like to see the books later.”
“No problem; I sent an email to the manager about that myself. The place is doing excellently, as you can see, but it never hurts to make sure that an investment is being managed to the utmost of its uses.”
As the trio followed the assistant manager through the hotel, the fruits of the whole venture could be seen: shades of aqua, cerulean, teal and blue could be seen throughout the hotel. Various furniture done up as coral reefs with delicate shades of coral pink and gray; the lamps on the tables, crafted in the shapes of sea sponges, also added to the ambiance. Above, chandeliers shaped like oversized jellyfish added a playful touch to the vaulted ceiling, upon which dozens of colorful fish – robotic substitutes, actually, since the area was sealed and they couldn’t actually be fed – moved to and fro in a simulated sea.
In the distance, Twilight could hear music from the nearby bar, though she wondered about the lines of the song – “Shoo be doo, shoop shoo be doo”? Where have I heard that before? – but brushed it out of her mind. She had more important things to deal with at the moment. Right now she had to deal with the other member of her family coming close to meltdown.
Standing there in a human form, eyeing the bar, Cadance looked as though she intended to drink the whole damn thing, but a quick shake of Twilight’s head stopped that line of thought immediately. Instead, the alicorn in human guise took the key from the manager and said to no one in particular, “I’m going up to my suite. Maybe I can indulge in something there.”
Catching that line of thought, Twilight turned to the assistant manager as Cadance sauntered off. “Did you, um…?” Twilight asked delicately.
“As per your request, your grace. Though, I must remind you that her highness does outrank you and I am bound by—”
“—the house rules set forth by the owners of the establishment, which is me and my brother here,” she reminded him. “And I said no alcohol is to be delivered to that room in any way, shape or form. And of the other request?”
Sharp nodded. “Yes. It was taken care of yesterday. I was assured that the room has been double- and triple-warded.”
“Thank you. And lastly…?”
“Ah, that. You’re registered as Tanya Sparks, Spencer Sparks, and Cathryn Di Amore, respectively. While we do have some paparazzi currently staying at the hotel, they’re likely here covering Justin Bieber’s 38th Birthday Celebration over at the Bellagio. I can assure you, the utmost discretion is being taken, your grace.” Shortly after, a bellhop approached trio, carrying Spike’s and Twilight’s bags as well as keycards to their respective penthouses. Taking the cards and handing them to the ensorcelled non-humans, Sharp added, “Your suites are ready, your graces. Please enjoy your stay.”
“I hope so,” Twilight said sadly. “I sure hope so.”
Her name was Mi Amore Cadenza, Princess Royal of Equestria, Secondary Heir to Her Majesty the Princess Regnal Caelum de Aurae of Equestria, Avatar of Love, Maiden of the Spring Sky, Keeper of the Bow of Love, former Transitional Governor for the Crystal Empire, recently-appointed Foreign Minister of Equestria and a dozen other titles that really didn’t matter much. She was the daughter of Prince Apollo, Governor-General of Saddle Arabia and his wife, Princess Quiet Solitude. She was a member of a very exclusive subspecies of ponies – alicorn; in fact, she was the first one in history that was born to somepony other than another alicorn. She was loved by many and had a very privileged and substantial life.
And yet none of that mattered to her. In fact, the only thing was the sweet emptiness of nothing.
Cadance wanted to die. The sooner, the better, if only to be with him. Shining Armor. The only stallion she’d ever loved, the eternal light of her life and the source of so much pride and joy. She’d made him her prince – literally – and their love was to be everlasting.
But life had slapped her in the face for the past five years as she watched him die from Chrysalis’ poisoning, a result of the assault on the changeling stronghold that hopefully removed from existence for once and for all…
…and then fate had finally plunged the dagger in, six months ago. Last week had been exactly six months to the day since he’d passed away in brutal pain in the hospital, and since that day, Equestria’s princess of love, the very avatar of romance, had simply given up on it. How could she even stand to see anypony happy and gleeful when her own heart had been torn out? How could she function as the existing embodiment of such joy and bliss when her own avenue towards that emotion had been severed as horrifically as a manticore biting off one of her legs?
So she hid herself away and took to the bottle – and tap, and barrel, and keg, and cask…. She wanted to die…but ageless ponies could not. No damage was long-lasting, and both Celestia and Luna had given her space to deal with her grief, both elder alicorns understanding that their fate was not the same as that of the average pony. But when Shining’s younger siblings could take no more of her plight, both Twilight and Spike virtually declared war against her sorrow. They’d lost so much, with their parents both passing the year before Shining’s death, and neither unicorn nor dragon would let Cadance fall towards that same dark abyss if they could help it.
She could almost love both of them for that, except…she didn’t want to love anymore.
Her name was Mi Amore Cadenza, and she wanted to die.
After checking into their respective rooms, both Twilight and Spike met back in the former’s room for a quick planning session. But to call it a mere room was an understatement; technically it was an apartment in its own right, specifically reserved for her use or whomever she authorized. Spike had one of the other two of the four; and of the last two, Cadance was using one, and the last one was also occupied, as Twilight was informed, by the general manager, who had yet to find a place for her own needs.
“Twilight….” Spike began. He’d given some thought to the situation, but was still willing to follow her lead on the whole crisis.
“Spike, I know what you’re going to say.” For the moment, they were still in their human disguises, the agreement that they would remain in so until they returned to Equestria. It would be a good way to practice an extended spell, Twilight had told her younger brother, and besides, she wanted to make sure that the genetic amniomorphic had no long-term issues, as it was, in truth, just a modification of the traditional amniomorphic spell. “We can’t lose her, Spike. We’re the only family she really has, and….”
The dragon in human form rolled his eyes. “Uh, if I recall correctly, she’s got parents and two younger siblings, all in Saddle Arabia. Plus, what about the rest of the Royal Family?”
“She’s never been close to her parents and she barely knows her siblings; she’s been raised by Celestia almost since birth and to her dismay, Cadance’s parents feel that she should be ‘with her own kind’ – I’m not sure what that means. As for the others,” Twilight added, “it was their suggestion that we bring her here. The girls would have come, but Rarity’s hosting this year’s FiMPro; AJ’s on foreign travel right now assisting the zebras with their irrigation program; Fluttershy had the feather flu, so she couldn’t come; Pinkie’s still just getting used to being a new mother; and Rainbow’s having to learn the ropes as…as….” Twilight stopped a helpless look in her eyes.
In an instant, Spike was on his feet, embracing his sister. “I know, Twi. I miss him too. I miss him, Mom and Dad…I feel empty, since they’re all gone now.”
“Which is why we have to protect Cadance,” she said in a choked voice. “Cadance took care of us when we were younger, and now it’s our turn to return the favor.”
“Which is why I’m wondering why we came here,” he said, letting her go. “Honestly, this place, from what I’m told, is weird even for humans. Couldn’t we have gone to Hoofalulu or something?”
“No – for starters, that’s where their honeymoon was. Second, getting her completely away from our world was paramount; too many reminders of the past for her.” Twilight sighed. “Yes, I admit I should have thought a little better about our vacation plans, but this was the easiest one to arrange in such a short amount of time and—”
A lamp in the room, glowing with a soft white light, suddenly blared red. The two siblings looked at each other for just a split second before Twilight teleported both of them to Cadance’s room just in time to see her room empty, and the door to the balcony wide open; while a human would have just went outside to sulk – or worse – Cadance obviously didn’t truly fit that biological standard.
It was times like this when she was younger that Twilight would have exploded into panic mode, making the situation so much worse as a result. But she was now a mare in her late forties and had a better grasp on things. “Spike?”
Her younger brother looked at her. He was grateful that the years had mellowed her out, but even still, this was Cadance, one of the ponies closest to Twilight, and besides, she was family – if there was a time to panic, now was it. “Yes?”
“What do you think?” she asked, not turning to look at him, but he could hear the pain in her voice – even with the limited hearing of his human form at the time it was unmistakable.
“I don’t know,” he said. “But I think this is one we’re going to want some help on. She knows we’re in town anyway.”
“Right,” Twilight said, headed for the door. “I just hope I remembered to tell her we’re in disguise.”
From the moment she landed on the intersection of Flamingo and South Vegas Blvd., Cadance didn’t know what to do. She had enough sense to fly invisibly to the pedestrian overpass and wait until she could slip on unnoticed; the last thing she wanted to do was cause anyone any problems. But as she looked at the street and the cars racing down the pathway, she knew it would be so easy for a human to just jump and let either nature or traffic take care of the problem.
Problem was, she wasn’t human and even with the genetic amniomorphic, the systemic shock from any injury would jolt her back into her normal form, where the healing would be nearly-instantaneous. At worst, she’d end up with a few bruises that would take a few days to heal.
Maybe there’s a bad part of town where I could get shot, or killed or…. The thought was immediately dismissed. The way her human form looked, the violence that would be inflicted on her would likely be of the kind…. She felt herself falling to her knees at that thought. She would only ever let Shining touch her like that, and now his loving hooves were gone. She was alone in the world – this one and her native one – and the stallion she loved was in a place she couldn’t go. And yet she would live on, alone and destroyed.
The tears began flowing. They wouldn’t stop. She couldn’t stop them. Each of them was a scream from deep within her soul, crying out for Shining but knowing that he could never answer. The stallion she knew would have done any- and everything to prevent his love from being in this situation, but….
“Excuse me, dearie, but this isn’t the best place to be. The police come through here all the time and you don’t want to deal with their harassment.” Cadance looked up and saw this old – old – woman standing there, a walking cane in her shaking hand, iron-gray hair that still had traces of the sable black it must’ve been once and dark skin crackled with the wrinkles of advanced age. She appeared as though that cane, made from what looked to be a gnarled yet strong tree branch, was what held the city in place, somehow pinned down by that reedy accessory lest it fly away into madness. And while she was short and squat, there was a presence about her, as strong and sure as her aunt Celestia, one that drew Cadance’s attention and kept it there.
Reaching into her pocket, the old woman said, “So, did he bring you here to divorce you? Or did he bring you here because he said he was divorcing his wife and running away with you only to change his mind? Or was it something else? I pride myself on being able to keep up with you young folk, but even an old lady like me has her limits.” The woman produced a cloth kerchief, looking somewhat worn with age, but clearly a token kept in great condition, out of pride or some critical bit of the past.
Cadance looked at the woman, completely confused. “I….” The line of inquiry was so unexpected, that the Avatar of Love couldn’t wrap it around her own mind: was the woman asking her if she needed help on love?
“Well, it’s obvious something’s rustled your jimmies, as my grandson’s so fond of saying, and I’ve run into enough types here on the Strip that are three sheets to the wind, whether on booze or drugs – you’re clearly not the type. So something is bothering you and I said to myself, ‘Self, that girl’s heart’s been broken or else you ain’t no Vegas showgirl.’” The woman smiled broadly as she added, “And I wasn’t. Well, not a showgirl. Was a bunnygirl when the Playboy Club was round these parts – well, the first one, not the new one – but didn’t have the dancing skills to be a showgirl.”
The woman looked at the redhead and said, “And I know enough girls still from the old days to know the type. You’ve got the look, but not the feel, of a showgirl or those bargirls, or booth babes, or whatever they call them nowadays – we used to call them poledancers and strippers back then. So you’re an out-of-towner, clearly, and something happened. So, c’mon, let’s go.” The woman extended a dark, wrinkly hand. Seeing Cadance’s reticence at first, she said with a wink, “Now, c’mon, I ain’t gonna bite – but the cops just might.”
The alicorn in human guise reached up to grab the hand, and it was warm, filled with life. Cadance wasn’t sure how to explain it, but it was just one of those moments, she sensed, where the thing to do was go with her.
“Well, c’mon,” the woman said, using her cane to point in the direction she was heading, “Headed to Caesar’s. They got this great buffet – serves lobster every Tuesday – and my nephew’s the maître d’, so he always sneaks me in. We can talk there. Got a name?”
“Cadance,” she blurted out before she suddenly realized that she had no idea what her cover identity was supposed to be. Twilight was going to give her that information, but she’d bolted before that had occurred.
“Cadence, huh? Like the musical bit?”
“Actually, it’s short for Mi Amore Cadenza,” the pony-as-human admitted.
The woman paused in thought for a second. “Well…now I can see why you go by Cadence. Let’s get going, girl, Lobster Thermador waits for no one!”
“And what’s your name?” Cadance said, wiping the tears from her eyes.
“Oh, it’s Tillie. Short for Matilda, which isn’t a name in style anymore, but hey, what comes around goes around, so it might just be again someday.”
“You did what?” Trixie Lulamoon, recently named by Entertainment Weekly as “The Hardest Working Showmare in the Business” looked at her close friend with utter shock. “You. Just. Got. Here!”
“We know, Trixie,” Spike said, exasperated. The moment they realized she was gone, both of them raced from the Aqua Maré to the Venetian, where Trixie had her current show. When Twilight’s former-rival-turned-friend decided to go back into show business three years ago, she opted to take a shot at audiences on Human-Earth instead of Equestria. While Twilight had offered her the headlining gig at the Aqua Maré, Trixie declined, insisting she had to prove to herself that she could be The Great and Powerful Trixie on her own four feet. Those years had proven fruitful and Trixie was now an entertainment force to be reckoned with in the City that Never Sleeps.
“Trixie, I already feel horrible about the situation,” Twilight said, slumped over the table, her drink hardly touched. “I’m trying to save Cadance and I screw that up first thing!”
“Mistakes happen. Celestia knows I’ve made more than enough,” the blue mare said as she knocked back her own drink – herbal tea, since she was going to be on-stage again in an hour. “Look, I’ll be working for the remainder of the night, but I’m off tomorrow, so I can help you look for her then. Besides, I can put out some feelers in the Warehouse after hours.”
“The Warehouse?” Twilight asked.
“In-town Magician’s Club, just for stage illusionists. Was going to take you guys as a surprise, but I’m guessing that we’re in for a bigger adventure than originally planned.” At seeing the sudden look of dismay on Twilight’s face, Trixie said, “Twilight, her highness is a big filly and can take care of herself – as I recall, you said she used to take care of you.”
“But I—”
“But nothing. My show starts in an hour, so I want you and Spike to sit and enjoy and unwind. All that stress isn’t healthy for you and while you might be worried about her, I’m worried about both of you, got that?”
“But—”
“If I don’t see you sitting front stage in my reserved seats, I’m going to pull both of you on-stage and be a part of my act. And since neither of you know some of the tricks I’ve developed lately, it’ll be embarrassing for you,” the blue mare said with a wry grin.
“Fine, fine,” Twilight said, unconvinced. She could only hope that Cadance wasn’t somewhere insidious at the moment.
“…and so I got here, way back in 1973, having wanted to move from my family’s home down in Tupelo, for the bright lights of Los Angeles,” Tillie told her dining companion. “I’d fancied myself to be a movie star, or maybe a rock star. Unfortunately, I ran out of money by the time I reached here and had to take a job just to make ends meet.” A fork flickered towards the Lobster Thermador, spearing its target and then lifting it towards its goal, Tillie’s mouth. “As you can guess, Vegas wasn’t as family friendly back then as it is now and there were very few places that were safe for a naïve, countrified twenty-four year old gal. Fortunately, I was having lunch at the Sands trying to figure out where to go next when a man came up to me, said I was a pretty young thing and offered me a job. At first, I was afraid – I’d heard stories about the Mob and what they did to young girls like me. But then he showed me his card and showed me around the Club and I was interested. And then he offered me $20,000 a year, which back then was fortune!” she said, clapping her hands in glee.
Cadance, eating a salad, listened with rapt attention as the woman went on and on about her years of meeting celebrities and the wealthy. Names, almost all completely unfamiliar to the alicorn princess, were spoken of with such delight and endeavor that it was clear that Tillie, despite not making it to the human entertainment capital had succeeded beyond her wildest dreams at what she’d intended to do. It was a fascinating accomplishment by any being on any world, and despite her sorrow the Avatar of Love found the briefest of smiles on her face.
The smile did not go unnoticed. “Why, I do believe that’s the first time I’ve seen you smile, Cadance,” Tillie said, her own grin as warm and sunny as a Vegas autumn. “Feeling better now?”
“Yes, thank you,” she admitted, taking a bite of a deviled egg she’d had on her plate.
“That’s good to hear. You’re too young to be so sad-faced like that. Why, you have your whole life ahead of you,” Tillie said, her tone sage and authoritative. “One of the happiest moments in my life was when I met my Emmett. He gave me a full life, the kind of life that every woman aspires to, full of love and laughter. That’s exactly what you need, girl – you need someone to make you smile and laugh and prove to you that every day just gets better.”
Cadance’s fork rattled on the plate as she suddenly let it go. Looking down and fighting tears, she spoke in a ghostly voice, “I had that, not too long ago.” She buried her hands in her face as the sting of sorrow came to her eyes once more, as she moaned Shining Armor’s name, feeling his loss once more.
Tillie nodded sagely. “So that’s the problem. You lost your knight in shining armor.” The old woman reached over with a leathery hand, patting the younger woman on the back. “How long ago?” she asked, her voice warm and comforting.
“Six months ago,” Cadance said, unable to stop crying. “He was sick for years, and the disease…poison…whatever…it…it….” Cadance felt she was barely going to hold it together at all. Part of her wanted to change back to her normal form and launch into the sky, far away, not caring about where she was headed. Part of her wanted to take the continued slide into oblivion, with little concern where the end of the roller coaster would lead her. She was a ship adrift without rudder or sails, lost to the buffeting winds of pain and battered by the waves of despair.
“Dearie, I quite understand. It wasn’t so long ago I lost my Emmett. He’s gone now, and all I have are memories, children and grandchildren. But do you know what I have most that I cherish – that you still have from your beau?”
Cadance looked up, her tear-stained eyes suddenly curious as to what the woman had to say. It has to be some maudlin, stupid thing that I haven’t already heard from my aunts, or Twilight, or my parents, or—
“I still have his love, forever in my heart,” Tillie said, placing her hands over her chest as a beatific smile came to her face. She then guided a hand to her mind and added, “And as long as he’s still here, in my mind, then he’ll always be here, and I’ll always have his love.” Tillie reached over with a cloth napkin to wipe Cadance’s tears away, saying, “And your boy – he would never leave you if he could. I have a good sense for things like that – the look in your eyes, the way you speak about him, why, it was almost as if he were a prince, sweeping you off your feet and making you a princess out of a fairytale. And a strong man like that? Definitely a keeper and you kept him as long as the Good Lord would let you – and there’s no shame in that.”
At that point the dam broke in Cadance’s heart, and she let go of her emotions, crying uncontrollably for the loss of the stallion she loved. Despite everypony’s cares, concerns and considerations, she was still the Princess Royal and she still had duties to maintain – there would be no time for mourning. But now, so far away from Canterlot and her station, far from the pressing paparazzi asking her how she felt about being a widow and would there be another stallion in her life again, away from well-intentioned but overbearing kith and kin and finally able to let go…she did.
Suddenly, as she let loose every tear she’d held pent up within her for the last half-year, she felt warm strength envelop her as a pair of aged arms encircled her. “Let it go,” Tillie cooed, letting the “younger woman” soak her shirt with tears. “It doesn’t do to hold it all inside until you hate the world and all its brightness. It doesn’t help to scream within yourself until you hate Creation and all its joys, even as you turn yourself into a husk with nothing to live for. Your knight in shining armor would never want that for you – no sane person ever would.”
Tillie continued to hold the redhead in her arms as the young woman just cried softly, letting everything go. After a few minutes, the girl named Cadance finally surrendered to oblivion, collapsing into a restless, exhaustive sleep. Tillie gently let the girl lean back into the booth’s plush upholstery as she flagged down her nephew. As he approached, she asked, “Rodger, think you can get me a taxi? Don’t think I’ll be taking the shuttle home tonight.”
Rodger gave his aunt an all-too-familiar look, then briefly looked at her dining companion. “Collecting another one, Aunt Tillie?” he asked, a resigned look coming to his features.
“An old biddy like me’s gotta have some hobbies, Rodger,” she laughed while favoring him with a wink. “Some play the slots. I play guardian angel.”
“Someday that’s going to get you in trouble, though,” he admitted to her. “You just might pick the wrong person to help, Aunt Tillie, and…well, I worry about you. You’re not getting any younger.”
“Oh, hush now,” she said, waving a dismissive hand. “I got a good feeling about this one. She’s purehearted, and she lost her husband just recently, she said. “I think he must’ve been the only man she ever loved, because she’s got a hole in her heart that doesn’t look like it’ll heal anytime soon. And sometimes, they never do.”
“Fine, fine, fine,” he said, waving his hands. “But you should have Mackie or someone stay over tonight.” As she was just about to protest, he leaned forward and said, “Just humor me, okay, Aunt Tillie?”
She merely grinned, as if it was what she wanted in the first place. The moment he realized that, he shook his head and just walked off. Once again, his aunt had everything under her complete control – you didn’t survive in Vegas unless you could play the game, and after all these years, Rodger was still discovering that if there was a master at the game, it was his aunt.
“Twilight, her highness will be fine, I’m sure of it,” Trixie said, looking at her friend as they had drinks at the Warehouse. They’d arrived an hour ago, and the stage magicians that were coming off their performances were all too happy to give a hand to Trixie as she asked. But Vegas was a large town, and none of them reported seeing anyone like that at any of their performances. From The Incredible Alan to Zelda the Magnificent, stage performers had told the unicorn what they had seen in their audiences…and the only results were nothing.
“Trixie, you don’t understand,” Twilight said. “She could be hurt! Or dying in a ditch somewhere, or….”
“That is a possibility,” Trixie admitted, “but I doubt it. From the few times I’ve spoken to her, your sister-in-law seemed to be a very levelheaded mare, and I don’t think she’d do anything that would jeopardize her own life. You’re right to have some concerns, but I think they’re not at a crisis level yet.”
“You know Twilight,” Spike said, shrugging. “Once she gets her mind set on something, there’s not a single pon—OW!” He suddenly rubbed his head as Twilight removed the fist she’d used to bonk him on the head. “Twilight, that’s not fair! I’m worried about her too, you know!” For his response, he was given a blistering glare by his older sister.
“This is going to be a long night,” Trixie muttered to no one in particular, “and I need to get to bed soon if I’m going to get some sleep – I do have a charity performance tomorrow morning at the Sands Foundation.” Waving an arm in the air, Trixie signaled for the bartender to bring the check.
“Trixie…look, I’m sorry,” Twilight replied. “It’s just that—”
“You’re worried about her. That’s you to a tee, Twilight – even before we were friends, that’s just your nature,” the azure unicorn replied. “Besides, after I do my performance, I can meet you tomorrow at your hotel room and we can continue looking. They’re going to be doing some maintenance on my stage tomorrow, so I have no performances until Thursday. But we’ll find her, I promise you.”
Twilight was about to say something, when someone approached the table. He looked more like a heavy metal guitarist than someone who would be here in the Warehouse. With his long, dirty brown hair, beard and goatee and leather vest and pants, he seemed the type to more pick up a guitar and start shredding out Black Sabbath. “Heya, Trix,” he said in a friendly, but gravelly voice. “Long time no see.”
“Oh, Drake!” the unicorn gushed, the smile on her face genuine. “Guys, this is Drake Garfield, better known by his stage name of Draco the Dangerous. He’s an escape artist, and his show’s over at the Hard Rock – he handles the really dangerous stuff, and he’s one of the best, honestly.”
“You mean the best,” he said with a laugh. “I haven’t killed myself yet, though I’m sure my ex-wife would prefer I did. And you two are?”
“Drake, this is…Tanya and Spencer Sparks, a couple of old friends of mine,” she said in turn, remembering her friend’s disguises. “They’re looking for their sister-in-law, who got lost.” Trixie passed a picture of Cadance’s human form over to the man. “Look familiar?”
“Yeah, Stan was telling me about that,” he said, then added to Trixie’s friends, “Stan’s the bartender here, in case you guys didn’t know.” Looking back at the unicorn, he said, “Well, I was having dinner with Ashley over at Caesar’s earlier tonight—”
“I thought you hated Caesar’s.”
“I do,” he said with a grimace, “but when your girlfriend works there as a showgirl, you have to learn to put up with it. Anyway, I think I might have seen her having dinner there with someone.”
“You sure?” Twilight gasped.
“Not really,” Drake said, somewhat sheepishly. “I was…um…kinda preoccupied with my girl, and looking at another woman isn’t the best way to get onto her good side. But if you want to ask someone there, talk to Linda McGee. She’s a waitress on-duty and she’s Ashley’s roommate. Linda should be able to tell you for sure if it was her. Why, is something up?”
Trixie nodded. “Cathryn…well, her husband passed away months ago, and while Tanya and Spencer brought her here to get her mind off things, it might have made it worse somehow.”
“Yeah, Vegas’ll do that to ya,” he said. “I gotta go, but best of luck to you guys and if I hear anything, I’ll give you a call, Trix.”
As he departed, Stan came up with the check and instantly Trixie produced her card to pay for the tab. “Get some sleep, Twilight, and we’ll pick this up in the morning,” the showmare insisted. “You’re not going to do her highness any favors if you’re bent out of shape for nothing.”
“But—”
“You’ve forced my hand,” Trixie said, sadly. “If you don’t get some sleep, I swear I will not take you to Blueberry Hill, got that?”
“Blueberry Hill?” Spike asked.
Trixie grinned. “You’ll see, Spike. Just make sure she gets some sleep. Now let’s get going. It’s going to be a long day – let’s not make it longer.”
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A short about Cadance?
Nice to see one about her.
The ponies walk among us. So is Cadance currently the youngest immortal in this world?
2981600
Maybe.
2981721
It's answers like this that really...find keep your secrets. It's not like I care.
Sea Ponies! That is all.
It's nice to see a short about Cadance. She kind of gets brushed to the side in the midst of all that happens in these stories, and a short about how she came to grips with things is a good way to get her more spotlight. That said, I'd love to see one about Shining Armor on the warpath against the changelings post-wedding, but that's for another time.
And I'm glad you're doing a particularly slice of life short around the same time as the next main story chapter's supposed to come out. It'll help ease the load on what I imagine will be a particularly heavy one.
3015343
which one?
3059638
Keep in mind this is well after a decade after first contact. DJ is 26 here, and she's been publicly known for over two decades. Fitzgerald is just a old fashioned bigot - no one else seemed to have a problem with the pony, and the kid's "funny pony person" is just that - at the age the kid was, they haven't learned tact yet.
While Cadance has been told she can't die, seeing as she wasn't born the same way as Celestia and Luna, could they be actually lying to her. I say this because if Celestia and Luna were truly invincible and unable to die they'd just tank through enemies and have no need for a military. So I'd guess they may be immortal in the sense that they can't die of age or natural causes but not invincible. And that they could be killed, albeit very difficult to accomplish, but possible. I would further assume their longevity and healing is caused by their magical supply which helps repair them. So if Celestia were to be completely drained of her magic somehow, she'd be pseudo-mortal for that brief time.
Rather than show what happened and how it affected Cadance you mention it in a paragraph. That is extremely disappointing.
Also this point about how Shining was seduced by Chrysalis makes no sense unless she was in another form or something, it feels like a cheap diabolus ex machina for drama.
3405031
Given that it gets explained in great detail in the main story itself, complete with flashbacks, I'd say the author is simply not bloating the sidestory with excess exposition.