13. The Student and The Princess
Sunset watched as Cadence walked away from her. Her heart beat faster, and she desperately wanted to reach out, call her name, anything to make her stay. But she could not do it. She was not strong enough to make the leap. And so Sunset watched as the mare she loved moved further and further away.
Cadence reached the door, and the unicorn watched as she paused one more time. She somehow realized that this was her last chance. She somehow knew that once Cadence went through that door, the feeling she had in her chest would not come back. Sunset opened her mouth, but still no words came out.
The unicorn watched as Cadence's head hung lower, and her stance deflated. Her heart broke as the door slowly swung open. She could not let this happen. How did she let this happen? Everything was perfect. Everything was okay. And now... now she was going to lose the very thing that kept her in Equestria. A tear slipped down her cheek. It took every ounce of courage she could muster, but as Cadence's hoof stepped into the other room, she finally called out to her.
Sunset held out a hoof, reaching out to Cadence. "Wait!" she called out. Her voice was quiet and weak, and Sunset could barely even hear it herself. But Cadence paused at the sound of it, frozen mid-step. "Wait." She watched as Cadence took a deep breath and turned back to look at the unicorn. "Don't go," pleaded Sunset softly. "Please... stay."
Everything in the room was still. Frozen in this one moment of time. The unicorn and the alicorn staring at each other, both with differing but equally strong emotions calling out to one another in their gazes. Then, silently, Cadence walked back over to her spot and sat down next to her.
The unicorn's stance softened slightly at her return, and Sunset took another sip from her glass before speaking again. "I'm sorry," she said after a moment. "For everything. I was horrible to you, and even though I like to think that I have changed recently, I know that I've hurt you. A lot." She took another shaky sip from her glass, and set it down beside her. The alcohol was loosening her lips, and she tried to slow herself down. But Sunset realized that she did not want to stop talking. And so she continued to pour her heart out to Cadence.
"I don't want to do that anymore. I hated that I was so aloof and alone and angry that I felt the need to do that. And because of that stupid, stupid decision, I messed everything up. I bucked everything up so freaking hard, and now that's just going to make what I want to tell you so much harder." A few tears slipped down Sunset's cheek, and she squeezed her eyes shut to try and stop them.
Cadence scooted a little closer to Sunset. "What... what do you want to tell me?" she asked breathlessly. Sunset was terrified that her love magic could feel that something that was stirring inside her, and she hoped that Cadence's senses were so muddled by the alcohol that she could not quite tell what it was. She needed to tell Cadence herself, and she did not want that to be messed up too.
So Sunset steeled her nerves. It was now or never. She stared into her glass, watching the rest of her wine slosh around as she idly turned it. "I was lying earlier... when I said it doesn't matter," she finally said. "It does matter. It matters a lot, actually... what I want to say to you."
There was a moment of silence as Sunset just glared at her own lap until she looked back up and her gaze softened. It was now or never. "I... I really like you, Cadence," Sunset said quietly, looking at Cadence only briefly before once again lowering her head. She could not possibly meet her eyes now. "You've been so kind to me and you've treated me with so much care. I think... I think I knew that I liked you for a long time, but in my stupid attitude, I just never let myself see it."
The confession flooded Cadence's heart with a bright warmth that she had never felt before. A wide smile came over her face as tears pooled in the corners of her eyes. Without a second thought, she leaned in closer to Sunset and wrapped the unicorn up in a tight hug, bringing her muzzle up to her ear. "I like you too," she whispered as a tear slipped down her cheek.
The whispered words sent a charge of electricity through the unicorn's body. She found herself leaning into Cadence's embrace, and nuzzled her face into the larger pony's shoulder. Sunset was glad for the closeness, the comfort. She was craving it, ever since that first time she had experienced it. Cadence was warm and electric and soft and strong all at the same time, and being embraced with her sent a myriad of emotions coursing through her veins. All of them were good, and she never wanted this feeling to end.
Sunset suddenly realized that there were tears streaming down her face, rolling in rivulets and dripping onto Cadence's back. She began to shudder as she cried, not knowing if her tears were joy or relief. But she did know one thing - the only thing that could cure them right now was Cadence, and she would not hide away from that feeling any longer, and suddenly, she felt the burning need to voice that as well.
"I l-love..." she started, and she could feel Cadence's breathing hang in the air against her. Sunset took a shuddering breath. "I love you." And then it was out there. It was as if a great weight had been removed from Sunset's back with those three words and she could breathe one again. The relief hit her like a tidal wave and she was suddenly sobbing into Cadence's shoulder.
Cadence held her tight, her legs wrapped around her shaking body in a close embrace. She pressed into the hug, shaking too much to raise her own limbs to reciprocate the hug. She wanted to stay here forever, comforted in the alicorn's hold. She did not want Cadence to let her go, and from her perspective, it seemed like she would get her wish. Gradually, through Cadence's comforting grasp and gentle whispers in her ear, her crying ceased and she stopped shaking.
Having calmed down pulling away slightly, Sunset looked up at Cadence. She found her gaze immediately locking into place with the alicorn's. Her own aqua eyes dove into the bright purple of Cadence's own. They stared into each other's eyes for what felt like an eternity, neither wanting to look away. There was a strange pull between the two. It was like magnetism, their lips being drawn ever closer to the other. Each was so enamoured in the other's pools that they barely noticed how close their muzzles were getting, and the jumped back in brief surprise when their noses bumped against one another's. Dual crimson blushes flooded their cheeks, acting as a mirror of one another. Sunset's gaze finally broke away, falling off to the side in nervousness. But Cadence refused to let this moment slip away from them and she brought a hoof up to Sunset's chin, bringing her gaze back into her own. Then, with a final steel of her resolve, she closed her eyes and leaned in.
Sunset's eyes widened as Cadence's lips pressed against her own. She froze up for a moment, overcome by the suddenness of the action, but her surprise and shock quickly melted away. Her eyes fluttered shut and she turned her head to press back up against Cadence's lips, sealing them together and reciprocating the kiss.
There was a burst of emotion akin to an explosion as Sunset pushed further into their kiss. Cadence could physically feel the warmth of Sunset's love bursting forth out of her heart. Her wings spread to wrap around the unicorn, pulling her closer as Sunset's forelegs reached up to do the same.
The rest of the world did not exist outside of their embrace. Their shared world was made up of only the two of them, and when they finally pulled away from each other, that small world expanded to just contain their loving gaze, their small smiles, and their racing hearts.
"You love me, huh?" Cadence giggled softly, leaning in to rest her forehead against Sunset's. Their horn brushed together, creating an electric connection between them that made them both shudder.
Sunset breathed out. "Yeah," she said in a shuddering breath. "D-don't be weird about it, okay?" The two of them shared a small laugh before they melted into another soft kiss.
They broke away after a moment, their muzzles lingering in the air near each other. "I love you too," Cadence said quietly with a small smile, before leaning in to steal another short kiss from Sunset.
While she could have guessed the alicorn's response, those four words nearly made Sunset's heart explode. She leaned into Cadence some more, and before either of them knew it, they were both exhausted.
Before they could get too comfortable on the floor, Cadence gently pushed Sunset away. "Why don't we get some sleep?" she suggested. "It's fairly late, and I think we both had a day that could be described as 'emotionally exhausting.'"
Sunset nodded through a yawn. "I guess you're right," she said. "But um..." the unicorn trailed off, not knowing how to ask the question she wanted to ask.
"But what?" Cadence certainly was not going to leave it unasked, however.
"Do you, um... would you," Sunset began, her words uncertain and heart racing. "Maybe, uh, you could stay the night? In here? With, uh... me?" Her ears folded back against her head as she stared at anything in her room besides Cadence.
There was a pregnant pause, before the response came. "If you want me to, of course I'll stay," replied Cadence gently, reaching out and placing a hoof on Sunset's shoulder.
Sunset let out a breath that she had not realized she had been holding. "A-awesome, cool," she said breathlessly. "Uh, okay." She stood, and made her way over to her bed. "Shall we?" she asked, immediately facehooving at how stupid that sounded.
Cadence just laughed, however. "We shall," she said lightly, opting to climb in first. Sunset quickly followed, lying down beside the alicorn and drawing the blankets up around them, and then laying as still as she could.
She was painfully aware of the noticeable gap between them, but she certainly was not going to be the first one to do anything about it. Her mind was still cloudy and she did not want to push too far or make any assumptions. She was also having a difficult time telling herself that what had just happened was ever real. Sunset was pulled out of her spiraling thoughts when she felt Cadence suddenly shift over to press against her side.
"Oh come'ere, you," Cadence whispered, wrapping her legs around Sunset. "I know you want to cuddle. Let's cuddle."
Sunset let out a nervous hum, but rolled over to hug the alicorn in turn. "Uh, yeah. That sounds... nice," she whispered back, again wanting to smack herself in the face.
With a light chuckle, Cadence replied, "In case you forgot, I am the Princess of Love. I can totally tell what you're feeling right now."
"O-oh yeah?" stammered Sunset. "What am I, uh, feeling right now?"
Cadence's pink eyes stared lovingly into Sunset's teal ones. Their sight was lost in each other's pools, and they simply gazed at each other for a few moments in silence before Cadence finally replied.
"Love, Sunset. You're feeling love."
Sunset woke up to a warm and comfortable weight settled at her side. Groggily, she cuddled closer to it, and smiled sleepily to herself as she felt it cuddle closer in turn. Strands of somepony's mane fell against her cheek and her horn brushed up against another. The feeling was serene, and Sunset was content to just melt into the bed for another few hours.
Unfortunately, that was not to be. As the minutes passed, Sunset became gradually more and more awake until she blinked a bleary eye open. The unicorn was met with the beautiful sight of a sleeping Princess Cadence snuggle dup to her side. Her head was tucked into the crook of Sunset's neck, with her long horn alongside her face and meeting the base of her own.
It took a moment for Sunset to remember where she was. When she did, the froze for a second, feelings of confusion and nervousness racking her brain. What happened? Why was Cadence in bed with her? It took a few moments of increasing panic before the memories resurfaced in her mind. Last night, their confessions... their cuddling. She had done it. After weeks of stewing, Sunset had finally confessed to the alicorn. She smiled, leaning into their shared embrace.
Sunset was suddenly pulled out of reverie by Cadence's legs pulling her tighter, and large, pink wing shifted on top of her. The confusing thoughts were immediately pushed from her mind, and Sunset was happy to snuggle back into Cadence's embrace.
Any questions could be answered after, the details clarified later. For the moment, she was satisfied to enjoy the alicorn's company and sleep for a few more hours. Unfortunately, those extra hours was shortened into a few short minutes before Cadence began to stir.
Sunset quickly loosened her grip, but was hesitant to pull away. She was far too comfortable cuddled close to Cadence. It seemed like the alicorn did not seem to mind anyway, as a happy hum escaped her throat as her eye fluttered open.
"Um, g-good morning," Sunset whispered awkwardly.
Cadence responded by closing her eyes again and burying her face deeper into Sunset's neck. A mumbled "good morning" came from somewhere but Sunset was preoccupied by not having her eye poked out by Cadence's horn.
"Cadence, uh, your horn..." Sunset trailed off. It took a few moments for her words to register before Cadence suddenly pulled her head away, eyes wide open.
"Oh horseapples," she swore. "I'm so sorry - I didn't mean... I mean... It's still so new and I keep forgetting-" She was cut off by Sunset putting a hoof on her mouth.
"Don't worry about it," Sunset said reassuringly. "It's fine." She smiled sleepily at Cadence, before a bright blush blossomed on her face when she realized she was pressing her hoof into Cadence's mouth. The feeling of Cadence's warm lips pressed against the soft frog of her hoof sent a shiver down her spine. Sunset wanted nothing more than to press further against it, maybe even to feel their supple softness against her own.
With a look that Sunset could only call "chaotic evil," Cadence leaned into Sunset's hoof and gave it a big, wet kiss. She quickly pulled her hoof back in embarrassment, not quite finding the ability to form words. Her blush deepend as she realized that Cadence could probably tell exactly what she was thinking, and what she desperately wanted to do. But instead of saying anything, Cadence only smiled more and leaned in to plant a second kiss on the tip of Sunset's nose.
"Good morning," she said softly, bringing a hoof up to brush some stray strands of Sunset's mane out of her face.
"H-hey," Sunset replied, very easily distracted by the hoof. "So, um, about last night..." she began before trailing off.
Cadence pulled her hoof back, her gaze slightly more serious, but still comforting. "What about last night?" she asked quietly.
Sunset swallowed. "Are we, uh... are we dating now?" she asked, instantly feeling like it was a stupid question to ask when she heard it out loud.
But Cadence did not call her out on the question, and instead smiled in response. "I'd like that," she replied softly. "Would... would you like that?"
With a quick and eager nod, Sunset said, "Yeah! I mean, yes. I would like that a lot."
They shared another kiss after that, and Sunset could only wish that every morning would be like this one from now on.
The two of them laid together for a few more minutes, idly chatting and just being close to one another. But eventually, they needed to start their day. Cadence had to go take care of something before lunch, when she had to go do her new princess duty, and Sunset needed to have a conversation with Celestia. So they ate breakfast together and parted with another soft kiss.
Sunset quickly headed for Celestia's study. She wanted to get this over with quickly, so that she could go spend some more time with Cadence before she needed to leave. She knocked loudly on the heavy oak door, and gave the Princess a warm smile when she opened up.
"Good morning, Princess," she said.
"Good morning, Sunset," welcomed Celestia as she ushered the unicorn into her study. "I have to say, I did not expect to see you today."
Sunset shrugged. "Oh, well, I uh... I think I know what I want to do for my research," she said, turning to face her former teacher.
"Oh really?" Celestia replied, her face lighting up at the revelation. "Oh, please do tell! I'm excited to see what you've come up with!" She gestured to her sitting area, where the table was set up for one person, but she quickly levitated a cushion over for Sunset. "But first, let me get us some tea!"
The unicorn nodded and took a seat at the table. She ran a hoof along it's aged surface. The table had been there for as long as she could remember, all the way back when Celestia had first taken her as a student. It was always just the two of them, herself and Celestia. The student and the princess.
This was the first time that Sunset was sitting at the table without being Celestia's pupil. She felt weird, as if she did not really belong here. What were they now? They definitely were not equals - Sunset had come to accept that. Were they, friends? Was Celestia still her teacher?
A steaming cup of tea was placed gently in front of her along with a spoon and bowl of sugar cubes. Celestia seemed to pause for a moment before a small "aha" and then a carafe of chilled milk teleported into existence next to the sugar with a small popping sound.
Sunset gave the princess a small smile as she stirred the milk and sugar into her tea. "Thanks," she said softly, sliding the sugar over to Celestia. The milk vanished as Celestia took the sugar and plopped the usual six cubes into her small cup. Sunset smiled at the warm memory that suddenly overtook her of the first time she saw Celestia make her tea, and asked her how she was still alive. Celestia had laughed at the comment while Sunset had been mortified that she actually asked the ruler of Equestria that question.
"So, Sunset," Celestia began, pulling the unicorn out of her memories. "I'm excited to hear what you've come up with."
"Oh, right," Sunset said. "Well, Cadence and I were talking last night and I got to thinking this morning. I want to look into Starswirl's portal, and like, how it works and the world it connects to and if there are other worlds out there. I want to figure out how it does the things it does and why."
Celestia smiled. "That sounds like a fruitful topic, Sunset," she said. "I'm looking forward to seeing what your conclusions will be, if you find any."
The unicorn paused midway through a sip of tea, and looked at the princess in confusion. "If I find any?" she echoed. "What do you mean?"
"The thing with a research project like this is that there might not be any conclusions," Celestia explained with a smile. "You will find answers to many of your questions and make countless observations. You will stir up new questions and maybe find answers to those." She took a sip of tea, letting Sunset digest what she had just said. "You're looking into how a device works when the creator itself did not know. And you're questioning a fundamental question of the universe. You will not find all the answers."
Sunset looked down into her teacup, idly swirling its contents around. "So you're saying its a hopeless project," she asked, slightly dejected.
"The very opposite, Sunset," Celestia said. "I think it is the perfect project for you." Sunset raised an eyebrow, so she went on. "Many mages will stop searching after a certain number of setbacks. They will formulate a conclusion or theory, and move on to the next question plaguing their mind. But you," Celestia raised a hoof to point at Sunset. "You will not stop until all of your questions and research points are satisfied."
Sunset's eyes widened as she realized what Celestia was saying. "You think I'm the only one who has a shot at this?" she asked, not wanting to believe without Celestia's confirmation.
With a nod, Sunset got that confirmation. "Yes," Celestia said. "I believe you are."
The unicorn smiled, sipping at her tea. She was glad that her former mentor had such unwavering faith in her ability. Sunset knew that this research was no small task, and it would require a large amount of determination and sheer grit to accomplish. But if Celestia had faith in her, Sunset had faith in herself as well.
"You've come a very long way, Sunset Shimmer," Celestia comment as she gazed at the unicorn over her teacup. "You've grown not only in your magical prowess, but in character as well."
Sunset smiled. "Thank you, Princess," she said quietly.
Celestia accepted the gratitude with a smile of her own. "I think you'll need to thank Cadence for that as well," she said with an interesting look. Sunset blushed lightly and looked down to the side. There was no way that Celestia knew about that, was there? "But maybe later," the alicorn said after letting Sunset awkwardly stew for a moment. "For now, let's just enjoy our tea. Maybe you can explain some of the theories you had about the portal?"
The two spent the remainder of the morning together in Celestia's study. The princess seemed genuinely interested in Sunset's findings and theories, and had even fielded a few proposals of her own throughout the conversation. Although it was long, the discussion allowed Sunset to leave with a new motivation pushing her steps forward. She was looking forward towards tomorrow, when her research would formally being. Celestia had promised a new laboratory would be set up by the end of the week, and would send Sunset letters of recommendation for various assistants and cohorts that she believed would aid in her research.
It felt good to be pursuing something that was of her own choice. Of course, the topics she researched over the years interested her, but choosing it herself brought a new sense of freedom that she welcomed. She was allowed to choose her own direction. It was a feeling that she would need to get used to over time. And hey, it definitely did not hurt to be put in charge of something. She turned the corner to head back to her suite just as Cadence was leaving. A bright smile pulled at her lips and she trotted up to her.
"Oh, hi Cadence!" chirped Sunset, and awkwardly shifted on her hooves. She wanted to lean in and kiss her, or at least hug her, but she did not yet know the boundaries of their relationship. Asking seemed, wrong, somehow. But her desire to kiss her new marefriend eventually won out. "C-can I, um..." she trailed off, leaving the question hanging unspoken in the air.
With a laugh, Cadence leaned forward and wrapped a wing loosely around Sunset, planting a soft kiss on the unicorn's cheek. "You don't need to ask," she whispered. "The answer will always be yes anyways." She leaned in for another kiss, this time planting her lips on Sunset's.
Sunset leaned in to the kiss, and hummed as Cadence's wing tightened around her. It did not last nearly as long as some of them last night, but she figured it would be enough to tie her over until Cadence returned.
"Alright, Sunny," the alicorn said as she pulled away, her wing slipping off of Sunset's back. "I gotta get going. I'll see you tonight though! Dinner?" Sunset nodded eagerly, and Cadence smiled as she walked away. "Alright, bye bye!"
"Bye!" Sunset called after her, turning to open the door. She paused though, and instead turned back around to watch Cadence leave.
As the alicorn walked away down the hallway, a warm smile blossomed on Sunset's face. It was a different type of smile from the ones she had been experiencing, even recently. This one brought a comforting, happy, hopeful feeling that permeated her from her hooves all the way to the tip of her horn. She tried to place the feeling, to put a name to it, but the thoughts escaped her for the moment.
Whatever it was, it made her feel good. The unicorn was, for the first time in a very long time, happy. She was content. She was in love. She was loved. And most importantly, she was no longer alone.
Sunset's smile remained just as strong for the remainder of the day until Cadence came back home, and then for many days after that.
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i'm curious how their relationship will change the future
10602553
Same here
A very interesting and rather unique story
So, awesome story! ... but... I feel like Sunset's journey to princesshood kind of fizzled out? Like Celestia found a better candidate (Twilight) and Sunset has kind of lost the drive for it. However wouldn't Cadence want her special pony to also be immortal?
Personally I would've wanted sunset to also be immortal, because if she's not an immortal like cadence it would kinda just be sunset being the first in an infinite line of lovers and kinda ruins the whole love dynamic, which is why it gets so fucky with me and immortal relationships like with shining and cadence
10602767
agreed
10602767
10602789
The point is that Sunset thought she wanted to be a princess, because she craved the power that was attached to it. It was her "destiny," so to speak. She spent years and years desperately vying for that position only for it to be taken away from her (the beginning of this story). However, the story that I wanted to tell, the redemption that I tried to give, was in the idea that Sunset could come to terms with the fact that she didn't need to be a princess. The story is about her learning that there are different ways to go than just up, and that it was her own prerogative to choose a path. The ending is quite literally her choosing her own path for the first time and moving forward.
That's the story I wanted to tell, and her developing a true relationship with Cadence is the route I took the get there.
10602788
Immortality had no real semblance in this story. It wasn't a plot point I wanted to get into outside of it being part of Cadence's reluctance to become a princess, and establish a dynamic between the two that would emphasize their differences in approaching princesshood. It didn't play a canonical part between Cadence and Shining Armor, and thus I felt it did not need to play a part in their relationship either. At least not within the bounds of this story.
Thanks for the chapter!
10511104
10550612
Agreed.
Well, however we got here, here it is! Shipping in all its gooey, fluffy glory, exactly the kind of thing I was looking forward to when cracking this fic open, lovingly rendered here in a comforting pile of electric touches and shimmering pools of eyes. (not to mention the, uh, hoof kissing, which is a little less standard, but sure!)
Celestia seems to have snapped back to a more pleasant and truly caring Celestia here, which is also nice, as otherwise that would be a distressing fly in the beautiful ointment of love or some other badly mixed metaphor.