Tales Untold

by ArgonMatrix

I. All Good Things

Even though she was almost too exhausted to think, Cadance smiled. It probably had something to do with lying in a gorgeous, windswept field not too far from her hometown, a place she had so rarely seen since becoming a princess. Having her two best foalhood friends next to her didn’t hurt either, nor did being able to rest her head on the coziest, most handsome pillow in the world, also known as Shining Armor.

Everypony except Cadance had fallen asleep within the past hour, but she didn’t mind. Just having all of them together was better than anything she could have dreamed.

And in a few minutes, when the sun finally rose, her perfect little picture would be complete. Every sunrise felt like Auntie Celestia smiling down and wishing her good morning. To have her be a part of this moment, even from half a world away, would be the cherry on top of her sappy sundae.

It had been nearly a full year since Cadance had begun her sabbatical, and she had never once regretted it. Sure, she had a laundry list of things she missed from Equestria, but she had an equally long list of stressors and issues that had made her leave in the first place: her identity crises, constantly being compared—and mostly deemed inferior—to Celestia, the nightmares, the bleak years spent getting over her first love…

Best not to think about all that.

She wrapped her wing tighter around Shiny. At least there was one thing she didn’t have to miss anymore.

He had shown up earlier that week to surprise her, and he couldn’t have come at a better time. With the Summer Sun Celebration coming up, she had been feeling more homesick than ever. And while a small part of her wondered whether it was smart for the captain of the Royal Guard to be absent for such a monumental occasion—it was the thousandth year, after all—every other part of her melted at the chance to see him and smell him and hug him and kiss him and just love him. The letters had been nice, but they could never compare to the real thing.

She snuggled deeper into his mane, resting her sleepy eyes on the horizon. She began to wonder if she’d misjudged when the sunrise would be, since there still weren’t any traces of light, but it didn’t matter. Whenever Auntie decided to raise the sun, Cadance would finally close her eyes and preserve this memory forever. Nothing could spoil this moment.

“Any minute now…”

Comments

[FanOfMostEverything]

That's certainly one answer for where these two were during Luna's return. Though if Cadence has her two best foalhood friends with her, who's the other one?

[Comickook]

I have to say, this IS a really wonderful beginning to this series of short stories. Absolutely adored this spin on where Shining Armor and Cadance were during the events of the first two episodes. Absolutely adored the characterizations and sweetness.

On to the next chapter.

[Thought Prism]

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The grass. Good old grass, always there for her.

[ArgonMatrix]

10438692
She's actually there with two foalhood friends in addition to Shining Armor. They do have identities, but it wouldn't make sense to talk much about them in this vignette. It all ties back into my personal headcanon for Cadance's upbringing, which I should really get around to writing at some point.

10438713
I'm glad you enjoyed it! I've always speculated where they were during the Nightmare Moon fiasco, and I'm satisfied with this answer.

[Knight of the Raven]

The Rarity in me expected some grandiose, wondrous description of this "gorgeous, windswept field" where Cadance and her loved ones lay, maybe along with the night sky... but that would have been missing the point entirely.

Yes, Cadance is on a sabbatical near her hometown. But if there's one poster child for "home is where the heart is" in the show, it's probably Cadance—she wasn't depicted as 'the princess of family' in the movie's original intro instead of her usual title for nothing, I reckon—and what's important to her is that she's with three of the most important people in her life.

Four, in a way, seeing her opinion on the sunrise. And while I'm at it, from the way the first paragraph is written, it was crystal clear to me that Shining Armor was there in addition to "her two best foalhood friends."

Maybe Next Year and Metamorphic Harmony didn't interest me, but I like this first chapter. Including the foreboding title, which may beg for a following 'come to an end,' but also highlights that Cadance is, indeed, surrounded by all good things in her life at the moment.

Well, give or take the sun actually rising on time.

I liked these lines;

. . .nor did being able to rest her head on the coziest, most handsome pillow in the world, also known as Shining Armor.

To have her be a part of this moment, even from half a world away, would be the cherry on top of her sappy sundae.

And finally...

the bleak years spent getting over her first love…

One day. One day, there'll be an AU that lets you rewrite the stars and no one will stop you from deciding that Sunset's your destiny.

[ArgonMatrix]

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…she wasn't depicted as 'the princess of family' in the movie's original intro instead of her usual title for nothing, I reckon…

That's always been my favourite interpretation of her. Something about calling her the Princess of Love feels so shallow to me because it largely implies romantic love, whereas I think familial love is a much bigger aspect of her character. For that reason, "family" is definitely the theme I try to channel the most when writing Cadance. Glad it came through in this little snippet.

One day. One day, there'll be an AU that lets you rewrite the stars and no one will stop you from deciding that Sunset's your destiny.

The severe lack of SunDance stories is truly one of the great tragedies of our time. I'm happy to see The Student and The Princess being updated regularly again, at least. Even if the writing isn't the greatest in the world, it still helps fill the void.

Thanks as always for the insightful comment!