The servants had shown Double into the royal suite. They said Cadence needed to talk to her about caring for the grubs. Shining had left the castle about an hour previously, and Double presumed that everything had been fine when he left. He wouldn’t have left his wife in distress.
And yet, when she arrived, she found Cadence curled up on her couch, sobbing into the pillows.
She didn’t realize Double was there. Tears streamed down her face. Her nose filled with snot. Neither Shining nor Flurry were home, and her wail echoed off the crystal walls and through the empty rooms.
Finally, Double cleared her throat. Cadence’s head shot up, and she whirled to face the intruder in her living room.
Her crying stopped instantly. She stared at Double with wide, bloodshot eyes. Her makeup ran in streaks down her face. Double stared back. Her own eyes were a uniform pale blue, lacking iris or pupil.
“A princess,” Double finally said, “should not be seen in this state. May I bring tissues and tell the servants to cancel your appointments this afternoon?”
Cadence nodded, and so Double brought her a stack of handkerchiefs from the linen closet, then told the servants up the hall that the princess was occupied for the next several hours. When she returned to the royal suite, Cadence had vanished, and the sound of running water carried from the bathroom.
When Cadence emerged, she was more coherent than she’d been. Blowing her nose and scrubbing off her makeup did wonders to restore her dignity, though the hot water and hard scrubbing left her mane and coat sticking up in awkward tufts.
“Thank you,” she said to Double, and though her voice was hoarse, she kept it free of emotion. She sounded dignified. “That was very kind. I’d like you to go now, please.”
“With your permission, Princess, I would like to stay to see if I can offer any useful advice,” Double Time kept her tone neutral and defferent, like a proper servant. “Assuming that it is Queen Amaryllis’s actions that have hurt you so much.”
Cadence sniffled. With a hoof, she brushed down a stray hair that her harsh scrubbing had disturbed. “Yes. Very well,” she said. She sat back down on her couch, and Double sat beside her.
After a long silence, Double asked: “What happened?”
“Amaryllis said the grubs…” Cadence trailed off, and needed a moment to find her words. She swallowed a hard lump in her throat, and lifted a tissue to blow her nose. “Are a gift to Shining and I. So we can raise some of his daughters personally. And so Flurry can have sisters. Changeling sisters are probably all she’ll ever have, since Shining and I have been going at it like newlyweds for years and only have one foal, so I probably can’t have more children. And she’s really looking forward to seeing Flurry and her siblings playing together the next time she visits.”
A smile split Cadence’s face, and the lines around her eyes reappeared. “Of course, I don’t want to raise six changelings. I don’t want to raise any changelings. And if they have to be in the palace, they’re not sharing a nursery with Flurry. They’re not. They can stay up the hall where they are now. And I said that, and Amaryllis asked, so politely, ‘Are you saying my bloodline isn’t legitimate?’ And I don’t know how much you know about the nobility. But in noble circles, that’s…”
Cadence punched one hoof into the other. “Those are fighting words. That’s how a noble screams, ‘oh, it’s on now.’ That if Amaryllis doesn’t see Flurry and her half-sisters playing blocks, there’ll be consequences.”
“Mmmph.” Double nodded. “Are you going to comply with her demands?”
“We weren’t.” Cadence shook her head. “Shining gave a big speech and everything. About how… about love and our marriage and ridiculous sentiments. About how this was my house and no creature could tell me how to raise my foal. And he held me and it felt like our wedding all over again. And he said that if we were going to war, the second round would be different. There would be time for Twilight and Celestia and Luna to come and help us. And Amaryllis is afraid of those three. Last time she caught us by surprise, but who wouldn’t be afraid of all four alicorns?”
“You could even get Thorax to help,” Double suggested.
“Thorax offered,” Cadence agreed. “He said he and his brother and all their volunteers would rush to our aid any time we asked. But he’s the only one.”
She stared down at the couch, her hooves wrapped up tight around her. “Luna and Celestia feel that… they can’t justify starting a war over a few children playing together. And Twilight wants to help, but doesn’t want to go against Celestia. And so I asked Shining, we can still win without them, right? We learned from the last war, and the army is better now.”
She pointed at her eyes with a hoof, and her voice cracked: “And he looked me right in the eyes and he lied to me.”
Cadence had to stop for a time, pulling another tissue from the box and blowing into it. “I never wanted to be a princess. I was a matchmaker. I flitted around and helped ponies fall in love and giggled in the bushes when they had their first kiss. Then suddenly, I had a horn and magic, and everypony is telling me how lucky I am. That I have all this power. So powerful I can’t even decide how to raise my only child.”
For a time, Double didn’t speak. The silence was broken by Cadence blowing her nose again. “We called the griffons for help too,” she mumbled. “They said we should surrender now and get it over with.”
“There’s an obvious solution,” Double finally said, speakingly firmly and clearly. “You could let the grubs share a nursery with Flurry, and then treat them badly. Shuffle them off into a closet. Tell them they’re not to speak except when spoken to. Comply with the letter of the demand, but make it clear it's your house, and your daughter is the only one who deserves love.”
Cadence’s face twisted into a frown, and her eyes narrowed as she stared at Double. Double interrupted whatever she was about to say: “But I don’t think you can do that.”
Double circled a hoof in the air to make it clear she wasn’t done speaking. “I mean, I honestly think you’re incapable of that. For all your flaws, I don’t think you could hate a child because of the actions of their mother. And that’s why this burns so bad. Because you know once you spend time with them, you’ll see six little creatures just trying to grow up and make you happy. And you’ll love them, and then you’ll be raising Amaryllis’s children as your own.”
Then Double said: “And, I don’t think that’s a bad thing. Not being able to hate a child. It’s good that being an Equestrian princess still means something. Still means something good. You’re not the goddesses everypony thinks you are, but you’re still…”
She trailed off, turning to stare into the corner. Cadence looked at the other corner.
“Sometimes,” Double continued, “I wish I could hate like I used too. Then I could hate you. You took my children away. You took the two little foals I loved and cared for, and who I was going to give up everything for, and you gave them away to two ponies whose only claim to them was having a working reproductive system. You tore my heart out, and you think so little of me it didn’t even occur to you you were doing it.”
Double’s compound eyes could not water. Her wings buzzed instead, flicking back and forth inside their covers. “But it’s okay. Because they really will be happier being raised by two ponies. You know, creatures who actually know what their lives are like, or whose advice for dealing with schoolyard bullies doesn’t involve garotte wire. So even if you had thought of me, you wouldn’t have done anything differently. You shouldn’t have. So I can’t hate you. But I really want to.
“And that makes me feel helpless too.”
Cadence’s breath caught in her throat. Her eyes darted back and forth over Double. “You’re making that up.”
“Yup. It’s a great act.” Double snorted. When Cadence continued to stare, Double pointed with a hoof. “But see? This is what I mean about you being special. You realize you screwed up and you instantly feel bad. Most ponies have these things called ‘grudges,’ or ‘pride.’ It takes them a while to admit they were wrong.”
“I have pride.”
“Not like other ponies have pride.” Double’s wings buzzed, and she folded back her ears. “And, another thing? I think if you were a stallion, and you slept with Queen Amaryllis, and she had your children? I think you’d fall in love with her. At least a little. I think you couldn’t stop yourself from seeing the good in her. But Shining isn’t like you, and I swear, all he feels for her is a mild affection.”
Cadence’s eyes traveled over Double again, then went down to the couch. In hesitant tones, she answered: “You make me sound like a lovestruck teenager.”
“I make you sound like somepony who physically embodies love and affection to the point they became another species.” Double pointed at Cadence’s hindquarters. “Have you ever slept with anypony other than Shining? Ever?”
“Heh.” Cadence looked at the couch. “You’ll ruin my reputation as the easiest mare in Equestria.” Fiddling with her hooves, she added: “I’m sorry I called you a whore.”
“I am a whore.”
“So? I’m a whore. Shining’s a whore. He and Amaryllis do it and the Princess of Love watches. It’s a great rate though. I get paid with a whole kingdom.”
“Actually, if whores get paid enough, they’re called courtesans. That’s the fancy term.”
A small smile appeared on Cadence’s face. It didn’t last long, but when it faded, she at least wasn’t frowning anymore. “Fine. I’m a courtesan. With a fancy dress and a fan and too much makeup.”
“Light tells me you like Shining that way.”
“Light is a nosey bitch who needs to mind her own business.”
Double laughed. “Yeah.” After a moment, she straightened up. “I’m sorry. I promised practical advice, but I’m not an officer or a politician. I have no idea what might make Amaryllis back down. All I can say is, please don’t feel ashamed that you’re a good pony. And, you’re not weak. And your husband isn’t incompetent. When I said that, I was angry.”
“I know. I know. It’s okay. I’m sorry I was so thoughtless.” Cadence sniffled but her voice was not so ragged as it had been. “I’ll figure out a way to get out of this. I’ll think of something.”
“Good. And don’t worry about the grubs. I’ll take perfect care of them until you and Shining decide what you’re going to do.” Double rose from where she sat. “You want me to tell the servants you’re okay again?”
“Wait.” Cadence reached out a hoof to rest it over Double’s. For a moment, they each looked down at that point of physical contact.
“You could stay,” she said.
Hesitantly, Double Time sat back down. “Okay,” she said. “What did you want to talk about?”
“I don’t know. I’ve been keeping you as a servant, haven’t I? Involuntarily. I suppose that makes you a slave.”
“Probably,” Double agreed. “I was hoping to ask for time served though. You know. At the end.”
“Sure. But I’m supposed to be… judging you, I suppose. And I don’t know anything about you. Other than that you wanted to adopt two foals in Canterlot, and that I messed that up.”
“I’m not complicated. I’m an art student, a veteran, and an expensive whore. Pick one.”
“Tell me…” Cadence bit her lip. “Tell me about the war?”
“Don’t want to talk about the war.” Double locked eyes with Cadence. “You want to talk about art?”
They talked for another hour. Cadence had three stiff drinks from a liquor cabinet.
“What is it with mares in this family and being uncomfortable with sex?” Double asked. He was a he, and for the moment, had eyes that could roll. He took the opportunity to roll them.
“I’m not uncomfortable,” Cadence blushed. “You’re… hot. I like the way this body looks. You are objectively physically attractive.”
In truth, Double looked not entirely unlike Shining Armor, had he been born a mare. Bishonen was the term. He had a smaller, more feminine body, flowing green hair, and wide expressive eyes. He also wore entirely too much makeup, with his whole face painted white and black lines added around his eyes. He could pass for a mare in public, so long as nopony looked between his legs.
“‘Objectively physically attractive.’” The sarcasm was implicit.
“I’ve never slept with a pony I didn’t love before.” Cadence frowned. “Sex is supposed to be spontaneous. Something that happens because I see Shining and I feel that way about him. Making it happen is… different.”
“You could get started slow. Nibble on my ears.”
“You don’t actually like having your ears nibbled. Do you?”
“I’ve seen Shining’s ears. I know you like it.”
The blush on Cadence’s face deepend. Shining wore makeup to hide the marks, but he wasn’t as good as he thought he was. “That’s not the point. That’s sexy because he likes it. Hearing him moan or gasp or cry out is fun because I know he means it. If the other pony is faking it, what’s the point?”
After a moment, Cadence added: “But I guess you can’t really mean it. Except that one time with Shining.”
“Eh. It wasn’t that great. Psychic-gestalt secondhoof sex is highly overrated.” Double mulled the matter over for a moment, then stepped up to Cadence. “But, you feel some affection for me? I mean, I assume.”
“A little, I guess.” Cadence rubbed the back of her head. “It’s complicated.”
“Sure. But do you think you could work your magic?”
“Oh. You’re running low again. Right.” Cadence’s horn glowed a soft pink, and a thin trail of the same color connected her and Double. “How’s that?”
“Weak. Your feelings on me must be complicated.” Double grinned. But he stepped up to her, and put a hoof on her neck. She was so much taller than him, he barely came up past her shoulder. “Lean down?”
Slowly, hesitantly, Cadence leaned down. Double put his teeth around the tip of her horn. “Ready?”
Cadence mumbled in the affirmative. The flow of color and light between them, once a slow and lazy stream, quickened into a fast-moving brook. Double drank in Cadence’s energy, and she let out an involuntary moan. Spots appeared in her vision. She went weak at the knees, her tail lashing behind her. “Stop. Stop!” she finally cried out.
Double stopped, pulling his head away from her. Shivers traveled up and down Cadence’s body, like ripples echoing around a pond. Around another groan, she managed to speak: “That felt so much like being Queen Chrysalis's prisoner again.”
“Do you want me to stop?”
After a moment, Cadence licked her lips. “No. But go more slowly.”
Double kissed Cadence first. She kissed him back.
Then they did it like it was the old days all over again.
Cadance isn't thinking strategically. So Flurry has 6 changeling sisters...meaning, assuming their relationship doesn't end up like Twilight and Light, she could have 6 elite, empathic, shapeshifting, bodyguards willing to be by her side no matter what.
Ooooh, bit of a submissive kink there Cadance?
I feel like I missed over a thousand pages of backstorry. Is it just me or does this fiction feels just so rich with details and everything?
Amaryllis’ line is a bit troubling...it suggests to me that she thinks of the grubs as legitimate claimants to the throne.
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I don’t think Cadance is capable of thinking in those terms, especially not regarding children.
Ah, there's the title drop. I've been wondering.
What? What is this supposed to mean? I'm confused.
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It's not just you. I assume you've read the prequel?
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This is conditional on the "hivemind" thing and the "oath to the queen" thing not throwing a wrench into that plan. Which they might, and somebody really should be asking Double about that right about now. Preferably using some kind of a lie detector, although I bet nobody's ever tested those on changelings.
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Shure did, but I assume we'll have to wait for this to unfold.
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Double Time has consistently used "the old days" to refer to the time before the changelings were reformed -- back when they were jet-black, had holes in their legs, and ate love to survive.
Great chapter! We're seeing more of the helplessness of Cadence's situation via her literal abandonment by her allies. Her situation is grim and Amaryllis has evolved from an interloper in a marriage to an actual threat to everything Cadence holds dear especially when talking about lines of legitimacy.
I may be missing something with the end as I thought Cadence would be too repulsed by the concept of an extra-marital affair especially with a changeling, considering what she's going through with Shining. But maybe that's the point.
Double can't save Cadence politically or militarily but she can provide comfort in Cadence's marriage by illustrating that sex is just sex and what Shining and Cadence have is more then anything Amaryllis can take from them even if she's here to stay. Perhaps in doing this she can accept the situation without it destroying her marriage.
Our I could be completely wrong Fantastic content as usual. Your rapidly becoming one of my fav writers on the site because of this series.
Huh. If I was Cadance, I would go the 'fuck this I'm leaving' route if no one but Thorax is actually willing to back her up against Amaryllis.
Pack up Flurry, Shining, and as many Crystal ponies who want to leave and flee south to mainland Equestria as fast as their wings and magic will take them. Once there, not much Amaryllis can do to bring them back short of invading Equestria, and if she does that ALL the alicorns will come down on her like a ton of bricks because they'll have no more excuses not to.
It's not like She or Shining like ruling the Crystal Empire anyways, and from this story it seems like they are just puppets. I'd say screw it and skedaddle.
Lovely.
Cant wait for ponies to find out.
Edit:
As an extra aside.
Good to see Celestia didn't learn anything from Luna's little temper tantrum.
Edit of an edit:
Also, Gap. Did they actually bang or did she just do the weird love vacuum thing?
"Psychic-gestalt secondhoof sex is highly overrated."
Yeah, but it makes every changeling in the hive regard Shining Armor with new respect, and most likely was something he was *not* aware would be happening before he agreed, unless he's got a kink for being watched by thousands.
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I'll put it this way.
The next chapter starts with Cadence in bed, still tied up, asking Double if the riding crop marks on her butt are going to be visible.
They are.
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Oh my gosh.
This was in the first draft of the chapter! Cadence suggested that she and Shining pack up the royal family and as many of their subjects as wanted to go, and flee back to Equestria.
I cut it because I was worried too many of the readers already saw Cadence as a weak leader. It'll come up next chapter.
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More like their entire civilization is doomed honestly.
I'm liking this chapter's Cadence more. She's being less mean, and starting to think of Double as an individual and not just "evil changeling".
The scene shift is very confusing, however. Took me a few re-reads of the first several lines before I understood what was really going on. Might want to polish that a bit, and try to make it clearer that Double Time has changed her appearance, and made herself look Male now. As it is, it's not really addressed, and takes a while before it really becomes obvious.
Also in this entire conversation, I had trouble figuring out who was speaking when. I think it'd be okay to add some more "[Name] said" instead of just relying on "He" or "she". Even if Double Time just changed into a male appearance, it's only very recently and could confuse others (did confuse me) to read and see "he" mentioned, when we've thought of Double Time as female for four chapters now.
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I am a prophet XD.
But yeah, fight or flight was my first thought here. Can't fight, because no one will help them even the odds, they'll just get curbstomped. Flight becomes the natural choice 'shrug'.
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Thanks! I changed a few of those hes and shes to make it more clear. I hope that helps. :)
And yes, Cadence is realizing that she might have been slightly racist...
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None of them are damaged beyond repair -- this story will actually end on a happy note!
But in the short run, Shining is pretty emotionally well-adjusted. He's a chill guy and a family stallion.
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Honestly, this would almost get a pass as weak leadership goes, because what else are they supposed to do? They can’t beat Amaryllis’ hive in a straight fight without help, and of all the other leaders they asked for help... Thorax is the only one with any kind of leadership ability!
Thorax! What?
I was expecting Twilight to not be a very strong leader (although she probably leads small groups just fine), but Celestia and Luna surprised me. They would not be starting a war over “a few children playing.” They would be starting a war over an obviously hostile foreign power trying to subvert and co-opt the legitimate leadership of a close ally.
Amaryllis is a sneaky bitch. She couldn’t take the Crystal Empire by force, so she’s going to use politics instead. It’s absolutely a legitimate maneuver, and it prevents military retaliation because Celestia and Luna apparently won’t do anything that might make them look bad, Twilight won’t go against Celestia even when she’s obviously wrong, and Cadence has her hooves tied (yes, that way too).
What a goddamn mess.
Are we sure Amaryllis is reformed? She still seems to be pretty sneaky, conniving, and vicious.
And here, I thought Cadance in A Minor had really screwed with Cadance's post-Chrysalis situation...
Well... that happened. Something about tells me this is gunna go to hell later
Gah, what is it with Changelings and sex?!
"Are you saying my bloodline is not legitimate?"
Alright, I'm not the most well-versed in royalty and all the issues that surround it, but as I understand Shining is the Prince Consort while Cadance is the Princess Regnant and Flurry is the legitimate heir to the throne of the Crystal Empire (not that heirs have quite as much significance when your monarch is immortal [assuming Cadance is immortal], only being relevant upon either abdication or death by unnatural causes. But I digress).
Now, if I understand succession correctly, this means that so long as Flurry and/or Cadance live, Shining does not have a claim to the throne, and so the bastard offspring (being conceived out of wedlock) of him and Queen Amarillo are illegitimate and have no claim to the throne of the Crystal Empire, and as such cannot pretend to said throne.
Therefore, in the current state of affairs, the only way to get Amaretto's children in control of the empire would be to go full Catherine and assassinate the reigning monarch (Cadance), (Shining) take the regency for the heir (Flurry), off the heir (again, Flurry), Laws of Succession it to have one of Armadillo's kids be the heir, then remove Shining. At this point there would be such a mockery made of the legitimacy of the monarchy of the Crystal Empire that I imagine few would recognize them.
So to answer ARMA II's question posed earlier--in the context of the throne of the Crystal Empire: yes. As from the perspective of the government of the Equestrian Diarchy, her bloodline is illegitimate to the throne.
To go even further beyond into other points: I don't imagine returning Armalite's children to her is necessarily an act of war, especially in the broader global context. As such, the onus would be on Amarnath to declare war, putting the Crystal Empire in a defensive position. At this point, with the Crystal Empire being (I assume) some form of protectorate under the Equestrian Diarchy, if the Heavenly Siblings do not intervene to protect the prospects of their sphere they risk losing a large amount of face to the international community, weakening their prestige, soft power projection, and ability to be relied upon by their allies (as they would have allowed a client state of theirs to be conquered by foreign aggressors).
Furthermore beyond the broader political ramifications there's the "close to home" impact of the other three members of Alicorn Royalty losing their fourth and fifth members, and having to deal with their personal guilt over it (as I believe that push come to shove they would support their own, I don't particularly view the "sit back and do nothing" approach to the problem would be what comes to pass in this scenario. Sure, the ruling diarchs may not want to intervene militarily, but that does not mean that they won't should the need arise. Unless my reading comprehension is poor today and the story explicitly states that and I just missed it.)
To summarize the prior two paragraphs: Equestria would (likely) not sit back and watch if their ally/protectorate/buddy nation was subsumed by foreign powers. As such, though Candance views the situation as being alone, they would likely receive at least some form of aid (provided they were not the aggressors).
This has been my essay on the geopolitical ramifications of the royal intrigue in the Crystal Empire in regards to-
Alternative titles:
The 2 a.m. ramblings of a tired man
An amateur's assessment of the geopolitical landscape of a fan re-imagining of a fictional world
Too many words spoil the comment
How many ways can I find to not say the queen's proper name?
Comment contains 90% rubbish and 10% drivel
Big wall o' text
"hate like I used too. Then I"
"hate like I used to. Then I"?
"But, you feel some affection for me? I mean, I assume."
Hm. Why would he have to assume?
...And Cadence has apparently, ah. Developed some particular tastes?
Another good chapter. :)
(Though I think I may have been a little confused about how much time had passed since the previous one, or possibly since all of the previous one but the last line, given the amount of communication that apparently took place. Though perhaps that simply took place very quickly via magic; they certainly had incentive.)
(Oh, and did you see my main comment on the previous chapter? No rush, just don't want it to be missed.)
There she goes! Just the start of understanding, but she's going to need a lot of help maneuvering around the Queen's designs, so might as well take advantage of friendship.
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Fortunately, Double Time can cast shapeshifting magic on others, not just herself
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It brings in the sweet sweet views?
More seriously, it is an act strongly associated with love and affection, and it was mentioned in the prequel story that Double Time has a preference for stealing love in bed versus other means.
Gorgeous line.
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Yeah, I was wondering about "Are you saying my bloodline is not legitimate?" too. I mean, my initial take was the same as yours.
But I'm willing to spot the story a succession problem for purposes of seeing where it takes the idea. And looking at how that might come about, there's a few things worth pointing out:
1) Shining was specifically the one who defeated Amaryllis. There may have been some emergency princemaking going on in the background in order to get the truce arranged.
2) Nobility in Equestria doesn't seem to be inherently connected to alicornhood. Witness Prince Blueblood. When Shining and Cadance married, he may have already been independently, previously prince'd for reasons of Celestia's own, e.g. "Captain of the Guard" might be a position specifically required to be filled by a member of the royal family.
3) The question of "Does Cadance consider her husband's children to be the same as hers?" might be crafted into a politically legitimate casus belli for Amaryllis even if Equestrian law has a short, simple answer to the question. It speaks to whether she's being treated equally as an ally and partner.
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The third one was the intention. As other commenters have pointed out, even if the changelings were considered fully legitimate heirs to the throne, three different ponies including two immortals would have to suffer serious accidents for that to matter.
Amaryllis's demand is that her children be seen as legitimate members of the household, which means when they are visiting they get to play with their sibling, not be shuffled up the hall like unwelcome guests.
The concern on Cadence's part isn't that Amaryllis is trying to displace Flurry as her heir; it's that a demand this personal -- asserting that Amaryllis can tell Cadence literally how to run her own home -- is surrender by a different name. It indicates that they are so outclassed that Amaryllis can give orders and expect to be obeyed.
It also means that Flurry would grow up surrounded by six manipulative shapeshifters who Cadence worries might not have her best interests at heart.
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Gotcha!
The one nitpick I'd have based on the story taking that angle is, when Double Time gives advice to her over it:
It makes a great point about Cadance's character that I think you should keep in, but it also means that it's the one solution guaranteed to not solve the problem, because if this is about avoiding a casus belli then deliberately not being Their-Mother-By-The-Vespid-Definition is a straight-up slap in Amaryllis' face. Double Time would have to know that, and if she's going to make the suggestion she has to work around that.
(Maybe Cadance says that that's the obvious solution like she's trying to talk herself into it — it's the best thing she's been able to come up with — and Double Time says "That wouldn't work, but more importantly … I don't think you can do that"?)
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Yes! On vacation with family right now, so I'm writing all these on a tablet, and editing on a tablet is a pain in the ass. Going to fix issues you pointed out (and other things like Horizon's remarks) when I get home this evening.
Also need to reply to the comments in general. Everyone's been so nice about this story!
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Ah! Heh, yeah, no worries, then; I hope that the vacation is going well!
"Everyone's been so nice about this story!"
Well, you've been writing a good one. :D
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Eh, well, the thing is, Double is pretty sure Cadence won't do that, so I'm not sure we can rule out that this is, rather than a genuine suggestion, something crafted to affect Cadence's mood? And if Double were to be wrong and Cadence says "Great idea!", well, in that circumstance, Double is probably less interested in there not be a casus belli against Cadence. Actually, that means it would also be a way of further testing Cadence's character, potentially. So if that's what Double is doing, I think it works on multiple levels.
(I hadn't thought of this earlier, though, so thanks for pointing it out.)
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I still think Horizon's suggestion might be a good one, but you're right that it was not a genuine suggestion on Double's part. She knew it would never fly, but she wanted to say something to cheer Cadence up.
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Ah, thanks.
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I guess, but I deeply love and have affection for my brother and sister. Ain’t gonna have sex with them.
I don’t know. Most of the wanton sexual activity of the type discussed is precisely the kind that has no emotional attachment at all, except, perhaps for jealousy and hurt feelings, as Cadance illustrates.
"Love of chocolate--you must love chocolate, everybody loves chocolate, say you do, say it."
Because there isn't any emotional problem in Equestria so complex and perverse that it can't be solved with a BIG BROADWAY-STYLE MUSICAL NUMBER!
"...immortalized by Paul Cézanne!..."
Not what i expected....but not unwelcome either! Nice chapter.
So much character development in this chapter, I love it!
Wait... did Double shift into a male form, or has she always actually been a he?
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She transformed into a stallion.