Royal Visit
"Will that be all, Miss Inkwell?" Twilight asked.
The white mare beside her gave a respectful bow. "Yes, Princess. The last of the papers."
Twilight nodded, smiling to her. "Thank you. You may go now. I don't wish to keep you." After seeing her bow a second time, Twilight watched as her aide, who had once served her mentor for so many years, departed, leaving her to her solitude. Twilight sighed as she glanced down to the few papers on her table, but for now she simply levitated a small cup of tea to her lips, taking a small sip before sighing. "Ah...lovely." She turned, looking out from her spot on the balcony and looking to the bright and sunny day that had graced the city. Things were calm, peaceful, and relaxing, or at least as much as they could be when you were the head of state. Twilight kept her smile for a time, enjoying the moment of quiet that she knew would come rarely to her these days. Thoughts of her first days in this new role came and went in her mind, yet never once did she look in any way stressed or overwhelmed by it all, evidenced further by her relaxed tone when she finally broke the silence. "I hope I'm doing alright."
"From what I hear, you're doing wonderfully."
Twilight's smile widened, for without even looking she knew who it was that now arrived to see her. And when she turned, she saw the equally-smiling face of her beloved sister-in-law now entering the balcony to greet her. Setting her cup aside, Twilight walked over, just in time to see her old foalsitter give a bow of her own. Twilight, rather than be taken aback by this, merely rolled her eyes. "Cadance...please."
A giggle from the Princess of Love. "Oh, don't mind me. I just had to get in one." The two shared a laugh, ending when they moved in closer for an embrace. It was a good moment for the two, and Twilight in particular felt a good deal happier by simply having her here. When they at last parted, Equestria's newest ruler gestured to the table, which already had a second seat prepared. Moving to it, Cadance took her place, and after waiting for Twilight to resume hers she looked to her with interest. "So...how fares the nation?"
Twilight looked out to the rest of Canterlot. "Things have been going well so far. Honestly, I'm surprised things have been going as smoothly as they have been. For as long as anypony can remember, it's always been Celestia in this place. Now...she's gone, and I'm here I her stead."
Cadance nodded. "Well, it's not too difficult a problem, Twilight. You're a national heroine, and several times over for that matter. Much easier to accept a new ruler when that ruler is somepony who routinely put herself out there to save others. I don't think there's a mare or stallion in this entire country that would have ever objected to you taking Celestia's position at this point."
Twilight nodded slowly, thinking on that. "And that might be the most daunting thing of all. Everypony, and not just Celestia, had such high expectations of me."
Cadance reached over, patting her on the hoof and gaining her attention. "If it's any consolation, I know the feeling."
Twilight's smile returned. "That's right. You were fairly young when you first became a Princess."
Nostalgia came to Cadance. "Hard to think so much time has passed since then. For the most part I like to think I've done well in my role." Her smile turned into a slight smirk. "And I don't hesitate to say that I think you'll be even better than any of us have been."
Twilight blushed. "Oh, you're just saying that!"
Cadance shook her head. "No, I mean it. Celestia, Luna and I may have had our fair share of successes over the years, but the impact you've had on Equestria will forever dwarf ours. And believe me..." Her expression softened. "Nothing could make me prouder. To know the little filly I cared for all those years ago would go on to do so much...well...it's wonderful."
The two smiled warmly to one another, enjoying this tender moment. But then, when it had passed, Twilight cast a glance to the door her fellow Princess had arrived through. "I take it I won't be seeing my brother or niece today?"
Cadance giggled. "Alas, no. Shiny's busy up north. There's work to be done with some new recruits, and he wanted to tend to it personally. Besides, he wanted a bit of time with Flurry while I was down here."
Twilight looked to the side, gazing out in the northern direction of where they sat. "We talk of how far I've come, but one day that little filly will be a force in her own right. Equestria may look to her the same way it looks to me. Or at least in the Crystal Empire anyway."
Cadance nodded, thinking fondly on her daughter. "It'll be a big responsibility, being born into a future role of leadership. I'll do what I can for her, but only time will tell how she'll cope with it."
Twilight got her smile back as she looked to her. "With you guiding her? Yeah, she'll do well." Then, after a long silence between them, Twilight started to look slightly more serious. "Cadance...I want to tell you something. Something that I'm not sure if Celestia ever said to you. But if she didn't, then I should say it now."
Cadance started to feel concerned at this sudden change in tone from her friend. "Twilight? Are you okay?"
Twilight reached forward, taking Cadance's hoof into her own. "Nopony has said it, not to you and not to me, but I think we both know that, among the crystal ponies, there's always been a sense of feeling like...like they weren't a part of Equestria. A nation, lost for a thousand years, now here again and joined together in a way they never were before. No words are said about it, but when an Equestrian walks through their city, you can sometimes feel it in the way they'd look to you."
Cadance said nothing for a time, but she knew the truth of her sister-in-law's words, and slowly nodded. "It's been a difficult adjustment for several of them. I've done what I can to ease relations, but...you're not wrong." She traced her hoof along the edge of her tea cup. "Sombra broke that Empire, Twilight. Equestria came along and helped it back on its hooves, but it'll never be what it once was. If one of the crystal ponies came to me and just flat-out told me that they felt their nation was some 'junior partner', I wouldn't be surprised."
Twilight knew already what she was going to say to that. "I'd understand the feeling. For a long time, that's what I felt when I was with you and the other Princesses. Just the youngest member of a better group. But over time, I knew that wasn't the case." She smiled again. "Equestria and the Crystal Empire aren't a master and their vassal, Cadance, just as me and you aren't. We're partners. Equals. Two branches of the same family. Equestrian and Crystal Pony. Friends and allies, now and forever." She looked to her softly. " And I consider them to be no less than any Equestrian you see walking down the streets of Canterlot or Ponyville."
Cadance raised an eyebrow, looking just the tiniest bit mischievous. "Well, you cant deny that, of the two of us, you're sort of responsible for a heck of a lot more than I am."
Twilight shook her head. "Be that as it may, you, just like the crystal ponies, are in no way some 'lesser version'. We rule ponykind together, you and I. We're more than just allies, we're friends. Family." As before, Twilight patted her hoof. "And I consider you my sister, Cadance. Not just an in-law, but a sister."
Cadance sat there, clearly touched by her words, and soon returned the sentiment. "I think the ponies I reign over would be done a world of good to hear you say that as you've said it to me."
Twilight chuckled briefly. "Well, maybe it's best if Equestria's newest ruler made her way north for a brief time. Can't very well make them feel like they're equal friends in this relationship if I don't tell them in person."
Then, as if on cue, who should suddenly turn up but Twilight's announcer, Flash, who gave a deep bow to the two Princesses. "Pardon my intrusion, Princess. But Fancy Pants has arrived to discuss some matters with you."
Seeing him, Cadance smirked. "Oh, what a fine guard to have by your side at all times, eh Twilight?" She watched the younger Princess scowl at her before again looking to the stallion. "I imagine you must be quite the popular fellow, Sir Flash, being such a fine member of the Princess' personal protectors."
Flash smiled, looking to the side. "Oh, it's really only my wife who likes to talk about that."
Hearing that, Cadance's expression froze. "...What?"
Flash, oblivious to her, kept speaking. "Oh yeah, the most wonderful mare in the world. Uh, if you'll pardon me saying so."
Twilight, who was understandably very amused by this, now had a smirk of her own. "Consider yourself pardoned. I'm sure we'd both love to hear of this wife of yours, right Cadance?" she asked with an obviously-forced grin.
Cadance, now realising her secret plots regarding these two were definitively ruined forever, sighed. "Drat...foiled again."
Stats
Page generated in 0.026 seconds
Total duration
996 users online
1,602,369 hits today, 2,814,898 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
Come on Cady. That’s literally step one of finding a match.
I know Cadance, I know.
Dang! I wish that ship still had a chance in this story, but I can take this.
Twist Ending: He married Twilight in secret, and they're pranking poor Cadance.
You know what make the Crystal Empire independent instead of basically being Equestria’s Protectorate.
She is offering u role to be her sister so don’t make her send u to a prison for a 1000 years. I heard this Valentines Shop has some good terrible products no one buys that is great to lock crazy ponies up that shouldn’t be messing with others love life’s.
By the way, I’m quite interested who Flash is merry to... Is it the human Sunset who could have come to Equestria at the same time as the pony Sunset left to the human world?
LOVED this chapter. The mix of laughs and feels is well-done. Yeah, I adored how Cadance visited Twilight and that discussion of both family and responsibilities was downright brilliant, as was the thoughts of making it clear that the Crystal Empire is very much the equal of the rest of Equestria. And Flash revealing he's already married? I have to admit, that DID catch me by pleasant surprise. Of course, now we have to wonder who his wife is (assuming, as a reviewer already guessed, he and Twilight didn't already marry and are just trolling Cadance). It could literally be anybody from Moondancer (Flash DOES seem to love the bookish types) to Sunset Shimmer's formerly human counterpart (which would be a good way to mirror [bad pun apologized for in advance] certain events in the Equestria Girls universe AND be a good answer to who Luster Dawn's parents are).
But anyway, you did a superb job on the exchanges, characterizations and future chapter set-up in all the right places.
And, yeah, It might be entertaining to see Twilight's first meeting with Luster, with Twilight reflecting on the fact Luster reminds her WAY too much of herself at that age (it would obviously be years down the road, but definitely provide a lot of thinking time).
Or, on another note, might be fun seeing Starswirl as a guest lecturer at the school for magic.
Or Flash Magnus getting an autographed Daring Do novel as a Hearth's Warming present for Rainbow Dash.
And, I just got carried away again (sheepish grin).
At any rate, VERY certainly going to be looking forward to more of this.
Flash is already married... shit. I'm happy for him and wonder who his wife is but at the same time my favorite ship just got ruined here so, shit.
Yeah, I think clearly defining the political status of the Crystal Empire is something that needs to be checked on. Now we know it isn’t a vassal state, but Is it an independent nation or an Equestrian Protectorate, kind of like how the Panama Canal was?
Wonder if we'll see interspecies marriages?
9975096
I said “or.”
I asked whether it was an independent nation OR a Protectorate in vein of the Panama Canal Zone.
He didn't say who he married. It's also possible he was just pranking Cadence at Twilight's insistence.
9975277
Yes, indeed. That would DEFINITELY explain why Twilight was taking this MUCH better than Cadance was.
9975570 Well to be fair, after "Three's A Crowd" we never again saw Flash Sentry take any interest in Twilight, and Twilight seemed to be pretty much just in friend zone territory with him from what little we saw in "Forgotten Friendship". It is entirely possible she got over her crush, even if Flash still held feelings for her.
9975620
Yeah. I have to admit that is, indeed, entirely possible. Good catch.
Hehe, didn't expect that ending. XD
Chalk me up for thinking he knows well that Cadence was trying to ship them and is just pranking her. And Twilight is the princess of friendship, so there's a solid reason to suspect that she and her number one guard hatched a friendly plot.
I'm surprised I haven't seen any Flash haters yet. I myself only want what Twilight wants, so whatever floats her boat (so long as it's in character).
Well that ship sunk..dang it.
Oh for the love of Pete Flash is married well there goes my ship 🚢 Anyway I wonder if they ever going to make one of the crystal ponies to Represent To the Friendship of school Which they should have been including the buffaloes and the Kirins Anyway this is a pretty nice conversation between twilight and cadence