Chapter 1 - One Door Closes

~~~~The Hive~~~~

Six months after the Royal Wedding Incident

There was only one thing Queen Chrysalis hated more than failure, and that was admitting her own failures. There was no other creature who could be more directly blamed for her losses than she, not even that infernal Twilight Sparkle. She had overplayed her hoof, let her arrogance and self-satisfaction get the better of her. All she should have done was play it cool until the little wretch left Canterlot, and she had blown it completely. It was infuriating.

Fortunately, she was not utterly without recourse to address that failure. Though the battle for Canterlot had not gone on for terribly long, it had been maintained long enough for her finest warriors to thoroughly despoil the Canterlot Library of some of it’s most valuable secrets. Amongst them were some of the personal notes and spell journals of Star Swirl the Bearded. Well, copies, anyway. The originals had been locked deep in vaults she hadn’t had the time to breach, but these would do just fine for her purposes.

In fact, if she wasn’t quite so desperate to wipe out her humiliating defeat, she might have been a touch more suspicious that this spell in particular had somehow been in the archive at all. It seemed an awfully dangerous sort of thing to just leave around, but perhaps the pathetic Equestrians simply considered it too difficult for most of those who would abuse it. In spite of the drastic loss in power she’d suffered though, all she had needed was a bit of love from a young couple to get her strength back to a working level.

The spell itself was quite complex, but Chrysalis was a natural with such things. Well, a natural enough that she could handle a difficult spell form like this. Travelling through time was likely to come with its own set of risks, but she was certain her former self would see the good sense in her words. No one knew herself better than she did, and once her past self knew how to deal with that annoying brat, there would be no stopping her on her mission to bring Equestria under her firm rule.

So she had prepared the appropriate spot to cast the spell and kept all of her drones far away from the chamber. The last thing she needed was some unexpected element throwing off the delicate nature of the casting, which she began with a cautious and thorough slowness. She intended to get every inch of the spell form correctly. Of course, pouring power into such a massively complex spell was actually kind of tiring, and…

Chrysalis realized, just a shade of a second too late, that she would not have enough magic to cast the spell as intended. She had other sources of power though, and pulled hard from the reserves she kept squirreled away in her precious drones’ bodies. She’d lose a few, true, but the results would be entirely worth it. The magic was more than enough and surged into the spell with a wild life… and the world went white around her.

~~~~Canterlot Castle~~~~

This was Canterlot. This was the room she had been staying in while she was in Canterlot. Everything was right. Except… except she wasn’t here. Her past self was nowhere to be seen, and neither were any of the accoutrements of the Royal Wedding. In fact, the room was decidedly… pinker. A cautious push of her much depleted magic revealed the posters of popular pony bands plastered on the walls, a vanity full of a wild assortment of makeup, and shelves full of schoolbooks.

And a voice sprang to life outside of the doors. “Shiny! Wait, Shiny, I need to explain this to you!” It was that foolish little Princess Cadence, unquestionably. But… younger. Much younger, in fact. Almost juvenile, but not quite. Queen Chrysalis gently nosed the door open and peered out of it to look onto a scene with a rush of obscene joy.

A much younger Princess Cadence stood outside the door, her long mane done up in a stylish little ponytail and wearing a pleated skirt and blouse that had the look of a school uniform. And right next to her, lo’ and behold, was a similarly uniformed Shining Armor. Still a teenaged colt, with a ruffled mane and a gangly, unfinished look to him. “Cadence, I get that the princess has you on a pretty tight leash, but this is freakin’ embarrassing!” His voice was tense, and he was oh-so-clearly angry. “Foalsitting Twily was hard enough, but now you’re gonna be her tutor? This is not exactly going to help us get any private time together!”

Chrysalis could feel the idea forming even as the two bickered at one another. Forget her original plan, forget her original ideas, fate had given her a peerless chance to open the doors to Equestria’s domination even further! “Shiny, I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you. Auntie told me only yesterday that I was going to be doing this!” Even from here, Chrysalis could feel Cadence reaching out with that wretched love magic of hers, trying to bridge the gap between them. Oho… No you don’t, Chrysalis thought with glee, her own power flaring to life and sucking away the magic in midair.

It was a welcome meal, given the spell she’d just cast. Shining Armor’s look of hurt didn’t go away, and his frustration was more than evident. “Cadey… I can’t keep doing this. I can’t keep putting up with Princess Celestia trying to interfere with us like this!” His voice was beyond tense, his eyes shut tight. “I want to serve the crown, Cadence. Not have my entire life ruled by it.”

Cadence looked confused. She poured only a little more power into it, and Chrysalis gleefully sucked the power right out of the air. Come on now, little girl. Any more than that, and you’re going to overplay your hoof... The princess seemed to know it too. Her head darted around for a moment, taking her attention off of Shining Armor for only the briefest of seconds.

That was enough though for Chrysalis to turn all of that love magic around and twist it within her horn. She couldn’t fire an energy bolt, but she could send the poor colt over the edge with a little bit of magical suggestion. You need some space, she whispered into his mind, her subtle magic wrapping around the poor stallion’s unguarded thoughts. She had long experience manipulating this one’s mind, even if it was far younger and wilder.

“I… I need space, Cadence. Just-” He tripped over his words, then turned away from the frantic mare. “Please, go away.” He leaned his forehead against the wall, silently ending the conversation and severing the fragile bond there. Chrysalis might have applauded, if she hadn’t wanted to remain hidden. Now, all she had to do was slip in and replace that miserable Shining Armor and-

Without any warning, magical or mundane, the world twisted around her. Wild magics grasped at her body and hauled her back through the stream of time and space. She might have screamed, but it was silenced by the suddenness of the spell. All she could hear as she was ripped from the room was the sobs of the princess as she burst into her chamber and slammed the doors behind her. It was a sound as sweet as love itself.

~~~~Canterlot Castle, Fifteen years before Nightmare Moon~~~~

“I don’t…” Sniffle. “I don’t know what happened, Auntie. Just… I tried to reach out to him, and it kept vanishing into nothing. It was… It was like my love was just sliding off of him like it was nothing to him.” Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, or Cadence to anypony who actually knew her, felt like her heart had shattered into thousands of tiny pieces. Her magic had utterly failed her, and she had no idea why.

She didn’t know, and that was worse than anything else that might have happened to her. So she wept her little heart out into Celestia’s shoulder as her little Twilight Sparkle pretended to study in the next room. Cadence knew she was pretending because Twilight never looked up from a book she was engrossed in, and she had been fidgeting in her seat and trying to look toward where Celestia and Cadence stood in the next room the whole time she’d been there.

Auntie’s gentle hoof stroked down her back as her tears flowed, and she said nothing. She didn’t have to, since right now all Cadence needed was the comforting familiarity of the only pony who truly understood. It took time, but the sobs eventually gave way to sniffles… and a tiny hoof tugged at one of her wings, startling her. She turned her head to see a somber looking Twilight holding onto her wingtip gently, her own eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Please don’t cry, Cadence,” she said quietly, then spread her hooves wide and hugged her leg. “I don’t like seeing you sad.”

In a single moment, all of the world refocused for her. She bit back her last sniffle and looked up briefly to a gently smiling Celestia. Her aunt nodded at her, again without words. She would be ready to talk later, but right now they both knew what was important. She turned back to the tearful little filly and gently tugged her away from her leg. “I’ll be alright, Twilight,” she murmured to the filly, hugging her and giving her beautiful mane a little rub. The filly instantly brightened up at the easy intimacy and giggled softly.

Her tiny hoof came up to wipe away her tears, and she piped up in a surprisingly mature voice. “I think we should go get ice cream! That always makes me feel extra better.” She tilted her head cutely, her smile wide. “An’ I heard Mr. Freezie’s got a new mint chip flavor!”

Cadence couldn’t help herself and giggled with Twilight at the innocent joy in the little filly. “Well, I think that calls for a sundae, don’t you?” Her sly suggestion sent the little filly into wide eyed happiness, her hooves coming up to her mouth. Her little gasp was inspiring, and Cadence felt her own smile twist into a grin as she plucked the filly off the ground, seating her on her back and trotting to the door. “We’ll be back soon, Auntie!” she called behind her, sliding the door shut. She could weep more later. There were more important things than tears anyway.

~~~~~Later…~~~~~

The tall white alicorn stalked down the hall, anger reverberating in her every muscle. She knew it was intimidating to the Guard commander, and she didn’t care. “He’s old enough to be sent in for more thorough training, yes?” she snapped at him. The commander nodded hesitantly in reply, and Celestia felt a fierce bolt of vindication. This incident had completely taken her by surprise. She had been so sure… But surety had now been replaced with a need to act. She could not risk destabilizing Princess Cadence at such a vital stage in her training.

“He is to be sent to the Academy at Stalliongrad immediately then. On the very first train north, if possible.” She frowned at the commander “No special treatment. If he has the makings of an officer, bring it out of him. I do not wish to see him back in Canterlot, save for holidays, unless he is a truly exceptional cadet, or he has progressed to the point of needing Royal Guard training.” Princess Celestia Solaris glared mightily at the Guard commander, her eyes narrowed. “And most importantly, he is to be allowed no contact with Princess Cadence from this moment forth. Any letters he sends are to be routed through me. I will not have him jeopardizing my hard work, or her confidence, with his bumbling. Am I understood, Commander?”

The unicorn swallowed nervously and nodded once. Celestia huffed out a breath and left the room. A true pity. Twilight was not going to react well to this, but her options were sharply limited if she hoped to minimize the damage. Everything had been going perfectly, and now she had to start all over again. Maddening. What could possibly have gone wrong between them? Had she been too precipitous in involving Twilight? A jealous rival, perhaps? Had she misjudged the stallion’s devotion to her or had some nefarious force sabotaged them? She did not know.

She was going to find out.

~~~~~~

Cadence sat with the quietly sobbing Twilight cradled in her forelegs, sitting in the living room of the filly’s parents’ house off Unicornia Way. “When… Did they even give him a chance to say goodbye?” She was partially horrified that it had come to this, but perhaps she shouldn’t have been surprised. The Guard did not approve of drama within their ranks and especially not from a prime recruit such as Shining Armor.

Twilight Velvet nodded solemnly, a cup of tea cradled in her hooves though she hadn’t bothered to sip from it since Cadence had gotten back. “Just after you left, actually. They gave him new post orders this afternoon, and he was to be on the train immediately. Something about an opening in an elite training program.” She frowned a little and sighed. “I had hoped he could stay here in Canterlot, but the Princess informed us that given how certain situations had now changed…”

Cadence winced away from that, turning her head from the kindly unicorn mare to focus on the still crying filly. She gently soothed Twilight with her hoof, wiping away tears and letting Twilight blow her nose on the hanky whenever she needed to do it. Velvet’s voice was soft from behind her. “We’re not angry at you, Cadence. Celestia knows both Night Light and myself have had our own romantic issues. If our son couldn’t see how obviously you love him, then perhaps he truly does need some time to remember how blessed he was.”

A derisive, hard male snort came from across the room, and Night Light’s unmistakable thudding steps informed Cadence of his arrival. “Romantic issues my ass. If Celestia hadn’t shipped that boy off to Stalliongrad, I’d have had him sent to the doctors to check for insanity! As if Velvet and I couldn’t adjust our schedules to make sure you two had some quality time.” The big stallion stomped into view, wearing his guard armor and frowning mightily. “Whatever. You’re always welcome in our home, Cadence. We’re going to be counting on you to take care of our filly while her brother is away.”

She nodded faintly and curled the little purple filly in closer to her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Twilight,” she half whispered, trying to hold her own tears at bay. How had her life twisted around so very quickly? Auntie had always said that sometimes life threw things at you that you couldn’t anticipate, but this… since the academy dance, since that parade, it had felt like everything was going in exactly the right direction. And now it was just… gone. Poof. Just like that.

She hardly even noticed when the little filly legs grabbed around her neck and squeezed. “Dun be,” Twilight murmured into her ear, through sniffles and stifled tears. “It’s not your fault that… that Shiny had to go.” Cadence turned her head to look into those wide, sincere eyes. The gentle, tremulous smile, and that tough-girl look she always put on when trying to emulate her bigger brother. “J-j-just promise you won’t leave me too, Cadence,” she pleaded, almost begged, of her...

Cadence felt her heart soften a little, and gently nuzzled her cheek against Twilight’s. “I promise you, I’ll never leave you alone, little one,” she whispered back. It wasn’t a hard promise to give, not for her. Somehow, she knew Celestia had to have been part of why Shiny had been sent away. It was a discussion they would have to have later…. But right now. “And I’ll always be there when you need me. No matter what,” she finished and kissed Twilight’s forehead softly.

And as her reward, Twilight smiled up at her brilliantly.

~~~~~~~

Cadence carefully shut the door to the Sparkle house and locked it with a touch of magic. The hour was well and truly late, and the Mare in the Moon seemed to be hanging particularly low and intimidating tonight in the sky above her head. She gazed up at the silent pony face only for a moment before quickly trotting down the street. The night in Canterlot was quiet right now, though it would not remain so forever. Like most great cities in Equestria, all manner of ponies and lifestyles came out of the shadows after the sun set, and Canterlot had more than its share of uniqueness.

Fortunately, the two ponies she was seeking tonight would likely just be getting started with their evening. With even more fortune, they’d still be at home getting ready for the night, and she could catch them there instead of having to search through all of the nightclubs in the city. The streets of the ancient noble houses gave way to those of more recent vintage, built by the wealthy merchant and fashionable class who sought to keep up with modern taste and attitude. Each had its own delicately wrought iron gate, which was the fashionable thing to have ‘guarding’ the front of one’s house these days.

One such gate she had a key to, and the elegantly designed mansion that loomed above the lantern lit streets spoke of truly refined and specific taste in its designers. Her hoof came up hesitantly, but then she knocked firmly and rapidly. She could not go back to the palace right now. She was far, far too overwrought, and there was but one pony in all of the world she could trust with her in that state. The door swung open. “Allo? Who iz… Cadenza!” The slim, tall mare’s eyes lit up with an effervescent excitement that was impossible to resist. “Ma belle! It iz so very good to see...” Her voice fell off as she took in all of Cadence’s body language and comportment, and her eyes narrowed slightly.

“Hello, Fleur,” Cadence said softly, unable to keep a half smile off her face. “I don’t suppose you’ve got a little time for an old friend?” It took a lot to keep her voice light, but she was horrible at disguising her emotions, and she knew it. Fleur did not speak, she simply swept an elegant limb around Cadence’s neck and hauled her forcibly through the much filigreed door. “Ack! Fleur, I really don’t want to bother-” Cadence’s words were cut off with a firm hoof against her lips and a stern look from the long-limbed unicorn.

“Mon dieu, Cadenza. As if I would not have time for my closest friend.” She tsked softly, tapping a hoof on Cadence’s nose and making her go cross-eyed. “Mon Amour! We have a guest!” she sharply yelled as Cadence took in the furnishings in the foyer. Everything here was of the most expensive and fashionable make, even the decorative wine glasses adorning the shelves near the bottle rack. Then the words hit her. Amour? Her Prench was not what it once was but…

“Who is it, darling?” the smooth-as-silk, sexy-as-sin voice of Fancy Pants drifted down the stairs, followed by his coiffed mane and much manicured mustache, and his eyes brightened. “Princess Cadence! My goodness, why did you not say you were to be dropping by! I would have chilled a nice bottle of the ‘68 for you.” He winked at her, cleaning his monocle vigorously with a scrap of silk. “What brings you here?”

“She ‘az been forsaken by that foolish colt who thought he was a stallion,” Fleur sniffed derisively, and Cadence felt her heart lurch in her chest, startled by the deduction. “Oh, psh! Eet is as plain as the nose on your face, Cadenza,” Fleur gently admonished her, her eyes softening. “You ‘ave the look of one bereaved and bereft, and you would not ‘ave come in the dead of the night if your heart was not broken.”

Cadence opened her mouth to speak, but found that she could not. What words were there to say? Even Fancy Pants’ mouth was opened with demure shock, and Fleur’s naked scorn for Shining Armor was plain even to her. Yet while her every instinct was to lash out and defend him… she found she couldn’t do it. “Yes… She’s right,” she half muttered and threw herself into Fleur’s shoulder. Welcomed there by a delicate but firm embrace, she felt the tears come for the third time that day.

All around her, she heard the sounds of quiet industry as Fleur gently held her to her breast and murmured soft words of encouragement. There was the clinking of glasses and the sound of a popped cork, but Fleur was not letting her go so long as she continued to shed tears. Soon though, the tears ran dry, and she reveled in the soft feel of Fleur’s coat. She’d always wondered how the mare kept it so silky… “Better?” Fleur asked archly, and Cadence felt her cheeks burn a little as she nodded.

When she finally looked up, Fancy had produced a trio of glasses and a - Was that a bottle of Apple Family Brandy? “You looked like you could use the tipple, dear.” Fancy Pants grinned broadly, forcing her to grab the glass or let the precious liquor spill. “It might be a touch early in the evening for something this nice, but I think you could use it.”

Cadence absently nodded and sipped at the liquor, the feel of fiery apples searing down her throat enough to make her give off a little cough. “So. You two finally gave in to the inevitable, I see,” she dryly commented, getting sly smiles out of both of the ponies. She had known for a very long time the pair of them would end up together, though neither of them had ever seemed inclined to admit it.

Fleur sniffed delicately, sipping at her expensive liquor and looking dignified while doing it. Cadence had to figure out how she managed that. “Eet was never my problem, Cadenza. It was always this lout trying to remain an ‘eligible bachelor’.” She reached out with a hoof and smacked Fancy Pants upside the head gently, and he grinned fearlessly back at her. “I finally cornered him at a party and presented him with terms he could not refuse.” There was a naughty, wicked sparkle in her eye as she said that, and Cadence felt her cheeks burn.

Fancy sighed happily. “One of the best nights of my life.” He shook his head with a slow smile, then adjusted his monocle. “Still, my condolences, Cadence. I know you had a special place in your heart for him. But such is the ever shifting whims of love.” He gestured broadly with his glass, then pursed his lips speculatively. “Why don’t you join us for a night on the town, hm? The best cure for love lost is to spend your time in the company of those who still love you.”

Fleur clapped her hooves together excitedly, her eyes sparkling. “Mas oui! Oh, please Cadenza, say you shall join us?” Her voice was practically breathless with excitement, her smile bright enough to light up the room. “I think between mi amour and myself we can rid your thoughts of your heartbreak.”

Cadence took in a deep breath and sighed softly. Celestia probably wouldn’t approve but… she really did not care for once. “Yeah, that sounds wonderful. I haven’t a thing to wear though.” Admitting that was hard in front of Fleur, but the slender limbed pony simply smirked at her. Fancy Pants was grinning like a fool too, and Cadence had to wonder what was going through their minds. “What?” she finally asked, looking at the pair wide eyed.

“Oho, my dear,” Fancy mused, stroking his mustache speculatively. “I am certain we can find you something that will provide you hours of entertainment tonight in the closets. Why don’t you take her upstairs, Fleur, dear? I’ll send a message ahead to the club to expect us fashionably late tonight.” Fleur nodded, and before Cadence could say another word, she was being happily dragged along up the stairs, Fleur singing some strange but upbeat song in Prench.

~~~~~~

Mere minutes later it seemed, she was done up in beautiful makeup and a slinky dress that was equal parts suggestive and scandalous. It was not the sort of thing a princess was supposed to wear, but she had to admit the thing made her feel so… desirable. Like the worst parts of the day had melted away and revealed a brand new world lain out before her. One door had closed, but so many others now opened. Romances unspoken of or undreamed of by herself or Celestia lay waiting out there in the night.

Fleur slipped a bold hoof around her flank and kissed her cheek daringly. “Ma belle amour. All of Canterlot is our playground. Where shall we start?” Her eyes sparkled, as they always had, at the merest suggestion of high adventure and parties to be attended.

Cadence adjusted her dress and felt her lips curve into a real smile for the first time today. “Let’s see what kind of trouble we can get into.”

Chapter 2 - The More Things Change

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~~~~Canterlot Castle~~~~

Twilight Sparkle dutifully crossed off the next day on the calendar that hung over her desk, the dark ink slashing through the carefully circled date. Three years to the day that Shiny had been sent away, and she’d only seen him a sparse hoof-full of times since then. Mostly on big holidays, like the Summer Sun celebration or Hearths Warming. He’d told her about the tough training he was undergoing, and the fact that being in the Guard meant as much as he wanted to come home…

Twilight knew it wasn’t sensible to get upset about that, but it didn’t make it any easier not to. She knew Shiny was following his dreams in the same way she was following hers as Princess Celestia’s student. She was twelve now, and though magic might be her special talent, that didn’t mean it wasn’t a lot of work keeping up with Celestia’s lesson plans. Nor the many other classes the Princess insisted she take, some of which baffled her.

Her most recent course, for example, had been on the subject of etiquette and social graces. The study of which seemed to have less to do with logic and reason and more to do with overly emotional and psychologically unstable ponies demanding one treat them specially. Fortunately for her, she was not lacking in the perfect tutor for this sort of thing, and that tutor was nothing less than her very best friend in the world these days.

“Hey Twilight!” Princess Cadence poked her head through the door to Twilight’s room, her smile as sunny and warm as it had ever been. Just the sight of her sent a bright happiness into Twilight’s heart, and she hopped off her little stool with great enthusiasm. Cadence’s smile turned into a grin, and just as they always did when they got together… “Sun-shine! Sun-shine!” Cadence chanted, and Twilight joined in with her as they did their special hoof-shake. “Lady-bugs-awake!”

Twilight giggled as she spoke, “Clap your hooves and do a little shake!” WIth the ritual complete, she leapt up into the waiting forelegs of Cadence and gave her a big hug. “Morning, Cadey!” she piped up, as Cadence hated being called ‘Princess’ all the time. It was a familiar term for both of them, and for some reason it always made Cadence smile. “So, what are we going to do today?” Twilight was eager, and she wasn’t about to hide it. Cadence had assured her that social stuff wasn’t nearly as hard as she thought, it was just a different kind of science than she was used to.

Cadence’s cheeks colored prettily, and her eyes sparkled. “We’re going to spend the day with two of my friends, Fleur De Lis and Fancy Pants.” Twilight couldn’t help the little gasp of amazement that came out of her mouth. Even if she wasn’t exactly the kind of filly who followed fashion, there were few ponies in Canterlot who didn’t know those names. Fancy Pants was a clothing designer, and Fleur was a model, and together they had taken Canterlot society by storm. During the rare occasions she’d been in court, Twilight had heard some of the nobles talking about their latest designs.

More importantly, though, they were well known experts on the social scene, and their names had come up several times in her initial research. It was always exciting when she got a chance to study with scholars of high esteem, and it was no less so despite the subject matter. In fact, if Twilight was being honest with herself, it was even more impressive that they had mastered such an obviously arcane and unusual art. It was quite an opportunity!

Snapped out of her initial shock, she quickly scrambled about her rooms. “Ohmigosh! I’m going to need plenty of ink and quills, and lots of paper…” She hardly noticed Cadence’s sly smile, even as she carefully dislodged a pile of books to extract 101 ways to show your class and tuck it into her saddlebags. Two extra thick rolls of paper for notes, six ink bottles tightly stoppered, and one… no, better make it two cases of quills. This one could get intense! “Okay! Ready!” She proclaimed, wheeling in place to face Cadence with her head properly raised up high and her heart positively thumping with energy.

Cadence, on the other hoof, was slowly shaking her head. “Dear me, we have a lot of work to do. First off…” She tugged the book out of Twilight’s bag and wiggled it. “We won’t be needing this today. First, We need to have you fitted for a new dress and make a quick stop at Hoity Toity’s place for a few things. Then we’ll be getting a proper start on the day.” She winked at Twilight, her own eyes bright and eager. “You ready?”

Twilight cocked an eyebrow and grinned. “You kidding? This is what I live for!”

~~~~~~~

“Cadence, my dear!” The white-coated, mustachioed stallion was perhaps one of the most magnetic figures Twilight had ever encountered. He exuded a kind of charisma that instantly dragged her into his enthusiasm and caused her mouth to spread into a wide smile. He wore an impeccably tailored blue vest and bowtie, and drew Cadence into a very familiar looking hug. “So good to see you, as always. And this must be the famous Twilight Sparkle!”

He turned to her, and gently took her young hoof and brushed his lips against the tip faintly. “Enchante, ma petite belle. It is an honor to have Celestia’s personal student in my humble shop.” He gestured grandly, a coy smile flitting across his face. “Welcome to The Brass Button.” Then his hoof came to his chin and he slowly began to circle around her. “Now, what shall we do with you. Such a striking shade of purple in your coat, it begs to be adorned!”

Twilight felt her cheeks heat up slightly, and turned her head shyly away. Cadence chuckled richly, and gave her an encouraging nudge. “Don’t lay it on too thick, Fancy,” She said in a soft voice as Twilight turned her head back to look at Cadence. She was smiling softly at Twilight, and something… distant was in her eyes. Something Twilight couldn’t put her hoof on. “Even if she is quite a pretty little filly.” Cadence finished, and Twilight felt her cheeks flush again.

This was no time to be getting embarrassed because of compliments! “Mister Fancy, can I ask you some questions?” She quickly interjected, hoping to keep the conversation from turning into a teasing festival about her. Fancy Pants nodded as he began to compare bolts of various colors of fabric to her coat, looking thoughtful. “What would you say is the most important rule of social conduct?” That had been her first question when she made her list of important points from the book, but she wanted to hear it straight from the pony’s mouth.

Fancy rubbed a his chin for another moment, before speaking in a faintly absent tone of voice. “Confidence, I would say. More than anything else you must have confidence, in yourself and in your actions.” He extracted several clean pieces of paper from a stack of them, and began running what looked like a sketching pencil over the sheets. “You must stride forward into every situation with an attitude that you will be likable, and that you will not fail to make a good impression. Without fear or doubt.”

Cadence nodded firmly, and Twilight subtly extracted one of her paper rolls and began to quietly take notes as Fancy sketched. Cadence smiled in tolerant amusement, but Twilight knew she’d have to make these fast to keep from being impolite. “What advice would you give somepony who is new to social interaction like that?” She hoped the question wasn’t too awkward, but there was no avoiding the fact that Twilight couldn’t help but feel painfully shy around ponies sometimes.

That got a sharp look from Fancy Pants, and Twilight felt her confidence shrink a little at it. “I… ah,” He hesitated, then nodded faintly as if to himself. “I would say that it is far more important to be confident in who you are than try to be somepony else.” He passed over several of the sketches to Cadence, who began to leaf through the pages while he pulled several rather expensive looking bolts of fabric down from shelves.

He held up his hoof and gestured for her to step onto a raised platform, which Twilight dutifully did. “Twilight, I shall be perfectly honest with you.” Fancy Pants’ voice was warm and amused as he spoke, wrapping a soft and deep red fabric about her for a moment and tilting his head to one side. “Even amongst my peers, I am not universally beloved. There are many who find my habits and personality to be offensive. But I impress them none-the-less because I do not fear who or what I am.”

He waved a hoof airily as more fabrics pressed against her, then were wafted by magic to two different piles, one noticeably larger than the other. “Some would call that my great secret, in that I never fear to be myself, no matter who it might offend. But I think it has more to do with loving the pony I am, and that attitude is a contagious one.” He winked at her, his smile broad. “Love who you are, little filly, and never let anypony try to tell you different.”

“Hear hear!” Cadence cried out, and returned one of the papers to Fancy. “This will be absolutely adorable on her, I think. And Fancy is absolutely right.” She smacked her hoof into the wooden floor, her smile bright. “Never let somepony else make you feel inadequate, Twilight. You are a brilliant unicorn, and genuinely quite pretty.” Cadence grinned at her, and for once Twilight couldn’t feel very shy about it. There was something about how Cadence said that…

“Quite. And now, we shall improve that beauty,” Fancy Pants mused, wielding a pair of long looking shears and hovering several large bolts of red fabric over his head. “Now, hold still, and allow me to work my art upon you!” Fancy’s smile was warm, gentle… but his tone was quite firm. Twilight felt a little squeak escape her throat, and did as she was told.

What followed was a truly surreal experience, once Twilight looked back on it. Arcane terms of fashion and clothing soared over her head, as she subtly scribbled away at her paper to keep track of them all. Cadence was an everpresent balm to Twilight’s concerns, and although she couldn’t help but be a little intimidated by the raw presence of Fancy Pants once the questions stopped flying, he was obviously doing his best to be approachable.

In fact, she even started to relax after a little while and fire off a few excellent jokes she’d recently researched. Both of the older ponies had chuckled appreciatively, and she could feel the warm glow of satisfaction at making progress. Perhaps not a lot of progress, but it was still progress! Even so, she wondered about this dress.

It was kind of fascinating to watch Fancy Pants work in his own unique way, making measurements and pressing oddly cut bits of fabric against her, muttering something about stitches and seams. It was obvious how dedicated he was to the finer points of his work, as more than once did he discard an otherwise fine looking piece of fabric as being ‘ill cut’. Once in a while, he would adjust his monocle and examine her closely, as though he could see right through her, then would engage in a flurry of other activities that made simply no sense to her.

After about an hour of that madness, he finally sighed and rubbed furiously at his monocle with a swatch of silk. “C’est la mode. I should have it ready for this evening, Cadence.” He winked at her. “Just for you, of course. Taking her to Hoity’s place next?” It wasn’t really a question so much as an absent minded sort of verbal tic. He was already nose deep in the fabric, laying it out neatly on tables and pulling carefully labeled boxes from under them.

Cadence nodded, tugging Twilight off the little raised platform with a smile. “Yes, Fleur’s going to meet us there, and then we’re going to get lunch and talk about tonight.” She squeezed Twilight close to her, and Twilight nuzzled into Cadence’s soft coat with enthusiasm. “And don’t worry, Fancy. I’ll keep Hoity from getting out of hoof.” What had been enthusiasm had turned to a hard determination, and Twilight nearly recoiled from surprise at that. What was Cadence so worried about?

But Fancy nodded, and waved his hoof airily. “Yes, yes. I know you will. See you later this evening, Miss Sparkle! It was a pleasure fitting you.” He turned his gaze to her, his eyes burning with a surprising passion. “It is always wonderful to have a brand new challenge.” Twilight wasn’t certain what he meant by that, but Cadence was herding her out of the shop and she had no time to think about it… at least for now.

~~~~~~~~~

Cadence took a deep breath as they exited Fancy’s shop and began the short walk to Hoity Toity’s store. She never bothered to remember what he had named it this month, as everypony in Canterlot knew it as Hoity’s place. The stallion was utterly insufferable in some ways, but no one could doubt his makeup and beauty products were anything but the top of the line. Still… Twilight’s seen what the best of Society can offer. Now it’s time to show her the worst.

It wasn’t a lesson she liked having to give, but Celestia had insisted Twilight understand there were both good and bad ponies in Canterlot, and in the social circles she herself would one day walk in. She needed to know, so she could be prepared. Intellectually, Cadence agreed with that, but… Oh, stop it, Cadence! Hard lessons are important sometimes, no matter who has to be taught them. No matter how much she might wish to spare Twilight this one…

The shop itself stood out, as gaudy and ostentatious as ever with it’s wide front windows carefully frosted with Hoity’s initials. There was no store sign, and there never had been. Hoity changed the name of the place practically every month for reasons no one quite understood. “Now be careful, Twilight,” Cadence felt herself temporizing, hoping she could at least avoid a confrontation… “Hoity Toity is a bit… um,” She paused, tripping over the words, then forced them out since there really was no other explanation. “A bit of a jerk, you see.”

Twilight, who had been looking puzzled, immediately brightened. “Oh, that’s not a problem! Princess Celestia’s taught me all about dealing with ponies who are impolite.” She put a little spring into her step, and Cadence’s worry instantly doubled. There was no doubt that while Celestia had likely exposed her to a few rude ponies, none of them were on the level of Hoity Toity. And she had likely been an intimidating enough presence that it hadn’t been a possibility in the first place.

But Twilight was already charging forward, carefully pulling open the frosted glass doors and it was all Cadence could do to keep up with her. The inside of the shop reeked of the alchemical substances Hoity used to formulate his makeup line, and the artificial magic lights caused the not inconsiderable amount of glass in the shop to glow with any number of colors, each supposedly designed to perfectly frame the various crystal bottles and brass containers that adorned his shelves.

Unfortunately, Fleur De Lis was nowhere to be seen as of yet. Apparently, they’d gotten here early, and that was all kinds of bad. Fleur was one of the few who could keep Hoity in line when she was around, though nopony was quite certain as to why. Even Cadence, with her titles, wealth, and royal connections, could only get warm professionalism out of him. Respect was more or less off the table.

Hoity himself was as much-coiffed and impeccably dressed as ever. He stood silent sentinel behind one of the counters, minutely examining what looked like some new form of lip gloss. Hoity didn’t actually do much here beyond consult, as mere register work was far beneath him, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t at his shop constantly. He cocked a thick eyebrow at little Twilight, who had scampered over to his counter and was happily seated before him with a short bit of paper and an inked quill poised to write. “Good morning, Mister Hoity. My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I was wondering if you could help me understand a bit more about your excellent wares?” Twilight was already popping all the standard bubbles. Flattery, politeness, attentiveness, and trying to appeal to someone’s professional pride. It was a masterful little opening, but Cadence already knew….

“Excellent? That’s rubish,” Hoity answered her in an elevated offense. “These are top-tier, designer products. Don’t just waltz around calling them ‘excellent’ or any other such nonsense. Now, where are your parents? I need to educate them on letting foals run all over expensive carpet with little care for its survival.”

Cadence wanted to facehoof, but there was nothing for it now. She knew what was coming next, simply by virtue of the ponies involved. In fact, were one of those ponies not a filly under her care, she would have gotten some popcorn to watch the ensuing storm. “I beg your pardon, Sir,” Twilight immediately replied back, keeping a remarkable amount of good cheer for the abuse he’d just delivered. “But while I do apologize for my lack of precise language, my parent’s aren’t with me today. I’m with my foalsitter and tutor, and I’m to learn about proper social etiquette.” Twilight sounded… utterly enthusiastic about the subject. Unsurprising given the source, but it was completely the wrong tack to take.

“A filly your age. Learn etiquette? Hah! The nerve. Snobby little children don’t even know the meaning of the word, let alone any of what it entails,” Hoity sneered from over the counter. “And whoever this tutor is must be absolutely dreadful. I haven’t seen such horrible… attempts by commoners at high class in ages.”

Twilight went stiff, and Cadence blinked a little at that one. Twilight had never cared much about classism, even when her peers had tried to pull it on her, except. “Cadence is the best possible tutor I could have!” She snapped back, coming to her tiny hooves and every inch of her little body tense with anger. “Nopony in all of Canterlot is as graceful as she is, and nopony can match her knowledge and skills at etiquette. So you take that back, Mister.”

Hoity Toity had gone from casual affront (which wasn’t all that unusual for him) to outright offense. “Nopony!? Nopony? As if!” he huffed. “I myself know far more about the proper way one ought to behave in public, and if I had to, I could name a distinct many other names far more learned in the ways of decent society than that snivelling brat the princess is so fond of! And it looks to me like she’s passed on all of her ugly attitudes onto you!”

Cadence felt her patience snap instantly. Whatever else this lesson might be about, she was not about to have him undermining her status as a teacher. She felt her power snap into place, and began to stalk across the shop. Then… “Fils de pute!” Cadence didn’t know where Fleur had came from, but she did know that Fleur’s right hook was the stuff of legend. The foreleg came around and clobbered the utterly unprepared Hoity Toity right across his right cheek. The poor stallion never even stood a chance as the blow sent him reeling and a left straight took him clean on the chin with such speed that Cadence had to wonder if Fleur had been practicing for just this very moment.

The blow sent Hoity down to the floor with a crash and the flapping of limp limbs, having instantly sent him into la-la land. “Merde Embulante.” She spat down on him, turning gracefully on the spot and tossing her mane to one side. “Mon dieu, that is the last time I trust him with new customers. Hmph!” Fleur circled the counter, her eyes still flashing with anger. “Ma petite chou, are you quite alright? I hope he did not overly offend.”

Cadence took that moment to glance at Twilight… who was staring with open awe at Fleur, her bright eyes shining a little. “Where’d you learn to do that?” She exclaimed, mimicking the one-two combination that Fleur had busted out only a few moments ago, except far more adorably. “That was amazing! I didn’t know unicorn’s could do that..” She plunked down her plot, and a broad smile crossed her face. “Oh… um… He didn’t really hurt my feelings, I was worried more about Cadence.”

And from this distance, Cadence felt something that startled her and nearly set her to jumping out of her skin. It was a familiar feeling, a gentle glow of power that soared through the air, as unmistakable as a thunderbolt. But why in the world would it be coming from Twilight when she mentioned… “Ah, ma belle!” Fleur’s voice threw her entire mental train completely off the track, and then her enthusiastic hug and very, very enthusiastic kiss completely shattered any hope she might have had of taking up the subject again. “So good to see you, I am so very sorry I did not wait for your arrival, but I had to use the little fillies room.” A bright red blush colored Fleur’s cheeks, and Cadence couldn’t help but giggle a little at her boldness.

Fleur shook her head firmly, and turned back with a smile towards Twilight. “Now, Cadenza tells me you are in need of some makeup?” She tapped her hoof on one of the counters, and the cashier (Who oddly, had not reacted in the least at seeing his boss be cold-cocked), zipped over with a preternatural speed and tilted his head at attention to Fleur. “Throw Hoity in his office, and then assemble a beginners kit for the little one. Rapide!” Fleur’s words were sharp, and the Cashier obeyed her word immediately… much to Cadence’s shock.

Fleur smiled coyly at her, keeping her mouth shut oh-so-mysteriously, then turning to Twilight. Her voice was still thick with her Prench accent, but she was taking great pains only to speak in Equestrian. “Now, little one. We shall instruct you on the use of only the basics today.” She wagged her hoof cutely, pre-empting twilight’s sad face by almost a full second. “Ah ah ah! We shall have plenty of time to teach you the complexities later, when you are older and come more fully into your body.” She winked saucily at Twilight, who colored cutely once again, but did not turn away from Fleur for a moment. Then Fleur grinned broadly. “On the other hoof, I shall immediately begin teaching you the proper way to deliver a punch! It is an invaluable skill for a Lady of class.”

Cadence grinned, Twilight giggled, and Fleur gave off a throaty little laugh. “Sheesh, Fleur. You are incorrigible,” Cadence admonished her, then gave Twilight’s shoulder a little squeeze. The filly was overcome with smiles, and Cadence couldn’t deny how much it made her want to smile right back. “Now lets hurry up. We don’t want to be late for one of Fancy’s parties and we’ve got a lot of ground to cover before we’ll be ready.”

~~~~~

For one of the very few times in her life, Twilight was uncertain on how to proceed.

All around her glamorous ponies in dresses much fancier but somehow less pretty than hers wafted about on the winds of social interaction. From her post by the drinks table, it was possible, if she looked really close, to see the subtle patterns beneath all of the actions and reactions. It was a lot like watching Shiny do fighting practice, though the combatants were wielding words and gesture rather than weapons.

But when she tried to wade into the fray - and she’d tried three times now - all of those patterns vanished. They were replaced by entirely different ones, and never before had the old adage of ‘easier said, than done’ been more true. Now she hesitated on the edge of the party, watching and waiting, hoping another opening would make itself apparent. It was incredibly clear she needed a lot more studying before she was ready for this sort of thing, but it wasn’t all bad news.

Watching Cadence soar through the crowd like a pegasus on the wing was a pleasure. She really was so graceful and brilliant, deftly turning even those who looked at her meanly into admirers before whisking off to enjoy a moment with somepony else. It was fascinating, even if she didn’t entirely understand the mechanics going on here. She could still appreciate watching an obvious master at work, even if she herself didn’t understand the subtleties.

That being said, Cadence never failed to spend time with her on a frequent basis, something Twilight enjoyed with a soaring heart. Cadence was… well, she wasn’t really her foalsitter anymore. She was like a big sister, but that wasn’t quite right either. Twilight didn’t really know what to call her, other than awesome and a lot of fun to hang out with and stuff. “You okay over here, Twilight?” Cadence’s voice cut through her thoughts, and put a bright smile on Twilight’s face instantly. “You look nervous.” Cadence’s voice was sly. She always managed to see right through Twilight, unlike everypony else except Celestia…

Twilight shook her head a little. “Just can’t seem to get my hooves wet without things being awkward.” It reminded her a lot of when she was a filly learning how to swim. Cadence had always called it ‘getting her hooves wet’, and Twilight liked it as a short-hoof for something tough but learnable. She glared at the crowd. “I swear to Celestia, nopony here seems to follow any kind of rationality!”

Cadence laughed in a very cute way, and her smile was quite tolerant. “Twilight, emotions aren’t always rational.” She shook her head, and something about her mood was odd, but… Twilight brought herself to full attentiveness as Cadence spoke again. “Sometimes, they’re too complex to be rational. Here. Walk with me, and I’ll talk you through some of it.” She wrapped a foreleg around Twilight’s shoulder and pulled her out into the mix.

Finally. Maybe with Cadence’s help, I can get my hooves on this stuff! Twilight thought fiercely, and put on her very best thinking cap. She was going to get this stuff right, darnit! Or her name wasn’t Twilight Sparkle!

Chapter 3 - Another Door Opens

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~~~~Canterlot, Four Years Later~~~~

Well manicured hooves pushed through long tresses of silken mane, gently teasing it into a little more volume and style. A practiced touch of magic wove strands of beautiful amethysts and pink diamonds into the mane and gave it a sparkling, eye catching radiance. Of course, the filly getting this attention looked a little dubious as to the purpose for all of this, but Cadence felt her smile curve up across her face anyway. Even if she didn’t realize it, little Twilight was already growing into a fine mare. “Tell me again why I need to wear all of this?” Twilight asked in a slightly plaintive voice, and Cadence giggled softly.

“Because if you’re going to go to one of these special parties, you need to be dressed appropriately,” Cadence gently reminded her, lifting the eyeshadow from the dresser and carefully wiggling it in front of the teenaged filly. “The ponies there have certain expectations, and it took me a month to convince Auntie to let me bring you along, so we need to make sure we don’t waste the opportunity.” Twilight sighed, but fluttered her lashes with just the barest smile so Cadence could put the makeup on properly.

Six years to the day, it had been, and now with the proper distance of time for her to look at it, she couldn’t think of those years as anything but a blessing. With Shining Armor gone and her attention no longer divided between the filly she loved and the Stallion she had loved, she’d been able to focus entirely on making certain that the shy and bookish Twilight Sparkle had a chance to get outside every once in a while. Oh, certainly she resisted… but Cadence was a past master at teasing the little one into joining her for something fun to do.

Still, the poor girl spent far too much time cooped up in the library, no matter how brilliant of a student she undoubtedly was. Frighteningly brilliant at times, mastering magical spells and forms with the leaps and bounds of a genius that was only just starting to bloom. It was an intelligence that, if left untended, might have isolated or even estranged her from all contact with other ponies. It had been something Auntie had been very distinctly worried about… and something Cadence was happy to alleviate her worries of.

It didn’t hurt that even as a teenaged filly, Twilight was already bidding fair to be a beauty. Oh, she was a little awkward from time to time, but her vivacious personality and intelligence shone through all of that. She had an infectious energy when she chose to express it, she was just not very good at expressing it… Yet. Cadence was going to fix that, by thunder, and she was going to do it in style.

And truth be told, not even somber little studious Twilight could resist dolling herself up a little. Cadence grinned into the mirror, the contrasting lighter purple giving Twilight's eyes a mysterious sparkle, and just a touch of lipstick to give her pucker a little deep blue color. Cadence clapped her hooves together, finishing the effect with just the barest touch of blush to her cheeks, and straightening her coiffed mane a bit. This was all a common ritual between them now, but tonight she was pulling out all the stops. “There! I defy you to tell me you don’t look stunning like that.” Cadence half teased, and Twilight’s wide eyed gaze as she turned towards the mirror was answer enough.

It was a chance to finally trot around Princess Celestia’s mysterious student amongst the real movers and shakers in Canterlot and maybe see if the poor girl couldn’t be broken a little further out of her shell. Word had it that Fancy had secured an up-and-coming DJ for the festivities, and Fleur had promised Cadence a few special treats to choose from when the hours grew later.

The thought of such made her unconsciously lick her lips, a small smile flitting across her face. She was young, and there was plenty of time to enjoy herself before she had to be responsible. Even if Auntie was getting a bit more insistent that she resume her search for a mate. Well, Auntie can clop off on that one. I’ll meet the right stallion when I meet him, and not a moment before. Besides, it was far easier to swim through the parties of the young and elite, keeping her eyes open and waiting for that right pony to come along.

“Cadence, we’d better hurry!” Twilight pointed at the ticking clock behind them as she tugged on Cadence’s hoof. Twilight, as ever, was extra focused on being punctual, and they were in danger of running a smidgen late. “It’s going to take exactly six minutes and thirty two seconds to walk from here to Fleur’s house, and then an additional eight minutes and forty-five seconds, at average pony speeds, to reach Fancy Pants’ house.” Twilight huffed, as if her explanation made her insistence on punctuality any less cute.

Cadence just chuckled. “Alright, hop into your shoes, I’ll meet you downstairs at the door.” She turned and trotted off towards the room that had once been Shining Armor’s. Now emptied of most of his belongings, she’d used it as a temporary storage for whatever she might need at Twilight’s house. Mostly shoes, a few special dresses, and her spare makeup kit. She didn’t need much, really. A touch of light violet blush to give her cheeks some contrasting color, a little eyeshadow and lipstick of her own. The rest was all in place for a night of… entertainment.

She smiled into the mirror, broad and happy as ever. Her multihued mane was well coiffed, her dress was tight, sexy and easy to move around in, and her eyes were clear and bright. No more tears for her, no more sadness or wistful regret. It had taken a while, but in the end Fleur had been right. She didn’t need one true love to be happy. She could be just as much so with a little bit of help from her friends, not the least of which was little Twilight, who was not so little anymore. Maybe it wasn’t quite like the fairy tales Celestia had raised her on. Maybe she did get a little lonely from time to time.

She was still going to live her life to the fullest anyway.

~~~~~~~~~

Twilight Sparkle gave herself a critical glare in the mirror once Cadence had slipped out the door. She grasped the tightly wound scroll from its secret spot under her vanity and tugged it open to the mathematically precise spot she’d left it. Proper makeup and attire. Check! Tonight was going to be a very big night for her, and she was not about to mess it up by forgetting anything on her checklist. Getting tonight right was going to be… important. Very important. Big Test important!

Okay, maybe not that important, but it was still pretty close.

She hopped off the padded stool, and did a neat little hop into her dressy shoes. They weren’t exactly haute couture, but they were most definitely stylish. Well. She thought they were, anyway, but this was no time to split hairs! This was a time for action! This was a time for courage! This was a time for… getting downstairs, because that’s where Cadence had told her to meet up.

Twilight felt her cheeks flame up and quickly scrambled down the stairs, making certain to carefully tuck her tightly wound scroll into her purse-bag. She checked herself once more in the mirror, and took a deep breath. “You can do this, Twilight.” It was odd talking to herself, but really, who else could she talk to? Especially about this oh-so-important evening? Celestia? Hah, she’d laugh at me. Shiny? That would be… even worse. No, Tonight would go perfectly, because she wasn’t about to leave anything to chance. She turned on her fancily shod hooves and quickly trotted down the stairs. This day was going to be perfect, if she had anything to say about it.

At the bottom of the stairs, Cadence awaited. She was gorgeous in every possible way. Her dress was her favorite blue silk piece, fancied up in flowered silver embroidery and cut in what she called the ‘neighpon’ style, with her long skirt slit to show off her cutie mark and a scandalous bit of her flank. Scandalous only because she was wearing the dress to accent the showing of it. Of all the things in the world, Twilight was certain that Canterot Fashion was the most utterly illogical thing in it. But she sure could appreciate the results of it.

“Ready to go?” Cadence was smiling and happy, exactly the mood Twilight hoped she would be in. There had been moments in the past where she’d… well, she’d fallen into black moods that Twilight was certain had to do with what had happened to her and Shiny. But tonight, she was her vivacious and graceful self, and that was going to be perfect for her plans.

Twilight kept her voice bright, shouldering her back and giving her most fearless grin. “Of course. I never fail a test, Cadence. You know that.” She winked cheekily and nudged at Cadence with her shoulder. The red silk dress she was wearing in nearly the same style as Cadences, save for gold embroidery instead of silver. It was a nice first touch, making them look like a matched set, and one she would have to thank Fancy Pants for later.

Cadence just rolled her eyes though, shoving open the door and trotting out into the night. “This isn’t a test you take on paper, Twilight. This is going to be real world, practical stuff here.” Twilight quickly followed, closing and locking the door with a thought behind her. Cadence frisked down the street with an energy Twilight sometimes envied. Somehow, Cadence always managed to look ready for anything. “I want to see if you can handle yourself in a real, no controls society party. The music is going to be loud, the ponies will be unsupervised, and there’s going to be everything you might encounter as an adult.” And Cadence’s eye focused on her suddenly, narrowed. “And all the ways you might be able to screw up as one too. So fair warning, I don’t need Auntie Celestia chewing me out because you got stoned on Sun Dust, got me?”

Twilight sighed and stuck her tongue out. Sheesh. Does she think I’m some kind of idiot? “Of course not. I’m not nearly old enough for that sort of experimentation.” She huffed a little bit, feeling vaguely insulted. “Completely beside the fact that Sun Dust is very illegal, and I’m reasonably sure Princess Celestia would frown on her student getting caught blitzed out on something like that.” She was quite proud of her use of slang there. Fleur had insisted that she spoke far too ‘formally’, and had given her a lovely list of words to pepper into her conversation.

Cadence seemed to notice though, turning a sly smile on Twilight and speaking with an amused tone. “Twilight, what did Fancy tell you about just being yourself? Blitzed out. Pfft.” She wasn’t quite laughing at Twilight, but Twilight facehoofed anyway. She really did have a lot to learn about smoothly transitioning her language. Cadence’s touch on her shoulder was gentle though. “Twi… You’re a wonderful mare all on your own. I happen to like your precise way of speaking. It’s cute.” Cadence gave her voice a little uplift, and Twilight felt her spirits rise. Maybe she was just too nervous, and that had come across.

So she did as Cadence had taught her some time ago, and did the little breathing motion with the hoof gesture. It really did feel like a good way to expel some of the stress from her system, and so her smile wasn’t nearly as embarrassed as it could’ve been. “Sorry about that, but Fleur gets so passionate when she’s convinced of something. I guess I kinda bought into it.” She felt her cheeks burn, but she was certain the blush would cover that well.

Cadence’s responding laugh was rich and velvety, and instantly appealing. “Oh Celestia, I know! She’s so hard to resist when she really gets going.” Cadence tossed her mane and her eyes sparkled as she spoke, “You should see her when she starts getting so passionate she forgets to speak Equestrian. My Prench isn’t what it used to be, but even if I can’t understand her, I feel like I ought to be agreeing with her. Did you know she’s supposedly connected to their royals, back in Prance? She won’t say how close, but…” Cadence trailed off, leaving Twilight tantalized at the thought. Fleur De Lis, a secret princess? It was quite an interesting and intriguing thought and…

Wait. Twilight knew this trick. Cadence was trying to get her to do work for her! “Uh huh. And I am not going to delve into the genealogical records to find out for you.” Twilight stuck her tongue out at Cadence, as playfully as she could manage. “You can do that yourself. I have enough to study for right now, since the Princess is going to be testing me on elemental spells in a few weeks. I’m supposed to help out with Winter Wrap Up this year, and she wants me to at least know how to do a competent snow-clearing spell.” She sniffed. She could certainly do one of those already, but she wanted to impress Celestia, not just satisfy her. Which was, oddly enough, the same attitude she had tonight with Cadence. Of course, she kinda wanted to do a lot more than impress Cadence, but…

She shook off the thought, trotting hard to keep up with Cadence’s long stride. How she managed to walk so fast without looking like she did was still a mystery to Twilight, but so were most exceptional physical feats. “Okay, okay!” Cadence relented, then grinned cheekily. “So. Go over what you need to accomplish tonight, one more time.”

Twilight put on a satisfied smile and raised her muzzle high into the air, reciting in an arch and haughty voice. “I need to dance to at least two songs, I need to speak to at least three ponies I’ve never met before, spend some time with both Fleur and Fancy Pants’ social group, and spend at least ten minutes with somepony I think is attractive or interesting that is not one of the former ponies.” It was a simple enough list, and the last instruction was the one she intended to take full advantage of.

Cadence beamed at her, “Very good. Now, I’m going to be circulating all night, and I do not want you following me about like a lost puppy since I’m going to need to keep an eye on you.” Cadence’s serious glare was quite piercing, when she wanted it to be. “We’ll have plenty of time to spend together once you’ve accomplished your main tasks. Got me?”

Twilight heaved a pretend sigh, and nodded in her best impression of a chastised filly. “Yes, Cadence.” She half sulked, hiding her glee. Good, Cadence wasn’t going to be staying in any one spot where she might discover Twilight’s plans. Things could not have been in a better alignment! Now, the trick was going to be pulling everything off just right...

The pair of them turned down Starbright Way, and the distant sounds of the party just getting into the swing of things was thumping down the street. There were small knots of ponies dressed in all manner of costume and dress traveling the same way, most of whom waved or bowed heads to Cadence and her as they passed by. Twilight didn’t think she’d ever be comfortable being bowed to like that, but she could mask that discomfort now. Years of careful tutoring and fierce study had given her the skill to walk amongst the Canterlot Elite, thanks to Cadence’s close and rigorous tutelage.

And after all those years, after everything Cadence had given to her, Twilight was certain more than ever that there was much more there than simple friendship. Perhaps it was a bit illogical, but hadn’t Cadence always said emotions were rarely logical? It was an odd path of thought for Twilight, but she followed it like any good scientist, to it’s own conclusion without fear or preconception to the result. And the result was as starkly clear to her as any result had ever been in her life. There was just one teensy tiny catch.

She had to tell her.

~~~~~

The plan was simple, elegant, but required absolute precision. Fortunately, Twilight Sparkle was an expert at precision and would be putting those skills to the test. Each task had to be completed before she could confess, and each task would provide her a crucial ingredient to the whole scene. First step: Reconnaissance.

The mansion where the party was being held belonged to Capital Gains, a wealthy earth pony mogul who had made his fortune in market speculation. He had recently purchased the mansion to celebrate the birth of his new filly foal, Silver Spoon, and had been hosting regular parties as he worked his way through the Canterlot social scene. Tonight, however, Fancy Pants had taken over the show. As was typical of Fancy Pants affairs, the food looked superb, the bar was well stocked, and nopony here was dressed up with any degree of rigid formality.

All of the latest fashions, scandalous or otherwise, would be on display tonight. Likewise, the fillies and gentlecolts coming to this party would be here to have a good time and not necessarily talk business. The music was going to be of the hottest style, and before the end of the night there would unquestionably be some illicit substances and activities going on behind the scenes. Everything was in place for a perfect Fancy Pants party, which meant everything was in place for her to pull off her plan.

Cadence winked at her and then vanished into the gathering crowd of ponies. This was her exam, to wade in without any coaching or help from Cadence. Twilight took a deep breath and focused, then plunged into the madness. She wove above the dancers, putting every ounce of effort into mimicking the graceful stride Cadence had long ago perfected. It was an eye catching, hip swaying walk that was surprisingly agile for dodging past other party-goers, something she needed to do quite a few times to get past the crowd at the door.

Her task list was designed to take all night, but she had no intention of letting it last that long. The dancing she could do first, since early on in the night the songs would be fast paced and change quickly, while the dancers were still energetic. Up on the stage, a young, white-coated unicorn with a pair of crazy looking sunglasses presided over a fairly complex set up of turntables and magilectric devices, and already the sounds of some new brand of magilectric music were pumping into the crowd.

Intellectually, Twilight actually kind of liked the music, even if it didn’t fit into conventional norms. The thumping bass felt incredible in her chest, and while the music seemed chaotic she could hear the deep patterns underneath all of it. Dancing to it wasn’t going to be easy though, the beat was good, but well… Oh quit kidding yourself, Twi. You still can’t dance for buck. Still, maybe she could fake it… “Hey, cutie. Wanna dance?” Suddenly, there was a colt she didn’t know the name of right in front of her. A pegasus pony with an unruly mane and an amused grin, and he couldn’t have been much older than her. Perfect! He won’t expect too much!

Twilight bobbed her head with a smile, and soon she whisked her way into the dancing crowd. The colt was enthusiastic but just as unskilled as she was, and fortunately he seemed more interested in dancing than socializing. He quickly whisked away when his eye alit on a new partner to join in the dance, pausing only to give her a smile and a wink before vanishing into the crowd. Twilight spun through the crowd, trying to keep away from the center of the dance floor and thus attention.

Fate, however, had other ideas in mind for her. “Ma petite belle!” Fleur’s voice practically gushed at her, and Twilight felt her hoof being firmly grasped and her body spun into a very close hug with the sleek pony. “Mm… Perhaps not so petite anymore, non?” Fleur arched an eyebrow, her tone saucy. “You are a vision of beauty, Twilight. I am so very glad you could join us tonight.” And with that, Fleur swept her out onto the dance floor before she could so much as try to resist. .

If Twilight was an utter novice when it came to dancing in the popular style, Fleur was a master. She was a force of pure personality upon the dance floor, equal parts graceful and aggressively sexy, and it was very difficult indeed to resist her, so Twilight didn’t even try. She simply followed in Fleur’s lead, spinning about and dipping low, shaking her flank and waving her tail. It was a hell of a display, and she knew that Cadence would be watching every… moment… of it.

The light bulb went on, and Fleur gave her a triumphant smile and a wink during a dip. “We shall give her a good show, then we talk, oui?” She whispered, then spun Twilight up into her forelegs with another saucy grin. Twilight returned that smile, and did her best to flow back into the dance. At the very least, Fleur was her ally and that was going to make this whole plan much, much simpler.

~~~~~~

Cadence was not entirely sure she could remain as objective as she thought she was supposed to be now. Fleur had swept in on the awkwardly dancing Twilight and decided to give her a little boost, which was perfectly acceptable in terms of the test. However… Cadence couldn’t… take her eyes off Twilight. It was a tough thought to swallow, made worse by the fact that Fleur was apparently going out of her way to showcase Twilight to the entire crowd, Cadence included.

It was impossible to separate herself from the facts. Twilight was very, very quickly growing into an absolutely beautiful young mare, overflowing with intelligence and building up her self confidence on a daily basis. She was not quite purely graceful, not quite entirely secure in her own skin, but she made up for all of it with a willingness to completely commit herself to what she was trying to do. In this case, trying to match dancing moves with Fleur De Lis.

And it went way, way beyond adorable, although it was still very much that. This was… Oh just admit it, Cadey. This is hot. Like, Rrrrawr. It was practically a mating dance out there! Age was a funny thing when it came to social norms like this, but speaking purely from a consenting standpoint, Twilight was one-hundred percent fair game. In fact, no few colts and stallions in the crowd were eyeballing her appreciatively as Fleur swept her around the dance floor.

The emotion that then sliced through her chest was a massive shock. Instantly, she wanted to sweep onto the floor and pull Twilight into a dance with her and start projecting all the important social signals that would mark Twilight as Mine! Not yours! The thought rocked her back a step, and she shook her head in an effort to try and bring herself back to sense. This was Twilight, her little filly friend! They’d been giving each other the same silly greeting for years now. They’d built couch forts together! Braided each other’s mane! Sleepovers! She’d basically grown up right next to Cadence!

And… yet…

Cadence couldn’t help but turn her head back, admiring the mare that filly had become. It was impossible not to admit that Twilight was well and truly growing up, with all of the interesting possibilities that might entail. And like it or not, Twilight was without question one of the precious few ponies that Cadence had ever truly allowed into her heart and soul since Shining Armor. She was… special to her. In a way that even Fleur and Fancy weren't, no matter how much she loved that pair of nutbars.

There was a sparkle of joy and happiness in Twilight’s eyes as she spun out away from Fleur, her chest heaving with heavy breathing and a faint sheen of sweat making her coat and horn glitter in the hard lights of the dance floor. And watching her stand there as stomps and applause followed her little performance, Cadence could simply not stop her imagination from conjuring that same filly she’d spent so many years with into some brand new dreams. Dreams which very prominently featured her teaching Twilight in a whole new kind of skill…

Cadence swallowed visibly and pressed a hoof to her chest. She had to get a handle on herself and quickly, before this all got out of hoof.

~~~~~~

Twilight felt the giggles bubbling up in her throat as Fleur led her off the dance floor and offered her a glass of crystal clear apple juice. “Zat was fun!” Fleur’s eyes shone in the lights of the club, and Twilight was thankful for the crisp and clean taste of the juice chasing away her exertions. “Now, how can I help you this evening, ma belle? You cannot hide your plans from me.” She shook her hoof at Twilight, a mock look of severity on her face.

Twilight grinned at her. She hardly intended to hide anything from Fleur. “I’m going to need the most romantic possible venue, Fleur. No one knows that sort of thing better than you do, and I want the works.” She waved her hoof airily, trying to encompass all of the things she envisioned. “Rose petals, candles, a good bottle of wine…”

Fleur pressed a hoof gently to her lips, her smile broad. “Say no more, dear one. I shall have such a scene as to make even the most jaded romantic weep for joy.” She flourished her hoof, and bowed over it. “At the stroke of midnight, of course! I shall send a messenger to fetch you both.” Then she pressed into Twilight’s shoulders, her smile soft. “You are well suited to her, I guarantee! Now off with you! Allons! I have much to do!”

Twilight nodded hurriedly, and quickly trotted off into the party once again. Her dancing completed, she needed to find someponies to talk to and quickly. The problem was making sure she could get away from whoever it was quickly, so as to carefully tick off her boxes and- “Well now just who is this spectacular dancing mare?” The voice cut right through Twilight’s thought, and she wheeled on the spot to face…

Her eyes were a piercing gold, contrasting her much coiffed and mutlihued blue mane. Her smile was wide, and she practically radiated pure charisma. It was actually a little intimidating at first, to meet someone who could be just as awe-inspiring as Celestia, but she quickly rallied and put on her best smile. “I’m Twilight Sparkle. I’m here with Princess Cadence and Fancy Pants.” That was supposed to be her reason for attending the party, since flaunting her status as Celestia’s student was a big no-no.

The mare extended her hoof directly and boldly, and Twilight gave it a firm shake. “A real pleasure to meet you, Miss Twilight. My name’s Sapphire Shores,” She struck a stage-like pose and grinned fearlessly. “And someday, I’m going to be the biggest musical performer in all of Equestria!” She shook her hips, making the bright blue frilly skirt she wore sway enticingly. “That was quite a show out there, I’ve got to say! You can really turn it on.” There was a heat in Sapphire’s voice, a very inviting sort of heat actually. “I don’t suppose you’d be interested in giving stage performance a try, eh?”

Twilight blushed, and felt a giggle bubble out of her throat. “Oh goodness, I couldn’t! I’d probably be terrified.” She pressed her hooves to her cheeks, unable to stop smiling. “Still, that’s flattering for you to offer. I’ve never met a professional showpony before.” Which was true, and actually surprising when she thought about it. Maybe it was just Cadence didn’t know very many herself.

Sapphire winked at her. “Then I positively must introduce you to our DJ, later ! She’s absolutely fabulous, and quite the showpony herself!” Sapphire nudged Twilight with her shoulder and grinned. “And don’t sell yourself short, sweetie! There aren’t many fillies or colts in this crowd who can keep up with Fleur De Lis like that.” She winked. “I’m going to be in Canterlot for a few weeks, I’d like to enjoy lunch with a cutie like you. What do ya think?”

Twilight couldn’t help it. Her jaw dropped a bit, and she felt her blush become ten times worse. Was… was she being hit on? “Um.. S-sure!” She wasn’t sure what she was buying into here, but… well, what else could she say? Cadence would probably be super impressed that she’d secured social interaction outside of the party, at any rate.

“Spectaaaaacular!” Sapphire enthused, daintily clapping her hooves together. “I’ll give Fleur the details! But for now, I’ve got to get ready for my part of the show.” And then, much to Twilights absolute shock, she ducked in to kiss Twilight dead on the cheek. “You go have a good time, and tell me later how you like my music!” Then she was gone, whisking with a sway of her frilled skirt, her steps high.

Twilight felt… more than a little dazed, actually. It took quite a minute or two to shake it off actually, and she turned to stumble through the crowds as best as she could, hoping she could find somewhere to center herself. Fortunately, there was a spot by the drinks table where nopony seemed to be congregating, and she plopped down into a chair while pouring herself a big cup of the punch. Geeze… Cadence wasn’t kidding when she said these parties were full of odd ponies. Still, it was incredibly invigorating in its own way, even if she felt just a touch exhausted already. She hadn’t even gotten a chance to speak to Fancy Pants yet!

Then, out of the crowd a yellow coated pegasus with one of the wildest mane styles Twilight had ever seen slipped up to the drinks table, grabbed a bottle of hard liquor right from the table and took a swig straight from the spout. She looked like she couldn’t have been more than four or so years older than she was, either. Twilight stared for a moment as she wiped her mouth, and turned to Twilight with a grin. “Hah! Needing a breather huh? I would too after all that nonsense.” She offered the bottle to Twilight, who shook her head and tried to rally her thoughts. Had Fleur’s dance with her really attracted so many ponies?

The Pegasus shrugged and kept on her smile, putting down the bottle and hopping up on the chair next to her. “Don’t worry, I’m not gonna bite ya. Names Spitfire. This years Best Young Flier, fastest pegasus in all of Equestria, and future Captain of the Wonderbolts.” She offered up her hoof, with a cheeky grin, but higher than was normal for a hoofshake.

Twilight puzzled for a moment before realizing what she was being offered, and gave a gentle hoofbump in response. “Twilight Sparkle, student at the School for Gifted Unicorns, and future scholar.” She put on a slightly sheepish grin. “Which doesn’t sound nearly as impressive as your dream, I’ll confess.”

Spitfire waved her hoof airily. “No, No, I like it! Everypony should go after what they’re passionate about, you know? If you like books, go for books! Ain’t no shame in any of it.” She grinned cheekily, her amber-gold eyes full of a fiery passion that was a little infectious. “So who dragged you to this shindig, eh? You don’t look like a partying kinda pony.” Spitfire crossed her legs, arching a challenging eyebrow.

Twilight chuckled softly, “I’m really not, but I’m learning how to be a more social pony from my tutor Cadence. My… teacher thinks I need to get out and about more often, and Cadence thought it would be a good way to test what I’ve learned to bring me to a big party and throw me into the mix.” She wiggled her hooves helplessly. “It’s been going well enough so far, though I admit I’m feeling more than a touch overwhelmed.”

Spitfire laughed, and smacked Twilight on the back in a camaraderie way. “Don’t sweat it, kiddo. You’re doing fine.” She eyeballed the crowd for a moment, scanning for somepony. Then she smiled. “Listen, you want some more lessons on how to party properly? Swing by the Aerodrome sometime. Me and my partner Soarin’ will be there for the next six months training for Wonderbolt Academy, and nopony knows how to party better than pegasus stunt fliers.” She winked cheekily. “Right. I’m diving back into the mess, I need to find a nice stallion to rail me into unconsciousness tonight. Catch’ya round, Twilight.”

Twilight had only enough time for a brief wave before the flame-haired pony was gone out of sight. It wasn’t until nearly a minute later that the meaning of Spitfire’s last words seeped in, and she nearly coughed up an entire lungful of the punch juice in surprise. Celestia’s Mane, where did all these ponies come from!? Is somepony sending them to test me, or what?! She couldn’t tell, but she was almost positive that someone was doing this on purpose and-

Twilight facehoofed. Of course somepony was doing this on purpose. It made absolute sense to hit Twilight with extroverts with wild, big personalities to see how she handled them in short interactions as a way of forcing her honest skills out into the open. It probably wasn’t Cadence doing it though. Likely, she was getting backup from somepony else working for Celestia directly. Miss Inkwell was the most likely culprit, but she could think of a dozen other possibles.

With that thought in mind, she pushed out of her chair and took a deep breath. She’d knocked off two ponies to talk to, and she could pick up the third when going to speak to Fancy Pants. She had to hurry, the night was gaining ground on her plans, and she wasn’t about to cede it without a fight!

Chapter 4 - What Dreams May Come

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~~~~Canterlot~~~~

Cornering Fancy Pants had been easy, as had been getting his co-operation. Now, almost an hour later, Twilight marched onto one of the marble balconies on the mansion’s third floor and was stunned at what she saw. The view was utterly perfect, with the bright moon framed perfectly by a pair of tall trees with lush green leaves. The bannister had been hung with an artful red silk tablecloth, folded neatly into a triangle and upon which a pair of crystal glasses awaited. A chilled bucket with a fine bottle of champagne sat awaiting next to it, along with a silver platter of carefully selected chocolates and other fancies.

Fleur did a little twirl in place and gestured around her. Two candelabras near the door provided a bit of warm light, but not enough to overpower the silvery glow of the moon upon the white marble. Many multi hued flower petals lay scattered about, as though they had been blown there by some unseen wind. It was… “Perfect,” she half whispered, gently tapping her hooves together. Twilight was absolutely enthralled by the scene.

Fleur giggled. “Mais oui! And my amour is luring yours up here with much secrecy.” She slyly winked at Twilight. “We will ensure you are both given privacy enough. It is good to see you have finally decided to show your heart to her, ma petite chou.” Fleur’s smile was now gentle, her foreleg reaching around to hug Twilight warmly.

Twilight shook her head. How long had they known? Did it matter? Probably not. Not right now, anyway. “Thank you, Flurry,” she whispered, her little pet name for Fleur eliciting a throaty laugh from the beautiful mare. “Wish me luck?” Oh why did she have to sound so nervous and frightened! This was to be a triumphant moment, a certainty!

But Fleur just ruffled her mane a touch. “Bonne Chance, little one. You will be fine.” Fleur gently kissed her cheek and winked. “Just be who you are, and all will be well.” And she slipped away, out of the balcony doors and down into the party, leaving Twilight alone for a few moments to contemplate the scene and where she should position herself.

By the time Cadence arrived, she had chosen an artful seat on the red silk, which undoubtedly had been what Fleur intended. She could not mimic grace, so she simply went for relaxed. Cadence trotted out with a look of puzzlement on her face at first, but her eyes went wide when she saw Twilight perched upon the bannister. “You told me to spend some time with somepony I found attractive,” Twilight began, keeping her tone gentle and soft as she lifted the champagne from the ice. “So, here we are.” She put on her best smile, slowly working the cage off the cork.

“Twilight, I…” Cadence began hesitantly, her hooves seeming to move of their own accord as they carried her through the colorful flower petals to where Twilight sat. “Twilight, I’m very flattered, but really, I don’t think this is terribly appropria-” She was cut off suddenly by the pop of the cork and gave off the most adorable squeak Twilight had ever heard out of her. She blushed beautifully and half glared at Twilight. “You did that on purpose.”

Twilight couldn’t restrain her smile as she poured the bubbly. “Of course I did, because you’re being absolutely silly. You’re the one who told me that love does not insist on its own way, Cadence.” It was maybe a bit mean throwing Cadence’s words back at her, but it was a lesson Twilight had taken to heart a long time ago. It was, in fact, why she was here at all. She gently pressed the glass toward Cadence, who took it with her magic almost out of reflex. “And I absolutely do love you, Cadence.” Twilight felt the words rush out of her lips, eagerly escaping into the night air. The words she’d wanted to say all night long, in fact.

Cadence’s eyes went narrow in shock, and only returned to normal when Twilight pressed the rim of her own glass against Cadence’s lips, forcing her to sip the champagne or let it spill. Cadence’s own social reflexes took over, and Twilight took a slow sip of the sweet and yeasty liquid from Cadence’s glass, a romantic gesture she found quite cute. “In every possible way I can say it,” she whispered, wondering if perhaps she’d rushed it. Or if perhaps…

Twilight leaned in and nuzzled her cheek against the mare she had admired and loved for so very long now. Everything about Cadence’s body language screamed a desire to return the affection at first, but she had gone stiff and unresponsive. Then her chest began to heave slowly, then much more quickly as she looked like she was ready to hyperventilate. Twilight began to feel nervous when…

Cadence’s glass nearly dropped to the ground, but Twilight’s own magic reflexively caught it before it could do so. “What...?” Was all she had time to say before Cadence suddenly flared out her wings and leapt off the balcony, flying off in an obvious panic into the night. For only a second, Twilight hesitated. Her resolved hardened a moment later, she carefully set down the glasses, and took off back into the house, hoping that Cadence wouldn’t change her trajectory anytime soon.

~~~~~~~~~

Cadence bobbed and wove, pitched and dove under the glittering spires of Canterlot, desperately winging her way toward something familiar, something safe. Somewhere safe, where she could hide and sort out the hurricane of emotions that was boiling in her body. She put every ounce of her flying skills to the test, hoping that Twilight would not guess her intended destination and that she could… apologize later for her behavior. It would be easier to apologize than to explain what had happened.

After all, how could she explain to Twilight that she’d had a panic attack when she’d been utterly unable to deny the waves of love magic the filly had been giving off? How could she explain the knee-jerk desire to return that love and affection, to kiss and perhaps even seduce the young pony? The desire to grab onto that love magic, wrap herself up in it and never let go? She hadn’t truly made love to anypony since before Shining Armor left, even if she had been engaging in plenty of affectionate sex.

But this... this was dangerously close to the real deal. She couldn’t bring herself to examine it intently enough to find out just how close, or if perhaps it was as true as anything she’d felt before. She dared not. She could not. Not after what happened with Shining Armor, not after her magic had utterly failed her when it mattered the most. How could she possibly take the risk of breaking poor Twilight’s heart if she was wrong? How could she have allowed things to get this far? Had she been blind?

That had to be what had happened, as her mind rapidly turned over all of the time she’d recently spent with Twilight. Only now could she pick out the thousand and one little signs of infatuation rapidly turning into deeper affection. Only now could she see how she had unconsciously returned that affection, deepening Twilight’s assurances that her feelings were pure and true and giving her the impetus to make her confession.

And her traitorous mind kept feeding her the images of her secretly longing for such a confession, silently yearning for such a love to appear in her life once again. Cadence tried to banish the thoughts from her mind as she forced herself into faster speeds, beelining for the safety of the castle and letting the wind nearly blind her as it gusted into her eyes. It was a piercing sort of pain, but it was doing its job. She could barely see, but she didn’t really need to. Flying back to her rooms in the dead of night was a skill she’d perfected years ago.

Her hooves hit the hard marble of the balcony, and instantly her mind conjured up the scene again. The young, sleek, slim Twilight Sparkle arranged artfully on a platform of red silk and stone. A bottle of her favorite champagne, a selection of sensual chocolates, a gentle smile on the young filly’s face. Her voice, soft as good Saddle Arabian silk, smoothly saying the words her ears ached to hear somepony to say with total sincerity. She’d been maybe mere moments away from kissing her, slipping her tongue past-

“NO!” Cadence threw herself away from the balcony, crashing through her doors with a tumble of noise and flailing limbs, throwing the doors closed behind her with a slam of magic. The tears threatened to flow freely as the fierce and bright moonlight streamed through her windows. She threw the curtains closed with a thought and sucked in slow, deep breaths. She needed to focus, she needed to get control of herself. “Gotta focus, Cadence. Find something else to focus on.” She darted her gaze about the room and seized upon her diary. Writing. Writing it out had always helped after Shiny had left.

She quickly flipped open the book, unstopping the ink bottle and filling the air with its faintly acrid smell. The sharp scent of musty parchment filled her nose, mingling with the scent of the ink. She set the quill to the paper, even as the scent tickled at her mind. She tried, oh so valiantly, not to think about who that scent reminded her of. She tried to write into her journal, laying out the events so far in the night and find some kind of way to focus her mind away from those thoughts.

Instead, her mind conjured up scenes of Twilight sitting at this very same desk, scritching away at the arcane and esoteric notes that comprised her education. Her imagination ruthlessly took over, imagining coming up behind the young mare and softly trailing kisses down her spine. Twilight’s soft, cute little moan as she arched back into Cadence. Cadence smiling and slowly running her hooves down that body, wrapped in her silk nightgown and….

“Gah!” Cadence nearly bashed her head into the desk. “What is wrong with you!?” she half yelled at… somepony. Probably herself, but she wasn’t looking into her mirror to make the point. So she was just kinda yelling at the air, which made her feel a little stupid. Ugh… It’s not like I haven’t gotten laid lately… She grumbled, snuffing the candle on her desk and letting the semi-darkness settle over her.

Why were all of these thoughts hitting her now? Was it because of Twilight’s uncharacteristic boldness? Had she simply been lying to herself about what she felt for Twilight, or was their long association coloring her perspective? Had she somehow manipulated the poor filly into loving her, without even realizing she had? It was hard to tell in this emotional mess she found herself in. She thought she’d dealt with these feelings ages ago, not just stuffed them under her mattress where they awaited the chance to pop out and yell ‘Bloogy Woogy Woo!’ at her at the first opportunity.

Twilight making a confession of the type she had was… the implications were actually enough to make Cadence’s heart race. Twilight was, without a doubt, the very closest pony to her in her small circle of friends. The last thing she wanted was to hurt her, or worse still; to lead her along so that Cadence might be able to dispel that lingering loneliness she fought with when the nights were cold, and she was alone…

No, that would most certainly not be right, and it would definitely not be fair to poor Twilight. It wasn’t fair of you to leave her there without so much as a word either, her brain reminded her with an acid tone, and she winced away from the thought. The poor girl was probably an emotional wreck right now. Auntie was going to blow her stack over that one, even after Cadence explained the situation. And worse still was… this…

Pain. She was in pain over the thought of Twilight being sad like that. It was like a vice grip around her heart. She could just imagine… imagine flying back to her, to her poor weeping self, and pouring her heart out on that balcony and-

Cadence stopped trying to force her thoughts to behave and just let her mind wander. She would make it up to Twilight, and she knew exactly how to do it. The smell of the ink and parchment overwhelmed her, and she shoved them roughly to the side. Twilight would be sitting at her desk, writing her report on the assignment. Cadence would slip up behind her and apologize in a breathy voice and hold her sleek young body close to her own.

Twilight would blush and say she was being silly, and Cadence… Cadence felt her hoof brush against her thigh, filling her throat with a moan that was sweet in her own ears, as she just let the fantasy play itself out in her mind. She brushed aside the silk dress and leaned over the desk, her magic grasping the hidden little chest she had secreted under the vanity and transporting it over. She would make it up to Twilight, but first she needed to get this out of her system if she was to have any hope of helping her. Fortunately, nopony else was around to get caught up in her magic, so she could really cut loose.

~~~~~~~~

Twilight dashed down the streets of Canterlot toward the castle, silently cursing the whole way. She had gone after her too fast, and Cadence had probably thought she had somehow manipulated Twilight or some other ridiculousness! She probably also thought Twilight might look elsewhere for her, but where would she go? Fleur and Fancy were both at the party, and she certainly hadn’t gone to her parent’s place. Twilight darted to and fro down the streets, wishing she dared take the minute or two to take off the dress, but… No, she had to catch up to her as quickly as she could. Cadence was going to be upset, very upset! Twilight had to help her and fast.

So she ran as fast as her little hoovsies could take her, though as she turned down Mane Street, she realized she was going to need some way to get past the night guardspony. Making up a solution to that problem on the fly wasn’t too tough, but she was going to have to explain it to the Princess in the morning. That might be awkward, but she was certain Princess Celestia would understand.

Ahead of her, Canterlot Castle’s beautiful spires soared above her head, framed beautifully by the moon. The Guardspony arched an eyebrow at her approach, and Twilight skidded to a stop in front of him. She sucked in a deep breath and spoke as quickly as she dared. “Twilight Sparkle, reporting to Princess Celestia!” She hoped, or at least she dared to hope, that the guard would buy her being suddenly and unusually summoned by Princess Celestia. It had happened before, but she’d always had a scroll to back her up before.

For a brief moment, she was certain the Guardspony was going to call her bluff and… “Alright, student. Go through, but don’t make too much noise.” He fixed her with a stern look. “Other ponies are sleeping, even if the Princess is suffering from a bit of insomnia.” That produced a wry chuckle, and Twilight was simply in no mood to chastise him for such a comment. She had bigger things to worry about.

So she quickly and quietly trotted through the gates and felt a little lump settle in her throat at the nearly pitch dark hallways. She easily knew the way up to Cadence’s rooms, but… it was still a little spooky here in the dead of night. There were all sorts of stories she hadn’t been able to confirm or deny about the castle being haunted by some ancient Alicorn demon princess at night. But…No! No time to be a scaredypony! Cadence needs you!

Admittedly she didn’t have much of a plan for how to help her, but she was certain she could think of something once she got there. The problem was…I’d better not take the main staircase. Celestia might actually be awake! She’d have to take the servant’s staircase up, but that would do just fine. It’d take her straight up to Cadence’s room too. She ducked past the sentry guards, none of whom gave her more than a passing glance and quickly began to scamper up the seven flights of stairs to her destination.

The world narrowed to the steps and speed, but as Twilight rounded toward the last flight… “Mmf!” The sound stopped her dead in her tracks, her chest heaving with barely restrained deep breaths as she twitched her ears. What in the world is that? she wondered, licking at her lips nervously and taking a tentative hoof up the steps, slowing down to a bare crawl. Was somepony already in Cadence’s rooms? Had Princess Celestia seen her come in? That wouldn’t be a bad thing, but…

“Ahn!” There it was again! Twilight flattened her ears and slowly tip-hoofed around the staircase, wondering why it sounded like someone was breathing super heavily. Something had to be wrong, but Twilight didn’t know what. There was a creaking sound and a sudden series of slow, rhythmic bumps. A ghost? Ghosts made weird noises, or so all of her books had told her… But why suddenly here, now? Had it somehow been drawn to Cadence?

Twilight kept her ears as keen as she could as she slipped up to the servant’s door for Cadence’s room. She paused for a moment, then licked at her lips again in a nervous twitch before pressing her ear to the door. For a moment, all she could hear was slow, rhythmic, heavy breathing. And then… “Mmf… Twilight…” Her name was a very distinct sound, as was the soft moan that preceded it. That was, unquestionably, Cadence’s voice in there. It sounded… odd, though. But odd in a familiar kind of way. Her voice sounded breathy and warm, and there was a lilt in her voice when she’d said her name. “Yeah… I’ll show you how to use your hoof just right…” Cadence spoke again, clearly to nopony in particular. Then… it hit her.

Twilight had been trained, very early on, to be able to ‘sense’ magic and its type. It was an easy way to tell when a book might be magically dangerous or to understand what kind of magic to use in a particular spell when it had been demonstrated for her. But she’d also been told certain kinds of magic could give off a kind of ‘radiation’ when enough of it was present in an enclosed space. It could affect emotions or thoughts or other things if it was powerful enough, and the sickly-sweet scent of love magic that seeped out from under the door hit her like a load of bricks.

She felt her hoof stumble at first, then slowly push the door open to lay the scene of Cadence’s room before her. Dozens upon dozens of candles were lit and stuck to flat surfaces all around Cadence’s bed. Cadence herself was splayed out, spread wide upon the bed with some unfamiliar implement in her hoof that was vibrating fiercely. Her dress was very rumpled, but still tightly drawn across her body as she worked the implement in between her hindlegs over and over again.

Stepping into the room had been a mistake, Twilight mused, the magic even more potent and mesmerizing than it was outside the door. She slowly progressed across the room, the scents hitting her nose remarkably familiar, but it took her mind a little bit to work through the fuzziness as she struggled to keep control over her senses. It smelled like when she ah… clopped off, and it looked like that was what Cadence was doing on the bed right now. “C-Cadey?” she half-whispered into the wet noises of the room.

Cadence’s head came up suddenly to stare at her. Her gaze was glassy and a little unfocused, and a slow smile spread across her face. “Oh… Oh Twilight you’re okay… you don’t hate me…” Her voice was low and sultry, and it practically oozed something hot and wonderful that Twilight had no words for. “C’mere… I was such an idiot to run away from you… You’re such a pretty mare. I’ll make it all up to you...” She beckoned with her hoof, and Twilight felt a warm glow of love thrill through her body, her hooves picking up as she quickly crossed the room.

It took only a little effort to climb up on the bed and the instant her front half was there, Cadence dove across the bed to wrap a foreleg firmly around her upper back and pulled her in close. It wasn’t exactly the romantic scene she’d expected, but Twilight was not about to complain about it. But… there was something odd about the way Cadence looked. She looked like… “Mmf… I wish you were real when I do this…” And her lips came in without a moment of warning later.

Twilight felt an electric shock jolt through her whole body at the touch of Cadence’s lips. The pure force of her magic so strong it sent a wave of soporific heat and invigorating power through her body all at the same time. Her lips were pillow soft and insistent, and Twilight dove into the kiss with all of the amateur enthusiasm she could muster. There was heat and love and it felt oh, so good that she hardly wanted the moment to end at all. She nearly forgot to breathe as she reveled in the intimate moment.

The seconds ticked past, and then Cadence’s eyes snapped open wide, her pupils reduced to pinpoints as Twilight tried to press her tongue against Cadence’s own lips. Cadence tore away from the kiss, panting heavily and looking more than a little panicked. “Wait… you’re not… you’re real… but that was… I didn’t mean to...”

Cadence didn’t seem like she could put together a coherent sentence, so Twilight decided to help. “My first kiss.” She felt her mouth spread into a goofy grin, and before Cadence could open her mouth again, she pressed herself into that lovely soft chest and spoke gingerly. “Do it again, please?” She injected as much pleading and hope into her tone as she could. The last thing she needed was Cadence freaking out again.

Maybe it was her tone. Maybe it was the love magic, or maybe Cadence just decided to see where the ride would take her. Whatever it was, she returned the kiss with the same fervor Twilight had been giving her just a moment ago. It was glorious and warm and utterly unlike anything Twilight had ever felt before in her life. She might not have known what to do, but she knew how to follow somepony’s lead.

Cadence’s tongue snaked against hers, and Twilight returned the gesture, the warm and writhing slickness giving her a shivery feeling. Cadence’s lips were so insistent, it was impossible to even want to pull away. Twilight felt herself being turned, then tumbled over upon the soft bed, Cadence whirling up atop her and pressing firmly into her body from above. Just as suddenly, their lips parted, and Twilight could finally see Cadence in all of her glory.

Her chest heaved in an almost hypnotic rhythm, and a fire lurked behind her eyes. “Twilight… I don’t know… I don’t know if this is a good idea and…” Cadence bit at her lip, turning her head away from Twilight… but she turned it back almost instantly, uncertainty replaced with a smouldering smile. “Celestia help me, you’re such a beautiful mare. Please… tell me why you’re here.”

Twilight felt her cheeks burn hot and turned her head away. “I… I want…” She licked at suddenly dry lips. What did she want? She’d gotten her kiss, but there was a squirming feeling between her legs that seemed to short circuit her mind. She wanted more than that kiss now, but she wasn’t entirely sure what it was… “You. Just you,” was all she could come up with, hoping that it didn’t come across too silly.

Cadence didn’t seem to think so. She just chuckled richly, her smile smokey and slow. “Well, then. I’m all yours, little Sparkle. Let’s see how you handle your first lesson.” Twilight might have said something, but every rational thought was driven out of her head by Cadence’s lips pressing up against hers. The kiss before had been warm, and wild, but this...

There was simply no analyzing it. Twilight just couldn’t… couldn’t find words for it so she stopped trying. She just pressed back up, feeling her back arch and her breath come in a muffled gasp. It was pure sensation, a pleasure she could not identify. She could feel instinct taking over, her hips pushing up into the body pressed against her, searching for something that she didn’t entirely understand… “Mm… Don’t worry, Twily…” Cadence murmured against her lips, the kiss broken for a moment. “We’ll get to that part.” Twilight didn’t know what she meant, but she knew her body wanted it.

What it got instead was another long, lingering kiss. Her tongue darted out at Twilight’s, and she quickly found herself tongue-tied by it, locked against Cadence’s lips as the heat rose in her body. She’d certainly pleasured herself before, but it had never ever felt like this did. This was… Twilight felt the moan claw its way out of her throat, into Cadence’s mouth pressed against hers. She hadn’t even touched her marehood and she could feel the wetness between her hindlegs, the burning of arousal overtaking her.

It was almost too much, but she craved more of it regardless. Her forelegs moved of their own will, wrapping around the sleek pink body above her. Cadence’s lips moved from hers to her neck, softly pressing against her neck. “Ah-ahn~! C-C-Cadence!” Her mouth free to speak, she could only moan out a name, fighting through the pleasure to try to speak… but Cadence wasn’t letting up. Gentle nibbles sent tiny shockwaves of sensation through her body, and her hips pushed up toward Cadence. “Oh, Celestia!” she cried out again, as Cadence’s lips found the nape of her neck and the soft wetness of her tongue dragged back up her neck.

“So sensitive,” Cadence giggled softly, pressing her body back against Twilight’s and softly stroking a hoof through her mane. Twilight felt her chest starting to heave, her breathing coming quicker with every moment she was close to Cadence like this. “Mm… Let’s see how sensitive,” Cadence purred, and her horn lit up with a sparkling glow.

Twilight felt her muscles tense, wondering and trying desperately to prepare for what would come next. She felt a firm, knobby object press up against her marehood then, causing her to whine faintly in pleasure. It probed at her marehood for a moment before it suddenly stopped. “Oh… Oh!” Cadence exclaimed a moment later, and her cheeks went bright red. “You’re still… Oh, goodness me. I should’ve guessed that.” She turned her head shyly, her smile soft. “Do you… Do you want to stop?” It was a whispered question, an honest one too. Twilight was fairly certain she was talking about…

For a moment, Twilight felt certainty slip away from her. This was supposed to be a big moment for a mare, spent with somepony extremely special and - What in the name of the Moon was her brain doing!? She was with somepony special! The most special somepony she could possibly be with. She shoved the hesitant thoughts aside and drew her eyes level with Cadence’s own pupils. “I want it to be you,” she said, feeling something tugging at her heart… tugging at her magic. She called the magic into her horn, reaching blindly for whatever Cadence was wielding and giving it a little shove. It bumped up against her insides, and she gave off a cute little moan. “I… I know you’ll take care of me. You always have.” She wished she could get the whimper out of her voice, that she could make that sound way more sexy or cute, but the sensations inside her were already far too intense for that. “So p-please… don’t stop…”

Something changed on Cadence’s face, and for a moment the pulsing of her magic abated a bit. “You… really want me to be...” She stopped and a look of awe came over Cadence’s face. Her head dipped low, and she brushed her lips gently across Twilight’s, softly… tenderly. “Okay,” Cadence smiled faintly, her word resonating in the air. There was oh-so-much meaning in that one little ‘okay’. A meaning that soared in her heart and soul and made her tug Cadence in as close as she could just so she could nuzzle her cheek against Cadence’s. “Gah! Twilight!” Cadence laughed, giggling and nuzzling right back. “Settle yourself down, you naughty filly, or I’ll leave you hanging.” There was a smoky, sly threat in her voice that made Twilight give off a little squeak and stop clinging so tightly. The last thing she wanted was for all of this to end.

Cadence was grinning at her as once again Twilight could feel that stiff probing at her folds. She bit back a moan at first… until Cadence’s hoof dug into her tummy and tickled it out of her. “Haha-AHN!” This time she could not restrain the sound when that stiff, knobby toy teased at her. It really was a nice sound, now that she took a moment to think about it. Very sensual.

“Don’t hide the sounds you make, Twilight. They’re a beautiful part of your pleasure…” And then Cadence giggled. “And they’re a great way for me to know when I’m doing something right. Express yourself. It’s a good thing!” Cadence insisted, her hooftips tickling Twilight’s belly again, causing her to giggle madly. It was an odd combination of feelings, but she definitely liked it. She nodded once, feeling chastised. She was so used to being quiet in class, but this one would demand a whole new approach.

Cadence’s eyes sparkled a little, and Twilight could now definitively identify what had been probing at her. The knobbed head of some kind of phallic object pressed up into her folds, and she winced a little as it began to stretch her. “Sh… We’ll take it slow,” Cadence whispered lovingly, and Twilight nuzzled up into her as little by little the toy pressed in farther. It felt warm and slick inside her body, and the way Cadence twisted and rubbed it up inside her, Oh goddess, this is so much better than a hoof…

Then there was a sudden pressure, like the phallus was pressing against… oh. She gulped softly and wrapped her hindlegs around Cadence’s hips. She wasn’t going to let either of them chicken out on this one. Cadence gave off a little moan of her own, and Twilight wondered exactly what was going on… until she felt Cadence’s hips leveraging against hers, and the object pressed in harder against her… her virginity, she and realized that somehow Cadence was driving it in her just like a stallion might.

And when the pain finally came, it wasn’t quite so bad as she had thought it would be. It was brief and piercing, but it ebbed quickly, and Cadence held for just a moment. Cadence’s breath was hot in her ear, and Twilight could feel her heart thumping in her chest. Twilight bit at her lip for a moment, unwilling to cry out at it… and instead, acted on her instinct. She thrust her hips up against Cadence, feeling as though some kind of boundary had been crossed.

The night hadn’t gone precisely as planned, but nothing could have prepared her for this anyway. She nestled her head into Cadence’s shoulder and felt the words whisper from her lips, “I love you, Cadence.” They were as true as anything else she had said before in her life, and it felt so wonderful to say them. So perfect for this moment that she would treasure forever, pain and all.

For only a second, she wondered if Cadence would say something in return, and then she felt the object press in deeper to her. The stimulation drew a long, sweet moan out of her throat, and a similar one from Cadence. Their voices rose in harmony together for an eternity, before Cadence spoke softly into her own ear. “I love you, Twilight.”

They were words sweeter than love itself.

~~~~~~~~

Cadence didn’t know how long it was before they’d finally given in to exhaustion. She knew the moon was still up, so it couldn’t be nearly that long, but it felt like it had been days. Her sweet little Twilight was curled up against her adorably, her mane much matted and tussled and a huge smile plastered on her face. It had taken a few tries to really get it right, but Twilight was nothing if not an extremely enthusiastic student. The fact that she was positively glowing with love was an added bonus.

Cadence tightened her hug around the filly, and Twilight responded by pulling herself in closer with a happy little sigh. Then there was a shift of weight, and Cadence looked down to Twilight giving her an adorably stern look. “You’re not having second thoughts, are you?” she demanded of Cadence, her eyes narrowed and her forelegs wrapped firmly around her chest. “Because it’s a bit late for that now.”

Cadence stifled a laugh at her serious tone and shook her head firmly. “No, I just…” She huffed out a breath. How was she supposed to explain this sort of complex feeling? I mean… I know it’s Twilight, and she’s obviously much more mature than most ponies would give her credit for but… “I… I don’t know what I’m ready for yet, Twilight. After what happened with Shiny, I’m not sure that I wouldn’t make myself into a mental case over that kind of relationship again.” It hurt to be so honest, but after what had happened with Twilight tonight, she had to be honest.

Twilight huffed softly. “Well, then we won’t have that kind of relationship!” she declared, then paused and frowned. Cadence watched in fascination as her face went through approximately thirty different emotional states before settling on stubborn determination. “I mean, at first anyway. Jeeze, Cadence. I’m not a little foal. I’m not going to make you do something you’re not comfy with. You told me yourself that love means being partners.” Twilight fixed her with a glare. “And I can’t be a good partner if I try to rush ahead; I learned that in chemistry!” Her cheeks colored a bit, probably at the memory of how she’d learned that lesson. “If I do, everyone ends up dyed bright green and sticky…”

Cadence couldn’t restrain the burst of laughter after that one, and Twilight perked up with a rueful giggle of her own a few moments later. “Oh, goddess. I need to hear that story sometime,” she murmured softly, stroking her hoof down that lovely mussed up mane. “I don’t want to deny you the love you deserve, Twilight. There’s no telling how long it’s going to take me to… to be the mare you deserve.” Cadence nearly winced at that. It even sounded like an excuse to her, and she just knew…

Twilight huffed, almost in predictable time. “I don’t need a funny title to know you love me, Cadence.” Her voice was hard at first, then softened considerably. “You’ve always been there for me. Even after Shiny left, even after you had no reason to be so nice and stick around me and be my bestest friend, you stayed. You made the loneliness go away…” Twilight’s voice trailed off into a faint sadness, but also something deeper. That love which pulsed in her chest pulsed all the stronger as she spoke, “ Even when everything else went wrong, you were there.” There was only the faintest glimmer of tears in her eyes, her chest puffed out proudly. “An’ I can be patient for you, if you can be for me.”

Cadence didn’t know what to say to that at first. So she just kept stroking Twilight’s mane, nuzzling her cheek against hers slowly. She already knew this was an argument she would lose if she kept waffling about it, so she needed to make a decision. Could she possibly be any kind of marefriend to Twilight given how she felt? Given how much she was still wrestling with what had happened to Shining Armor? Given the differences in her age? (Not that she didn’t know that age-gap nonsense to be the hooey that it was, given what she knew about the things Celestia got up to.) Was this even appropriate? I think you stepped beyond appropriate when she demanded that you rut her, and you gave her exactly what she asked for… Cadence blushed and exhaled softly.

No, there really wasn’t any way to walk this one back now. All she could do was… what? Take it for a spin. Why not give her an honest try? See what happens. See if it stands the test of time and other things. See if she’s comfortable with your… lifestyle and all the stuff that comes with it. “Okay, Twilight, I’m not going to have second thoughts. But!” She lifted a hoof, forestalling Twilight’s sudden happy squirm. “We’re going to take this slowly, for both of us. No big proclamations, nothing official. Just… very close friends, with benefits.”

Twilight tilted her head, taking a moment to parse that statement before nodding slowly. “Okay, I can kinda see how that works. But I want a promise from you in return.” She wiggled until she could look Cadence right into the eye and smiled faintly. “That you be one hundred per-cent honest with me about how you feel about us. That you don’t back away if it feels real to you, just because of bad stuff in the past. We promise that we won’t run away from our love, no matter what.” She held up her hoof cutely and grinned. “Deal?” Cadence tilted her head, considering the hoof, then felt her smile brighten. She liked the sound of that actually.

She gripped Twilight’s hoof and shook it. “Deal.”

Chapter 5 - A Familiar Story

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~~~~Canterlot, Three Years Later.~~~~

The doors to the hall burst open, and the Royal Guardsponies barely glanced aside as giggles and laughter poured through the door. They watched the pair of mares, one still slightly taller than the other, sashaying down the hall wearing saddlebags and matching dark red blouses and skirts that swayed in time with one another. And perched atop the shorter of the two, a young purple dragon scribbled away at a scrap of scroll. For the three of them, all was right in the world today.

For Twilight, especially. Everything was exactly in its proper place, and for that she was singularly happy. “So, what’re we doing for the Summer Sun Celebration tomorrow?” She kept her voice bright, her eyes sparkling. Moon Dancer had been thrilled to see Twilight come to her party, since wherever Twilight went, so too went Princess Cadence. It had been a fairly sober affair compared to her usual excursions, but still not a bad evening.

Cadence tossed her mane and smiled broadly. “Well, Princess Celestia said she didn’t need me present this year. So with her out of the castle, and Fancy Pants still in Manehatten on business…” Her smile turned into a broad, wicked grin. “I was hoping that you and I could invade the western tower tonight with a nice bottle of red wine, a few snacks, and Fleur De Lis, and we could all watch the sunrise together.”

Twilight felt her lips curl into a smile. That really did sound like a nice change of pace. “Yeah, I bet that’s not all you want to watch rise,” she retorted, tossing her own mane in a very sassy way. As was typical for these conversations, Spike just rolled his eyes and made no comment. “Spike, what do I have left on todays checklist?” She was almost certain she knew, but it never hurt to double check or triple check.

Spike chuckled. “Well you do have to read that special book on Equestrian history and write our report to Celestia, still.” He ran down the list, his eyes scanning the page as they turned into one of the main meeting halls on the upper floor of the palace. “We’ve also still got to look into those weird cosmic movements you were looking at last weekend. The Hourglass room should be free today, which means that the star-sphere will be free too. We can knock over two pins with one ball!”

“The correct term is ‘astrolabe’, Spike.” Twilight corrected him for the eight hundredth time, wearily rolling her eyes. “Right, I’d better take care of that now then. Would you mind going and making sure Fleur doesn’t have any plans, Love?” She always enjoyed the moments when she could gently needle Cadence with the term… especially since her use of it had gotten no less sincere as the years had passed.

And as usual, Cadence’s cheeks colored prettily, and she socked Twilight in the foreleg. “I’ll head out right away and drop by her place once I’ve gotten a few errands done. Try to keep her out of trouble, Spike.” Cadence rolled her eyes and grinned at Spike. He returned her grin, the pair of them probably sharing a camaraderie in a task that Twilight was certain was impossible. Then she leaned in to gently kiss Twilight’s cheek, an act which never failed to set her heart aflutter. “I’ll see you later then… Love,” Cadence whispered the last word, then vanished in a flurry of feathers and hooves.

“Oh, brother,” Spike grumbled, crossing his talons and huffing. “I swear, you two are more syrupy than the pancake breakfast in the grand hall.” He rolled up her checklist as Twilight stifled a laugh and started trotting out the door toward the Hourglass Tower.

It was a grand and glorious day in Canterlot, the sun shining brightly overhead and the sky as clear and free of any unwanted clouds as anypony could ask for. All around her, the castle was quietly preparing for a low-key Summer Sun Celebration. With Celestia heading for another town to perform the Sun Rising ceremony, the castle servants would be simply having a quiet and relaxed day of their own. It was a holiday everypony was looking forward to.

For Twilight, it would be just another night with the pony she loved. She kept her walk brisk though, pausing as she spotted a familiar glow. “Hey, Minuette! The violin is looking spectacular!” she called out, waving to the unicorn pony as she passed her by. Minuette returned the wave, then went back to focusing on her violin as she carefully inscribed runes into the body of it, continuing to advance her knowledge of sound magic. “Good morning to you, Mrs. Inkwell!” Princess Celestia’s advisor and top assistant smiled broadly at her in response. She did not wave back, but she was a little busy floating an impressive stack of papers.

“Hey kiddo!” That voice came from overhead as Twilight marched up the steps to the Hourglass room. She turned and felt her grin broaden at the sight of the flame haired pegasus she was all too familiar with, floating just overhead and with her head tilted cockily. “Looking good today, purple smart.” She grinned, offering up her hoof for a bump as she came closer to ground level.

Twilight sighed exasperatedly, but she returned the hoofbump anyway. “I swear, Spitfire, if you keep calling me that, Princess Celestia’s going to start using it! And I’m never going to be able to live that down!” Truthfully, Twilight didn’t much mind the nickname, but it was a little foalish. Quickly, she tried to change the subject. “So, I heard you and the Wonderbolts are going to be doing another Summer Sun show,” she said, keeping her tone bright. If she was being honest, she wished she could have invited Spitfire to join them tomorrow. Fleur was a lot of fun, no doubt, but Spitfire always turned parties up to eleven.

“Yeah, it sucks, but what’re ya gonna do?” She grinned broadly, rubbing at her nose proudly. “You know what they say, be careful what you wish for! I got what I wanted, and now I’m run off my flank trying to keep up with things.” She shook her head slowly, her smile still broad. “Can’t complain, though. I gotta jet, but I wanted to drop in and get me one of these…” And then she dove in and planted a hard, tongue-wrapping kiss on Twilight before she darted away, leaving her temporarily breathless. Spitfire’s eyes practically glowed when she spoke “Mmm… before I shipped off again.” She rolled her eyes. “Eight city tour this time, but they tell me we’re gonna get a good three or four months of downtime soon, so we’ll be able to catch up after the Best Young Flyer competition.”

Spitfire’s tone told Twilight exactly what kind of catching up she wanted to do, and Twilight just eye-rolled again. “Yeah, yeah. I’ve got work to do, Spitfire. Good luck out there! Be safe!” She made shooing motions with her hooves, and the pegasus stuck her tongue out before almost literally exploding into motion again, a massive trail of flame magic tracing her path as she soared off into the skies. Someday, I’m going to study that magic, Twilight harrumphed, then nudged open the door to the Hourglass room.

She knew this room quite well, actually. She’d fallen asleep here no few times over the years during her studies and had passed no few long nights buried in the books here. Not alone, certainly, but… usually, she’d only been studying. Usually. This was the place where Princess Celestia kept a wide range of her most special and rare books, protected by the powerful age defying magicks of the massive hourglass that dominated the center of the room. Not far from it, the most complex astrolabe in all of Equestria sat awaiting her calculations, marking the location and presence of the most commonly considered constellations and major stars in the Equestrian sky, as well as the rest of the planets that they could track.

Twilight nudged Spike, who hopped off her back with a happy little hum, now lost in what looked like a comic book. Twilight chuckled and dragged over his favorite bean bag chair, which he promptly hopped into. She didn’t expect he would be terribly interested in a dry book of Equestrian lore, especially one as odd as this. Everypony learned basic Equestrian history, after all. Why was this book so special?

She found the book right where it was meant to be and carefully curled herself up on her favorite overstuffed chair. The book felt old to her hooves… very old. The binding was of some material she couldn't identify, and the cover bore the ancient symbol of Equestria. She paused for a moment, feeling a strange pulse of trepidation before pulling open the ancient cover and beginning to read a story that was both incredibly familiar… and also incredibly unfamiliar.

Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together…

Wait a moment. Two sisters?

~~~~~~~

For Princess Cadence, today was full of promise as she trotted down the road quietly, her saddlebags full of the dozen or so little things for her private celebration tonight. A nice bottle of wine, some fine chocolates, a few special surprises from The Crop, and Twilight’s favorite greens and salad dressing as an aperitif. It would be a lovely evening, all things considered. She turned on her hooves down through the side streets and whistled a happy tune.

Three years was quite a long time, but there was no doubt they had been some of the most fun in her life. Down here in Canterlot, as she traveled through the club districts toward Fancy Pants’ new place, buried and hidden amidst the drinking establishments and nightclubs, where Fleur and he now stayed together, she couldn’t help but see so many familiar faces. Many of them had been lovers, and no few of them she and Twilight had shared together.

Sometimes, she wondered if her habits and appetites were manipulating and changing Twilight to more suit her desires. Then she would shake off such a ridiculous thought and make a silent promise to herself to never say any such thing in front of Twilight. The girl had thrown herself into the study of intimacy and romance with the same zeal with which she studied everything else.

Still, sometimes it was hard to restrain that zeal. Twilight all too easily could get trapped in her shell of intellectual pursuits, and Cadence had to work hard to make certain she got away from it from time to time. Initially, she’d complained about it, but… well, Cadence had at long last convinced her that even if she didn’t make friends with everypony she met, she at least had to learn how to live with them.

Fortunately for Cadence, Twilight had come to call both Fleur and Fancy friends, even if she was pretty shy about it. She was also pretty certain that Spitfire and that strange DJ pony were also pretty close to her, though Cadence wasn’t positive. Still, it was good that she was trying, and that was enough for now. Cadence knew one day she could break open that shell of hers, but it was going to take some kind of massive life event for it to happen.

She was nearly at Fleur’s place when it happened. A sudden sparkle of green magic smoke flitted out of the sky before her, and she could not help but stare at it. A moment later, a burst of bright green fire exploded inches from her face and dropped a slightly scorched scroll in front of her eyes to the pavement below. “What in the world…?” That was Spike’s dragon magic, normally attuned to Princess Celestia alone. How had he…?

She grabbed the scroll and quickly unfurled it, her eyes quickly scanning down the words. "Cadence, don’t have long to write this, Twi thinks I’m taking notes. She found something in a book and is freaking out over it, and when she told Princess Celestia about it, the princess ordered us to go to Ponyville to oversee the Summer Sun Celebration prep. She said she was going to tell you, but when I offered to send the letter, she told me it wasn’t necessary. Something fishy is going on, so I’ve sent our itinerary with this scroll. I would come in disguise, just in case! Please, hurry!”

There was no signature, but there didn’t have to be. Spike’s talon writing was very distinctive, and the smell of his magic was all over the thing. There was no reason for anypony to ask her to come to one of the most backwater villages in Equestria even if it was a trap… not that anypony who tried to spring a trap on her was going to like what happened next. She burned the scroll with a thought and a burst of magic anyway, wanting to make certain there wasn’t any evidence once she’d committed the names to memory.

Hopefully, Fleur would have her own plans. She focused her magic for a moment, concentrating as hard as she could on the complex illusion spell to conceal her true nature as an Alicorn… and released the power in a rush of energy and sparkling lights. She could feel the gentle tingle of the magic settle over her, then spread her broad wings, smiling a little to see them looking just like her pegasus wings of old, before launching herself up into the sky. Even at her best speed, she was going to be significantly behind Twilight at this point. She only hoped she could get there before something bad happened.

~~~~~~

Twilight turned to give Spike a raised eyebrow. “Okay, Spike. I’m not terribly happy about this but…” she sighed, and shook her head. “The princess’ orders are what they are. Let’s get this checklist done and then get to the library as fast as we can. I only hope that the library here is as well stocked as I’ve read. So, give me the skinny.” She poked his belly with her hoof and turned her face back into the wind as the medium sized earth pony village loomed below them, the Royal Guards banking to take them in to land.

Spike nodded once. “Okay, so. We’ve got weather and clouds by Rainbow Dash.” He unfurled the scroll, reading as his eyes scanned down it. “Decorations by Rarity, food and drink by the Apple Family, Primary Party Planning by Pinkie Pie.” He blinked, staring at the scroll for a moment. “Which for some reason is in all capitals and pink ink with glitter in it. Huh. Uhm.” He coughed then continued as Twilight tried to make sense of that weird detail. “Musical accompaniment by the local animal expert, Fluttershy… And we’ll need to drop by the Mayor’s place for the keys to the library. And don’t forget about Celestia’s other command...”

Twilight sighed miserably. And here she was, hoping she could write a basic report and enjoy a nice evening with Cadence… and now she was more than half certain the entire world was in danger of being invaded by some ancient demon Alicorn from one thousand years ago, who might just have total control over the Moon of all things. Ugh. And worse still, Celestia had been utterly unconvinced by her research notes! And had basically commanded her to go out and make new friends! She didn’t need new friends, she had plenty of them! Wasn’t Fleur, Fancy, Spitfire, Vinyl, and Cadence enough? Okay, so maybe only Fleur and Cadence were really close to her, but still. “Aw, cheer up Twilight!” Spike piped up, his tone kindly. “Spitfire will be in town, too! I know you love to get together with her, even if Cadence can’t be here.”

She paused at that, then felt her lips curl into a half smile. “Thanks, Spike. Maybe that’ll be nice assuming there isn’t anything wrong, but…” She sighed, heavily. “I just can’t get it out of my mind. We need to make absolutely sure before we plan anything fun.” The wind was whipping faster past her now and before long, she felt the hard thump as the chariot impacted the solid ground. “Nothing for it then.” She hopped out and gave a courtly little bow to the two guards. “Thank you, sirs. Have a safe trip back to Canterlot.” They both made satisfied noises at her and smiled happily. The guards so rarely got the credit they deserved for the hard work they did, but Cadence and she tried their best to make up for that.

Ponyville was built like most earth pony communities - solidly and simply. Even so, the entire town was dotted with a positive cornucopia of uniquely designed buildings and the bright colors that earth ponies loved so much. The big surprise was that the town seemed to have a very mixed population. Almost equal parts earth pony, unicorn, and pegasus. That was… Practically unprecedented actually. Nearly every Equestrian city has a single core population, then small communities of the other two…

She almost didn’t notice the bright pink earth pony approaching her, so lost was she in her thoughts. But once her eye caught her, it was impossible to ignore her. She moved with such a vivacious energy that Twilight was instantly reminded of Vinyl or Sapphire Shores. “Uh… Hello there!” Twilight called out, as she certainly seemed approachable enough. Maybe she could find who she was looking for quickly. “I don’t suppose you know where we might find -”

The pink pony’s eyes went wide, and she gave off the loudest and most astonished gasp that Twilight had ever heard in all of her life. So astonished was she, that Twilight could have sworn she hovered in midair for a full ten seconds before disappearing in a puff of dust and smoke as she careened down the street and around the corner without another word.

Twilight felt her jaw hang open around the unspoken word for a few long seconds before snapping it shut. “O...kay then,” she commented to nopony in particular then shook her head to clear it. Spike was actually chuckling, and she half glared at him. “Make a note Spike. We ought to make sure the mental health facilities here aren’t being overwhelmed. We don’t need a crazypony interrupting the Sun Celebration.”

“Aye Aye, ma’am.” Spike grinned, making a mock salute. “Fortunately, I don’t think it’ll be hard to find our first stop.” He pointed with his talon to a large road sign, one of the arrows declaiming the direction of a place called Sweet Apple Acres, which Twilight vaguely recalled Celestia telling her about.

She nodded firmly and quickly set off on a trot, hoping that the next pony they encountered wouldn’t be quite so… enthusiastic.

~~~~~~

The soaring wooden arch that lead on to the farmland was adorned with but a single symbol, that of the incredibly prolific and widespread Apple family. Even in Canterlot, Twilight had heard of the legendary family of farmers, who had been supplying the divine Zap Apple Jam and Apple Family Cider to the royal household for untold generations. She couldn’t deny the thought of those victuals made her mouth water a touch, but she shook it off and picked up her pace. Spike made an annoyed sound at the bumpy ride, but the fate of Equestria might very well be at stake if she didn’t hurry.

Along the path, she spotted an orange coated earth pony mare with an absolutely gorgeous blonde mane under an unusual hat. “Good morning!” she called out, cupping her hoof a little to project the sound, and the earth pony looked up with a bright and cheerful smile. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I’m here to check up on preparations for tomorrow’s Summer Sun Celebration!” She did her best to keep her tone polite, but also warm. She didn’t wish to appear standoffish, after all and offered a polite hoof to the mare.

The mare grinned brightly, and took Twilight’s hoof… and promptly proceeded to nearly shake it out of its socket. “Well it’s a dandy pleasure t’ meetcha, Miss Twilight! My name’s Applejack, and welcome t’ Sweet Apple Acres!” Now up close and personal, it was impossible not to notice Applejack’s flawless physique. If Fleur was often considered the epitome of unicorn beauty with her slender limbs and graceful demeanor, Applejack was her polar opposite as an earth pony: with a rippling musculature that looked like she could have taken down an entire mountain all by herself.

But before Twilight’s mind could further appreciate her good looks or conjure up more than one or two fantasies about this mare, Applejack was dragging her toward the barnyard. “Now don’t you worry none, Sugarcube. We’ve got this little shindig all sewn up, thanks t’ most of our clan bein’ in town fer the Celebration! An’ even better, yer just in time for lunch!” Her voice was boisterous with an accent that Twilight simply could not identify, but she was being given precious time to comment. A wide picnic table with a white and red plaid tablecloth spread over it seemed to await her, and Applejack had a big grin on her face. “Now you just sit tight, we’ll get’cha a taste of our cookin’ and introduce ya to the rest of the clan!”

Twilight for a moment, felt a brief flash of horror at the thought of being delayed here so long. Then she couldn’t help but give a rueful little laugh, given the bright and simple enthusiasm on Applejack’s face. There was no way in Tartarus she was going to get out of being fed, so she might as well enjoy it. “Well, I suppose a bite to eat wouldn’t hurt. What do you think, Spike?” She turned her head, only to see a greedy and drooling grin on her little dragon’s face, and she had to laugh again. “Alright, Applejack. You’re on, but let’s make this quick.” She smiled brightly as a fresh thought occurred to her. “And uhm… I don’t suppose you’ve got a spot of your cider lying around, do you?”

Applejack grinned at her, tilting her hat toward Twilight. “Well, I might be able to scare up a mugfull or two fer a guest.” She waggled her eyebrows. “An’ maybe a bit more for a new friend.”

~~~~~~

“Ugh… Spike…” Twilight restrained a belch, then continued, “I don’t want to see another slice of pie until next month, understood?” She turned her head and much to her infuriation, Spike looked happy as a clam. She really needed to learn to restrain her love of sweets better. Maybe Princess Celestia would have some advice for that. She danced aside a large mud puddle, glanced skyward, and felt her brow furrow at the sight of so many clouds.

That was odd. Today was supposed to be mostly cloud free. “Ergh. Where in the world are the weather pegasi?” She half glared at the sky around her, trying to find one of the flighty ponies until her eye alit on a snatch of highly vibrant color. “Hey! Up there, you!” she called out, and was rewarded a moment later by a bright eye peeking down at her. “Can you tell me where I’ll find the Ponyville Weather Manager?” Twilight cried out, wincing a little at the heavy feeling in her tummy. She’d just have to walk this one off.

There was a grumbling sound before the pegasus flopped over the side of the cloud, and Twilight could barely restrain her shock. Her mane was a perfect rainbow of colors, set against a powder blue coat. It was the single rarest mane coloration in the entire pegasi genetic tradition. Literally a one in a million occurrence, at generous estimates. “Yeah, yeah, you’re lookin’ at her!” she groused, half glaring at Twilight. “What do you want?”

Twilight arched an eyebrow. No wonder her name is Rainbow Dash. “I’m Twilight Sparkle, and I’m here to oversee the Summer Sun Celebrat-” Her words were cut off a moment later, the sound of a plummeting pegasus suddenly intruding into her world and followed by a massive wave of mud and water careening over her form. She barely had time to snap her mouth shut before she was literally soaked in the stuff.

“Oh, heck! Ditzy, are you okay!?” The blue pegasus - Rainbow Dash, she was certain now - dove down next to Twilight to where a dazed and dizzy looking pegasus wearing a spotless mailmare’s cap and bearing two heavy bags under her wings sat astonishingly untouched by the mud. Only when she looked at the drag path did she realize she’d simply skipped overtop the puddle, hitting it with enough force to simply spray Twilight with it while remaining untouched herself.

“I’m just fine, Rainbow Dash!” the other pegasus that Rainbow Dash had called Ditzy said with a broad, happy smile. “Just a little heavier bag than normal. Threw me off.” It wasn’t until a moment later that Twilight noticed her eyes were permanently cockeyed, and they seemed to move in direct opposite of one another. “I’m sorry about the mud, Miss.” Her tone was so apologetic and cute, that Twilight couldn’t keep a wry smile off.

“Don’t worry about it,” she said, waving off the mailmare. They had hard enough jobs, all things considered. “I’ll think of someway to get clean. You just get on back to work. I’ll be fine.” She half chuckled, though Spike was very obviously unamused by his current mud-coated condition.

Rainbow Dash shook her head in amusement. “I can help with that. You get going, Ditzy,” she gently admonished, and the grey mare grinned, saluted sharply, and launched herself up into the air. Dash did the same, and Twilight could not help but stare at the beautiful rainbow trail of magic she left in her wake. A moment later, she returned with a dark grey raincloud, and smiled over the edge of it. “You know… there aren’t many ponies out there who’d have done what you just did,” she said, almost too softly.

“What do you mea-ACKPTH!” Her words were cut off as Dash bounced up and down on the cloud, drowning her in a lukewarm rain shower but getting her most definitely clean. Spike too, though he had to scrub at his scales a bit.

The water thus dispersed, she could hear Rainbow Dash stifling a huge chuckle as she floated down. “Nevermind that. So you’re here to check up on the festival prep, huh? Don’t worry, I’ll take care of those clouds in a jiff. I’d never leave Ponyville hangin’.” She grinned cockily, tilting her head with a very familiar confidence. “Besides, I need to be rested up for the big event tomorrow.”

Twilight pushed aside her wet mane to arch an eyebrow at the weather pegasus. In an instant, Rainbow Dash went from cocky to almost deliriously excited. “The WONDERBOLTS!” she exclaimed, launching herself off the ground in a bouncing flip. “I’m gonna finally have a chance to show ‘em my stuff! Once they see my patented tricks, I’ll be a shoe-in for Wonderbolt Academy!” Her beaming smile was like no few Twilight had seen before, but… there was something about this pegasus.

“Oh? You? With the Wonderbolts?” She put on her best challenging smirk, cocking her head to one side. “When you can’t even get the skies clear before the big event?” If this mare was anything like Spitfire, there was no way in Tartarus she’d be able to resist that challenge…

“Hey!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, her body language going stiff and aggressive. “I can clear this entire sky, by myself, in ten seconds flat.” She crossed her forelegs over her chest and smirked. “Guaranteed.”

Twilight couldn’t help it. She giggled softly. That would take some serious speed indeed. “Okay then, Rainbow Dash.” She arched an eyebrow. “Prove it.”

The pegasus’ smile turned hard and bright… and suddenly a massive pressure wave of air blow dried her mane into a bushy curl as Dash launched from the ground at an astonishing speed. Twilight prided herself on her excellent sense of time… and what followed was undoubtedly one of the most incredible displays of aerial acrobatics she’d ever seen. Rainbow Dash wasn’t just fast and agile, she was a natural born athlete of astonishing skill, and it was more than a little arousing to watch her work.

By the time she hit the ground, exactly ten seconds later, Twilight had already decided she wanted to introduce her to Spitfire and Cadence. This pegasus was wasted in a small town like this. “What’d I say? Ten. Seconds. Flat.” Rainbow smirked, and Twilight knew she couldn’t keep the look of amazement off her face. Rainbow Dash giggled and nudged her with a grin. “You’re somethin’ else, Twilight Sparkle. I think you and I could become fast friends. Catch’ya later!” And then she was gone, off into the sky like a blaze of color.

It was very, very hard to keep her mind on her job in that moment, and a few seconds later, Spike’s talons snapped in front of her eyes. “Earth to Twilight! We can stare at filly flanks later. We’ve got work to do and a world to save, remember?” Twilight shook her shock off, and nodded firmly. “Somepony just told me that the decorations pony is in Town Hall. We can pick up our keys and talk to her at the same time.” Spike gently prodded her, then swung up onto her back. She nodded silently, turned, and took off like a shot. She had to hurry, who knew what might be at stake.

~~~~~~~~~

The keys to the library acquired from a frazzled assistant to the Mayor, Twilight shoved open the doors to the town hall to find it bedecked in bright bunting and sparkling ribbons. Artfully sewn banners hung from the rafters and the upper balconies, and the entire place sparkled like new. In fact, the decorations here wouldn’t have disgraced a high-society Canterlot party. “That’s… so beautiful!” Spike sighed happily, and Twilight felt a little amused.

“Well, it’s certainly nice, but really Spike, we’ve seen a hundred rooms like this!” She turned to look at him, and his eyes were not focused on the decorations, but the far end of the hall.

“Not those!” He waved irritably at the ribbons above their heads. “Her.” His talon pointed out a white coated unicorn who had walked into view from one of the back rooms, carrying several large bundles of ribbon and cloth with her magic and humming a bright tune. Twilight blinked, having only seen white-coated unicorns before in Canterlot. It was supposed to be a sign of being directly related to one of the ancient royal families, or so Prince Blueblood had nagged her about nigh-on constantly.

“Hmm… No…. No…” She was comparing swatches of ribbon to one another, nibbling cutely at her lower lip before finally tying a big sparkling bow around one of the pillars. She took a step back and beamed at it. “Perfect! Always a classic. Rarity dear, you are a talent.”

Twilight stared for a moment. Her jaw nearly hit the floor at the sound of that absolutely cultured voice, sweetly whispering at her ears in perfect Canterlot High Society tone. Her mane was artfully coiffed in a way that utterly baffled Twilight, given that it had to have taken a skilled stylist to produce it, and she moved with a liquid grace that even Cadence might’ve envied. She shook herself back to sense, just in time to catch the unicorn’s eye. “Ah, good morning!” she called out, raising a hoof with a smile. “I’m Twilight Sparkle, and I’ve come here to -”

The unicorn whom Twilight presumed had to be the Rarity her list spoke of, gasped in an incredibly dramatic and horrified way. “Darling! Your coiffure! What in Equestria happened to you?!” She raced over at top speed, and Twilight flicked her eyes skyward.

At some point during her conversation with Rainbow Dash, her mane had gone flyaway and bushy as all get out. She blushed and grinned. “Ah… yeah, my mane is kind of in a mess right now. Sorry about that. Anyway, I’ve come from -”

“No no no no! That simply will not do!” She grasped Twilight firmly by the shoulders and marched her forcibly out of the town hall. “We absolutely must do something about this! Come with me, darling. We’ll get you fixed up in a jiffy!”

Twilight opened her mouth, but the dreamy look on Spike’s face convinced her to close it. She sighed, silently. Today just was not going according to plan.

~~~~~~~

By the time Twilight had escaped from the hooves of the incredibly enthusiastic fashionista, the sun was hanging up high in the sky, and she scowled a bit at it. Time was slipping away from her like so many papers in a windstorm, and she wasn’t certain how long it would take to find what she needed in the library. That meant she had to hurry. Fortunately, Rarity had been quite knowledgeable about her last destination, and in spite of the fact that Spike was still gazing dreamily back into the boutique, she took off at her best speed toward the forest path.

Sure enough, the sound of birdsong rose above the bushes and trees with a majestic chord. Her ears perked to full alertness, and she picked up the pace, Spike muttering about being in too much of a hurry as he clung to her neck. She rounded the corner and skidded to a stop as she spotted the yellow pegasus standing by a tree mostly bare of leaves, but covered in bright and beautiful southern birds… one of which had broken off into a jazzy little solo that was discordant with the others.

The yellow pegasus sighed and flittered up to where the bluebird was still belting out it’s tune and gave it a mock-stern look. “Now, Mister Blue. I know you’re very talented, but I need you to stay with the chorus, okay?” Her voice was whisper soft and silken smooth, and actually quite cute. The little bird chirruped, and she gave a warm smile. “Thank you ever so much. Now, is everybody ready?” The birds chorused at her… and it clicked.

She could talk to the animals.

The excitement at seeing such an amazingly rare magical talent on display sent a surge of energy into her. She quickly rushed over, practically bouncing in place, her voice set to rapid fire. “Hello there! I couldn’t help but see you were communicating with the animals and -”

The yellow pegasus squeaked, and all of the birds quickly dispersed as she dashed behind the tree in sudden fright. Twilight instantly put on the brakes of her enthusiasm, and felt her cheeks burn bright red. “Oh, goodness I am so very sorry I frightened you!” she gushed out, stopping in place and then… actually watching the other pony. “Um… I’m Twilight Sparkle, and I’ve come to oversee the Summer Sun preparations. Are you Fluttershy?” She tilted her head to one side at the other pony, who was slowly un-tensing from her momentary panic.

The pegasus nodded once, but otherwise didn’t talk or move. She rubbed at the tree with her hoof and looked away from Twilight. Oh, Celestia she’s… well, her name. Twilight felt instantly awkward, and took in a deep breath. She tried to do as Cadence often did for her, and project as much calm and harmlessness as she could with a gentle smile of her own. “It’s okay. I just wanted to say you were doing a terrific job, and I’m really looking forward to the performance.” She put on her best non-threatening body language, then cast her eyes about. Somehow, Spike had gotten lost in the shuffle, and she knew he’d be a perfect connection to -

“Jeeze, Twilight, you need to watch when you go whole-hog like that,” Spike grumbled as he hauled himself out of the bushes, brushing off the stray leaves and branches. Twilight kept her eyes focused on Fluttershy, and sure enough her eyes brightened, went suddenly wide and… and Twilight could have predicted the next reaction with an amused grin.

“A baby dragon!?” Fluttershy exclaimed, and immediately let loose with an adorable squee-sound. Fluttershy instantly dashed past Twilight, and she turned to see Spike suddenly staring bemusedly at the enthusiastic pony now holding him up by the armpits. “Ohmygoodness, he’s so very adorable and cute, and he TALKS!” She nearly snuggled him on the spot, but instead set him down and put on a brilliant smile. “Do you have a name, little dragon?” she cooed softly, and Twilight grinned. This was perfect.

“Uh… My name’s Spike!” he proclaimed, quickly adjusting to the attention with a smile of his own, his gaze turning to Twilight for a moment. “Uh, hey Twilight! Where’re you going?!” His voice wasn’t quite panicked yet, but it was concerned given how much Fluttershy was already fawning over him

Twilight waved happily and silently, knowing her smile looked purely mischievous as she snuck away from the two. Secure in the knowledge that Spike would make sure she was ready for the celebration, and also that she wouldn’t need to worry about him trying to distract her from the much more important task of researching the mysterious Nightmare Moon and the Elements of Harmony. He’s going to get me for this, but I’ll bet I can distract him with a gem or two later, she thought with a chuckle and set off for the library at a quick trot.

Chapter 6 - Friendship (And Love) is Magic

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~~~~The Golden Oaks Library~~~~

Twilight felt a touch winded after all the running she’d been doing, so she slowed her pace as she approached the library, late evening beginning to fall over the town. The sun still shone over the horizon, but darkness was not far away. She had to admire the cleverness of building the town’s library into a hollowed-out tree. It was actually pretty charming, and reminiscent of Star Swirl the Bearded’s famous tree-lab.

And just as she reached the door, a smooth voice piped up behind her, “Hey there, beautiful. What’s a cute filly like you doing in a town like this?” The voice was more than familiar, and it sent a sudden thrill of happiness through her body as she whirled around in excitement. Touching down was a bright pink coated pegasus, her mane in swirls of bright purple and pink, not unlike her own and a pair of unmistakable violet eyes with a big red stylized heart and a musical note for a cutie mark.. She had a wide smile on her face, and her forelegs opened wide.

Twilight didn’t even hesitate. “Cad-!” She stopped mid word, even as she hugged her oldest friend as close and tightly as she could. “Wait, It was… um…” She thought as hard as she could, as it had been a long time since Cadence had gone out into the world in disguise like this. She shook her head. “I can’t remember, but what are you doing here?!” Not that she minded, but Celestia had been insistent that Cadence had other duties…

Cadence giggled. “Love Beat, Twily,” she winked with that sparkling gaze of hers that was hard to not smile right back at. “And Auntie can clop off.” Her voice wasn’t venomous, but it was kind of angry. “I’m not going to spend one of my few free holidays of the year moping around Canterlot because Aunty got a bug up her butt about something.” She huffed, squeezing Twilight one more time before letting go. “So, I’m assuming Spike’s running errands?”

Twilight felt her smile broaden. Cadence would believe her, she just knew it! “Sort of, but we’ve got a bigger concern.” She turned to the door and Cadence fell right in step. They were a team, and that was worth a hundred of any other pony Twilight could name. “There’s an ancient pony prophecy you see, about the return of The Mare in the Moon, who is secretly the ancient conqueror Nightmare Moon!”

Cadence nodded, gesturing for her to go on as Twilight fiddled with t he library keys. “It says that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars would aid in her escape and…” She gulped as she undid the lock. “I think that’s going to be tonight! I just…” She winced, tucking the keys into her bag. “Celestia doesn’t believe me, I think. I need to find out something about the Elements of Harmony as quickly as I can, just in case I’m right!”

Cadence glanced down for a moment, then took a deep breath, nodding. “I agree. Between the two of us, I bet we can quickly sweep the library for any information it has… and hopefully if things go sour, we can find a solution between the two of us.” She grinned, holding up a hoof, and Twilight bumped it right back. “Love Conquers All, after all, and I am The Alicorn of Looooove.” She turned the word into a sexy little sound, and Twilight couldn’t help but giggle at it.

Gone, instantly, was the stress of worrying about it. She wasn’t alone, and that was… just… so wonderful that Twilight didn’t have words for it. She pushed open the door to the dark library. “Oh, poo!” she exclaimed, quickly trotting in. “You’d think they could have lit a lamp or something.” Twilight restrained her angry mutters as Cadence followed her in, and without another word called her magic into her horn, casting the basic candlelight spell and-

”SURPRISE!”

Only years of being used to Fleur De Lis’ antics prevented her from unloading an energy blast into the crowd. Cadence’s wings flared out, but she handled it much better than Twilight did, her smile not even wavering. The whole library was packed with all sorts of different ponies, none of whom Twilight had seen before, except for that one grey Mailmare who was hanging out near the punchbowl and- “Surprise!” Went the strange pink earth pony from before, her smile as broad as a pair of barn doors as she popped up mere inches from Twilight’s face.

The pink pony then launched into a rapid-fire barrage of words, Cadence merely looking on in astonishment, Twilight suitably impressed and annoyed by her sheer unadulterated energy. “Were you surprised? I hope you were surprised, I saw you walking into town and oh, yeah! I’m Pinkie Pie! And I know everypony in town, but I didn’t know you so I was all like-” she gave a huge, exaggerated gasp of air, not unlike the one she’d done earlier. “And so since I always throw parties for new ponies in town I decided I had to throw one for you, and I invited everypony and that wasn’t easy, and-”

She paused midstream, eyes alighting on Cadence, and smacked her forehead with a hoof. “And here I was thinking I’d seen all the new ponies in town and I missed you and I’m so very very sorry, but I guess we’re just gonna have to turn this celebration up to ELEVEN!” With that, and after dashing off in a puff of speed for a moment, she returned with extra big party hats and snapped them both on Twilight and Cadence’s heads before either could comment.

Twilight couldn’t restrain her laughter, and Cadence was not far behind with the giggles. The one who called herself Pinkie Pie beamed at them happily. “Wonderful! I can tell you’re both going to fit in just fine here in Ponyville, now I gotta get some more cupcakes because we’ve got another newpony, but don’t you two fret, I’ll be riiiiiiiiiiiiight back!” Off she went again in a puff of speed, leaving the door to the library flapping happily behind her.

Cadence shook her head in astonishment. “Please tell me she’s the one in charge of the celebrations here. I want to inflict her on the Princess.” Her smile was wickedly wide, her eyes a-sparkle. “I bet she could really liven up the Grand Galloping Gala.”

Twilight mused for a moment, then nodded. “Her name did sound familiar, but Spike has the list. Nevermind.” She sighed and glanced around the library at the raucous party already kicking off. “Theres no way in Tartarus that we’re going to get any good research done in this mess. We’re just going to have to wing it and see what happens, much as that scares me, personally.” She shivered a little, suddenly feeling cold.

Cadence wrapped a warm wing around her, as she had so many times before. “Don’t worry, Twily. We’ll get things sorted out, I promise. But I suppose we have a duty to meet everypony.” She heaved a gusty sigh, though Twilight was hardly taken in by the display. Giving Cadence a mock glare, she tapped her hoof severely… which eventually earned her a weary smile. “Okay, okay, so it’s not that bad. Look, I’m just happy I get to spend the time with you.”

That made Twilight blush, and she smiled. “Same.” It wasn’t a huge declaration, but it felt right. She squeezed Cadence’s hoof, and the two of them set off into the rallying party. More than anything right now, she wanted to learn the name of that odd Mailmare and find out if it really was Ditzy or not.

~~~~~~~~

Sure enough, it was impossible to break through the ranks of new ponies to meet and get any research done. Instead, Twilight compensated by stuffing her right saddle bag full of contingency spells written onto scrolls. It wouldn’t be much against some kind of force that was the equal of Celestia, but it might buy her enough time to get away with Cadence to help and go find Celestia.

The pair of them walked in companionable silence towards the Town Hall as the moon rose high into the sky. The Sunrising ceremony might be a bit awkward with Cadence having snuck in, but Twilight was for once prepared to stand up for it. Cadence was her friend after all, and her very closest one. She wasn’t about to lose a good moment to spend time with her, especially given how… well…

She decided on the spot, that when Celestia did the Sunrising she was going to kiss Cadence. It was a very old Equestrian tradition to kiss your beloved during the ceremony, as a sign of your devotion to her or him being renewed. She knew Cadence felt strongly about her, even if the words were never spoken. Maybe… maybe this year would be the one, where she finally lost her fear of what might be.

The town hall was packed with ponies young and old, and Fluttershy’s bird chorus was waiting in the wings. Spike trundled over to her through the crowd, his eyes going straight to Cadence, and gave a long-suffering sigh. “Well, at least I know why you didn’t come back for me.” He socked Twilight in the foreleg and grinned, wrapping his talon around her shoulder. “You’re lucky I love you, you nut.”

Twilight smiled softly. “Yes, I am, Spike, and I love you too little brother.” She hugged him right back, until the music began to play from the bright and peppy bird chorus. The hall went silent as the Mayor stepped out onto the Town Hall stage and cleared her throat… and Twilight instantly tuned her out, casting her gaze upwards. The clerestory windows high above her head gave her a superb view of the moon, and the familiar mare upon it… and the face suddenly vanishing in a flash of light as four stars vanished behind the moon.

Her heart went cold as ice, the prophecy’s words echoing in her head. The stars will aid in her escape… She glanced around quickly, then turned to Cadence. “We’ve got to find Celestia, right now!” she whispered as quietly as she could. Cadence turned to her with a look of surprise, and Twilight pointed up at the moon. “The Mare in the Moon is gone! We’ve got to act quickly!”

Cadence’s eyes shrunk to pinpoints, and she gave a resolute nod. The music crescendoed behind them, and suddenly the town hall was filled with muttering sounds of worry. It was hard to try and worm her way to the back of the crowd, even with Cadence leading the way. The Mayor’s voice rose over the crowd, calling for calm. They were just about to exit when the doors when the doors suddenly slammed shut within inches of Twilight’s face. “Gah!”

A dark, sinister laugh filled the air, and the temperature in the hall dropped like they had been plunged into an icebox. “Oh, my dear, beloved subjects…” The voice oozed contempt and fury, and Twilight whirled to see the pitch-black figure poised upon the balcony. “It’s been so long since I’d seen your precious, little, sun loving faces…” She spat the words, her eyes narrowed like those of a dragon. She radiated aggression, anger, and a power that made Twilight’s mouth go dry.

“What did you do to our Princess!?” Rainbow Dash’s voice cut through the air, and she nearly took wing, only to be stymied by Applejack grabbing at her tail, barely restraining her from going straight at Nightmare Moon.

The dark figure chuckled richly, in a manner that sent a chill down Twilight’s spine. “I’ve got a number six, a number twelve, a number three and a number eighteen in my bag. Get them ready,” she whispered at Cadence, who nodded minutely. She knew all of Twilight’s best tricks almost as well as Twilight did. Oh-so-subtly, she took the scrolls from Twilight’s saddlebags and grabbed Spike’s limp form off her back. Cadence didn’t question her… They’d pulled this kind of dramatic exit before.

The dark mare’s voice turned silky smooth, almost seductive. “Why… am I not royal enough for you, my dears? Did you forget my legend so easily?” A trail of her enchanted mane reached out, lifting Rarity’s chin up to stare into her menacing gaze. “Did you not see the signs?!” she snapped, fixing her glare upon the rest of the room.

They needed time for Cadence to get set up so… Here goes nothing… “I did!” Twilight exclaimed, marching boldly to the center of the room. The dark alicorn’s gaze fixed on her, suddenly interested. “And I know exactly who you are. You’re the Mare in the Moon! Nightmare Moon!” Her proclamation sent the entire room into gasps of horror and fright, but she stifled her own fear. I am the student of Princess Celestia, and I won’t let you intimidate me! The defiance was silent, but it bolstered her nerves.

“Well, well… Somepony who remembers me. How intriguing.” Nightmare Moon sauntered over to the balcony, regally laying a upon it. “Then I suppose you know why I am here, little pony?” Her eyebrow arched challengingly.

It was not a pleasant experience, being held in that baleful regard, but Twilight held her head high. She wasn’t going to show this bitch one ounce of fear. “You’ve come back… to bring about Eternal Night.” The words quavered a bit, but she stared the dark being right in the eye. She’d learned her lesson from Hoity Toity a long time ago… if you didn’t stand up to ponies like this, you got walked all over.

There was a twinkle of something in Nightmare Moon’s gaze… almost like respect. “Yesss….” her voice hissed out, thick with desire. “Remember this day, little ponies. For it shall be your last. From this moment forth, the night will last FOREVER!” She loosed a torrent of mad laughter, lightning and dark power swirling about the room like an evil storm. As soon as it came, it ended, her gaze snapping back to Twilight. “But you… I sense something different in you. Something intriguing. Perhaps I can have a little fun, first…” Her gaze narrowed and her horn began to glow with a dense power….

“NOW!” Twilight screamed, and suddenly the air was full of colorful explosions of light and sound, the front doors of the town hall slammed open by a blast of force as Twilight spun on her hooves. Blinding flashes filled the air, and Nightmare Moon’s scream rent the air like wet cloth. “EVERYPONY OUT! NOW!” Twilight yelled, and the crowd obeyed. Within moments, the street was full of rushing ponies. Cadence was alongside her mere moments later, galloping with Spike in tow. “We need to get to the library! We’ve got to find something!” she yelled over the din, and Cadence nodded in grim silence.

There was little else to say, at least for now.

~~~~~~

Cadence’s heart was cold with fear and fury. Celestia was utterly missing, and she had to suspect the worst. Twilight hadn’t merely been right - she’d been prophetic. There was no time for subtlety, and no time for hesitation. They had to find out more about these ‘Elements of Harmony’ as quickly as they possibly could. Between her and Twilight, with luck, they’d have the power to do something.

The door to the library was burst open before Twilight’s magic, and Cadence charged in behind her, slamming it shut. There was no telling how long Nightmare Moon would take to find them, nor how powerful she might actually be. Cadence turned to see Twilight already sifting through every book in the library, her eyes darting rapidly across the titles of every book, sometimes sifting through one before tossing it aside. Cadence took a moment to tuck Spike into a bed, and then darted back to aid in the search.

It was nearly ten minutes going through shelf after shelf in companionable silence before something happened… A whole group of somethings, actually. “Hey! Open up in there!” That was the brash and determined voice of the pegasus that had called out Nightmare Moon, just beyond the door. Twilight looked up in bewilderment, and minutely shook her head at Cadence. “We know you’re in there, and we know you know what’s going on, so open the buck up!”

Cadence contemplated her options for only a moment before throwing open the lock and the door with a touch of subtle magic. Five figures marched into the tree, each one remarkably distinct from one another. An earth pony with an apple cutie mark, must be one of the Apple clan. Rainbow maned pegasus, haven’t seen one of those in forever. Pink earth pony, yellow pegasus, white unicorn, too! What an odd assemblage!

The brash pegasus dashed forward at an astonishing speed, getting snout-to-snout with Twilight. “Hey! What in the heck is going on!? Who the buck was that, and how did you know so much about her?!” Her eyes narrowed, every inch of her body taut with aggression. “Are you some kinda spy?!”

Twilight’s jaw dropped, but before Cadence could rally to her defense, the Apple clan member whacked the pegasus over the back of the head and dragged her to the ground. “Hold yer horses, Sugarcube! She ain’t no spy… but she does know what’s goin’ on.” The earth pony gazed soulfully at Twilight, and there was the oddest tug of magic there.. “Don’tcha, Twilight?”

Twilight took a deep breath and exhaled, then met her gaze. “It’s a little complicated, but I’ll explain as best as I can. I read all about the prophecy of her return, and it spoke of objects called the Elements of Harmony.” The word pulsed in the air, and once again Cadence felt a strange, alien magic tug at the world around her. Why wasn’t Twilight reacting to it? Twilight’s tone grew nervous, even afraid, “They’re the only things that can stop Nightmare Moon, but I don’t know what they are! Where to find them! Heck, I don’t even know what they DO!” Her voice descended into a wail, eyes wide with fear.

A bright, perky voice cut through the tension. “Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide!” Cadence turned to stare, along with everypony else in the room, as the pink earth pony extracted the tome, brandishing it proudly.

Twilight stared, then snatched the book out of the air, nearly knocking the pink one down. “Where in the name of Celestia’s backside did you find it, Pinkie!?” She was already cracking the book open and swiftly sifting through the pages.

Pinkie giggled and bounced happily around the room, “It was under Eeeee!” She sing-songed, the other four mares in the room rolled their eyes expressively. This was, apparently, normal behavior for her.

Except….

Something wasn’t right here.

Why would there be a book that we so desperately needed, one not even Canterlot had, right here, in this small town library, shelved in a perfectly easy place to find it? The thought gnawed at her, and Cadence felt a wave of suspicion over so coincidental an event wash over her. What was this strange, subtle magic that was humming through the air? Why was Twilight seemingly oblivious to it?

“Okay, so… I’ve got good news, and I’ve got bad news.” Twilight’s voice startled her from her thoughts, and Cadence decided right then to keep a very close eye on her tonight. “The good news is, they’re relatively close. The bad news….” She gulped softly, and turned to the group. “Is that their last known location is in the Palace of the Sisters… in the middle of the Everfree Forest!”

~~~~~~~~~

What followed next was one of the most surreal experiences in all of Cadence’s life. Time and time again, dark magic tried to stay their path as they traveled through the Everfree Forest, one of the most dangerous places in all of Equestria. And time and time again, the individual courage, tenacity, and personalities of the five strange mares who had appeared as if from nowhere proved to be the perfect keys to overcome their obstacles.

Now, an ancient stone castle she had never seen before loomed large in front of her, like a titan out of legend. The subtle magics were buzzing around Twilight and her five new companions like rippling guitar strings. And no matter how much Cadence wished to, she hadn’t been able to intervene to help Twilight at all. It had been utterly maddening, as coincidence that was obviously not coincidence kept her out of the fray until the danger had been overcome.

“This must be it,” Twilight whispered, and the five friends nodded. Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy and Rarity. They were names that resonated. Names that Cadence was certain should mean something to her, but she didn’t know what. “Come on, girls! We’ve got to hurry!” Twilight scampered up the stairs, all of her usual anxiety and shyness around new ponies absent. Somehow, in a matter of hours, these five ponies had pierced Twilight’s tough shell and found the pony that Cadence had long known underneath.

She followed at the quickstep, more convinced than ever that even if she couldn’t help up to this point, she had to stay close to Twilight. The stairs were ancient, but so solid that Cadence felt no fear galloping up them. They carried the merry little band up to a grand hallway, ancient stained glass window frames empty eyes out into the world. Two thrones, side by side with tattered banners hanging above them, one blue, one bright gold. And there, in the center of the room, a dias.

Five stone spheres sat, stylized gems carved into their faces. “The Elements of Harmony,” Cadence whispered, as Twilight quickly began bringing them down from the dais, but… “One, two three, four, five…. Twilight, didn’t your book say there were six of these things?” Cadence felt her brow furrow, then a stroke of fear. Had some ambitious treasure hunter carried it away, long ago?

Twilight nodded sadly. “Yes, but it also said that when the Five are present, a spark will cause this Sixth to appear.” She paused, glaring at the five stones in a bit of annoyance.

“An what’n the hay’s that supposed to mean?” Applejack groused, and Cadence stifled a grin. She had to admit, even amidst all this strangeness, she’d come to nurture quite a liking for these five mares herself. They were all just so charming. It was almost strange how easily she developed a liking for them.

Twilight shook her head slowly. “I’m not sure but… I’ve got an idea. I’d stand back if I were you.” Her body took on an air of supreme concentration, closing her eyes, magic bursting to life around her horn. Twilight bit at her lower lip a little, and began weaving some kind of spell…

Applejack nodded. “Come on y’all. We’ll give her privacy so she can concentrate. Ya’ll comin’, Love Beat?” She arched an eyebrow at Cadence, obviously still unsure of what to make of her presence.

Cadence shook her head. “No, I’m going to keep watch, just in case. I know how Twilight can get when she gets wrapped up in a spell, and I want to make sure somepony’s here to watch her back.” She was worried though. Twilight was almost never this slow with a spell. What was she working on…?

Applejack tipped that hat at her with a grin and a nod. “Well, I reckon you might jes’ be a stand up pony after all.” With that mysterious comment, she vanished out the stone door.

Cadence exhaled heavily, happy at the very least that the thrumming, subtle magic had vanished from the air for the moment… only to hear a shriek of sudden fear. She wheeled about, seeing the five stone spheres being lifted into the air on a whirlwind of dark magic. “The Elements!” Twilight yelled and leapt at them…

“Twilight!” Cadence screamed and jumped after her, only to be caught up in a sudden explosion of white light and magic. Smoke billowed through the air, and Cadence fought off a coughing fit as Twilight did the same. “What in the….?”

A smooth, sly chuckle rippled through the air, and Cadence found herself staring down the ancient, smirking alicorn. The five stone spheres settled to the ground about her, her voice a purr. “How incredibly intriguing. A pegasus in disguise and a unicorn with the brains to find the Elements of Harmony. It makes me wonder what my dear sister has been up to lately…” The smile turned nasty, her eyes narrowing. “So just what do you two intend to do then, hmm?”

Twilight and Cadence shared a glance, the unicorn nodding minutely at the Elements, biting at her lip. “I’m faster, and I can dodge better,” Cadence said bluntly, and Twilight nodded. She didn’t look happy about it, but Cadence sure as heck wasn’t terribly enthused over what she was about to do. “Go for the Elements,” she snapped, “I’ll keep her occupied!” Cadence wheeled and felt a fierce grin split her muzzle, pawing a hoof at the stone floor.

“Hah! You’re… Joking. You’re joking, right?” Nightmare Moons’ voice was flat, dangerous. Cadence flared out her wings and flung herself across the room in a blur. Nightmare Moon’s eyes went wide, and she unleashed a blast of energy that Cadence banked around, the sheer, insane power of it sending a thrill of fear down her spine. Get caught by one of those, and she would be fried like an egg.

Cadence twisted about and kept to her head-on charge. She had to draw her off that dias... “You foal! You cannot hope to best me!” Nightmare Moon snapped, hurling herself at Cadence with a malevolent scream. Terrifying as it was, at least she’d gotten her attention. Okay, now what!? The thought surged through her panicked mind, and she threw herself into the tightest possible turn she could manage as another bolt nearly lanced through her, blasting a hole in the wall instead.

There was a sudden flash of purple light, and Cadence saw Twilight teleport into the midst of the five stones. Time. She needs time. Gotta keep her occupied! “That all you’ve got!?” she yelled, trying to grab the Alicorn’s attention, and was rewarded with another beastial scream and a blast of power. It took every ounce of her ability on the wing to drop to the deck, the energy arcing over her to shatter a stone column.

Bravado was all she had now, and she launched herself back to the air. “You’re not half the fighter Auntie Celestia is!” she jeered at Nightmare Moon, flapping her wings as hard as she could to circle around back to her. Another shot surged past, but Cadence was just too limber on the wing. “You’ve got seriously lousy aim!” she taunted again, as the glow around Twilight grew brighter and brighter. Just a little bit longer…

“Auntie?!” Nightmare Moon spat, then her eyes widened, the draconic pupils narrowing to slits. “So. That is her intention. But it will be all for naught!” She whirled into a cloud of inky black power, flitting through the air at impossible speeds. Cadence wheeled and tried to react, only to see Twilight flung away from the dais by a burst of power. “Now, DIE!” the Nightmare screamed, her horn unleashing a torrent of energy…. aimed straight at Twilight.

Suddenly, the subtle buzzing magic was back… and Cadence felt something snap inside of her. “NOT MY BELOVED YOU BITCH!” The words ripped from her throat, her concealed horn unleashing a bright violet and pink blast of power that slammed into the Nightmare’s own, blasting it from existence. A wave of backlash slammed into her, leaving her mind reeling with the feeling of the power she had tapped into and the pain of the insane spell she’d just cast.

Nightmare Moon screamed in frustration and slammed her hooves into the ground, a wave of power shattering the five spheres of stone. “HAH!” Nightmare Moon crowed as Cadence stumbled to her knees, stunned by her exertion. “Now your precious elements are worthless! None can stand against me now!”

Twilight slowly pulled herself to her hooves, and glanced over her shoulder… and a soft, tentative smile crossed her face. “That’s where you’re wrong, Nightmare Moon,” she said calmly, lifting herself up with a triumphant grin, “because the stones were never what was important… what was important were the spirits of the Elements!” Five mares thundered up alongside Twilight, each and every one of them fixing Nightmare Moon with a fierce glare. “And the spirits of the Elements are right here!” Twilight exclaimed, a massive wave of magic sending Cadence toppling into unconsciousness.

~~~~~~~~

Cadence did not know how long she floated in silent darkness, only that the next thing she felt was a familiar pair of hooves shaking her, and… “C-C-... Love Beat! Wake up! Oh, Celestia, please!” There was a feeling of warmth as her vision swam back into being, showing her… a stunned, scared looking Twilight wearing a golden crown, inset with a huge, sparkling violet gemstone in the shape of her cutie mark. “Oh… Oh good.” Twilight’s voice cracked. “You’re okay,” she whispered, and embracing her as tightly as she ever had.

“What happened?” she heard her voice croak, rubbing at her eyes first before firmly returning Twilight’s embrace. “It’s okay, Twilight. I think I just got overwhelmed by… something.” She shook her head, mind still fuzzy and unfocused. What was that strange crown she was wearing? And what had hit her?

“The magic of the Elements of Harmony, no doubt.” Cadence’s blood froze, and she fought herself slowly up to a sitting position to look into the stern, disapproving stare of Princess Celestia. “They were especially potent upon their rebirth, not to mention the return of my sister, Princess Luna.” Celestia’s gaze was hard at first, but then it… softened, oddly. “I thought I told you to remain in Canterlot, Love Beat.” She hadn’t of course, but the implication had been there when she hadn’t been informed.

Cadence shook her head firmly, slowly regaining her clarity. She wasn’t going to accept that sort of logic, not after what had just happened. “You’d better be glad I was here, Princess Celestia,” she responded sharply, eyes narrowed and forelegs holding Twilight even more tightly. “Besides, I promised I would spend the holiday with Twilight, and I wasn’t about to break a promise.”

Celestia stared at her with a strange look, then turned her head to Twilight. “My faithful student, would you be so kind as to give me and Love Beat a bit of privacy? Go see to Princess Luna, and make certain she is recovering well.” For a fleeting moment, Twilight looked ready to snap at the Princess, something that utterly shocked Cadence, before Celestia’s gaze softened a touch. “Please, Twilight.” Her voice was pleading, and all too soft.

Twilight frowned, then nodded once. She trotted off with not much more than a warm, glorious smile for Cadence, leaving her alone in the grand stone hall with her aunt, and all too many questions. Celestia watched Twilight as she left the room, and sighed heavily. “Would that I understood what has happened here. Twilight told me that you actually deflected a blow from Nightmare Moon with nothing but your own magic.” Her eyes were sharp as she focused on Cadence. “You must understand how impossible that is, unless you…”

She trailed off for a moment, and Cadence hugged herself. She couldn’t answer that question, because she was all too certain what path it might lead down. Celestia simply tilted her head, her face neutral. “Twilight will, of course, be remaining here in Ponyville to continue her studies into the magic of friendship. And you have duties in Canterlot that you must see to.”

Cadence wanted to stop herself, but her emotions and heart were the ones in the driver’s seat right now, not her logic. “Try to separate me again from Twilight, and I will never speak to you again, Auntie.” Her voice snapped, brimming with a fear and anger she had no idea lived within her. “I nearly lost her tonight to some mad plan of yours,” she continued, her voice now carrying her away, along with her emotions, “and don’t try and deny it! This has your hoofprints all over it, Celestia!”

Cadence forced herself to her hooves and marched up until she was snout-to-snout with her aunt, feeling the fire raging in her heart in a way that it had not done so for a very long time. “I’m going to stay here, and protect the one I love, and there is no force in this world or any other that can stop me! Not even you!” Her rage seethed, the emotions boiling deep in her belly speaking of a truth she could not contain. The words spilled out from behind barriers long held up, and then gripped her soul in terror. Things were getting quickly out of control, and no doubt Celestia would swiftly move to stop them, and-

And Celestia was smiling. No. She wasn’t just smiling. There was a shimmer of withheld tears in her eyes, and a joy in her smile that shone as bright and warm as the sun. “Thank the Goddess,” she whispered, a long foreleg extending to embrace Cadence firmly, shocking her out of her anger. “I had feared… but no. Perhaps I ought to have known better, and trusted in you.” The words were mysterious and soft, and then Celestia laughed.

It had the sound of chiming bells to it, bright and joyful and unabashedly triumphant. “Very well. You may remain in Ponyville to act as Twilight’s personal assistant, alongside Spike. In disguise, since I’d rather not deal with the upheaval of an alicorn in Ponyville right now.” There was a sly look in Celestia’s eye, and Cadence instantly knew that her aunt was up to something again, and… and…

And now, she needed an explanation.

She gently pressed her hoof into Celestia’s chest, pushing her away for just a moment. “I cannot keep going like this without knowing what you’re doing, Aunt. Please. You must trust me.” She injected as much silent entreaty into her words as she could, meeting Celestia’s gaze. “I care just as much about Twilight as you do, and I know that there were far stronger magics at work here tonight than could have occurred naturally.”

Celestia looked away for a moment, and in that moment Cadence could see her aunt’s shoulders sag a little with a weight she had never seen before. “The world is faced with dangers it has not been confronted with for a thousand years and more, niece.” Her voice was soft, almost too soft, as she gazed into the bright moonlight. “There are threats that are imminent, and I have no idea when they will rear their heads. For too long, Equestria has been living on borrowed time. Even with the return of my sister, I have no hope of standing against them. And so I must prepare others to do so in my stead. ”

Cadence opened her mouth, and Celestia shook her head in denial. “Would that Shining Armor had not proven unsuitable to his task, perhaps I would not be scrambling for every advantage I could find. Tonight had to happen the way it did, Cadence. Had things proceeded in another way, had others taken the place of those five very special ponies…” Celestia’s head shook slowly. “I do not know what might have happened. And now, especially now of all times, I cannot risk uncertainty.”

Cadence felt her jaw drop a little, then she shook her head. “Wait! You mean you knew this would happen!?” She felt shock overtake her and grabbed at Celestia’s shoulder. “But Twilight said-”

“My most faithful student saw the signs, because I placed the clues in front of her. And because I had faith that she would be the mare you have so wonderfully helped me raise her into, she was triumphant.” Celestia’s voice was quiet and calm. “Just as once, long ago, I introduced you to young Shining Armor, in the hope that another ancient threat might be vanquished.” She looked Cadence right in the eye, and Cadence could feel the immense weight and pain in her voice. “I had thought he would be perfect for you. That his nature would ensure you two would ever be in sync with one another. When your mutual connection to Twilight drove him to the breaking point, though…”

Celestia’s eyes shut tightly, and Cadence felt herself astonished to see her aunt… crying. “Goddess, I had been so certain, and my certainty brought you and Twilight so very much pain.” She sniffled, just once, a gold clad hoof brushing away tears. “You must understand, Cadence. I know you loved him dearly, and so did I. But if he did not love you with the same and equal fervor, enough to see through every trial no matter how small and petty, any doubt in how he felt for you would have ultimately led to the destruction of you both. With what is to come, I could not risk being wrong, could not risk that he might be harboring doubts in his love for you, and so I removed him from the equation. I could not risk losing you both.” Her head fell, and a sob wracked her shoulders. “I have lost too many already to lose you two, now.”

Cadence felt herself almost unable to absorb all of this, and yet… if she was understanding Celestia correctly, then Shining had been sent away because… because of her. Because Celestia had needed her to… what? “Auntie, why have you done all of this? Why could you not just tell us what was going on!?” It was a question she’d stewed over for a very long time, but never once had she had the chance to ask.

Celestia took in a deep breath and exhaled softly. “I hate what I must be, Cadence.” Her voice was as bitter as poison, and eyes closing tightly. “Would that I did not have to send those I love into danger and peril. Would that I did not have to think with cold calculation about every action I take, or the things I must interfere with. Would that the world did not demand I sometimes act without feeling or emotion. I hate that part of me, Cadence. But no longer do I turn from it.” The tears ran slow down her cheeks now. “Too many heroes, too many brave ponies have given their final measure of resolve for Equestria to allow me to ignore it when need demands. I lost my sister once because I was too cowardly to do what I needed to do.”

With a shuddering breath, she continued. “You, Twilight, Shining Armor, and others you do not know of yet. You are my only hope to preserve Equestria and all of my little ponies. You are the heroes this time has given me.” She gave a little shudder, and without hesitation Cadence embraced her aunt tightly, trying to impart some comfort. “And so I must weigh necessary evil against the pleadings of my heart, and send those who I most dearly love into deadly danger and peril, and force new paths upon others in the hopes that their strength will be enough to do what I cannot. I must manipulate and maneuver behind the scenes, even though such actions sicken me. I can…” Celestia shivered and bowed her head to Cadence’s shoulder, her tears still falling. “I can but hope that you will forgive me. That Twilight will forgive me.”

For a few moments, Cadence sat and listened to the broken sobs of her monarch, her surrogate mother, and her friend. Whatever anger she felt in that moment was washed away by those tears, and silenced by those sobs. She could not bring herself to scream at her. Not now. “Of course I do, Celestia,” she found herself whispering, laying her head on Celestia’s shoulder, reveling in its softness. “I’ve never expected you to be perfect. I’ve only expected you to tell me these things, you silly pony.” In Celestia’s soul she felt that gentle, distant pain of loss and loneliness, but there was something else there now. A feeling of hope and bright joy.

The time for explanations was over. Now, she had to lay the foundations for the future. “But I wish a promise from you. I wish your word that you will not act in this way again towards Twilight or myself without consulting me. We both wish to protect Equestria as much as you do, auntie. Trust in us.”

Celestia drew in a shuddering breath and nodded firmly. “I give you my word, Cadence. Though I may not be able to tell you all the details, I shall not act directly without speaking to you first.” She silently crossed her chest with her hoof, and then with a whimsical smile stuck her hoof in her eye. “I promise.”

Cadence wasn’t entirely sure what the last part of that gesture was, but she was certain of the first. There was much they would still have to discuss, but Cadence could not allow her aunt’s pain to go on right now. This was to be a happy day, damn it. “So... Princess Luna, huh? You must tell me about her.” She asked, injecting a big dollop of good humor into her tone. “What did she do to earn your ire? Eat all of the cake?”

Celestia’s cheeks colored prettily, and she burst into sudden laughter. “Oh my goddess, no! She is my sister, returned to me after a thousand winters…” She beamed and wiped away the tears in her eyes. The massive joy that flared within her at the mention of Luna’s name... “And to see both you and Twilight like this on the very same day of her return, it is… It is almost too much.” Then Celestia did something Cadence had never seen her do. She giggled. For all of her tears, and all of the weight and pain in her soul, there was simply too much happiness to be let out as anything but a giggle.

Cadence stared for a moment, then felt her own giggle bubble up from her throat, and it was not long before they fell all over one another, laughing like schoolfillies. Then… Cadence had to say something, before the moment passed. “Celestia… What about you? What about...” It was a hard thing to speak of, but… but she would not be who she was if she couldn’t. “What about how you feel? Your needs? Is there anything I can do…?”

Celestia just shook her head, smiling faintly. “We shall see where the future takes us. For now though, nurture what you have found. We shall hope for more when tomorrow comes.” Kissing Cadence’s cheek, she helped her to her hooves. “Come. You must meet my sister, and I have a Sunrising ceremony to complete.”

~~~~~~~~

Two hours later, when Twilight turned and pressed a passionate kiss against Cadence’s lips, as Celestia rose into the air along with a glorious swift sunrise, Cadence did not feel strange, nor compelled to turn away. She turned into the kiss, and silently swore that she would find a way past her fears and doubts, that she would find the means to bring this filly all of the happiness she deserved. Twilight deserved that true love that burned in her heart, and Cadence could feel her magic aching to reach out and wrap itself around Twilight and never let her go.

Somehow, she would make this work. Somehow, she would regain control over her estranged magic and emotions. Somehow, she would make certain that Celestia was just as happy as Cadence was right now. Somehow, she would repair what had happened between her and Shining Armor, and make sure that her little beloved was never without her brother again, nor he without the love he deserved from somepony special. Somehow, she was going to make sure that there would be a happily-ever-after for everypony. For Celestia. For Shiny. For Twilight. For herself. She wasn’t sure how she’d do it, but she knew with Twilight at her side, she could figure it out.

They were a team, after all.

Chapter 7 - Stitching Things Together

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~~~~~Ponyville, months later.~~~~~

Twilight Sparkle tossed and turned, her head full of vague and clouded dreams. She couldn’t seem to put her hoof on them, couldn’t seem to find her way through the murk and miasma and… And why did she suddenly feel extra soft and snuggly? Why did she feel so safe, all of a sudden? And what was that wet feeling on her horn? And then on her-

Her eyes shot open, consciousness instantly coming back to her in a way that only usually happened when she woke up from a nightmare. The warmth was coming from the sleek form of Cadence, snuggled tightly up against her. The wetness was… Eww Cadey. Cadence had perched her head above Twilights, and it looked like she’d unconsciously licked her horn in her sleep. Likely from a dream, which was also where that hoof nestled between her hindquarters had probably come from.

Twilight rolled her eyes but smiled, gently dislodging Cadence from her body and slipping out of bed. Cadence would likely be sleeping for a little longer, so she decided to get a start on her day. Her time here in Ponyville had been quite an incredible series of events, all seemingly one after another. The Running of the Leaves, that dragon roosting on Smokey Mountain, the whole Winter Wrap-Up fiasco… It was kind of astonishing she’d managed to get any studying done at all!

A big help to that of course, had been Cadence. She’d never played the role of Love Beat for so long before, but she had slipped into her secret life like a fish into water. The town had come to appreciate her talent for setting any number of small issues aright with a few kind words or a helping hoof. More than a few of the married or committed couples in town had come to treasure her good sense, and though they did not know it, her subtle magics reinforcing the love of all those she encountered. Of course, there were a few grumbles over her free-loving, frisky, and flirtatious nature, but the town was inclined to look past that most of the time.

Twilight descended the steps a few minutes later, running her brush through her mane in even strokes as the scent of freshly made oatmeal hit her nose and the sound of Spike whistling a happy tune in the kitchen met her ears. Breakfast thus taken care of, she took a moment to give her library a quick lookover. Books shelved, shelves dusted, dust properly disposed of. Everything was in its proper place, which meant...

She grinned and snuck back upstairs. Spike wouldn’t be expecting her for the ten or fifteen minutes she usually spent spiffing up the library, which was more than enough time to have a little time with Cadence. Sure enough, the sound of the shower and Cadence’s beautiful voice singing a silly song filled the loft bedroom. Twilight slipped over to the bathroom door and with a little magic finagled the latch open without a sound.

Within, bright sunlight backlit Cadence’s form as she did a cute little dance under the shower head. The curtain turned it into a shadow-play, which was actually kind of sexy to watch for a few moments before she snuck into the room. When Cadence was turned about, her hooves working lather into her mane, Twilight leapt all at once into the shower and tackle-snuggled her from behind. “Surprise!” she crowed, sing-songing it like Pinkie Pie might have done.

“ACK!” Cadence yelled, but immediately started giggling madly, twisting about wetly to shove her soap covered hooves into Twilight’s mane and plant a long, sweet kiss on her lips. “Mmmf… Good morning to you too,” Cadence whispered softly, and Twilight shut her up with another firm kiss under the steaming hot water. She so treasured the moments like this, when she could steal away the time. Which wasn’t to say she didn’t get many opportunities, but she loved every single one of them anyway.

By the time Twilight got done with the kiss, all the soap had washed out of Cadence’s mane and had to be reapplied. Twilight, of course, volunteered. “So, Fancy Pants is coming in to town for a week, right?” This was a good time to make sure she had her hoof firmly on the pulse of this week’s complex series of plans. As well as her hooves carefully lathering up Cadence’s mane and not wandering to other parts of her body.

Cadence sighed happily at the sensation of somepony else doing up her mane and nodded lightly. “Yes, he’s tired of me writing letters to him about Rarity’s dresswork. He’s coming to see it for himself.” Her tone was happy, bright, and Twilight giggled at the thought of those letters. Cadence gave a small laugh of her own before continuing. “So we’ll have a chance to catch up with him. Fleur, sadly, cannot make it. She’s apparently quite busy with Photo Finish right now.”

Twilight sighed softly but kept her mood up. She’d get a chance to see Fleur soon, she was sure of it. “Well, one is better than none. Do you know when he’s coming in?” Cadence’s mane thus lathered, she let it sit for a few seconds while she gave Cadence’s body a good scrubbing with her hooves. Which was, of course, a good opportunity to get those hooves all over her lover's body and elicit a wide variety of fun noises.

Cadence shivered under her touch, and after a few cute moans gently slapped her hooves away. “Now, now, Twilight! Not before breakfast, you naughty little pony.” She looked back to flutter her lashes at Twilight, then grinned. “He should be in today or tomorrow, so we’d better go over to Rarity’s place and give her the good news.” She winked. “We wouldn’t want her to be surprised, or she might faint.”

Twilight laughed and set to her task. “She’s probably going to faint anyway!” Today was going to be awesome, she just knew it!

~~~~~~

Breakfast tucked away, the pair of them trotted off into town, headed for the Carousel Boutique. Unlike Canterlot, everything was pretty close together in Ponyville, so getting to Rarity’s place wouldn’t take very much time. Or rather, it normally wouldn’t, if they weren’t constantly bombarded with distractions or other little chores to be taken care of. By the time they were only a few dozen yards away from the library, they’d already acquired a half dozen little items for their day-to-day lives and stopped to speak with some of the other townsponies.

Of course, there was no such thing as a ‘simple’ trip across Ponyville, no matter how peaceful and quiet things were. “Hey, Twilight! Did you hear?” That was Rainbow Dash, diving down from her clouds with a challenging smirk on her face. “I’ve been accepted for the Best Young Flyer competition!” She did a happy little dance in the middle of the street at the proclamation, flaring her wings out in an adventurous pose. “And I’m going to wipe the floor with all the other competitors using my Sonic Rainboom!”

Twilight blinked in astonishment at that declaration. Not that Dash had been accepted, but that she was going to attempt a Sonic Rainboom to win it. “Wait. Nopony alive has ever done the Sonic Rainboom!” Cadence blurted out, her voice laden with disbelief. “The only one recorded in the modern era was a fluke of nature, and that was years ago! Are you trying to claim that was you?” Cadence scoffed and arched a challenging eyebrow. “That’s a bit of a stretch, even for you, Dashie.”

Rainbow Dash narrowed her eyes at her, huffing out a breath. “Only Pinkie gets to call me that. And theres no need to claim it, since I know I did it. That’s how I got my Cutie Mark after all.” She shook her flank at Cadence and grinned slyly. “Besides, I don’t need to brag. You’ll get to see along with everypony else at the competition, Lovey. Then your cute little banking tricks won’t look nearly as impressive.” Then she stuck out her tongue and let out a mighty fine raspberry.

Cadence rolled her eyes, and Twilight had to giggle. She knew what was coming next. “One of these days, that mouth of yours is going to get you into trouble, Dashie,” Cadence planted her hooves on her hips, the grin fierce on her face. “Or maybe It’ll be my mouth that gets you into trouble, once you finally admit how much you want me.”

Dash yawned impressively and wiggled a hoof at Cadence with a sly grin. “In your dreams, filly.” She socked her hoof into Cadence’s shoulder. “Like I want to take a ride on the town bicycle,” she sneered at Cadence, but Twilight shook her head. That was uncommonly weak for Dash, actually.

Cadence gave off a bright laugh, and put on her very best ‘sexy look’. “You’re just jealous because Pinkie likes me in the sack more than you.” She stuck out her own tongue and gave it a sexy little lick around her lips. “C’mon. You know you’re curious how I got her to scream like that when you came over. Betcha I can make you cum in ten seconds flat.”

There was a subtle pause, and Rainbow Dash burst into laughter and fell to the ground, kicking her legs up as her chuckles rolled. Cadence giggled madly while covering her mouth with her hooves, and Twilight just shook her head in astonishment. “I swear you two,” she half-growled, but they wouldn’t stop laughing. “You’re embarrassing me, sheesh!”

Dash finally recovered a few seconds later, shaking her head and wiping away the tears. “Twilight, I’m never gonna forgive you for telling her about that line.” She shook her hoof at Cadence, still grinning. “As for you, heart-butt, this isn’t the last you’ve heard of me today. I’m just in too good of a mood to really get going.” She winked and took to the air. “Just see if you can’t figure out some way to get the rest of the crew to Cloudsdale, will you, Twi?”

Twilight nodded. “I’ll do my best!” Then sighed as Dash, er… dashed away. The last thing she needed was more spell research, but she supposed she could dig up a wing spell or something. Cadence was still giggling for a full thirty more seconds before recovering. “Feel better?” She put on her best ‘stern teacher’ face and glared at Cadence.

Who was, predictably, unfazed. “Mmmph. Much, thank you.” Cadence grinned and began walking again, forcing Twilight to scramble to keep up. “Ah, if only she could just get over that ego of hers, that Dash would be… Mmm,” she purred, and Twilight resolutely ignored her. She was trying to get Twilight worked up now too, and that wasn’t going to happen! “I mean, I can just imagine with that tight athletic body… she could really rock a strapon, you know?” Cadence kept her voice pitched low enough so nopony around them could hear.

Twilight’s cheeks burned, and she smacked Cadence’s shoulder. “And now who’s the naughty pony, huh? Sheesh, Cadence.” She stuck out her tongue and shook her head. “I love her dearly, don’t get me wrong. But I think that might complicate things a bit, don’t you?” She fell silent for a few moments, stewing in her thoughts. Cadence looked a little sad, and Twilight wasn’t going to have any of that. “Now, Rarity on the other hoof…” she said slowly and giggled as Cadence returned the whack on her shoulder.

“She’d be ten times worse, and you know it,” Cadence laughed, then brightened up. “Oh! Well, would you look at that.” She pointed and sure enough, they were almost at the Boutique. “Funny, we usually have more trouble getting here in under an hour…” Cadence tilted her head, rubbing at her chin. “Why do I have this feeling that something is going to go wro- OOF! Excuse me!” she snapped out, sincerely distressed… and Twilight turned to see who she’d hit.

“Harrumph! I would hope you’d excuse that fat flank, young lady.” The voice was just as haughty and arrogant as it had been all those years ago. “Hmph! It was a mistake to come to this little mudhole of a town just because Fancy Pants said he was coming,” Hoity Toity sneered, and turned his gaze right past Twilight… probably not even recognizing her. She’d only been a little filly at the time, and she’d avoided him quite adroitly in the years since.

His voice hadn’t gotten any less annoying either. “I swear, the idea that any kind of fashion could come out of this hole is foolish at best. Sapphire Shores must’ve been trying to keep the attention away from her supplier.” He sniffed derisively, and Twilight felt the anger begin to boil in her belly. He didn’t even seem to notice they were standing there anymore. “And just look at this trashy place, so garish! So foalish! No wonder Princess Celestia sent that irritating little brat here.”

Cadence reached out to grab Twilight’s shoulder and tried to pull her back with a frantic headshake. But Twilight was already moving forward with a feel of cold anger in her belly. Hoity sighed as though grievously put upon, still talking to himself. “Oh well. Perhaps I can find some scrap here to bring back with me and use in one of my own designs. It’s not as though this small time loser designer would be able to stop m-”

He would never finish that thought, as Twilight reared to her hindlegs and let training take over. “Nopony talks about my friends like that!” she snarled, and Hoity turned just in time to take the patented Fleur De Lis right hook right across his chin, and she followed it up at astonishing speed with the the straight left right into his stupid sunglasses, which she broke. He hit the ground with a bounce, and the only thing that kept her from following up with it was Cadence grabbing her and hauling her back. “Nopony!” she yelled at his unconscious form, struggling to get back to beating him senseless.

“Twilight! You knocked him cold, simmer down!” Cadence yelled in her ear and added more frantically. “Twilight, other ponies are watching!” It was that which caused Twilight to snap out of it, to see several townsfolk staring at the downed pony… and for a brief moment, Twilight wondered if perhaps she shouldn’t have done that. They were all looking at her with a mixture of horror and momentary worry, until...

The front door to the boutique swung open, revealing Rarity. It was obvious to all she’d been standing there since the beginning of it, and though her face was stained with tears, her head was held high. She deliberately marched down the steps to where Hoity Toity lay, looking up at Twilight with a fragile but happy smile. “It is good to know a lady can always count on her friends to stand up for her,” Rarity sniffled, her voice tremulous, obviously restraining tears. “Now, would somepony be gracious enough to remove this…” she shook silently for a moment, “filth from my front step?” The words were practically spat, laced with venom.

In an instant, the townsponies’ fear turned to resolve and grim humor. A trio of stallions hauled Hoity up and winked cheekily at Rarity before galloping him off toward the edge of town. Rarity gave a derisive little sniff, though her trembling was still plain to see. “Really, Twilight. Wherever did you learn to punch like that?” She was clearly impressed, even as Cadence finally let her down to stand on her own four hooves.

Twilight paused, wondering if perhaps she ought to name the source. But Cadence was nodding, so she grinned. “Ah, Fleur de Lis taught me, actually. She’s quite the talented hoofboxer.” She tapped her hooves together, trying to keep the nerves out of her voice, given Rarity’s stunned look. “Um… We met through my foalsitter, you see…”

“Wait. Stop.” Rarity held up her hoof, her eyes wide. “You… You know Fleur De Lis? Chic Weekly’s fashion model of the year for four years running?” Rarity’s voice ended on a squeak with the last word, all of her emotive trembling gone from distressed to excited. Twilight made to speak, only to find her cheeks squished by Rarity’s hooves. “Oh, please Twilight, tell me you’re going to introduce us?” She fluttered her lashes fetchingly, and Twilight had to laugh a little.

Cadence giggled too. “Rarity, relax. We’re going to do you one better.” She winked. “C’mon, let’s go inside. I’m dying for a bit of your tea, and you’re going to want to be seated for this surprise.”

Rarity blinked rapidly, then shook her head. All trace of her nervy emotions gone, she beamed. “For you, Love Beat, I’ll break out my very finest leaves. But really darling, what could possibly be better than meeting the hottest fashion model in Equestria?”

~~~~~~~~

By the time Twilight had managed to calm Rarity down, the tea was done, and she was sipping at it with a look more reminiscent of Pinkie Pie than anypony else. Half giggly and delirious with excitement, her mane frizzed just a touch. Cadence was over near her work bench, sifting through sheets of designs while Twilight brought Rarity back to sanity. “Are you sure you’re alright, Rarity?” Twilight asked in genuine concern. The poor dear looked cracked like an egg.

“Oh! Oh yes. Just fine darling.” She coughed discreetly and took a much larger, less ladylike gulp of her fine green tea. “Um. When did you say he was coming, again? Today?” She squeaked around the last word again, and Rarity’s horn lit up to drag a pile of paper, art supplies, and a massive heavy book labeled ‘Ideas’. “I should be able to whip something up in…” Rarity began slowly, then stroked at her cheek. “Twilight, dear heart… have you made plans for what you’ll wear to the Gala?”

Twilight blinked and shook her head. “Well, to be honest, no. I’ve got a few nice things I could wear back in Canterlot but-” Her mouth was suddenly full of dramatically-placed hoof, and the rest of the reply muffled.

“That will simply NOT do!” Rarity proclaimed with all of the stern seriousness of Celestia at her most cross. “This is the Grand Galloping Gala! The biggest night of High Society hobnobbing in all of Equestria! I shan’t allow you to go in any old thing. We must design something that will grip the imaginations of every one of those ponies! Something that will have them talking about you for years to come!” She paused, her features lighting up with dawning wonder and excitement. “No, one alone will not do for Fancy Pants! I must design something for all of us!” And like a flash she was out of her chair, a flurry of art supplies and paper flying after her as she raced about the shop. “Pegasus styles for Dash, of course. Something homey but strong for Applejack, and goodness me, whatever shall I make for myself? Something fabulous, of course!”

Twilight barely managed to catch the discarded teacup before it hit the floor, Cadence slipping to her side with a look of tolerant bemusement. “Do you think she remembers that Fancy is going to be visiting?” Cadence wondered aloud, tilting her head in amazement as Rarity went to precise but frantic work on her first sheet of paper, jeweled glasses now perched cutely upon her snout.

“I think we’d better not try to interrupt her,” Twilight whispered conspicuously. “You know how she gets when she’s like this. I think we’d better go try to intercept Fancy Pants, so she doesn’t freak out when she isn’t ready.” She began tip-hoofing for the exit, Cadence right behind her, the pair of them quietly closing the shop’s door behind them, blowing deep sighs. “Okay. We’d better go tell the girls, too. Um… I’ll handle Fancy and get him to safety. You go find the girls and...” She paused and facehoofed. “Make sure they know Rarity really needs our support on this one. The last thing I need is Rarity having some massive freakout when Dash inevitably tries to ‘cool up’ her dress.”

Cadence nodded happily and swept up into the air. Twilight rubbed at her eyes, laughing softly. Well, she had wanted to ask Rarity to do a piece for her, and now she was going to get one! As she walked away though, her ears pricked in astonishment. Rarity? Singing?

”Stitch-by-stitch…”

~~~~~~~~

Love Beat… er, Cadence, quickly took to the wing across town. Fluttershy first. She’s the most likely to visit Rarity. If there was only one thing that had stuck with her about her new life here, it was that keeping everypony informed of things was exceedingly important. Not telling her friends when another friend was in a mood was the equivalent of juggling with volatile fireworks in the middle of a cupcake factory. Like asking for a very sticky explosion, and it would take a while to get the smell out of your coat.

So she put a little extra speed on as she headed for Fluttershy’s forest cottage, hoping that the rest of the team would be busy with their normal tasks. It was kind of strange, but… Well, Cadence had gotten to really enjoy the little, day-to-day things that had to be handled in Ponyville. Sure, it wasn’t quite the constant excitement of Canterlot, but dear Celestia when it did get exciting, it didn’t fail to impress!

Dead ahead of her was a project that had intrigued her as much as anything she’d ever done in all of her lifetime. Peeling down out of the sky to her front staircase was easy, as was the gentle knock on her door. “Hey, Fluttershy! Are you home?” she called, bright and chipper and gentle. Gentleness was the key with this filly, and she worked hard to keep herself from getting… overenthusiastic.

The door slipped open a moment later, with a single cute eye gazing out of the crack for a moment before opening to a warmer smile. “Good morning, Love Beat. Um…” Fluttershy hesitated a moment before continuing timidly, “Is something the matter?”

Fluttershy was the most reclusive, shy, introverted pony she’d ever met. She was so much worse than Twilight had been that it was almost horrifying. But while she knew she’d never change the adorable yellow pegasus’ essential nature, she was bound and determined to try to make it easier for her to step out of her comfort zone. “Just wanted to drop by and let you know Rarity’s working on a big project for a very important somepony, and she’ll probably be pretty busy with it.” She winked, keeping her voice low. “Just in case you had plans to see her soon.”

Fluttershy squeaked and pressed her hoof to her mouth. “Oh, no! No, we don’t have plans until the day after tomorrow for the Spa.” She… blushed. She blushed! And not in an embarrassed way either! “Um… You should join us sometime. You’d probably like it, and it’d be fun to have somepony else I’m comfortable to go with. Um... if that’s okay with you, I mean…”

“Ponyville has a spa?” Cadence could hardly believe that, but Rarity wouldn’t be attending any such thing unless it met certain standards. “Of course I’ll come!” She beamed, unable to suppress a happy little dance. She hadn’t had a proper hooficure in months!

“Oh, that’s lovely,” Fluttershy cooed, gently rubbing at her foreleg. “Um… I’ve got a lot of chores, but thanks for letting me know about Rarity. You should tell Pinkie next, I think.” She gently pushed at the door, and Cadence nodded solemnly. Fluttershy needed time to work up to socializing, so she wouldn’t push it… today.

“Thanks, Shy. I’ll see you soon then.” She waved gently before taking off again. Finding Pinkie would be easy, thankfully. It was impossible to miss her given the usual mass of balloons, streamers, and/or general mayhem that accompanied her. That, or she was at Sugarcube Corner helping the Cakes out.

But that was a few minutes out, and up in the air was a splendid time for her mind to run away with her thoughts, forcing her to confront all those nasty, complex feelings she had lately been trying avoid. Thoughts like how wonderful it was to wake up next to Twilight every morning, or how relaxed and happy she’d become in spite of being a universe away from her old stomping grounds.

The reason was pretty bloody obvious, even if she didn’t like to think about it. Oh just admit it, Cadence, you’re still frightened about what happened with Shiny, her traitorous thoughts needled her relentlessly. It’s been ten years, Princess! You’ve proven your magic works dozens of times since then! Twilight is absolutely head-over-hooves for you, and you know you feel exactly the same way!

It was easy to imagine a little miniature version of herself, angrily hopping up and down on her shoulder. Stop whining about things and just make her your marefriend! Court her properly! You’ve been schtupping that filly for five years now, stop waffling about it!

It’s not that simple! she silently whined back. She can be so bloody fragile! I don’t want to hurt her if I can’t live up to the mare she wants me to be! What if it turns out that intimacy is all we have? How can I possibly tell her ‘I love sexing you up, but I’m just not into a committed relationship’!? It’d crush her!

The little Cadence plopped down and glared. You think this isn’t hurting her now? It’s no excuse, little Miss Princess of Love. If you try it, and it doesn’t work, you’re not going to lose her! She might freak a bit, but she will forgive you! But if you never even try, she’ll be stuck worshiping this ideal relationship that never happened, and you know it!

She winced away from the razor-sharp thoughts, almost too distracted to notice the sounds of Pinkie Pie singing away as she worked the kitchens at Sugarcube. Shoving aside those uncomfortable musings, she lazily spiraled down to the front staircase. She had to make sure the rest of the girls were kept up to date, and maybe Pinkie could help her with that. The last thing she needed right now was to go talk to Rainbow Dash who might just annoy her enough to make her lose her cool and-

She winced again, slapping her head with her hoof. “No. Focus, filly. Get your stuff in order. You can talk to Fancy Pants tonight.” Pushing open the doors to Sugarcube, she was hit by a sudden wave of wonderful scents that instantly set her to drooling. Someday, someday very soon, she wanted to put Pony Joe and Mr. Cake in the same room and make them engage in a pastry duel.

“Oh, good afternoon, Love!” Mrs. Cake proclaimed brightly, reaching up to a high shelf to pull down a familiar basket of powdered sugar pastries, laying them on the counter with a devilish smile. “Your usual, dear? Or would you like to try something new? Pinkie’s been getting creative with the cupcakes again.”

Cadence coughed at the sight of the beautiful jelly-filled donuts, and after ten seconds of resistance, sighed happily. “I’ll take three, Mrs. Cake. And can I borrow Pinkie for a few minutes?” There was just no way to resist their baked goods. It was worse than walking into Donut Joe’s. Well. Maybe not worse.

Mrs. Cake winked and quickly bagged up three of the donuts before trotting off into the back. Cadence carefully used her wingtip to pull out her bits bag and scatter the small golden coins onto the counter before tucking her paper bag into her saddlebags… then looked up into the huge, blue, and bright eyes of Ponyville’s own Pink Party Pony. “LOVEYDOVEY!” she squealed and hugged Cadence with all the enthusiasm of a little foal. “Ohmigosh I’ve got such good news! Lyra and Bon Bon are finally going to tie the knot!” She bounced up and down with a rapidity that would have shaken the cabinets and cases of lesser bakeries to pieces.

“Well, it’s about bloody time,” Cadence felt her lips tug into the grin she simply couldn’t hide when she was around Pinkie. Maybe it was her natural sensitivity to emotive magics, but she simply could never feel hurt or down when she was around Pinkie Pie. “We’ll have to put our heads together for the wedding plans then.”

Pinkie looked like she was just about to vibrate herself through the floor at that thought before Cadence grabbed her shoulders and chuckled. “Later, Pink Filly. I’m just stopping in to let you know Rarity’s going to be having a very important guest soon, and she’s working on a big project for him. We need to make sure we’re all behind her on it.”

Pinkie stopped vibrating and settled down, taking on a certain solemnity and smiled softly. “You got it, Loveydove! I’ll even prepare an extra-special Pinkie surprise for her big reveal!” She giggled brightly, then her smile turned sly. “Want me to go tell Dashie, then?”

Cadence laughed in pure relief. “Yes, please! I’ve got to get back to Twilight, and I don’t want to end up hock deep in a pissing contest with her.” Something she had a very hard time keeping away from sometimes. Much as she loved Rainbow, she also really wanted to smack her from time to time. She managed to keep away from that with sly, blunt teasing most of the time, but she’d gone a couple rounds with the pegasus already. Weirdly, she’d always gotten the impression that Dash liked it when they fought.

Pinkie winked. “I’ll just wrap-a-doodle things up here and head on out. Shouldn’t be more than a jiffy to find Dashie, anyway.” She hopped up to plant a cute, chaste kiss on Cadence’s cheek and bounced over to the back room. “Mrs. Cake! I’mma take a break, okiedokie?” Pinkie called into the back, and Cadence quickly trotted out the front door, pausing only to grab a donut from her bag and bite deeply into the sweet strawberry filling, surrounded by puffy tender pastry and powdered sugar. Mmmmmmm.

Wait. She had something she had to do. Right. Applejack! Still had to tell Applejack, and… and goodness, they certainly made lovely pastries. Cadence continued making happy sounds as she trotted off towards Sweet Apple Acres, humming brightly and trying very hard not to think about her little purple problem too much.

~~~~~~~~

“Little Light!”

Twilight felt a laugh bubbling up as she tossed her forelegs around Fancy’s neck, hugging him him warmly. “Good to see you, Mr. Fancy Pants.” She kissed his cheek lightly, giving him a little nuzzle before detangling herself. “I didn’t expect that you were going to be here so soon!” And… really she hadn’t. She’d been sure he wouldn’t make it until tomorrow’s train, but…

He smirked slyly at her, his eye sparkling behind the monocle. “And miss a chance to catch up with my Little Light and my dear Love Beat? Hah! Not likely,” he snorted loudly, then rubbed his hoof into her mane. “You really need to write more often, Twilight. Fleur and I have missed you so. She’s sent demands with me to know how you and your amour are faring.”

Twilight’s smile fell a little, and she sighed softly, turning and gesturing for him to follow. As always, he packed light, only a large rolling suitcase and his saddlebags. “I thought things were going really well, but… she’s been getting withdrawn with me, Fancy.” She sighed softly, wishing she could lean against him right now. He’d been more like an uncle to her than anything else, but he was still one of the few ponies she felt comfortable talking about… this subject with. “Like, somedays it’s everything I could possibly hope for. She’s kind and sweet, she’s loving and intimate, and all of those wonderful things. And then some days, she looks scared everytime I start getting close to her. Ergh!” She scrubbed at her head. Years of studying love and romance, and she still had no idea what logic drove Cadence’s mind.

He nodded, smiling faintly. “Well, I’ll be here all week, so I’ll be able to have a word with her I think. Perhaps I can help her sort her head out.” He winked. “Worse comes to worse, we’ll lock her in a room with Fleur and a few good bottles of wine. If that doesn’t solve it, nothing will.” His hoof hooked around hers and squeezed it gently as they walked. “Don’t look so sad, Little Light,” he said gently, smiling at her. “She loves you. I know it, you know, it, I believe even she knows it. She just needs to find the courage to let it happen to her.”

Twilight laughed faintly. “You’d think given what we get put through here on a weekly basis she’d have found it by now!” It was insane just how ridiculous things got around Ponyville, and yet… yet she couldn’t help but love the place all the more for that. “Anyway, today might be the better day to talk to her. Rarity’s going to be busy focusing on a project to impress you, and-”

Fancy’s raised hoof cut her off, and he fixed her with a faint, amused glare. “Ah ah. I do not think so, Little Light. I am not going to speak to her until I have spoken to you. Love is a two way street.” He gently took her by the shoulder, correcting her path until they were wandering through the marketplace. “We’ll go back to your place when we’ve spoken. Now. I know you, Little Light. You are not telling me something.” The flash from the monocle he wore was a little alarming, but there was only concern in his tone. “I cannot help you if you will not speak to me.”

Twilight opened her mouth to fervently deny that something was wrong, then shut it quietly. She kept walking for a while, not really sure where she was going and not really caring either. She did have a worry, no matter how much she tried to cover it beneath playfulness and cheer. “What If I’m just not enough for her?” It was hard to say, hard to even think, but there it was.

Fancy stared at her in astonishment. “Twilight, I had rather thought you didn’t much mind her lusty ways.” He couldn’t keep the incredulity out of his voice, and his eyes narrowed a bit. “This isn’t jealousy I’m detecting, is it?”

“No, no!” she burst out, laughing in a strained way. “Goddess no, I don’t mind the fact that she’s so passionate. I even enjoy it.” She blushed, unable to stop the silly smile on her face. “I’m not jealous she takes other lovers, Fancy. I’d hardly have anything to say on that matter myself. Her devotion to me is as little in question as Fleur’s to you. I meant… Am I not big enough to fill up her heart the way Shiny did? Am I not… Enough?” The last words tumbled out, and it felt oddly satisfying to finally speak her fears to someone.

“Ah,” was all Fancy Pants said at first, his confusion and astonishment clearing instantly. There was silence between them, and it was an oddly comforting sort. Fancy Pants wasn’t just going to blurt out some trite reassurance or silly story. He would give her the best advice he could formulate. It was a few moments before he spoke again. “Twilight, do you recall the first bit of advice I gave you, all those years ago?”

She nodded faintly. How could she have forgotten them? They’d been some of the wisest words anypony had ever said to her. “Well, that applies here too,” he continued, motioning for her to follow him back through the market, the hustle and bustle around them oddly soothing. “Twilight, I’ve met many a pony in my few years in this world. I’ve met ponies who brimmed with confidence, and those who lacked it completely. Talented and talentless, beautiful and ugly.” He gestured broadly to the crowd around him. “The common clay of the world and the fine china of the heights of society, and I will tell you this.”

He gently poked her chest, smiling gently. “There is more of the good stuff that makes up Equestria in you, Twilight Sparkle, than I’ve seen in any other creature within it.” He chuckled richly, stroking her cheek once before continuing to walk. “Your friends are proof of that, Twilight. Never believe for a second that you’re not good enough, because I would not waste my time on somepony who wasn’t, and neither would they.” His voice rang with conviction and made her blush a bright red again.

He trotted around to face her and winked cheekily. “You’re more than enough pony to fill up the hearts of six remarkable young mares. I have no doubt in my mind that you’d be enough to fill up the heart of our dear little princess.” He grinned broadly. “Not that I intend to leave anything to chance. We shall make plans for the Gala such that we can dispel the doubt in her mind forever. That girl needs to stop being such a stubborn mule.” He paused and looked a touch sheepish at a passing Donkey couple. “No offense, sir.”

“None taken.”

~~~~~~~~

About an hour or so later, with Fancy Pants now well ensconced in his hotel room, Twilight returned to the quiet library. It was barely past lunch, which meant that Spike would be busy with his daily errands, and there was unlikely to be many visitors to the library at least until after dinner. Twilight quietly turned the door’s deadbolt and trotted across the wooden floor and up the staircase. She wasn’t sure if Cadence was home yet, but she didn’t wish to be disturbed for a little while as it was.

The bedroom was sadly empty, but perhaps that wasn’t such a bad thing. It would give her some time to think, time to consider what Fancy had said and maybe put in a little more time with that book on sweet things to do for your marefriend, or maybe focus on that one set of scrolls Celestia had sent her on the subject of patience or- “Stop it Twilight,” she told herself in the sternest, most demanding voice she could. “Do something constructive.”

She glanced about for something suitable. No cleaning, no book shelving, no study projects she could work on right now, no… wait. Fancy Pants. Her makeup! “That’s it!” She dashed over to the vanity, a brush of magic drawing shut the curtains and casting the room into a dim light. Another touch of magic lit the vanity lights as she pulled out the huge nested box from under the thing, setting it neatly to one side.

The box folded open as beautifully as a book, and her magic threw open the closet to parade past the string of dresses he’d brought her from Canterlot. “No, no… Something sensual. Something you’d wear for a special occasion.” The dresses went back, and she brought out her special things. The things Fleur had bought for her, that she had rarely shown Cadence. Lingerie, seduction wear, things which delved into sexual experimentation she hadn’t had the courage to get into yet.

It wasn’t a hard decision. There was one particular piece she loved oh-so-much for it’s boldness. A tight black corset of shiny black silk that laced around her body, and solid silk stockings to match. A fetching red bow for her mane, and a long red tailwrap that kept her tail flagged appealingly high and perfectly framed her marehood to be enjoyed both for viewing and for other fun.

She did a quick little turn around in front of her mirror and smiled prettily. “Hey there, purple smart,” she cooed softly at the reflection, giggling faintly. “You’re looking good tonight, but we need to art you up a bit.” Makeup was a ritual she’d performed many a time before, but she still wasn’t close to the artistry Cadence or Fleur could produce. Still, practice made perfect, and so she would get in some practice.

Lip gloss first. She would go for the dark seductress look tonight, so she stuck with the deep midnight blues for her colors. The feel of the semisolid stick running over her lips had a sensuality all its own. She dug for the hoofpaint she wanted while pulling out the subtly glittering eyeshadow and setting it on her vanity. There was something sexy, something… alluring about preparing to present yourself to a lover, even if only in theory.

She’d presented herself to quite a few lovers over the past few years. Cadence’s inclinations towards intimacy had rubbed off on her considerably, and she’d greatly enjoyed having a second partner to enjoy herself with. The pair of them had surprised and delighted no few stallions and mares together, and they had done so separately too. Someponies might have thought she’d be jealous, but in truth…

In truth, Twilight thought, all you really care about is what she feels for you. And that was the key to everything. At the end of the day, Twilight was who Cadence wanted to come home with, wanted to be a part of her life. Perhaps someponies might find that strange or indecent, but Twilight honestly didn’t care about them. She loved Cadence, and she knew right down in the center of her heart that Cadence loved her back. And that was all that really mattered, in the end.

The eyeshadow was carefully brushed on, and her lashes shadowed darkly. She carefully dusted her coat with the colored powder to darken it a little, and tilted her head back and forth to admire the picture she presented. “Will you be my special somepony, Cadence?” she whispered into the mirror, a phrase she practiced saying all the time. Someday, Cadence would be ready to hear it from her, but until then she would be patient. Even if she really hated being patient sometimes.

The door to her bedroom banged open a moment later and an exasperated sigh rumbled through her room. Twilight nearly jumped high enough to hit the ceiling, whirling about to see Cadence leaning wearily against the door and muttering under her breath. She looked sweaty and a bit exhausted, rubbing her hoof across her forehead. “Remind me to never let Applejack talk me into giving her a hoof with the farm-work again, Twilight. She’s such a hard taskmis-” Cadence stumbled over her words as she took in Twilight all dolled up, her jaw dropping about three inches. “Bwuh.”

Twilight paused, then felt a slow, coy smile cross her face. “There you are, beloved,” she purred, sashaying across the room. Why waste such a perfectly good opportunity if she didn’t have to? She gently wrapped a foreleg around Cadence’s neck and planted a velvety soft kiss on her lips. “Close the door,” she whispered into her ear, and was delighted to see Cadence not hesitate even for a moment.

The door swung shut, and the latch was thrown a bare second later. Their privacy now assured, she pressed herself into Cadence and her kiss into something a little deeper. This was more than sex, more than mere physical pleasure between them. Twilight wanted that closeness, that intimacy so very, very much…

Cadence responded slowly, pressing back into her kiss with as much passion as she always did. Twilight could feel Cadence’s muscles tensed under her coat and pressed her hooves into them with slow, circular massaging motions and deeply inhaled her scent. Not just sweat under there, oh no. “Just farm work, huh?” she teased gently, before pressing into the kiss again with soft nips at Cadence’s lower lip. Cadence blushed brightly and muttered something unintelligible out of the kiss.

Twilight giggled faintly, pulling away enough for Cadence to speak. “Our friends are nuts, Twily,” Cadence said much more clearly, but her eyes were sparkling. “Which is half the reason I love them, to be fair.” She nuzzled into Twilight’s embrace and sighed happily. “Why don’t we do this more often?”

Twilight felt a grin cross her face and gently nipped on the edge of Cadence’s ear, slowly walking love bites up to the tip of it and being rewarded with a cute sounding moan and a squirming mare in her forelegs. “I don’t know. Personally, I’d want to make love to you at least three times a day if I had my way about it…” Her voice was breathy and soft, and hot… and Twilight immediately realized how far off the leash her words had gotten.

But… Cadence didn’t get nervous, or scared, or anything like that. Instead, she blushed and shivered in Twilight’s embrace again and said nothing. That was… a new kind of reaction. One Twilight very much enjoyed, but it was new. She gently stroked her hoof down Cadence’s cheek and spoke in her gentlest voice. “Of course, I’d be just as happy to get a nice long cuddle, too. So long as it was with you.”

Cadence giggled faintly and nuzzled her cheek up into Twilight’s, then said in a soft and wickedly naughty voice. “Oh, I think we can come up with something a bit more exciting than that.”

Chapter 8 - A Night to Remember

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~~~~Ponyville, just a few weeks later~~~~

“Is everypony ready for the big night?”

Rarity practically vibrated with excitement, and it took every bit of Twilight’s not inconsiderable willpower not to laugh at her. She had sworn she would produce seven of the most glorious and regal Gala dresses in history, and had spent much of the intervening days working on them. Long after Fancy Pants had gone home, declaring her designs to be ‘fabulous,’ Rarity had obsessed and pored over every detail. When they’d finally been revealed so Rarity could get to fitting them, every one of her friends had been quite enthusiastic about the designs. Even Rainbow Dash, even if it’d taken a rather stern look from Cadence to keep her from elaborating on that enthusiasm.

In honor of the success of the designs, Rarity had insisted upon a full suite of gussying-up at the hooves of Aloe and Lotus before the Gala. Dash had tried sneaking out a half-dozen times already, only to be thwarted by the omnipresent spa ponies. Rarity and her compatriots were determined that not one pony amongst them was going to go to the Gala without being primped and preened to within an inch of their lives.

To be honest, Twilight certainly didn’t mind the attention. It had been ages since she’d been taken to a place like this, and while she certainly would never go on a regular basis… well, she was far from immune to enjoying being pampered from time to time. Rarity, on the other hoof, was clad in a custom-embroidered bathrobe that the spa twins had provided her upon entry, and looked like she probably could have found anything she wanted in the place.

Fluttershy had a gentle smile on her face, and gave a little shiver. “It’s going to be a wonderful evening, I can already tell!” She cooed softly, gently tapping her hooves together. “I can’t wait to get a good look around the castle gardens…”

“Yeah, well, I’m gonna be spending the night over in the VIP area!” Rainbow Dash proclaimed, her usually flyaway mane being artfully styled into a wild frill. “The Wonderbolts are gonna be there, and I can’t wait to talk to the Captain about the Academy!” She was practically bouncing in her chair, and Twilight had to hide her grin.

She had any number of surprises prepared for her friends tonight, but the one she most relished was the chance to introduce Rainbow Dash to Spitfire. With any good fortune, she’d be able to keep Dash out of Cadence’s mane tonight, and that would be the single most important thing… given that Twilight had her own very specific, very important plans for Cadence. Plans which would require them to be alone for a goodly portion of the night.

“It’s gonna be one epic Pinkie Pie Party!” Pinkie squealed happily, bouncing all the way to the ceiling and flinging water everywhere from her recently-washed mane. Aloe gave her a rather exasperated look and tried to direct her to sit calmly in the chair. Pinkie giggled and settled back down as Aloe settled the hair dryer over her soaking mane, and bouncing her head back and forth to some unheard tune.

“Jes’ so long as you keep the frosting cannon locked up, sugarcube.” Applejack muttered, crossing her forelegs over her chest. “Th’ last thing my Apple Brown Betty’s need is strawberry frosting.” Applejack had her forelegs crossed firmly over her chest and huffed, her hat set daintily upon a stand by the door. She didn’t much like this primping, but when Cadence had explained the attitudes of Canterlot socialites, she’d relented. Bizarrely, Applejack was incredibly well-versed in how to properly adorn herself for a high-society meetup. Twilight was certain there was a story to be told there, but… well, another time, perhaps.

And then, there was Cadence. Love Beat. Whatever. The mare whom, by evening’s end, was going to be Twilight’s marefriend. Fancy Pants was in agreement and she had Fleur on her side too. The pair of them were already putting plans into motion to ensure she had a perfect romantic evening all set up. Music, food, the ideal lovers’ playground for the pair of them, but most importantly: privacy.

Under ordinary circumstances, she would have formed these plans during the Summer Sun celebration. But her talks with Fancy had provided her more than enough impetus to give this night a chance. They would have time to prepare, time to put all of the elements in place. It would be a grand plan, the likes of which greatly appealed to Twilight’s sensibilities. Before the night was over, Twilight intended to do what she ought to have done years ago. She would finally dispel all doubt from Cadence’s mind that Twilight would stay by her side forever, through thick and through thin. And then?

Well, she knew what she was hoping for, but… “Twilight, darling, you look far too distressed for such a lovely occasion.” Rarity settled down in the chair next to her. “Would it be too much to ask what’s on your mind? I wouldn’t wish your night to be spoilt by ill feelings.” Rarity was keeping her tone light but quiet. Of all of her new friends, she was undoubtedly the most subtle. She too had dreams of love and romance, and Twilight had all too often felt her heart ache for the fashionista’s longing. It was a feeling she knew well.

So, maybe… “Probably the same things on yours,” she said quietly, her eyes unable to do much but drift to Cadence. She was giggling and gossiping with the spa-ponies, the three of them making for quite a charming group. “Love and the fear of losing it.” The words drifted off into a whisper, Twilight closing her eyes lest tears threaten to come forth. Those she would not be able to hide.

“Oh, darling.” Rarity’s whisper was sweet and gentle, and her foreleg curled around Twilight’s shoulder and squeezed. “Yes, I do know the perils of the daggers of love. So sweet, yet so very sharp.” Rarity’s voice dripped with sincerity, so much so that Twilight had to smile a little. “After all, you’ve chosen quite the flighty lady. No wonder your usual good cheer has gone a bit sour on you...”

Twilight nearly whipped her head around to gawk at Rarity, who wore a gentle smile and a look of pity. “My dearest Twilight, really. None of us are blind. We’ve all known your infatuation with Love Beat since you came to Ponyville. It was hardly a secret.” She giggled and softly kissed Twilight’s cheek… a kiss that left it burning, her hoof coming up to touch where those pillow-soft lips had landed. “You’re a truly beautiful, intelligent and singular mare, Twilight Sparkle.” Her words were too soft, too sly to be anything other than a straightforward flirt. Twilight’s cheeks burned even hotter, and Rarity tossed her mane with an elegant hoof and a mysterious smile. “Far too wonderful not to be appreciated properly.”

Twilight wanted to say something, perhaps a denial or a declaration of her feelings, but all her throat could produce was an adorable squeak. Rarity giggled lightly and slipped away while ITwilight groped at the empty air with her hooves, trying desperately to get her voice to work before Rarity got the wrong idea… And all too certain that she already had. Before she could get to her hooves to fix the problem though, Aloe and Lotus were upon her wielding all manner of arcane tools and makeup.

Oh dear.

~~~~~~~~

Cadence could not restrain her excitement as the rhythmic sounds of the hooves pounding pavement began to slow. She bounced out of her seat, much to the six friends’ amusement and did a cute little canter in place. The little carriage was a remarkable feat of magic by Twilight and the four stallions providing transport were being well-compensated by Rarity. But more than anything, it was the sounds and sights of the capital of Equestria which held her attention. Ponyville might very well be a place of excitement, wonder, and pleasurable pastimes, but Canterlot would always hold a special allure for her.

Especially tonight, when this Grand Galloping Gala bid fair to be exceptional amongst the high society balls and fetes. Celestia had reportedly gone all out to welcome the return of her sister Luna to the court. Reportedly, Luna had acquired the services of a modern guide, who was to be her constant companion for the evening and assisted her in learning about how culture had changed over the centuries. Nopony knew who the guide was, though speculation ran rampant.

And equally wonderful was that Twilight was going to be her constant companion for the evening. Although it had broken her heart, she had had to tell both Fleur and Fancy that this night was to be her and Twilight. They would, undoubtedly, spend a bit of time with their mutual friends, but the bulk of the evening would be for them alone. Which was, as far as Cadence was concerned, just fine and dandy.

Her six companions, done up in some of the most unique and fine examples of the dressmaking arts, were all equally excited about their various plans for the evening. The only pony she was concerned about was Rarity, who in spite of her remarkable skill at grace and poise, had no experience with some of the foals who would be masquerading as stallions tonight, and there was simply no getting her to heed her warnings.

But as the carriage pulled to its final stop, she banished the worry. If worst came to worst, she would deal with the problem personally. The doors swung open, and a small cadre of guards saluted smartly from their posts by the gates. Spike hopped down with a cheerful grin and offered up his talons to any who wished for aid in descending. By the time all seven ponies were on the path leading to the brightly lit and much-bedecked Palace, Cadence could not help but feel a little twist of nostalgia.

One that was immediately quashed by a sudden blast of heat and fire overhead, and the reckless tumble landing of a very familiar-looking pony. “PURPLE SMAAAAART!” squealed Spitfire, Captain of the Wonderbolts in full flight uniform as she hit the ground running and flung a big hug around Twilight’s neck. All of Twilight’s friends stared, slack-jawed, as Twilight laughed and returned Spitfire’s enthusiastic hug as best as her outfit could manage. “By Celestia’s flank, what a getup! Rrrrrawr!” Spitfire enthused, purring like a grasslands tiger. “Tell me you’re not going to be busy all evening? Pleaaaaaase?” She put on her best wide-eyed pout.

Twilight laughed brightly, like chiming silver bells. “Sorry, Spitfire, I’ve got plans. But I’m going to be in town all week, so we can figure something else out for later.” She grinned suddenly, turning to Rainbow Dash, who looked like she couldn’t decide if she wanted to faint or drool. “But there is somepony I’d like to introduce you to that I think you might like spending the night with. Spitfire, this is Rainbow Dash, She-”

“Won the best young flier competition with a freakin’ Sonic Rainboom.” Spitfire finished, her smile sultry and wide as a mile. “Soarin wouldn’t shut up about it, and boy he wasn’t kidding about her looks either.” She waggled her eyebrows suggestively, and instantly Rainbow Dash’s cheeks flushed a cherry red that made Cadence want to giggle like Pinkie Pie. “So. Think you can keep up with me, kiddo? I don’t fly with slowpokes.” She pivoted and shook her flame-colored tail at Rainbow Dash, arching an eyebrow in challenge.

Which couldn’t have been more calculated to instantly kill Rainbow’s inner fangirl and bring out every inch of her competitive spirit. “Hah! We’ll see who’s keeping up with who!” She growled with a sun-bright grin, leaping up next to the Spitfire and tossing her mane to fix her with a steely look. “I’m the fastest mare in all of Equestria, after all,” Dash added challengingly.

Which Spitfire, equally predictable, ate up like soup. Her smile became a dangerous smirk, and almost in concert the pair of pegasi blasted off into the sky, trailing fire and rainbows. All five remaining friends watched in awe as the pair rocketed around the sky and vanished behind the castle, just in time for Rarity to gently take Twilight by the shoulder. “Darling, I don’t suppose you’ve got any other famous pony friends you’d like to tell us about? I mean… Just on the off chance we might meet them.” Rarity’s voice was just a touch tremulous.

Twilight’s cheeks colored, smiling faintly as she shook her head. “Oh. Good.” Rarity continued resolutely, regaining her composure... Then paused mid-step, turning with a wickedly amused grin, “Purple Smart? Really?”

Twilight sighed miserably as Cadence burst into soft laughter. “Don’t tease her, Rarity. Come on, we’re going to miss the party if we sit out here and talk all night!” At the reminder of what was to come, the friends’ faces lit up, merging with the crowds marching towards the castle. “After all, this is going to be the best night ever!” she proclaimed brightly, and in the distance what sounded like music rose to a vibrant crescendo. Oh, What the heck. she thought, lifting her voice to join in.

“At the Gala…”

~~~~~~

All around Twilight Sparkle, the world was awhirl with color and sparkling gems, warm candles, and soft music. Waitstaff ponies she knew by name trotted by with platters of food and drink, while castle servants worked their flanks off to keep order. Her friends had scattered to the four winds to carry out their plans for this party, and Twilight was grateful that Rarity hadn’t tried to spring anything funny on her as soon as they’d walked in. After all, there was one very special somepony she wanted to see before getting her night going.

She stood at the top of the grand staircase, resplendent in gold and white silk that flowed beautifully down her body. Her multihued mane fluttered in the breeze, enchanted by the ancient magics of the sun itself. She was beautiful in a way that transcended the concept, and in those quietest moments when Twilight was being really honest with herself… You may need to save my heart someday, Celestia. She shoved the thought away, down deep into her soul, where nopony else could see it. She was going to help Cadence. She had to.

Celestia’s eyes lit up at their approach, and Twilight dipped her head low in a courtly bow. “I cannot begin to say how wonderful it is to see you again, my faithful student. I have missed you so.” Celestia’s voice was wistful, almost sad, so much so that Twilight looked up in sudden alarm, only to see her Teacher smiling fondly at her. Twilight suppressed a little sniffle of her own, and decided to completely discard protocol. Who cared if a few ponies were scandalized?

She raced up the last few steps and hugged the other most important pony in her life tightly. Celestia did not hesitate to return the affection, nuzzling her cheek warmly. Not for the first time, Twilight reveled in the warm, clean scent of Celestia’s coat. Like a perfect summer’s day, rich and sweet as apple pie. “I missed you too, Princess,” she whispered softly, wishing she had the time to bury her cheek in Celestia’s shoulder.

But alas, she did not. So she gently detangled herself as Cadence trotted up with a cheerful grin. Her dress had been sewn by Rarity too, a gorgeous combination of deep purples and pinks with a musical note motif. She leaned in with a courtly bow, and whispered softly, “Good to see you Auntie. Lunch tomorrow, right?” By the time she came up, Celestia had given a cheerful wink and a faint nod. Twilight nearly squealed in glee, clapping her hooves together.

Celestia opened her mouth to speak, only to be interrupted by a deep and powerfully-feminine voice. “Hark, sister dear. Praytell, did you intend to leave off our introduction to our savior?” Twilight turned, and felt her jaw drop a little at the sight.

She was resplendent in silver and moonstone jewelry, a veil of sparkling translucent blue silk draped around her body. Her eyes were bright and focused, a surprisingly genial smile upon her face. Set side by side with Celestia, it was an astonishing dichotomy of colors that probably would have set dear Rarity’s artistic heart to fluttering. “Ah, Luna. Of course not,” Celestia beamed, her smile so utterly joyful that Twilight could not help but grin in turn. “Dear sister, might I formally introduce you to Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student. And her assistant and our cousin, Princess Cadence.” Celestia winked slyly. “Who is currently in disguise on special assignment.”

Twilight bowed gracefully to her, only to hear a rich and rolling chuckle. “It is our pleasure to make thy acquaintance, Dame Sparkle. Thy brother has been most effusive in his praise of you.” Princess Luna’s smile was more than amused. It was… speculative.

Twilight felt a little jolt of shock at the mention of… “Wait, you know Shining Armor?” She felt a twinge of confusion, glancing back at Cadence, who looked like somepony had just cracked a board across the back of the head. “How? I’d thought he was still on Royal Guard training.” She wanted to glare at Celestia, who looked very satisfied with herself.

Princess Luna arched an eyebrow. “He has not sent thou a missive? He has been my personal guard since my return to sanity.” She turned and spoke in a slightly more firm voice. “Lunar Aegis Shining Armor, explain thyself. “

And then… he was there.

Even in spite of seeing him for the holidays every year, she felt a little shocked to see him in his uniform like this. His armor, once in the bright purples and golds of the royal house, was now in the deep blue and silver of Luna’s colors, a crescent moon carved from moonstone set into the center of his chestplate. His mane was cut a little shorter than it used to be, yet he was still every bit the big brother she loved. But…

But he looked nervous, and maybe a little scared. “Ah… My apologies, your grace.” He said in a firm, quiet voice. “I was going to tell her on Hearth’s Warming. I didn’t want to be seen as a braggart.” He turned to Twilight, and his smile was faint but warm. “But it is good to see you, Twily. You look good.”

Twilight giggled softly at the compliment, shaking her head. “Congratulations, Shiny. You deserve it. Does this means we’re going to see you around Canterlot more?” She couldn’t help but inject a bit of wistfulness there. Whatever else she might have lost with her brother, she never lost he desire to see him. She still missed him, even if Cadence…

Oh goodness. Cadence. She quickly turned… only to find her head guided back by a gentle press of Cadence’s hoof, and her foreleg wrapping around Twilight’s. “Might I add my congratulations, Shining Armor?” Twilight stared at Cadence, who looked… calm. Surprisingly so, though she was grasping quite firmly at Twilight’s hoof.

“Ah! Um…” Shiny visibly swallowed, heading bowing. “Y-yeah.. I’ll be assigned to Canterlot permanently now.” Twilight had never seen Shining Armor more desperate to get away, yet utterly incapable of removing himself from a situation. It would have been comical, if she couldn’t help but feel extremely concerned. His confidence was still there, but why did it look like he couldn’t handle being around Cadence?

Celestia looked like she was getting ready to speak, but Cadence beat her to the punch. “Might I have a private word with Shiny, Princess Luna? We haven’t seen each other in a very long time.” There was a strange brightness to her eyes, and oddly enough Celestia’s gaze sharpened. Why would Celestia disapprove of this? Twilight was beginning to think she didn’t have all the pieces of what was going on here…

“Certainly. I have wished to share speech with Dame Sparkle for some moons.” Princess Luna looked… very, very excited. She waved a silver-clad hoof at Shining Armor, “Go speak with our cousin, Aegis. We shall summon you when we intend to mingle with the guests.”

Shining Armor looked like the absolute last thing he wanted to do was to go anywhere private with Cadence, but nodded and marched in military step with her into a private study room just off the main stair. Twilight winced a little, and hoped that the two of them didn’t have even more history to hash out. Whatever might happen, she still dearly loved them both, if entirely in different ways.

But right now, she had been cornered by Princess Luna. “Praytell, Dame Sparkle, I hath heard much of your prodigious magical skill. Would you be so kind as to discuss with me some of what you have recently learned?” Well, maybe this wouldn’t be so bad….

~~~~~~

“Ten years.”

“Eleven, actually.”

Shining Armor’s words were rough as Cadence stared at him in the bright moonlight streaming through the window. He wasn’t looking at her, and he had steadfastly refused to since they’d laid eyes on one another again. “You didn’t write,” she tried again, hoping to spark… something. Some conversation. Some words.

Shiny’s body language was all confused. He was oh-so fundamentally different than the colt he’d been when she’d seen him last. He wasn’t chiseled, but Cadence had seen enough professional soldiers to know the look of a trained and honed expert in the violent arts. Yet that look was at odds with his nervousness, or the sadness he reeked of. “I never could figure out what to say.” His words dropped to a bare whisper, and laying his head against the window’s glass. “And after a while, I was afraid to say what I could think of.”

The room lapsed into silence again, and Cadence wanted very much to tap her hoof nervously against the floor. Why in the name of Harmony did he have to appear tonight, of all nights? “Why?” she blurted out, unable to stop herself, the word burning a hole in her thoughts. He winced away from it, but it was too late to go back now. “What… what didn’t I do? What was wrong with me?!” She forced herself to stay quiet. The last thing she needed was Twily bursting in here and throwing her brother out the window.

“It was never you, Cadey.” He abruptly turned, those gorgeous, bright blue eyes boring into her. “Never. You were never anything but perfect.” He spoke roughly, as though a thousand emotions built up over a decade were all trying to force their way out at once. “I was young, and I was stupid, and I thought I could still have a relatively ordinary life. I wanted to get married, settle down, have some foals.” The confession had him marching across the room, an armored hoof gesturing wildly. “I wanted to retire one day, like Dad, and work at a library or something.”

He took a breath, his head dipping low. “And every time I turned around, Celestia was always there. Always subtly reminding me how important I was, and how good it was to have somepony dependable like me around.” He snorted heavily, falling to his flank at Cadence watched in fascination. “Always making sure I got the right connections. I felt like I was being herded Cadey. Like she had my entire life planned out for me, no matter what I wanted out of it.”

Cadence couldn’t help but feel a shot of pain at that statement, given how close to the truth it was. Even now, her aunt’s words during the Summer Sun celebration echoed in her mind. Ancient, powerful threats on the horizon, and Celestia scrambling to find answers to them all. He wasn’t wrong about what she’d been doing, and that simply made it all the worse.

Some of the tension had gone out of his frame, and he raised his head to look her dead in the eye. “And I know there wasn’t anything you could do about it, Cadey. But I couldn’t… I couldn’t have a relationship like that. And when I found out she was basically trying to turn you into this surrogate big sister for Twily, I just… I’d had enough.” He shook his head slowly. “And you don’t have to tell me getting sent to Stalliongrad wasn’t retaliation. I know it was, I’m not stupid.”

He snorted, grinning wryly. Cadence shook her own head, and giving a little, surprised laugh. “Then why aren’t you furious with me, Shiny? Basically, I was responsible for you getting sent into exile for a decade!” It was hard to say that, but truth and honesty were very important here. She didn’t know why, but they were.

He smiled faintly, taking a step over to lay a strong hoof on her shoulder. “It was a blessing in disguise, Cadey. I finally had a chance to stand on my own four hooves, to do things on my own terms.” There was a sly sparkle in his eyes, one of pride in himself that she couldn’t recall seeing since they’d graduated high school together. “I was angry for a long time, I won’t deny it. Angry at you, Celestia, even Twily. But… but I had a lot of time to think, and I had some good commanders and comrades to get really drunk with and talk it out.” His features split in a surprisingly happy grin. “And I got some perspective. It’s amazing how stupid stuff can seem on the other end of a bottle of vodka and good long cry.”

He squeezed her shoulder, gaze softening. “Look, we’ve got a lot to hash out between us, and tonight’s not the night. I just have two questions I absolutely want the truth of.” Cadence steeled herself and nodded. She’d been waiting for this question for a long time, but when it came it wasn’t precisely what she had expected… “The first one is the most important. Are you in love with my little Twily?”

Cadence felt all of the air rush out of her lungs, and reflexively retreating a step, dazed as her flank hit the ground. It took those moments to get a hold of her thoughts, and finally… “Yes, yes I am.” It was like a breach in a dam, the admittance of something, especially to this specific someone, that was years in the coming. She braced herself for the anger, for the threats if she hurt her...

Shining Armor just nodded, once. Whatever emotion he might have been feeling, he was concealing it well. “Then my second question is this: Will you promise to take care of her for me?” Gone was any semblance of steel in his eyes, any emotion other than wracking guilt and concern. She stared, shocked, until he finally sat. “I got my cutie mark because I wanted to protect her,” he said in the softest voice she’d ever heard him use. “To be her defender, no matter what threats the world threw at her. But I can’t be there for her now, not the way I’d need to be. But you can.”

His eyes lit up a little. “I need… I need you to promise me you’ll keep her safe, Cadence. No matter what comes her way, no matter what evil she faces or threat she’s forced to confront, that you will never leave her side.” Cadence felt her heart pounding in her chest, and she couldn’t help but wonder… was he asking her to do what she thought he was?

Cadence took deep breath of her own, and focused her emotions. She felt a little smile tug at her lips as she raised a hoof towards the stallion she had once loved so dear. She owed him, in a certain way, for what had happened to him. “I promise, Shining Armor. I’ll make sure she’s taken care of.” And oh, how loaded that phrase was. How incredibly potent and strong the declaration. She knew she was setting herself down an entirely new path, now… but…

But it was a path she ought to have been following since the start.

~~~~~~

By the time Cadence returned and Twilight was able to escape from Princess Luna, she had come away with the profound feeling as though she had just been weighed, measured, and found quite pleasing to the moon princess’ taste. She was not entirely certain what to make of that approval yet, but she knew she had it. Cadence herself was unaccountably quiet, but she was also holding Twilight’s hoof as they walked, and seemed utterly unwilling to let it go.

If this were any other night, or if Twilight and she had just encountered any other pony, she might have tried to dislodge herself and give Cadence some space. But Cadence didn’t seem to want space. In fact, she seemed to want to stay as close as physically possible to Twilight without dousing the entire Gala in utter scandal But as much as Twilight enjoyed her proximity, the silence was driving her mad.

Fortunately, silence was one thing in her life Twilight could be guaranteed to never have in abundance. A rainbow blur came to a sudden halt next to her, with Cadence rearing back in startled surprise. Rainbow Dash’s eyes were wide, and her hooves latched on to Twilight’s shoulders. “You. Know. Spitfire.” She enunciated the words ooh-so-carefully, the barely restrained glee in her voice adorable as all get out. “Do you have any idea how AWESOME that is?!” she exploded with giggling glee, flying several swift circles around the pair of them. “Ohmigosh and she’s gonna introduce me to the rest of the Wonderbolts! You are the coolest friend, EVER!”

With that, she hugged Twilight fiercely around the neck and bolted off into the sky with a bright laugh. The pair stared up at her retreating friend, and Cadence spoke first. “Sometimes, I wonder if her confidence and ego is all just a big act.” She didn’t quite sound like she was talking to anypony specifically, but Twilight was still a little surprised by the statement. She glanced at at Cadence, who seemed pensive. “Like… Like she has to keep up the mask, because if she didn’t she’s afraid of what everypony would think of her.”

That was… odd. Very odd coming from her. What in the name of Celestia’s mane had she talked to Shiny about in there? “Cadence? Is something wrong?” Twilight felt concern lance through her and wondered if it was perhaps time to abandon her previous plans in the hopes of restoring Cadence’s good mood. The last thing Twilight wanted was to see her get depressed, and for just a moment she felt a stubborn flash of anger at her brother…

Which was dispelled in an instant when Cadence grabbed Twilight under her forelegs and whispered hotly in her ear. “Hang on, beloved.” Twilight’s gaped, having only heard Cadence use that word once before. Her jaw snapped shut as she was jolted into the air, Cadence’s wings beating hard and carrying them up through the empty upper halls of the palace in a burst of speed. The wind whipped through her mane as she flew, or, well, was flown through the castle.

Just as suddenly as they had begun, they came to a skidding halt, Cadence giving a giggle. “Oh-ho-ho-ho…” she chuckled, her illusion melting away and to reveal her true form, perfectly clad in her beautiful gold and pink dress. Her eyes were sparkling with mischief, “I know what I smell. Trying to get the drop on me, Twily?” Twilight glanced around… and felt her cheeks burn as she realized they were outside her old room in the palace, where undoubtedly Fancy Pants and Fleur had already prepared her requests.

Cadence shoved open the door, and within every flat surface had been adorned with a gently glowing candle. The scent of pungent ginger and sweet sugar filled the room from the platter of cookies on the vanity. Cadence laughed in delight and did a twirly little dance inside, clapping her hooves. “Oh, Twilight. What’s all this for?” She smiled coyly, swishing her dress back and forth with her hooves. “I thought we were going to spend tonight at the Gala, not in a bedroom…”

Twilight licked her lips faintly, and wished she’d had a chance to get more ready for this. But… well, when an opportunity presented itself… Go with confidence, Twilight Sparkle. Fancy’s voice echoed in her head, and she decided to heed it. “This was… for us,” she gestured with a slow spin. “I’ve made sure we won’t be disturbed or interrupted, no disasters, no guests.” As she came to a halt, there was an odd look on Cadence’s face. Something torn between happiness and worry. “Cadence…” She reached out, and took her beloved’s hoof, and pulled her in close. “I know this is going to sound insane coming from me, but… stop thinking so much and kiss me.”

For just a moment, Twilight feared Cadence was going to run off on her again. Then the worry on her face broke, leaving only the happiness behind. “Why do you put up with me?” Cadence whispered, slipping a hoof around Twilight’s back and tugging her in for a gentle brush of lips. “I keep running away from you and… and you deserve better than that.” They were hard words, harsh words, but Twilight wasn’t going to have any of that. Not tonight.

“How can I deserve better than the most wonderful mare in Equestria?” Twilight demanded, turning to face her. “Cadence, whatever else you might be, you’re a good pony. You might not be perfect, but who is?” She shook her head, and pressing herself insistently against her. “Now stop talking. I don’t need words to know you love me.” Even if she might have liked some words…

But Cadence shoved her off, and Twilight fell back a few steps in stunned surprise. Cadence had never pushed her away like that. What was she- “No. You do.” Cadence’s words were soft, and she looked like she was tensing to run… except she didn’t. Her horn lit up in a sparkling pink aura, and her eyes went soft. “I love you. Goddess forgive me for not saying it every minute of every day, but I do. I love you with all of my heart, Twilight Sparkle.” Her voice caught on Twilight’s name, almost like a sob.

Cadence’s horn was glowing ever brighter, and Twilight felt a warmth enveloping her body unlike anything she’d ever felt before. And distantly, strangely, she could… sense Cadence, somehow. “I love you. I love you I love you I love you I love…” She quickly descended into babbling, eyes filling with tears, throwing herself at Twilight and hugging her tightly, sobbing into her shoulder.

The magic in the room was growing stronger by the moment, and after a brief moment to shake off the shock, she recognized it. Cadence’s love magic was pouring forth en masse, spilling around Twilight, first like a warm cloak, and then flooding into and out of her bedroom to the castle beyond. She should have run off to get Celestia, or Luna, or… something. Anything. But she couldn’t. Not with Cadence like this.

She gently gathered up her beloved, pulling her in as close as she could. She had waited so very long to hear Cadence say those words with the passion she’d imbued them with, but now it felt a little hollow. What had Cadence been putting herself through? “Cadey… It’s okay,” she whispered, grabbing a napkin and slowly dabbing away the tears. “I know you do. I love you too.”

Cadence shook her head sharply, taking a breath and steadying herself with remarkable speed. “I’ve been such a silly filly.” Her lips pressed roughly against Twilight’s, nearly knocking her over. But then she shoved herself off the floor and Twilight did find herself on her back, Cadence’s body pressing down into her. The kiss seemed to go on forever, all heat and passion, the thick aura of love magic spreading a warmth through Twilight’s body that was growing by the second, especially between her nethers.

She tried to break free, but it turned out unnecessary as Cadence pulled away, panting. “But no more being silly. No more being afraid. I…” Cadence hesitated, then her eyes steeled, voice firm with passion, “Twilight Sparkle, will you be my very special somepony?” Her words were like pure magical power surging through Twilight’s body, her smile soft and hopeful, and then added almost bashfully, “Preferably forever?”

Twilight had been waiting so long to hear those words, it was hard to process them when they finally came. Hard, but not impossible. “What the fuck took you so long to ask?” She jibed, grabbing Cadence’s head to plant the wettest, sloppiest kiss she’d ever given somepony on Cadence’s lips. It was silly and a little crude, but she frankly didn’t care. In fact, there was precisely one thing she cared about in that moment.

She pulled away from the kiss, her horn coming to life to pull up the bottom hem of Cadence’s dress so her hoof could rub itself over the surprisingly elaborate lingerie underneath. Just what had Rarity been up to with her? Oh, who cares. It doesn’t matter. “Of course I’ll be your very special somepony, my Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. Forever, if you’d like.” She smiled tremulously, feeling a bit sheepish at how childlike the words seemed, though they were no less sincere for that. Then she pressed her hoof into Cadence’s nethers, and grinned wickedly. “Now why don’t you stop playing around and buck me silly?”

Cadence stared at her for a moment, then burst into laughter. “Oh, you’re on.” Her voice instantly turned sultry, a slow grin widening. “Rarity’s going to kill us for mussing up her dresses, though.” She purred softly, “Especially given what I’m about to do to you in it.”

Twilight’s eyes widened, and she could feel the pulse of Cadence’s magic through the air and a flash of light as a spell coursed down her body in rivulets of power. “Remember how I told you once I can do some things nopony else can?” Her voice poured forth in a purr as she leaned down to press the tip of her horn against Twilight’s. “Well, watch this…” For a moment, Twilight could only feel the faintly pleasurable press of Cadence’s horn against hers.

And then….

Twilight wasn’t sure what happened to her mind in that moment. Only that she could suddenly feel massaging ripples courescate down her body, like a thousand little hooves were pressing into her every curve and pleasurable spot and massaging vigorously. Her mouth popped open in a gasp of pleasure, and Cadence giggled. “Mmmm, do you like that?” Her giggle turned into a sharp moan, one that Twilight instantly echoed as the massaging feeling reached her marehood. Cadence growled sexily, licking at her lips. “And that’s just the beginning.”

Twilight gave off a soft meep, one that was followed by another sharp moan that harmonized with Cadence’s own sweet sounds. And when Cadence pressed the tip of her horn to Twilight’s again, she found her world focused entirely on the mare laying atop her body and the feel of every touch they shared. The rest of the world faded into blackness, her heart beating rapidly as she reached up and between her legs, pressing her hooftips into the familiar petals there and spreading them wide. Twilight spoke in a breathy, almost too quiet voice. “Please…”

Once again, her lover giggled softly, and Twilight saw the glow of Cadence’s horn brighten. The warm feel of her magic slid against her marehood, and Twilight wrapped her hindlegs around Cadence’s waist. Words weren’t needed anymore. Their horns pressed together, Cadence pushed her hips up against Twilights, and Twilight responded in kind. Magic flowed freely between them, coursing over and through their bodies, connecting them. It poured off of them in waves, and slowly seeped out from between the cracks in the door.

Their lips met moments later, almost with a static shock as they connected to one another. The magic was buzzing so strongly in them both that it crackled off of their bodies, leaving little jolts of pleasure when they touched. She could feel Cadence’s velvet-soft nethers brushing up against hers, sending waves of pleasure down her spine. She was getting very wet… and so was Twilight, feeling her breaths coming in rapid succession.

Their horns rubbed against one another, and she leaned up to press a passionate kiss upon Cadence’s lips, hoping to tease out her tongue for a little play. Cadence obliged, a soft moan escaping her lips. Her tongue was sweet and velvety, tasting faintly of shortbread cookies. The scent of fresh peaches hung in her mane, and Twilight reveled in the softness of her touch.

So many times they’d shared these touches before, but something felt special about tonight. Maybe it was the declaration, or maybe it was just because this was the Grand Galloping Gala. Or maybe, just maybe, Cadence had finally decided to give up thinking Twilight was ever going to do anything but love her. If it was the last, Twilight was incredibly pleased by the results. The slickness of her marehood rubbing against Cadence made her shiver… and then a warm, firm and fleshy feeling pressed into her nethers, spliting her open gloriously.

Twilight was caught utterly by surprise, and cried out in sudden pleasure and lust. Cadence smirked slyly, her magic pulsing up into Twilight’s body so intimately. Every time they’d done this, Twilight could imagine herself as Cadence’s sweet little mare, and every time she squeezed back on the magical phallus like it was the real thing. Trying to milk invisible balls to spread her beloved’s seed into her body. She’d even been working on a little spell….

But not for tonight. For tonight, they would make love as they were. The Princess and the Student. Twilight giggled a little, and felt her cheeks burn horribly as her mind naughtily replaced Cadence with Celestia for just a few very hot moments before the illusion was banished. Cadence’s magic pulsed deep inside of her, and she pulled those beautiful pink hips in to press that length in harder. “I said…” Twilight whispered, her voice heavy. “Buck. Me. Silly.”

Cadence growled aggressively, just like Twilight liked it, and began to do just that… so hard, so deep, so wonderfully, that Twilight didn’t even notice when the massive Love magic they were giving off flooded down out of her rooms and into the palace…

~~~~~~

It would be three or four hours before the pair would finally disentangle themselves from one another, and stumble happily into the bathroom for a quick brush of their manes. A single glance up at the moon told them of the late hour, and Twilight chuckled. “I told the girls I’d meet them at Pony Joe’s after the Gala… Maybe we ought to just go straight there, and see who shows up?” There was no telling how the rest of their nights had gone. Twilight couldn’t hear anything, but her rooms were pretty far from the main halls.

Cadence grinned and flared her wings, doing a little prancing step towards the balcony. Twilight gave off a giggle and ran pell-mell across the room, leaping up to land on Cadence’s back and wrap her forelegs around her neck to hold on. Cadence vaulted up into the sky and the rush of air through her mane washed away the last of the fatigue from her mind. Cuddling was nice, but there was nothing like being taken for a flight through the air…

It was amazing how quickly things could change in just one night.

Twilight wasn’t quite sure yet what the specifics of the new normal would be, and she really didn’t want to think about it yet. There would be time to negotiate things, time to make certain they were on the same level together. Twilight, for herself at least, was now going to insist that wherever they went, and whoever they bucked, they did it together. That might make for a touch of awkwardness, but she was certain Cadence would be alright with that. Besides, I wouldn’t want to give up our other lovers either, she thought whimsically.

The trip down to Pony Joe’s was pretty quick, all things considered. The interior was quiet, but the unmistakable forms of her friends sitting amicably around one of the tables was a welcome sight. Oddly enough, every last one of them looked rather ruffled around the edges, and Rarity was nowhere to be seen. The door-bell jangled cheerfully as they passed through, and Twilight waved happily. Then she paused, as they all stared over her shoulder at… Cadence. Oh. “Um…”

Rainbow Dash, her mane even more ridiculously flyaway than normal, broke the awkward silence with a rough chuckle. “Well, that explains a lot,” she muttered, shaking her head. “Quit standing in the door like a lump, Twilight. This isn’t even close to the craziest thing to happen tonight.” Smiles, sheepish grins, and blushes broke out on the cheeks of all her other friends, and Twilight felt instantly confused.

“Um… What did I miss?” She asked timidly, and blinked in surprise as two cinnamon-crunch donuts were slid up next to her along with a large mug of hot cocoa. Spike was half grinning at her, a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Girls?” She turned to her friends, all of whom coughed softly and glanced at one another.

“I ain’t tellin’ her,” Applejack stated bluntly, her cheeks burning as bright red as one of her apples. Fluttershy, her dress much ripped and worn shook her head rapidly and silently, then hid her face behind Applejack.

Pinkie Pie just grinned, then nudged Rainbow Dash in the side. “Oh, fine!” Dash snapped, then laughed. “You’re all such prudes.” She shook her head before looking Cadence straight in the eye. “Celestia told me to tell you that you really need to get your magic back under control, Princess. Whatever you two were up to upstairs, It kinda… spilled over on the rest of the party.”

Cadence went stiff as a board for a few moments, and then let off a stunned groan and smacked her forehead into the table. “Oh, Goddess preserve me, I didn’t even think about that,” she mumbled into the wood, pressing hooves to her head as Twilight tried to piece things together. What was she forgetting…? “My love magic can be a very powerful aphrodisiac when I’m not careful, Twilight,” she finally said, wearily, and...

It clicked. And Twilight facehoofed. And all of her friends burst into happy laughter. “So. I’m guessing everypony had a good time?” she asked wryly, wishing the blush in her cheeks would go away.

“I got every last one of the Wonderbolts.” Dash said with a proud smirk. “Twice. And Spitfire asked for my address in Ponyville.” And at that, she did a cute little dance in place, causing the rest of the girls to dissolve into even more laughter.

Pinkie winked. “Not exactly my usual Pinkie Pie party, but there sure was plenty of creaaaaamy frosting,” she giggled brightly and licked at her lips. “I think I wore all those poor stallions out though. I hope none of them put a muffin in my oven!”

Once again, it was all Twilight could do. She facehoofed. “C’mon, AJ!” Dash enthused, nudging her with her elbow. Twilight stole a look at Cadence, and she was now on her fourth donut and just looked bemused. “Fess up! Who’d you end up with?”

Applejack grumbled incoherently for a moment. “Applejack protected and took care of me,” Fluttershy said quietly, and Twilight felt her jaw drop in shock…. which was followed by Rainbow Dash’s jaw too. Pinkie just giggled and grinned, and…. and Cadence had on a knowing smile. “There were some very mean stallions, and…” Fluttershy gulped, but smiled tremulously. “And she was there for me, and then helped me with my little itch.” There was something warm and sweet in the way she said that, that made Twilight want to hug her.

“Waitwaitwaitwait. Applejack. A fillyfooler.” Dash said slowly, her voice thick with disbelief. She rounded on the blushing, glowering Applejack. “You gave me crap for three whole years when you found out I swung both ways! What gives?!”

“Couldn’t hardly leave her t’ what she was facin’,” Applejack said stubbornly, glaring at Rainbow Dash with bright red cheeks. “An that’ bein’ said… well, I reckon maybe I was a mite foolish when I acted like that towards ya.” Her foreleg shot out and pulled Fluttershy close. “Details don’t matter, far as I see it. We’re all practically more’n friends here anyway.”

“Agreed!” Pinkie said brightly, then settled down with a quizzical look. “That being said… did anypony see what happened to Rarity?” She looked about, and all of the ponies at the table slowly shook their heads one by one. “But that’s funny, I coulda’ sworn I saw her when the Princess…”

At that very moment, the front door to Pony Joe’s swung open. What walked through that door was a sight Twilight would never be able to forget. Princess Celestia, her mane bright pink and wavy like any other normal ponies and also an absolute mess, and wearing none of her usual royal jewelry, slowly entering with Rarity tucked under her wing. Rarity’s mane was, surprisingly, also a complete mess, and she had a dreamy smile on her face that spoke volumes about the activities the pair of them had probably gotten up to.

Cadence’s jaw hit the floor, soon to be followed by everypony’s except for Twilight… who found her heart and mind convulsing with two absolute opposite, yet equally powerful emotions. One was a fierce and glorious joy that surged through her heart at the sight of her often distant, sometimes sad mentor and teacher smiling, relaxed with an ease that she had never ever seen in her before. The other… was a short, hastily-squashed surge of absolute jealousy towards Rarity.

The second, much more negative emotion Twilight quickly balled up and shoved down into her mind to deal with later. Which was good, because Celestia picked that moment to look up and smile with impossible beauty at all of them. “Oh… Hello there, everypony.” Celestia’s voice was faintly dreamy, and Rarity turned her head to see all of them - her eyes widening at the sight of Cadence. Celestia continued as though she barely noticed, “Did you all have a pleasant evening?”

Chapter 9 - Black Crystals

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~~~~~Ponyville, A few weeks later~~~~~

Cadence slammed the door to the library shut and dropped the massive, heavy iron bar inscribed with runes across it to keep it shut against any possible intruder. “I got the Elements!” she panted out, dropping the bags on the table and darting her eyes to the windows. “We’ve got to be fast, he isn’t going to be just yucking it up out there. Any word from Celestia?” Twilight shook her head at her and pointed to the sleeping and curled up Spike in his basket bed.

The curtains were drawn on all of the windows, which was probably smart. “There’s got to be something we can do to snap them out of this,” she muttered softly, turning to stare at the basement door. From behind it, sounds of arguing, bickering, and anger were seeping through the cracks. The sheer force of the animosity down there would have been enough to send most empaths into fits of tears. “Have you gotten anywhere with that book on emotion spells?”

Twilight sighed and snapped the book she was reading shut. “Nothing in here either. I just know the solution is connected to the Elements of Harmony.” She grabbed the now much worn and bookmarked Elements of Harmony book from all those months ago, and Cadence heaved a small sigh. She was sure of it too, but she was equally sure the answer wasn’t going to be found in a book. Still, if it was keeping Twilight from freaking out…

Outside the windows, the world had gone utterly mad. Only powerful magic and equally powerful protections forged between the two of them had kept the library from lifting off into the sky. Outside those windows, an ancient demon named Discord was threatening to turn the entire world into his chaotic little plaything. And all of their close friends, the Elements of Harmony, were under his sway right now, having been turned to their opposite selves and currently battling it out in the basement over a giant rock.

Cadence leaned wearily against the door as Twilight flitted from shelf to shelf, dragging down reference guides and research materials as she frantically searched for a way to restore her friends to normal. “Twilight, we’ve got to come at this from another angle. We’ve got to think about what he did to them!” She was sure it had something to do with emotion, but every time she’d tried one of her own emotionally based spells they’d just kind of… bounced off.

Twilight shook her head once. “I know, I’m trying to do that! Wait! I know I had…” Twilight turned and quickly hauled down an older, dustier tome than normal and began to carefully page through it. Cadence sighed heavily again and tugged one of the curtains shut a little harder, then… wait. What was that? She quickly looked through the windows, but there was nothing to be seen other than the usual chaos.

She frowned and closed the curtains again, “Twilight, did you…?” Before she could continue, there was an odd sound upstairs. Water? Rushing water? Twilight’s head came up, and she made a frustrated sound. Cadence nodded. “That’s the shower. I’ll handle it. How bloody childish...” she grumbled, trotting quickly up the stairs into Twilight’s rooms. Inside the bathroom, the shower was going off full blast, and Cadence relentlessly turned the dials to off, then slapped the valve into the closed position.

She glared at the showerhead until the final drips of water slowly slid out of it, then hit the floor of the tub with a plunk. “That’s better.” She turned on her hooves and did a little prancing step out into Twilight’s room… to find the door shut behind her. Something she very distinctly did not remember doing.

“I enjoy my small bits of chaos as much as the big shows,” Discord’s voice echoed inside the room, sinisterly gleeful. Cadence whipped about in place, planting her hooves firmly and calling her magic into her horn as strongly as she dared. The bathroom? No. The bookshelf? Nothing seemed out of place. None of the furniture looked strange… “Over here, dearest princess,” Discord chuckled, his voice a little less echoing but still massively annoying. “Why don’t you, oh I don’t know... think about what’s most important, hm?”

Cadence grit her teeth and turned resolutely to face a bright red framed picture sitting exactly where it always had, right on the night stand. It was the picture they’d taken with their friends after the Gala, of Twilight and Cadence in the foreground being mercilessly grinned at by the rest of her friends as they dumped rosepetals over them. Where they had gotten those petals… of course, now the petals were cupcakes, and Discord was sitting on Pinkie Pie’s head.

“Oh good show, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza!” Discord applauded from within the frame before disappearing from it in a white flash of magic and showing up in the bedroom at his full size. “I thought it would take you longer to figure it out.” He produced a teacup and an absurdly ugly chair and perched on it with an arrogant smirk. “Really, you’re not nearly as fun as Celly.”

“Maybe we should go find my Aunt then, and she can sort you out.” Cadence was glad that Twilight was downstairs right now. Whatever else this creature had done, he hadn’t shown the ability to be in two places at once. Maybe she could buy Twilight enough time… “Or you know, I suppose I could just do it myself. I imagine you’d look cute knitting up valentines for some lucky filly.” She put on her best confident grin, glaring him dead in the eye. She wasn’t about to give ground to this absurd creature.

“You know, I might just do that.” Discord appeared genuinely intrigued before a flash of his unidentifiable magic once again changed everything around him. He reappeared in the clothes of an old Canterlot mare, rocking in a chair and knitting little hearts and surround by plush toys the size of actual fillies and colts. “Nothing you can come up with matches what I can, Cadenza,” he sneered, enunciating that name she hated so much before flashing back to his usual self. “But as much as it pains my soul…” there was a horrible crunching sound from inside where she assumed his gut was, “I want to have a serious talk with you.”

“What do you mean, serious?” She pitched her voice low, the sound of rumbling books downstairs causing her to grit her teeth. She wasn’t going to give this thing the satisfaction of seeing her worried about anything. “I didn’t think you could do serious without hacking up a lungfish.” She just had to keep him occupied, so she returned his slight sneer, not letting go of her magic for one second. She didn’t imagine she could hurt him, but she might need to protect herself.

“I like pulling more interesting things out my mouth, thank you,” Discord replied, beginning to pace back and forth. “Which, I’ll have you know, is something I do when I just want to tell something something. I’m actually asking a question right now. I really have been trying to figure out why you’re here at all. Care to elaborate, because I’m just baffled.”

She stared at him, wondering where in the name of Celestia’s flank that question had come from. “What in… What do you mean ‘why am I here’?! I’m here because the filly I love is here, and I’m not about to be separated from her.” She almost spat at his… something. Talons? Hooves? “Not an emotion I’d expect you to be familiar with, to be honest.”

“Ugh,” he answered in a nasally voice and shivered like he was water being rippled over. “I’ve never liked that emotion since well, since a long time ago, but I must say, you could’ve fooled me. No wedding certificates, no hoof holding. I really can’t say I’ve seen anything about you that tells me you love anypony at all.” He suddenly turned, and frowned at her like a disapproving teacher. “But that still does not explain why you are here. Go on. Try again, little princess. I’ll give you two more chances.”

That was enough to snap a little something inside Cadence. “You don’t know a damn thing, you foul creature!” Auntie Luna was apparently rubbing off on her, because she felt her voice turn into a thunderous sound. Maybe it would warn Twilight that things were going to get nasty… or she hoped it would. She called her magic, deeply seated in the power of her Love, and brandished it at him. “You want to find out just how in Love I really am? Let me give you a little taste!”

“Hrm, hrm, hrm,” Discord laughed in his chest. An ominous sound. “Yes... but first, why don’t we turn that frown upside down.” And before she could retaliate, he had, somehow, lifted the magic glowing on her horn off of it, turned it the other way and slid it back on. And Cadance felt the oddest sensation flooding through her body. “There, gray suits you well, Princess.”

She stared into space for a moment, as the magic backlashed through her body like nothing else had ever done before. Whatever thoughts or fears she might have had were obliterated in its wake, and she staggered back a step as she desperately tried to figure out what was going on. Then, as if all at once, everything became clear. The world became simple, and pure, and easy to understand. What was really important, indeed.

She felt her mouth stretch into a rictus like grin. Yes, it did suit her well. All the better to portray the glory of her Love to the world. “I suppose you’re right…” she half-purred, half-rasped... and called all of that lovely power back into her horn. Really, he had been so kind in putting the world in its rightful perspective. She decided she wouldn’t destroy him for that. But really, he couldn’t be allowed to keep bothering her Love. All that stress wasn’t good for her! “Let me show you my… appreciation.” Her hooves ground into the wooden floor, and as if from nowhere, jagged black crystals shot up out of the ground, shattering the floor and looming ominously to either side of her.

“Oh, you’re too kind, Cadenza,” Discord laughed, but it was a nervous chuckle this time. “But you know me, I always make my own gifts. I think I’ll go change some sunflowers into tiny suns to burn up the bugs when they come around. Ciao.” A spark of his magic later, and Discord was holding onto an important-looking suitcase and wearing quite the… appealing suit. How could she let such a handsome creature go so early?

“Oh, no no no no no no nooooooo…” Cadence sweetly said. Or at least, it was supposed to be sweet. Her magic lashed out and a spray of black crystal blocked out the light coming through the window behind him. “No, I think you should stay right here. Where I can keep an EYE on you.” Her magic lashed out again right at his feet, and a magnificent cage of black crystals bloomed up and around him in a beautiful display of colors before they set as solid as iron.

“This is ridiculous!” Discord growled, seriously irritated now. He snapped his talon and the cage of crystals pomfed into a shower of colored daisies. “I said I was going, and so I am. I’m done here with what I came to do.’

She felt her voice bubbled up into a bright, demented giggle. No. Not demented. Cute! Sexy! Sultry! Very sultry. Just like Twilight liked it. “Oh, I don’t think so.” She swished her tail and flank at him quite sassily, her smile stretching wide again. “You’re going to stay right there, like a good little gentlecolt, until I can get around to dealing with your bad manners.” She giggled softly, her magic pulsing out down into the floor and the treehouse itself…

“Whatever, go have your fun with that infernal brat downstairs. It’ll lower her concentration anyway,” Discord grumbled, and when he took a step forward, promptly squashed his face into what was unmistakably an invisible wall. After peeling off the surface like a sticker, he shook a talon at Cadence. “Obsession. By my beard, I ought to have seen that coming.” He shook his head ruefully, still grinning. “But you won’t be able to stop me. Now that all of you have gone bonkers like me, it’s only a matter of time before Sun Butt’s student goes on her own. Who are you going have to ‘love’ when she has no friends?”

She wiggled her flank at him as she pranced toward the door, laughing throatily. “Oh, Discord. You really don’t get it.” She arched her neck in a very sexy manner, eyeballing him smokily. “Who said my beloved needed anypony else but me? And when she’s ready, we’ll come up here and wrap you in such chains of Love that you’ll put everything back exactly the way she wants it…” She felt her grin turn sinister and found she kind of liked it. “Who knows. You might even enjoy it once I’ve…. whipped you into shape.” Then she slammed the door shut behind her and smiled brightly at Twilight, who was staring up at her at the top of the steps with more than a little concern.

Dear, dear. She really had to make that worry go away, and she knew just the cure.

~~~~~~

Twilight felt a lump settle into her throat. The thundering sounds above her head had turned into an eerie, frightening silence, and Cadence had swept out of her bedroom looking washed out and wild eyed. She slammed the door to the bedroom behind her with a satisfied smirk. “Don’t worry so much, my Love,” she purred out in her huskiest, sexiest voice. It was a voice that never failed to make Twilight’s mind sit up and take notice, and she felt a little shiver down her spine. “I’ve locked up our little problem upstairs. He really doesn’t understand the power of my love for you…” she cooed out, slowly descending the stairs in a hip swaying motion.

Twilight felt some of the tension seep out of her chest and fell back against one of the tables, pressing her hooves into it and sighing softly. No wonder she looked so grayed out. It had to have taken a massive burst of power to contain a being like Discord, even for an Alicorn like Cadence was. Now they would have all the time they needed to find a way to help her friends. “You’re absolutely amazing, Cadence,” she said with a small smile.

Cadence was already on the main floor of the library, and was still moving with a blatantly sexual slant to her body language. “Oh, goddess, no Love…” she whispered out, her eyes narrowing faintly, a slow smile on her face. “I’m nothing in comparison to you…” She lifted a hoof and ran it through Twilight’s mane, her voice oddly raspy. “Your brilliant mind. Your…” She licked her lips, hungrily… “Luscious body. Everything about you, so utterly perfect.”

That…. That was very strange. Actually, it was kind of scary. Twilight cleared her throat, giving a little false cough before speaking. “Um… Thanks, but we really ought to get back to figuring out how to help Applejack and everypony else.” She turned away, trying to slip from her closeness to Cadence… only to find Cadence had slipped around her in perfect match to her movements. She felt startled, jumping back toward the table in surprise only for a pillow to neatly interdict her impact.

“Oh, no, Darling. You’ve been working far too hard.” Cadence cooed at her, gently brushing at Twilight’s shoulders with sensual hooves. “Come now, beloved. You need to take a little break.” Cadence was pressing herself up against her now, her breath hot on her neck. “Relax. Let me take care of everything you’ll ever need…” Her voice was all wrong, no matter how hot and sexy. There was a wild light in her eye, and Twilight’s every nerve was afire with fear.

This wasn’t right, no matter how much Twilight kinda wished it was. Her magic felt wrong in a way that made her want to scream in fear. She had heard Discord up there, but now there was no sound or stirrings, and the chaos outside had seemingly stilled itself. What had Cadence done up there?

“Don’t get distracted dearest,” Cadance said, whipping Twilight’s attention back to her. “I’ve taken care of everything. Ponyville is fine. You don’t have to work on that anymore. We can finally have some time… alone.” Twilight had been with Cadence long enough to know her looks. And Cadence grinned a lot, especially when things got hot between the two of them. But the grin she had now was as far from pleasurable as the sun was from the moon. It was downright… perverted.

“Cadence, could… could you let me up for just a sec?” she stuttered, hoping that would get the chance she need to see what had gone wrong upstairs. “Close my books, you know…”

“Hows that?” she asked, her magic flowing over her horn and snapping the books shut and making Twilight flinch. She really was out of options now, and she didn’t want to think about how this Cadence would react if she completely turned her head away from those ever close lips. She tried to push herself out from underneath Cadence, but it wasn’t fast enough and a hoof against her forehead stopped her from going very far.

“Twilight, why would you want to go? You’ve never wanted to go,” Cadence said, her voice lilting in all the wrong places. She was so distracted by the many nuances that had turned dark in her marefriend that it was only after its shocking cold touch gripped at her hooves that Twilight gasped at the sight of black crystals wrapping themselves around her. They were hard and strong as diamond, and they began to spread her legs wide at Cadence’s will. “I don’t ever want you to go. I’m always going to be with you, so you can never get into any trouble I can’t take care of first. Of course, that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little trouble of our own.” She giggled, a touch of madness seeping through in her voice. “And I’m jussst fine with that.”

Twilight was hyperventilating now. She had a dreading feeling she knew what was coming, the way Cadence was hovering over her. An ethereal brush of magic teased at her marehood, and she had to tense her mouth shut to keep from making any sound. “No?” Cadence asked in mock surprise. “How about something more… real?” A tubular shape began to shimmer in magic between Cadence’s legs, and she began to ease it down toward Twilight’s nethers. “I know you’ve always wanted this…” Cadence purred, and Twilight felt something very distinctly not magical pressing up against her.

Her mind paralyzed between two feelings. One was an astonishment at the casting of a spell she had never been sure was even possible, followed instantly by a dark and instinct fueled desire to see just how functional it was. The other feeling was one of pure fear, that she knew exactly to what end Cadence intended to direct that particular new piece of her. Fear spurred her power into action, and thus into strength. Her horn blazed with power, and she warped the very fabric of space around her…

Only to crash snout first into one of her reading chairs, sending it, her, and a nearby pile of books into a tumble as she teleported out of the bonds. That produced a delighted yet utterly insane giggle from Cadence, and Twilight grabbed at the power mid-tumble, trying to ignore the pain in her nose and direct herself a little more precisely. The next thing she knew, she was… in the basement.

There was another crash as she landed flank first onto a pile of well placed pillows, but fortunately it was a quiet one. She gripped at her snout for a moment, and carefully rubbed it to assess the damage. Nothing serious just… just a little blood. Blood that was fairly easily wiped away with the edge of one of the pillow cases and held back with the barest touch of magic. Her five friends could be seen from where she had landed, but none of them paid her much mind. They’d apparently worn themselves out arguing or competing with one another and had separated to five corners of the room to grouse quietly.

She stared at them in silence, feeling some of her hopes and enthusiasm drain out of her. Discord might be oddly absent, but now she had to contend with somepony far, far worse. A Cadence apparently determined to chain her up and pour her special brand of ‘love’ all over her until she drowned in it. She was out of time and resources to find a solution, and now she had a bloody nose. She wiped at it carefully, taking deep breaths and looking up. She could not help but stare at the small exterior window in the basement, now completely blocked off by glittering black crystals.

Cadence had to be behind it. Those crystals would likely soon envelop the whole tree, and with it all her research materials and her five friends. There was no telling what Cadence might do to them in order to make her co-operate with her if she ran, and so… so… what could she do? There had to be something. There had to be someway to snap her out of this!

She stared at each of her five friends, this time trying to find the connection. Rarity, obsessing over that rock she insisted was a diamond. Rainbow Dash, utterly uncaring about what was going on. Applejack unable to speak anything that was true. Fluttershy, suddenly turned… “Mean,” she breathed softly, running a hoof through her mane. “Opposites. Polar opposites. But then what…” She shook her head slowly. “Obsession. Love, turned wrong. No wonder she’s… but how could I…”

Thoughts raced through her head, chasing one another down the road of her mind over and over again. The thoughts made sense, isolated, but that wasn’t going to help her if she was going to help Cadence. She needed a concrete plan. She needed evidence, she needed- “Love,” she whispered, and a power surged through her. It was a crazy idea, but with the Elements fundamentally out of commission, it was worth a try.

She quickly ran hooves through her mane, trying to focus on the tiny nebulous thought that her moment of stress had spawned. It would be incredibly dangerous, especially if it didn’t work. She knew, more than anypony else alive, exactly what Cadence could do with her magic if she was so inclined. And now, with the state she was in, all of the moral and personal restrictions upon that magic would mean nothing. Twilight was literally going to have to walk up to the manticore and stick her head inside it’s jaws, while it was hungry. It was insane. Suicidal even.

It was the only idea she had.

So she did what any sane pony would do. She wrote a few quick notes, stashing them in her secret compartments down here in her lab. She looked to each one of her friends and summoned up the image of them in their happiest prime. With all the courage she could then muster, she sucked in a deep breath and began to march up the steps, one by one. She had to be strong for Cadence, for Applejack and Pinkie Pie and for all the rest of them.

But most importantly of all, because she wasn’t going to give up her Love without a fight.

~~~~~~

The main room of the library was terrifyingly beautiful. Every shelf and surface glittered with a glorious latticework of black crystals. Dark chains of the stuff hung from the ceiling and Twilight swallowed at the sight of sinister looking furniture that she had only glimpsed in some of the most daring clubs in Canterlot. She had only the faintest idea of what they would be used for, but she knew that pain was one of the primary reasons. The entire place looked like some kind of fetish art piece, and it sent a chill down her spine.

But no matter how chilled she got, she knew what she had to do here. “Cadence?” she whispered into the almost eerie silence. “Where did you-” She was cut off by a sudden burst of bright, sensual music and nearly teleported herself right through the roof of the tree. Once she settled though, she cocked an ear at the music. It was really quite smooth and soothing, even if she couldn’t put her hoof on the artist.

“Right here, beloved,” came Cadence’s whisper soft voice, as she slipped around one of the bookshelves and Twilight’s jaw nearly unhinged. Somehow, in the bare few minutes that Twilight had been downstairs, she’d completely done herself up in dusky purple makeup and bright red lip gloss. She wore a set of lacy, fine mesh stockings and a sleek robe of glittery black silk that Twilight was certain she had never seen before. She swayed in time with the music, her eyes smouldering coals of desire, and all of the stiffness gone from her limbs. “I’m sorry I got a little antsy with you, dearheart. Could you ever forgive me?” Her words oozed sincerity, and Twilight didn’t believe it for a minute.

But then, believing her had very little to do with her plan. “Of course, love. I’m sorry I took fright so easily,” she simpered back, putting on her best playful voice and trotting slowly over to where Cadence stood by the middle of the room. There, where once the horse-head carving had stood, now a glittering spire of black crystal arched into the ceiling. The very presence of the stuff sent a stab of fear into her heart, but she swallowed it hard. “I know you were only trying to soothe me.” Twilight’s guts twisted at the lie, but…

Cadence clapped her hooves together happily, her eyes brightening a touch. “Oh, goodness. I’m so relieved you understand…” Her smile twisted a little, and it was all Twilight could do at first not to wince away from her, but she held her smile firm. That bastard thinks he can make her break me… but I’m going to show Discord exactly how strong what I have with her is. “I just want to keep you safe,” she whispered, all too quietly. That was the emotion laying at the core of Cadence right now, and Twilight intended to stroke it like a greedy cat.

“I know,” Twilight responded quietly, snuggling up against Cadence’s chest and taking some small comfort in the fact that the mare in front of her was still, at her core, the mare she loved. “You’ve always been there, and always kept me safe. I should know better than to doubt that you would keep doing so.” Another twist in her gut, because what came next was going to be the biggest gamble in her life. Bonne Chance, Twilight. She put on her best gentle smile and kissed lightly at Cadence’s cheek. “Besides, you did intrigue me a little with that offer of yours…”

Cadence giggled, once again full of a vague madness that sent shivers down her spine. Again came the feeling of cold magic, but this time she would not show that magic any fear. It was part of Cadence, and she was not afraid of her, so she would not be afraid of it. Beautiful shackles encircled her hooves, delicate yet strong as steel. “Oh, I know… I could sense your desire,” Cadence cooed. Twilight felt her throat contract as a sleek collar in the same delicate, lacy style of her hoof-bindings wrapped around it. She would not be afraid, no matter how much she might want to be. “I could sense your raw need to be my beautiful little broodmare.” Her voice was laced thick with the promise of that statement, a hard appendage pressing up against Twilight’s thigh.

Twilight sucked in a short, final breath and closed her eyes. She hoped Cadence would interpret that an entirely different way, because now… Now I’ve got to put on the biggest show of my life. She suppressed her fears, suppressed her mind, and focused on the core of sensuality that Cadence had given her. Focused on the love that she felt for this mare and for everything they’d shared together. She felt the smile bloom on her face slowly and stretched out her four chained limbs, only to wrap them sinuously around Cadence’s body. “I can’t imagine a better way to spend eternity than with you,” she whispered sensually into Cadence’s ear, and felt the mare shiver in response to it. She had to keep pouring it on. “And I’ve always wanted foals.” That wasn’t precisely true… but it wasn’t a lie either.

Even so, just saying it seemed to send a wave of heat through Cadence’s body. “Oh, goodness… Yes, that does sound nice.” There were warm cracks in her voice, as though even her cursed condition could not conceal her desire for that outcome. That thick, warm shaft pressed up against her marehood, and it did not take much for Twilight to push herself back against it, trying to draw it in deeper into her body. Her crystal chains clinked with her movement, brushing with an odd warmth against her body. “Mm… Such a pretty mare. My pretty mare, forever and ever...” Cadence cooed darkly into her ear, and Twilight once again had to suppress a shiver.

Cadence’s hips pistoned in, without a word of warning, and Twilight felt herself split upon the thick pony-cock. It was thicker than anything she’d taken before, and oh-so-deliciously real. It was hot and pulsed inside her, and for a moment she did not have to fake her passion with a sweet moan that sang into the air and reverberated off the crystals all over the room. The reverberations turned her moans ghostly and strange, wailing them across the room. The sound made all of her hair stand up on end, but…

Goddess, it was like her lust shot through the roof at the mere sound. It was hard to concentrate on her plan, between the big thing between her legs and that strange magic coursing through her, she could barely think. But ‘barely’ was still thinking, so she kept pushing on. “Yes… Your’s forever,” she hissed back, grasping Cadence’s body more tightly to her. “Perfectly safe and sound in your hooves, rutting against one another naughtily.” She giggled softly, not even having to force it.

Cadence’s laugh was almost normal in return, yet still there was that hard edge beneath it. She needed more. Twilight wrapped her hind legs a little tighter and arched her back up fetchingly. Cadence responded quickly, pressing herself in tightly to Twilight. “Mmf… More,” she growled into Twilight’s ear, and her hips began to pump back and forth into her. It was a glorious sensation, a warmth and fullness that drew sweet moans from her throat. However strange or frightening her surroundings, she knew the mare atop her loved her… and she was going to draw that love out, one way or another.

So she squeezed her inner muscles tightly around the phallus inside her, digging the edges of her hooves into Cadence’s back and writhing in place upon the book-table she now laid upon. Remember what she told you… “You can have it all…” she whispered heatedly, feeling the weight of Cadence’s body pressing into hers. “It all belongs to you already. Safe in your hooves, forever.”

Cadence’s voice was ragged as she ploughed into Twilight, and Twilight bit back her own cries of pleasure so she could hear. “Yes… safe… Mine…” She seethed with power, her magic pouring out into the world with reckless abandon and being sucked up into the black crystalline structures that surrounded them. But some of that magic, that raw power poured onto Twilight and set her to shivering.

Cadence’s love magic was a powerful aphrodisiac, but this… this was obsession. Raw, pure, total adoration that bordered on the psychotic, and all of it was for her. The feeling of the sex intensified a hundredfold, and Twilight nearly lost her senses in that sea of worship of her and her very being. Her mind flooded with images of Cadence and her, spending every waking hour of eternity together… locked up in a tower of black crystal that sang with the sounds of their mutual pleasure cascading up to the sky.

But it was a cold dream. A dream unworthy of Cadence, and of her.

Twilight gripped at Cadence’s body and pushed her head up, pressing the tip of her horn to Cadence’s and letting loose a torrent of her own power into it. The pleasure crested between them and her magic surged, her eyes going milky white with power. She screamed wordlessly, trying to express how she felt… trying to express years upon years of patience, of hope and of love. Trying desperately to show the mare atop her what her love meant to her, and what it always would…

Cadence’s scream joined hers, and a feeling of warmth surged into Twilight’s belly. Their horn tips felt fused together by coruscating magics that twisted and writhed against one another with an unquenchable passion. Over and over, their combined magics twisted together into a thick column of colors and sound and life…

And the world exploded in light.

For a few long, silent moments, Twilight could not see nor hear anything. But she could feel something, something warm and soft pressed against her. She could feel a presence, like magic itself, sitting just out of reach but always willing to come closer. It was a gentle sort of spirit, fragile in many ways, but stronger than the hardest rock in others. That spirit wept and clung to her relentlessly, whispering words she could not understand.

But she didn’t need to understand it, she realized. She just needed to hold on to it, to protect it, and indeed to nourish it with every fiber of her being. “It’s okay…” she whispered, though they were not words. “I’m not going to leave you,” she tried to assure the spirit, comforting it and holding it close.

“But… but I am broken,” it whispered back to her. “Worthless. Weak. How can I possibly protect you?” The voice was Cadence’s, and the world was slowly seeping back from the endless white. Her eyes were squeezed shut and tears flowed freely from them.

Twilight lifted a hoof, the power slowly melting away from them. “You are stronger than you think, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.” Twilight spoke in the firmest, most Celestia-like tones that she possibly could.

Cadence cracked open a brilliant violet eye and smiled ruefully, the gray slowly washing away from her. “You know how much I hate that name, Twilight Sparkle.” Her voice was mock serious, and there was a mischievous twinkle in her eye. “I should leave you chained up like this for that.”

Twilight felt the tension slowly drain out of her and laughed faintly. “Funny how you make that sound like so much fun.” She shook her head slowly, lifting her hooves to stare at the strange, cold black crystals. “Not with these though. What is this stuff?” She shook it, and the sound it made was unlike anything she’d heard before.

Cadence shook her head. “I don’t know, but…” She paused, midword, then swallowed. “Twilight, why does it feel like I’ve got a raging stiffy stuffed inside you?” She licked her lips and looked awfully nervous… so nervous that Twilight couldn’t help but let off a bubbling laugh. “Oh goddess…” Cadence sighed, shifting her hips in such a way that made Twilight moan sweetly.

Truth was, it still felt wonderful, even if it had been summoned in a less than pleasant manner. “I thought you said you couldn’t cast that spell,” she huffed at Cadence and smacked her shoulder. “Now, get me out of these things. We need to go downstairs and help our friends wake up.” Then she paused, and very begrudgingly continued, “And I suppose you’d better get rid of the cock too, just for now.”

Cadence sighed. “Look, I don’t know if I can… Ngh… get you pregnant like this.” She tugged her hips back and there was a soft slurping sound and a feel of faint emptiness… then an oozing feeling down her thigh, and Cadence sighed dramatically. “Which we might just find out now.” Twilight felt a flush of warmth, and wondered why that sounded like not such a bad idea…

Cadence huffed and her horn lit up. “Gods, I hope I can remember the counter-spell. I haven’t summoned this thing since I was….” She paused, her cheeks bright red. “Um, maybe I shouldn’t talk about that. Heh.”

Twilight stared at her, then shook her head slowly. “You are so lucky I love you.”

~~~~~~~~

Twilight shivered a little as she entered her own room, the entirety of it bathed from ceiling to floor in black crystalline structures, and there in the middle stood a spookily serious Discord. “This isn’t the way things are supposed to happen, you know.” He wasn’t fooling around, nor was he laughing. His eyes were stone cold yellow orbs, madness lurking behind them. “Not any of this. She was never supposed to be here.” His talon extended sinisterly toward Cadence.

“And just what is that supposed to mean, Discord?” Cadence demanded quietly. Behind them, one by one, Twilight’s friends filed into the room in silence. Each of them restored to their own glorious colors, and each bearing their Element of Harmony.

Discord sneered, but it was not full of malice. Only a grim sort of humor. “Someone changed things. Turned them around, switched them about. I’ve got to admire the kind of chaos it causes, of course, but it’s really not fair to the rest of us.” He huffed, sticking his feet up with a snap of his claws, reclining on a massive and ugly red chair. “You don’t seem to get it, but how could you? Seeing through the realms of space and time is part of the reason I’m so delightfully mad.”

Twilight felt a lump in her throat, but forced the words past her lips anyway. “Quit being so bloody vague! Who changed what? And who do you mean by ‘the rest of us’?!” She stomped her hoof, her crown perched firmly upon her head and practically vibrating with the power of Harmony.

He smirked faintly at her, ticking off his talons. “Myself, the showpony, the ex-student, the shadow king, just to name a few. Oh, there are so very many of us, you know. Each lined up like a bowling pin by your dear Princess Celestia, to see if you’re worthy of that little trinket upon your head.” His words singsonged as little light illusions played upon the air, one of which was almost shaped like an Alicorn… and he snapped it out of the air. “And of course, there’s her. The one with the audacity to actually play with History. That’s MY schtick!” he spat, and a globule of screaming acid hit the side of his crystal cage and sizzled against it.

He glared daggers at her, his claws grasping the black crystal firmly. “I will be very disappointed in you if you don’t show up Sunbutt’s little plans like I know you will.” His smirk curled into a nasty little smile. “Not that she realizes that yet, oh no.” Then he dissolved into fits of giggles, throwing himself back onto the chair and clutching at his sides. “Oh, what a tangled web we weave, dearest Celestia!” he crowed at the top of his lungs.

“Twilight…” That was Applejack, her hoof gentle on her shoulder. “This ain’t gettin us nowhere. Let’s deal with ‘im.” Twilight took in a slow, deep breath and nodded. Right now was not the time to think of the accusations she’d just heard… or the possibilities the mad rantings of this fiend had opened up.

Instead, now was the time to restore Ponyville to the way it was supposed to be. She felt the power of the elements surge through her, and a bright light filled up the room as Discord continued to laugh like a true madpony, right up to the point where he was once again turned to stone.

~~~~~~~

The citizens of Ponyville were celebrating.

Cheers rose into the air and mugs of foaming cider were knocked against one another vigorously. Princess Celestia smiled faintly down upon the celebrations, even as the Royal Guard and physicians from Canterlot Royal Hospital tended to those in need. For many, it would be some time before they fully recovered from the psychological effects of what Discord had done to them. For others, it would take little more than a few shots of whiskey and a frisky mare or stallion to drive off the memories.

For herself, though, there were other concerns.

Her eyes turned to the Golden Oaks Library, where jagged shards of black crystal hung from the tree limbs like cruel Hearth’s Warming decorations. The very sight of those crystals had sent paroxysms of fear through her heart, but the Elements of Harmony had assured her Cadence and Twilight were both hale and hearty… and had demanded her presence inside at her earliest convenience. Alone.

Even so, she was not afraid. Discord’s statue had been dragged from the treehouse some hours earlier, and now was being transported under the heaviest guard back to Canterlot. The old demon had served his purpose and would now remain imprisoned for as long as was necessary to complete her task.

So she picked up her hooves and strode past the perimeter around the treehouse. Disposing of those crystals would be a difficult process, but she had hopes that Cadence would be amenable to a discussion on the subject. Within the treehouse, the entire interior looked as though it had been redecorated to the tastes of…. she dared not even think his name, for fear that it might summon him out of the ether. Too much had now happened far ahead of schedule for her to take any chances. She shivered at the cold, ruthless quality to the magically made furniture and the sight of shackles and chains.

“Princess Celestia.” The voice was soft, but unmistakably that of Twilight Sparkle, and she turned with a sigh of pure relief. Cadence and she were both as normal looking as they had ever been, without so much as a trace of the dark magics of… him. But the looks on their faces were grim and set, and neither looked very joyful. She felt a chill enter her heart then, as Twilight said in a gentle but firm voice, “We need to talk.”

Chapter 10 - Coming To Terms

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~~~~The Golden Oaks Library~~~~

Twilight made Tea.

Which was to say, she followed the precise instructions Miss Teagarden had given her on the preparation and serving of good black tea instead of trying to scientifically devise a more efficient manner. Which was to say, she made tea and was very glad it tasted good. She made tea, because according to her mother, making tea was what you did when you were about to have a very hard conversation with someone. Somehow, it made having the conversation easier. Twilight wasn’t sure how it could possibly make this conversation easier, but she was going to use every arrow in her quiver to try.

Celestia took her cup with a warm smile and sipped at it daintily. Cadence did the same, with an equally warm smile, and Twilight fiddled with a glass of ice cold water. She did not feel like tea right now. She felt like screaming, but that wasn’t going to solve anything. “Celestia, I-” she began and bit it off, immediately realizing the eighteen different logical fallacies she was about to indulge in and feeling like Mr. Game Theory had just rapped her across the hooves for even thinking of it.

Celestia took another sip of tea in the meantime and sighed. “Cadence, I swear by everything I believe in, I did not expect Discord to break free yesterday.” Her voice was quiet and surprisingly calm. “I had been certain we had several more months, at the least. I could not have predicted that little lover’s quarrel with Spitfire and Soarin.” She smiled faintly at that one, barely hidden by her teacup. “I do wonder how on earth they came to such a tussle to begin with, though. So very strange.”

Cadence was glaring at her, and Twilight felt hideously out of her depth. But there was something there she could latch onto. “Wait, you knew Discord could break free?” It was hard - very hard - to keep the incredulity out of her voice. She’d always known Celestia had much farther reaching plans than other ponies, but this…

Celestia shook her head. “I have been anticipating his escape for decades now. It was inevitable, but I could not predict the exact date.” She sighed heavily, setting her cup down in front of her. “Twilight, I beg of you to understand. Over one thousand years ago, Luna and I fought and defeated countless dark forces in our quest to build a peaceful land, but we never believed they would be gone forever.” Celestia’s eyes softened, a sadness passing over her face. “I have tried so very hard to prepare Equestria for this, but…”

Twilight put up her hoof, and Celestia fell silent. “I don’t…” She huffed out a breath, forcing the bubble of anger back down into her belly. “You don’t need to give me any excuses, princess. I’ve never questioned that you have Equestria’s best interests at heart. What I need to know is what were you inferring with Cadence.” Behind her, she could hear Cadence wince a little, but she ploughed on anyway. “Because it sounded like you had intended to warn her about this happening, but not me.”

Celestia was silent for a full two and a half minutes following that, her hooves pressed together and a pensive look on her face. Twilight bit her words back, refusing to allow everything she felt about… and for Princess Celestia to interfere with this. “Yes, that is correct,” she said, abruptly and quietly, and Twilight felt a stab of pain in her heart. It was… almost like betrayal. Why wouldn’t Celestia tell her about this?

Celestia looked up, and gone was the mask of serenity that she had worn in front of her so many times before. Now there was exhaustion, pain, and behind all of that… a glimmer of fierce pride. “Twilight… perhaps I should have told you, but I wished for you to live your life free of this knowledge.” Her lips turned into a smile, a gentle one. “Say of me what you will, my most faithful student, but I could not bear to see somepony I love so very dearly forced to bear the same burden I have carried for so long. Perhaps it was foolish. Perhaps I ought to have trusted you. Yet hindsight is ever perfect in these matters.”

Twilight opened her mouth, shut it, and found the will to speak again. “Princess, I…” she began, groping for the right words and finding none of them. Twilight hung her head a little, sighing and trying to figure out how to put her thoughts into words. “I’m… I should be angry at you, but I don’t want to be. I want to yell and scream at you about this but...” She blew out a huff, wishing that life wasn’t so bloody complicated sometimes.

Celestia’s hoof touched her chin and lifted her head. “Twilight, you would not be the pony I know if you were not at least a little angry at me.” There was a sly twinkle in Celestia’s eye, her smile faint. “You have never liked me withholding knowledge from you.”

Twilight couldn’t help herself, and she smiled faintly. “No, I haven’t.” She laughed faintly, and nuzzled her cheek into Celestia’s hoof. “I can understand why you’d hide this from me, but it doesn’t mean I like it.” Twilight rubbed at her own forehead, hoping the pain near her horn wasn’t an incipient headache. “Look, just… I know there’s things you can’t tell me. I accepted that when I became your student.” She even put on a rueful grin. It had been on the list of things Celestia had made her promise to understand as a little filly, even if she had long since wished she could take back some of those promises. “But please try to consider that telling me might help us solve a problem before it becomes a problem next time, hm? Because if you don’t, I may find myself becoming very cross with you.”

Celestia stared at her for just long enough to make her think she might’ve taken it a bit too far… and she burst into joyous, happy laughter for a good long while. It took her nearly a minute to recover herself enough to speak, wiping away tears of happiness from her eyes. “Faust preserve me, you looked and sounded just like Lulu then, Twilight.” She beamed at her. “I could not be more proud of how far you’ve come as a student, Twilight Sparkle. So yes, I promise that if I believe you can help me stop something from becoming a problem, I will call upon you immediately.”

Twilight exhaled heavily, and felt her own smile turning up much more warmly. “Thank you, Princess Celestia. That’s a great weight off my mind.” She turned to Cadence, who had remained uncommonly silent and was pleased to find her faintly smiling. “That deals with my primary concern. Cadence?”

Cadence took a deep breath of her own and began to speak in a serene, calm voice. “Auntie, Discord had… some things to say to us.” She focused her gaze right on Celestia, her muscles slightly tense. “Namely that things were happening that weren’t supposed to be happening. Ordinarily, I’d probably just dismiss his rantings, but…”

Celestia shook her head once. “But given what I have said to you recently, and today, you wished to consult with me regardless. In truth, he may well be right.” She made a very strange noise then. Something between a snarl and a strangled sigh. “Things are happening even in Canterlot that have taken me utterly by surprise. Not necessarily bad things, mind you, but events have begun to spiral out of my ability to predict them.”

Celestia returned Cadence’s focused look then turned to Twilight. “I will not lie to either of you. We must be prepared for any possible eventuality, including an attack on Equestria itself. I can no longer dismiss even the most unlikely of threats, and so…” She breathed out, hanging her head slowly. “So I must ask of you two something I had hoped to never ask. You represent my greatest reserve of strength, my most powerful light to wield against the dark. I have brought with me…” She turned, and a pair of sealed scrolls floated from her bags. Each was thick and bound with a tightly rolled black ribbon. “A special pair of documents. These scrolls will, upon opening them, imbue you two with the authority to override the orders of any other political force in Equestria. Including mine.”

Twilight stared in dumbfounded shock, a feeling that was easily echoed on Cadence’s face, as the scrolls dropped with the weight of their contents upon the floor in front of them. Celestia’s smile was hard and tight. “Goddess willing we shall never need to break those seals, but the day may come when neither I nor Luna will have the power to stop a threat before it defeats or consumes us.” She bowed her head deeply to them, and Twilight felt like her heart was about to pound out of her chest. “I cannot think of two ponies I would more readily entrust the safety of Equestria if that were to happen.”

Twilight felt a lump swallow down her throat, then did it again. She could not force the words past it, as the very thought of Celestia being defeated by anything was… utterly unthinkable. Fortunately, Cadence laid a hoof on her shoulder and nodded. “I understand, Auntie. We’ll keep them safe.” She grinned, brightly and happily, positive energy rolling off her in waves. “But to be honest, I doubt we’ll ever need them. If anything tries to mess with Equestria, we’ll be absolutely sure to beat them up before you can worry about them.”

Twilight felt some of the positive energy seep into her own limbs and nodded feverishly. “No doubt! There isn’t anything in the world that can stop our team of friends.” She tossed her mane challengingly and gave her own confident grin. “We promise, teacher. So let some of that worry go for once and remember that we managed to beat Discord even without your help, and what in the world could be worse than him?”

Celestia laughed faintly as her head came up, and her eyes settled unnervingly on Cadence. “What indeed? Now, Twilight, I know you do not wish to go…” She held up a hoof, Twilight already reflexively denying that statement. “But I need a few minutes alone with Princess Cadence. If you would be so kind as to check on Captain Struggle for me, then perhaps before I return to Canterlot we can enjoy lunch together and talk like we used to for the rest of the evening.”

Twilight snapped her jaw shut, and considered that offer. Obviously, Celestia was bribing her with the promises of lunch and talk with her beloved mentor. But she also obviously didn’t want Twilight to feel bad about being left out of the conversation, which might be full of important information. It took her about thirty seconds to weigh these two issues, before deciding that Cadence would tell her everything later, one way or another.

“Alright, but don’t think I’ll take too long.” She waggled her hoof at both of them, then scampered out of the room to find the Guard Captain as fast as she could.

~~~~~~

The door shut quietly, and Cadence pressed her hoof to it. “Auntie, I need you to tell me that you had nothing to do with Discord getting free today.” She kept her voice calm, or as calm as she possibly could, given the situation. “I need you to say so, in clear and uncomplicated words, before I decide that there will need to be a royal reckoning between us.”

Behind her, she heard a swift intake of breath and its release. “I swear to you, Cadence, I would never do such a thing as purposefully release Discord. I knew he would escape soon, yes, but I had no idea it would be this soon.” She paused, and Cadence could hear Celestia swallow. “Does Twilight think I might be responsible?”

Cadence turned on the spot and looked into those terrified eyes. She might be a shameless manipulator, but… “No, she doesn’t,” Cadence said, very quietly. “I don’t think she can possibly conceive of you doing any such thing. She holds you in far too high an esteem to even think you might purposefully let somepony get hurt.”

“Thank the sun,” Celestia half whispered, and Cadence silently concurred with that statement. She loved her little mare, but right now… Right now she needed that naivety to help her deal with the incredible events enfolding them all. “Cadence, I know I have not been the finest of monarchs where you are concerned,” Celestia continued in her quiet, calm voice. “But I beg of you to believe I would not endanger my little ponies on purpose.” For a long moment, Cadence stared at her aunt and tried to decide how to proceed. And yet… what other choice did she have but to trust her? She nodded once, and Celestia sighed in relief. “Thank you. Now, we must to business.”

“Cadence, do you know what this…” Celestia lifted a section of broken black crystal chain with obvious disgust and disdain. “This filth is?” Cadence winced away and shook her head once.

“No. I’ve never seen anything like it before, and I have no idea how I created it. I was just…” She shivered in place, wrapping her forelegs around her chest. “I was so frightened that something would hurt Twilight, that Discord would hurt her, that I couldn’t get the thought out of my mind. I felt so weak, so unable to protect her without my magic under control, and it kept feeding in on itself until… until I was strong enough.” She could feel her breathing coming more rapidly and tried to swallow it down. She was not going to give into fear in front of Celestia.

Celestia though, seemed far more concerned with her than with the crystal. “No doubt. I had hoped we would have more time for me to speak with you about your cutie mark, and your destiny, but events are progressing too quickly now.” She folded her hooves over each other, and tilted her head up. “So I hope you will forgive me when I blatantly intrude upon something I should otherwise have no business in. Cadence, what is stopping you from proposing to my most faithful student?”

Cadence’s mouth went suddenly dry. Her muscles tensed and her bones ached, and it took a supreme effort of will to continue breathing. That, indeed, was the question, now wasn’t it? Twilight was her marefriend, and there was no denying that she loved her more than enough to devote herself to her in whatever way Twilight might demand… and yet, she had not even asked. “She’s...” Cadence tried to speak, and her throat caught on the words. What had been stopping her?

The day’s events were going to be traumatic enough for her to deal with. She had basically tried to rape the mare she loved, unleashed a magic she didn’t understand, and was now being stared at by the one authority figure she could never outwit. “What does this have to do with this black crystal?” she blurted out, desperate to buy some time for her to collect her thoughts.

Celestia inclined her head and sighed. “Everything, and nothing.” She lifted up the crystal chain again, staring at it balefully. “The last time I saw this substance was when my sister and I defeated the dark king Sombra, and when the corrupted Crystal Empire he ruled over vanished into the mists of time.” She shook her head. “It was the hallmark of his reign. Through it, he ruled his soldiers and ponies with the magic of hatred and fear. It was nearly too powerful for us to overcome, for we did not understand what it could do.”

Celestia tossed the stuff away, rubbing at her hooves as though she felt unclean. She spoke in a low, harsh voice, and kept her gaze steadily on Cadence. “It is a substance that reinforces itself, over and over again, drawing from the emotions of the creator. The stronger the emotion, the stronger the connection, the stronger it becomes… “ She shivered visibly, almost as if feeling a chill. “The crystals are extremely resistant to any kind of magic, save one. They cannot abide the power of love. I am not surprised that you, with your strong love for Twilight, could temporarily contain Discord with them.” She licked at her lips visibly, turning to face Cadence with a stone cold serious face. “Had there been nothing to hold you back, nothing to restrain you… Had Twilight fallen under your sway… I do not know what Luna and I would have had to do to stop you.” Celestia left the implications hanging, and Cadence felt a chill of fear grip her heart.

Celestia shook her head. “We are lucky my student is as strong as she is.” Then she blew out a sigh of relief before smiling faintly. “You remember when you ascended, that I told you your cutie mark spoke of a connection to the Crystal Empire, yes?” Cadence nodded hesitantly and felt a bit of sickness stir up stronger in the pit of her stomach. “This magic is proof of that, but it is also proof that your power could just as easily follow in Sombra’s dark hoofsteps.” Celestia focused her gaze upon her again, and this time there was nothing but hard resolve there. “You can banish this dark crystal with the magic of your love… But that love must be very strong indeed to counteract such power. So I will ask you again, Cadence. What stops you from proposing to Twilight Sparkle?”

Cadence felt cold all of a sudden. She felt a chill under that hard, resolute gaze and wished she could cower away from it. She loved Twilight, with all of her heart, and she knew it was real. So… why? She knew the answer, even if it wasn’t a comfortable one. “I want her to be happy,” she began slowly. Saying this had to be done carefully, very carefully, or else… or else there was no telling what might happen. “She is my very special somepony. She always has been, ever since she chased me down that night all those years ago, and I love her with all of my heart.” She sucked in a deep breath and looked her aunt straight in the eye. Their eye color was so similar, now that she stopped to think about it. “But the real question is, am I the right pony to make her as happy as she deserves to be? Or is that somepony sitting across from me now?”

Celestia’s shock was palpable and perhaps a bit satisfying for Cadence to see. Her jaw dropped, her eyes went wide, and she nearly pushed herself a little further away from Cadence. “Celestia, I’m not a fool. Twilight may have shared beds with no few other ponies during our time together, but there is only one pony she’s sighed over, worried about, or fretted as much over as me… and that’s you.” Cadence kept her voice calm, even, quiet. She wasn’t going to let her personal feelings stop her from saying something that Celestia had needed to hear for years. “And don’t give me that ‘I’m her teacher’ garbage,” she snorted derisively, neatly interrupting Celestia’s obvious next words. “You know just as well as I do that means absolutely bupkis when love gets involved.”

Celestia shut her mouth and nodded tightly. Tatarus, if there was anypony on the planet who ought to understand that better than Cadence, it was Celestia. Cadence might have laughed, but this moment was far too important. “I know she loves me, Celestia,” Cadence continued, keeping her voice quiet. “I know what we share is special. But I love her too much to shackle her to me if her heart belongs someplace else.” Then she looked up and caught Celestia’s gaze again. “I love her, truly. But Love means knowing when to let go too. It means knowing when somepony would be better off with somepony else, no matter how much it might hurt. So that’s my question to you, Princess Celestia. You, who know her even better than I do in many ways. Am I the right pony to make her happy in the way she deserves?”

Celestia’s mouth snapped shut, and her face went near instantly from shock to a rueful annoyance. “By the moon, niece, are you quite serious?” That was a rather astonishing statement, but Celestia followed it up ruthlessly. “I will not deny it, I love her. I have loved her since the moment I laid eyes upon her. She is brilliant, talented, adorable, and without a doubt one of the most attractive young mares I’ve ever had the pleasure of teaching.” Celestia stood up abruptly and marched the few steps over to Cadence where she firmly grasped her chin and yanked her head up. “I would marry her in a single one of her heartbeats, without hesitation. But that heartbeat belongs to you, Cadence, and it always will. So stop torturing yourself over what happened with Shining Armor. That was as much my fault as anypony’s.”

Cadence found herself being hauled to her hooves, and Celestia smiling faintly at her. “I am humbled that you would put my own happiness ahead of yours. It is a sign that you are a better mare for her than I could ever hope to be.” Cadence tried to speak, but found herself unable to do so as a firm rap of magic snapped her muzzle shut. “Now shut up and go ask for my student’s hoof. You have my blessing.” And without warning she was turned about by sudden and strong hooves and shoved bodily through the door of the library.

Cadence wheeled, annoyance strong in her mind, only to find the library door shut firmly behind her. For several long minutes, she stared at that doorway and wondered what had just happened. She wondered why Celestia had thrown her out, and if perhaps she had gone a shade too far with her questions. But she had, at long last, the answer to a very old question. She turned from the door, and forced herself to ignore the soft, muffled sounds beyond the doorway. Celestia wanted her privacy, and Cadence would give it to her, even if it hurt to do so.

~~~~~~

Cadence found Twilight sitting at a table at Sugarcube Corner, surrounded by celebrating ponies and frosting in every possible direction. She was a tiny island of silence and contemplation amidst an ocean of madness, and not for the first time, Cadence wondered if she had ever truly managed to crack that old shell of self isolation that Twilight seemed stubbornly determined to hold onto. Maybe it was just a part of who she was. Cadence didn’t know, but she did know she would have a lifetime to try to find out.

Her hooves touched ground as she dropped from the air, and she quietly took her steps over to the table. Twilight was absorbed, apparently, in examining a single cupcake’s frosting construction. A scrap of napkin nearby had some complex mathematical formulae on it, and Cadence was almost positive she was trying to figure out some kind of equation for the frosting. That would be cute, if Cadence was not also positive that meant Twilight was very, very depressed.

She sat quietly at the table, and extended her hooves across it so that Twilight could not miss them. She didn’t stir at first, but she eventually placed her hooves atop Cadence’s and sighed softly. “Hey, darlin,” Twilight spoke in a soft affect of Applejack’s accent, and it made Cadence smile.

“Hey yourself, dahling,” Cadence cooed out, mimicking Rarity’s own accent and conjuring up a small smile from Twilight. “Want to talk?” she asked quietly. Twilight sometimes needed to talk, and sometimes that was the absolute last thing she wanted to do.

Twilight nodded a little, laying her chin on the table. “Celestia looked so sad.” Her words damn near cut straight to Cadence’s heart, and the pain was almost enough to make her want to turn away. But almost was not enough, so she held strong. “I hate… seeing her like that, Cadence. I hate seeing her look like she’s got no hope for being happy. If anypony deserves to be happy, it would be her, damnit!” Twilight sounded stubborn and angry, and Cadence couldn’t blame her.

“Yeah, I hate it too, Twilight.” She gently laid her chin on the table so Twilight would have no choice but to look her in the eye. Whatever Celestia might have said to her, whatever she might have felt about how Twilight felt… I have a duty, Celestia. To Love, and to be honest with other’s Love. You taught me that. “So. Do you think we should do something about it?” She kept her voice calm, and quiet, just as she had with Celestia.

Twilight looked at her with those beautiful, expressive eyes, and spoke in a soft and sad voice. “I don’t know what we could do, Cadey. She’s so… distant. No matter how much I try…” She sniffled a little, and Cadence wanted nothing more than to whisk her beloved away to some distant cloud and cuddle her until it stopped. But…

She took a deep breath and spoke. “She loves you, you know.” There. It was on the table, out in the open, and Cadence could stop bloody worrying over it. Twilight stared at her, her eyes gone wide in mute shock. “She might not have said anything, but she does.” She closed her eyes and moved to take her hooves back. “You should go talk to her, Twilight.” Pain was acceptable as an alternative to seeing two ponies she loved so deeply be so hurt.

But Twilight grabbed at her hooves and did not let her take them away. “Cadence… Stop.” Her voice had gone firm, but not angry. “I had hoped… I had hoped I could just be patient, but it’s pretty clear I can’t do that anymore.” Cadence opened her eyes to see Twilight’s face alive once again. Her eyes narrowed and a faint flush in her cheeks. “Cadence, I love her too. Far more than I have any right to, if I’m being honest with myself.” Her blush grew brighter, but she held on to Cadence’s hooves even harder. “But I know who I want to be with for the rest of my life, and I’m tired of waiting for her to stop blaming herself.”

“Twilight, I-” Cadence felt her muzzle get snapped shut for the second time today, this time by Twilight’s magic. She rubbed vigorously at her nose and half glared at Twilight in silence.

“Shut up,” Twilight said, bluntly and grabbed her hooves and half-dragged her across the table. “Marry me. Please.” Twilight’s words hit her like hammer blows, right into her sternum. “We’ll.. we’ll think of something for Celestia. But right now, I want you to say you’re going to marry me, Mi Amore Cadenza.” The world had gone silent around them, and Cadence was acutely aware that everypony was watching in silent anticipation.

It’s been ten years, Cadence. Shut up and kiss her.

So she did. She grabbed Twilight and kissed her with all of the passion and love she could muster from her soul. She kissed her and kissed her and didn’t stop kissing her until somepony in the crowd gave off a little wolf-whistle and somepony else yelled, “Just say it already!” Which elicited a big laugh from the rest of the ponies.

Cadence detached herself just long enough to stick her tongue out at the crowd, and turned back to the flushed and surprised Twilight Sparkle. “Of course I’ll marry you, Twilight Sparkle.” Then before Twilight could possibly argue with her, she kissed her again.

A gentle applause and a few cheers went up around them, and then… “Well It’s about bloody time!” Pinkie Pie yelled from the window, a huge grin on her face. Twilight was startled, and Cadence whipped her head around to see who’d yelled… and giggled at the sight of Pinkie. “You two had better not go anywhere, I need to get my wedding planner notebook!” Pinkie continued, then vanished from the window.

“Oh, dear,” Twilight said faintly, looking sheepish. “We’re really going to have to let her plan the wedding, won’t we.” That was a statement, and Cadence nodded with a little grin of her own. Twilight sighed expressively. “Well at the very least there will be plenty of balloons.” Cadence giggled madly and pressed in for another kiss when… when the tip of her horn gently touched Twilight’s. It had happened a thousand times before, and not the least of which when they connected with one another in heavy intimacy. But this time….

The world exploded around them in bright purple and pink light, coruscating waves of energy erupting out of the ground around them. “What in the?!” Twilight blurted out around her lips, but the tips of their horns would not disengage from one another. The light erupted into a pillar that soared into the skies above them and a wave of violet and pink energy, shaped like a six pointed star, swept through the buildings and out around them into ponyville. The wave of light spread out like a sonic rainboom, off into the distance in a solid bar of light hundreds of feet high before vanishing into nothingness.

Silence followed, and Cadence felt herself overtaken by awe as the magic slowly dissipated around them. Twilight’s eyes had gone wide, and Cadence could not help feel a little tight warmth in her chest. “Did we do that?” she asked quietly, feeling a moment of childlike wonder. She’d given off love magic before, but that… That had been magnitudes of power beyond anything she could possibly have imagined.

“I think so…” Twilight whispered, then glanced around rapidly. “But… where did everypony go?” Sure enough, none of the crowd ponies, nor those that had been seemingly packed into Sugarcube were anywhere to be seen. In fact, Sugarcube’s doors were closed up tightly along with the windows, and there was no sign of anypony in the streets. Maybe they’d gotten a bit scared by the energy wave?

Twilight shook her head. “Sometimes, I marvel at how Ponyville deals with weird stuff. Whatever. Let’s go back to the library and talk to the Princess.” She turned, her hoof now curled firmly around Cadence’s neck. “And… I meant it when I said we need to think of some way to help the Princess, Cadence.” Her voice was soft but hard determined. “I think between us we can think of… think of something.”

Cadence nodded once. “Yeah. We will, beloved. We will.”

~~~~~~

Twilight was very glad to be back on sturdy ground in the library. Here, mistress of her domain, she could tackle any problem, including the one of how in the world she was going to break this to her brother. Not that she wasn’t deliriously happy, but she was still a bit worried about him and how he might react to this… strange sequence of events. It had been a long, odd, frightening day, but… but there was hope here at the end of it. She was happy for that.

Of course, coming back to her library, now free of that wicked and cold black crystal… well, that was certainly a bonus. Spike, on the other hoof… “Could you please tell the Princess that I’m supposed to be the one who makes tea for guests, and not the other way around?” Spike asked plaintively, looking pained. “She’s dancing in there, and I can’t get a word in edgewise, Twilight.” Spike was wearing his little white apron and perched outside the doorway to the kitchen. From within, Twilight could barely hear what definitely sounded like Princess Celestia singing some kind of jaunty tune.

Cadence gave her an amused look, and with a shove the pair of them walked into the kitchen, and there Celestia was. She was indeed dancing to some kind of saccharine pop-song playing on her record player, bouncing all over the place in a way that made Twilight equal parts amused, uncomfortable, and mildly aroused. Best not to dwell too much on those thoughts, Twilight, she mused with a slow smile.

Celestia bounced around, beaming at both of them with a happiness Twilight hadn’t seen in her in a very long time. “Come in, come in! Sit!” She gently chivvied them along with shoves of her golden magic until they gave in and sat down at the table. “Now, we’ve got a great deal to discuss, obviously, but…” Three teacups hit the table and were followed by a bright white teapot, which poured a refreshing brew into them. “Right now, I want you two to take all the time you need to get ready. I’ve no end of things we’ll need to prepare in Canterlot anyway.”

From somewhere… Twilight wasn’t sure where, but somewhere, Celestia produced a shining steel flask, from which she poured a dollop of something that smelled very strongly of cherries into each cup. “I will ensure nopony, including your parents, puts any pressure on either of you to set a date.” Her smile was broad and soft, and her eyes shone as she nudged the cups over to each of them. “Never forget where your journeys have brought you, nor how they have brought you together in a way nopony could have predicted.” She raised her own teacup, and Twilight could not help but to raise hers as well.

Cadence chewed on her lip for a moment before raising her cup, and the three of them gently rapped them together in camaraderie. “We won’t, Auntie,” Cadence said, all too-softly. Celestia smiled faintly at her, and the three of them sipped the tea together.

Twilight nearly fell into a coughing fit as fiery cherries clawed their way down her throat, but she gave herself a good accounting under the sly grin of Celestia and powered through it. “Very…” She did give off one, delicate cough. “Tasty, Princess.” She felt her lips turn into a small smile. “Just… Promise me you’ll never be afraid to talk to us about anything. We’ll always be here for you, no matter what.”

The Princess crossed her heart with a faint smile. “Of course, Twilight. Now.” She clapped her hooves together and rubbed them with a fierce grin. “Before I return to Canterlot to make preparations, I must ask but one thing of you both.” Twilight steeled herself for some dangerous mission, and Cadence looked resolved to handle anything. “Who gets to wear the tux?” Celestia asked with an arched eyebrow, and Twilight burst into laughter.

~~~~Canterlot Castle, That Night~~~~

Princess Celestia pressed her back against the doorway and tried to breathe normally.It is going to be okay, she quietly told herself, driving out all emotions or personal feelings or whatever. Now was not the time to have a breakdown. “Hark, Sister. You hath requested words with me?” Luna’s voice was a soothing balm to her soul and just the sight of her restored sibling put a little warmth into her heart.

“Yes, I have. You were watching the goings on in Ponyville, I must presume?” Celestia pushed off the doorway to cross the hall. Luna’s smile was faint, but it was wonderful to see it there. She’d been so much warmer, so much more… alive as of late. Celestia wondered if Prince Armor being alongside her hadn’t been a blessing in disguise after all…

“Mm. It is as we suspected,” Luna began, quietly turning and beckoning Celestia to follow her. “Though I have but thy previous observations to go on, the power that pair gave off was a very impressive display. And this is only the first time they have truly dedicated themselves to one another, yes?” Her eyes were sharp and so were her words. Luna was no fool, and whatever her differences with the modern age, her magical skills had not dulled a whit.

“They’ve done so before, but unintentionally. Remember the Gala?” She grinned broadly at Lulu’s blushing cheeks and had to admit that the pair of them had likely changed the tenor of the Gala for generations to come with their little stunt. “We will need to be very careful, Luna. Cadence’s power has always been tied up with her love for others.” She sighed heavily. “But combined with the strength of Twilight’s magic, and her connection to the Elements…”

Luna nodded once. “They are only just beginning to mesh, to create the gestalt of power, and yet I could see the blast of energy from here.” She shook her head too. “We must be cautious, sister dearest. We may be creating a monster here. Should either of them realize the power they now possess...” Her eyes narrowed, and her words ran low. “I love Dame Sparkle for returning me to sense, and I shall not allow her to follow the same path I did.”

Celestia turned her head sharply, keeping her own voice low. “That will not be an issue, Lulu. I give you my word on that. Do not even suggest that such could happen in front of her either. She is delicate enough as it is.” Celestia sighed deeply and felt herself lean against one of the marble walls, too exhausted to continue for the moment.

Luna, of course, would not allow her peace. “Did it hurt thee, Tia?” There was no need to elaborate on what ‘it’ was. They’d had this discussion a thousand times before, and even before Luna had lost her senses.

“Of course it did, Lulu. It always hurts. That doesn’t meant it wasn’t necessary.” Celestia grit her teeth and shoved herself off the wall. “We need to plan for the wedding ceremonies. We shall need to draft the paperwork to bring Twilight into the Royal Family on a more formal basis. Knight Night Light, and perhaps grant her mother a title of her own. We must-”

Celestia did not see Luna coming. She was slammed against the wall, but not roughly so, and Luna’s fierce eyes bored into hers. “You cannot keep doing this to thyself, Tia. Thy heart bleeds, and thy soul weeps. And do not deny it!” she snapped, and Celestia’s denial died on her breath. “I am the Mistress of Dreams and the night is my domain, sister! Do not think I do not hear your quiet sobs in the wee hours of the morning or see her face in your dreams every night!” Luna’s voice was thick with emotion, and her eyes barely concealing tears. “You deserve happiness, sister! Why do you shove it away!?”

Celestia took a deep breath and teleported out of her sister’s grasp. It was a spell she had performed all too often, and Luna whipped about with her eyes wide in surprise. “Because I will not rip what my niece so loves away from her. I will not allow my own desires to supersede what is best for Equestria and for the one I love.” She turned and marched quietly down the hallway. “Twilight Sparkle deserves better than an old mare like me anyway,” she half-whispered, then strangled the heartache in its crib. She lifted her head high and exhaled deeply. She had work to do. “Return to your knight, Luna. Be happy in my stead. I will keep watch over Equestria, as I always have.”

She grabbed hold of her magic and used it to hurl herself through the ether to her rooms. There, she found ink and quill, law book and paper, and began the work to make Twilight a part of their greater family. At the very least, it would distract her from her thoughts, and perhaps if she worked enough, she could find some peace in her dreams tonight.

Chapter 11 - The Best Laid Plans...

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~~~~Two weeks before Hearts and Hooves day~~~~

Twilight yawned hugely and carefully turned the page of the book in front of her. Normally she would have found griffon politics to be fascinating reading material, but things had been a little wild around Ponyville recently, and she genuinely just wanted to have a nice day off. Unfortunately, Princess Celestia’s reading lists did not stop coming just because Applejack was dealing with the aftermath of Flim and Flam, or because Pinkie had begged her for a night off of her own yesterday and left her to take care of the precocious Cake twins.

So she shook her head and tried to focus on the book. Princess Celestia had been putting her through a thorough grounding on the politics and diplomacy of all the other major races of their world lately, much to Twilight’s bafflement. The only explanation she could come up with was being married to a Princess automatically put you in that kind of spotlight, so she ought to be prepared.

Fortunately, Cadence was there for her. The strong smell of good coffee made her nose flare, and the sight of the thick ceramic mug was practically a gift from Celestia herself. “You work too hard.” Cadence’s voice was soft in her ear, even as she grabbed the mug and slowly drained it of its piping hot contents. The heat she could deal with. Getting to the caffeine was far too important right now.

“Well, I’ve got to keep up somehow,” she retorted, putting on her best smile. “Since you were making all of that noise last night…” she continued devilishly and was rewarded with a little blush from Cadence. Someponies would have called their relationship unconventional, and Twilight didn’t give two bucks about those someponies. Even these few months later, Twilight was more convinced than ever that the whole ‘monogamous’ movement was full of parasprites and bunk. Not that ‘herding’ made much more sense to her, but maybe it would a few years down the line.

For now though, Cadence and she had come to a comfortable place with one another. Even after they married, they would take other lovers, always with the consent of the other. Sometimes sharing, sometimes not. Their schedules and duties would often keep them apart at the worst possible times, and Twilight could not see where allowing the mare she loved to get a bit of relief when she needed it was somehow wrong. After a few short discussions, Cadence had agreed with her logic, and the pair of them had continued on much as before.

After all, love was more than just sex. Even if the sex was mind-blowingly wonderful, love was about things far more intimate than a mere night of rutting or licking or- Twilight, you really need to get laid yourself, her thoughts scolded her, and she suppressed a giggle. No, love was about bigger things than that, and every time she looked into those doe-soft violet eyes, she knew that they belonged to her, and hers belonged to Cadence, and that was all that really mattered in the end.

“Not my fault Ponyville is full of such fascinating ponies,” Cadence demured and fluttered her eyelashes at Twilight. “I think Applejack is sweet on Fluttershy, you know. She keeps coming to ask me about how two mares can breed with one another, and how we manage our own relationship.” Twilight smacked her forehead into her desk in embarrassment, and Cadence laughed happily. “Oh, Twilight. That’s a conversation we ought to be having ourselves you know.” Her voice went from mischievous to soft and loving in a heartbeat, and Twilight’s chest burned with happiness at it.

Twilight gave a little shake of her head. “Given what happened with Discord, I suppose we ought to be thinking about that.” Her hoof went, unconsciously, to her belly and rubbed gently at it. Sure, the first time hadn’t ended up as anything but a disturbingly sexy memory, but… “I really do want foals, Cadence. I just don’t know if there’s going to be a right time for us,” she sighed softly, leaning back and happily finding the satiny soft chest of her beloved there for her to collapse against. It felt good to lean there and let Cadence rub her behind the ears. “We’re both so busy, you know?”

“Mm,” Cadence’s soft tone agreed, and she continued to rub right behind Twilight’s ears in a way that made her squirm happily. “Still, that doesn’t mean we’ll be busy like this forever. I’d be willing to bet we could get Celestia to give us some room if we said we wanted to pursue it.” Cadence’s head rested atop hers, and she gave a bold and mischievous lick of Twilight’s horn, eliciting a little moan from her mouth unwillingly.

In retaliation, Twilight smacked Cadence’s shoulder. “Stop that! I need to finish this book,” she grumbled, shifting in her seat. “Though who knows why Celestia’s really got me reading all this bunk about politics. You’re right, of course. She would, but…” She hesitated. Should she bring this up? Now? After everything that had happened? “Cadence, what are we going to do about her? She hasn’t properly written in months, and every time I try to ask her about how she feels, she blows me off completely. ”

Cadence fell silent, only her breathing giving off any noise. The gentle rise and fall of her chest against Twilight’s back was soothing in its own way, even as she stewed in her thoughts. She was glad Cadence didn’t just try to assuage her worries with meaningless platitudes. Cadence worried about the Princess almost as much as Twilight did, especially after she’d told her about what Celestia had said and done when Cadence had come to see her after Discord.

Twilight had even tried investigating cloning spells, but ultimately realized such things could never fully duplicate herself. Only create false copies which were, frankly speaking, unfair to Celestia. They might make for a nice fantasy once in a while, but… “Why does life have to be so bloody unfair to the ponies who least deserve it!?” she snapped out, half yelling into the quiet air. If Cadence was surprised by it, she made no show of it and simply continued to stroke her hoof through Twilight’s mane.

Cadence didn’t have to answer that one. Twilight knew the answer to it, even if it was tremendously unsatisfying to her ears. Still… “Spike!” she suddenly called out, and that did startle Cadence a bit. Her assistant poked his head out from his cubby and smiled brightly at her. He himself had seemed a lot happier than usual these days, and she wondered why. “Spike, I need you to take a letter for the Princess!”

“Okie Dokie, Twilight! Gimme just a sec!” Spike popped his head back into his cubby, and some rummaging sounds emerged before he exited bearing a scroll and quill at the ready. “Alright, lay it on me, Twilight!” he piped up happily.

“Dear Princess Celestia, Cadence and I have some personal matters we would like to discuss with you at the earliest opportunity. Would you be interested in coming to Ponyville for a short visit in the next few days? Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.” Reciting the letters these days was almost a natural reflex, especially the beginning and the end. Spike dutifully scribbled out her words, as he always did, and rolled up the scroll carefully.

“Yanno, Twilight, the Princess isn’t gonna react to that well,” Spike said in a sly tone, pressing the adhesive golden seal to the ribbon. “You sure you want me to send it?” He put a fisted talon on his hip and waggled the scroll in the air.

Twilight gave Spike her very best flat look and arched an eyebrow. Spike chuckled softly and inhaled deeply before blowing a bright green flame to incinerate the scroll and send it magically flying toward Canterlot. “Thank you, Spike,” she said quite primly and nuzzled back against Cadence. “Would you do me a favor? We’re probably going to need some good iced tea when she arrives.”

Spike chuckled ruefully. “I’ll get the cookies out of the cabinet too. She’ll need them to calm down.” Spike trundled off into the kitchen, and the sounds of clattering dishes and plates soon filled the air.

Twilight sighed softly, shaking her head. “I hope she isn’t in a huge panic. The last thing I need right now is my teacher losing her own mind over this nonsense.” She paused, then turned her head to face the still mostly silent Cadence. “Cadey?”

Cadence blinked and shook her head as though clearing out the cobwebs. “Sorry, Twily. I was… Thinking too much, I guess.” She glanced at the clock. “She won’t leave Canterlot before evening court, at the earliest. Which I suppose leaves us to fill up the time.” Her hooves wrapped around Twilight tightly, and she nuzzled into her side. “So, what’cha reading?”

~~~~~~~

By the time Princess Celestia arrived, Twilight had managed to get through the dry tome without more than a temporary headache or two. Both of which had been easily massaged away by Cadence’s talented hooves, leaving her able to focus on the problem at hand. Problem, singular, since all other issues could be dismissed for the time being. Whatever other problems she might have had with her teacher, they were meaningless compared to this.

If the last few months had taught her anything, and she would like to believe they had taught her plenty, it was that she couldn’t afford to passively approach her problems any longer. The world was changing so very quickly now, and if Celestia herself feared her ability to keep a hoof on things was starting to become shaky… Well, then she needed all the support and help she could get.

Twilight was tired of half measures and tired of trying to bring Celestia around with letters. The time had come for direct action, before things got so completely out of hoof that they were beyond her ability to fix. She dearly loved her teacher, but she had learned from Cadence a long time ago that sometimes you needed to sit a pony down and make them acknowledge their problem before it could possibly be fixed.

Even if that pony just so happened to be her mentor, her monarch, and the creature responsible for the full and unbridled power of the sun. And she was about to force a lot of painful but necessary emotional responses from that very same pony in the hopes of keeping her from continually retreating behind duty so she wouldn’t have to deal with those problems. Yes, this couldn’t possibly go wrong at all. Still, like Spitfire had once told her, in the words of the Equestrian Special Air Wing’s motto, ‘Who Dares, Wins.’ And if anypony would know, it would be the Wonderbolts.

So she took a deep, cleansing breath and waited in silence under the soft massaging hooves of her fiance. Cadence was lost in her own thoughts, obviously, but she knew what Twilight was planning, and at least tentatively agreed with her. Her breaths came slow, steady, almost meditative as she waited, silently counting the ticking of the clock. It was almost dinner time, which meant Evening Court would be over in about fifteen seconds.

They were some of the longest fifteen seconds of her life. She continually turned the plan over in her mind, searching for the most minute of flaws. How long had it been since so much had ridden on a single gambit? Not since… well, since that party so very long ago. Perhaps she’d better post Cadence at the door to keep Celestia from flying off into the distance. It would be a lot harder to track Celestia if she decided to go into hiding for a while, and there would be no hope of ever cornering her on the subject again.

How much time had passed? Less than eight seconds. It really was amazing how time seemed to slow down in moments like this, how the world narrowed into focus. She had to be careful, she had to be firm, and she had to not back down. Celestia would try to do that, to scare her off the subject. She couldn’t afford that though. She couldn’t run from this one, not when somepony she cared about was hurting.

She glanced up at the clock. Seven PM. She silently counted the moments that passed. It took exactly eight more seconds for a knock to come at the front door. “I got it!” Spike yelled out from his cubby and came trundling out with a half-bitten sapphire stuck between his lips and munching at it happily. Another knock came mere moments later, and Spike grumbled, “Sheesh, hang on!”

He swung the door open. “Hey, the Library’s clo..se..d… Um… Hi, Princess.” His voice sounded vaguely concerned, and Twilight shoved herself gently off Cadence’s chest. She turned to look her marefriend in the eye, and Cadence nodded to her once. A soft voice, unintelligible from this distance but definitely Celestia, asked a question. “Yeah, they’re in the kitchen! Um, is there anything I can-”

Spike was cut off by quickly trotting hooves. The saloon-style swinging kitchen door creaked faintly, and the unmistakable metal rasp of Celestia’s hoofboots struck the tile floor. “My apologies for not writing ahead, Twilight, but I figured you two…” Celestia’s voice trailed off then, as Cadence stood up and trotted around to the other side of the table, and Twilight stood up to join her.

“Please sit, Princess,” Cadence said firmly, but kept her voice even. Twilight trotted back toward Cadence and sat down next to her. Celestia glanced from her to Cadence, and back again, her eyes faintly narrowing, and her mouth twisting up into a puzzled sort of expression.

“Something tells me I’m not going to like what I’m about to hear, but…” Celestia sat down on the other side of the table. Cadence nodded and stood up to trot to the fridge. A large pitcher of iced-tea floated over, followed by several glasses and plates of cookies. Celestia examined the cookies. “Lemon sweet tea and double crumb-crunch cookies, my favorite. Yes, I can almost guarantee this isn’t going to be a comfortable conversation.”

Twilight faintly smiled at that. “You were the one who taught me everything I know about these kinds of talks, Princess.” She gestured broadly. “It’s hardly my fault your techniques are so effective.”

Cadence cleared her throat. “Please, Auntie. We’re not here to give you bad news, but well…” She glanced at Twilight and sighed softly while nodding her head. “We both agree that now that we’ve made some decisions about ourselves, we need to have an important discussion with you.”

Celestia nodded cautiously, pouring them all a glass of the tea. Twilight took in a deep breath and leaned her forehooves on the table. “Princess Celestia. You’ve… You’ve been more to me than just a mentor for a very long time. You’ve almost been like a second mother. A best friend. More than that, really. I don’t…” She felt her cheeks burn, turning her gaze away. “I don’t have the word for it. You’ve been there for me every single time I’ve so much as scraped my knee. Anytime I was in pain, you were there. And after all these years… it’s time for me to repay the favor.”

Celestia’s eyebrows rose in concert, and she carefully laid the glass of tea on the table. “Really, Twilight. I’m humbled and honored, but that’s a touch overdramatic don’t you think?” Everything about her body language screamed concern and caution. “Twilight, if you didn’t have anything more important to tell me…” She was trying to run again, trying to get away before things got out of hoof.

There was no time for subtlety. “Oh, for fuck’s sake, Celestia, STOP THIS!” The words thundered through the kitchen, and Celestia froze in mid-motion, staring at her in shock. Cadence was too, but this was no time to stop now. “Do I need to chase you down, too? Corner you in your bedroom?” Twilight leaned forward, and Celestia almost stumbled backward away from the table. Twilight hauled her butt around it, Cadence still too stunned to move.

Twilight kept going, hoping that momentum could carry her through this. It hurt to push out every word, but she pushed them all the same. She got right up in her teacher’s face, her voice harsh. “What is it going to take for you to finally trust me? After everything I’ve done, everything we’ve been through, when will you finally stop hiding yourself from me?!” Celestia scrambled backward from her, but Twilight did not let up. She advanced and advanced, pushing forward with all her strength and staying right in Celestia’s face. “You know everything about me, Princess. Every last emotion, every last hope and dream, every fear and every doubt. I’ve confided everything to you. Even things I haven’t told my fiance!”

Celestia visibly swallowed, and Cadence’s voice rose up in the background. “Wait, what are you talking about Twiligh-” She cut off her words, Twilight shaking her head firmly and only once. She didn’t have time for that now. She’d deal with it later.

Celestia still looked too shocked, as though she couldn’t process what was going on in front of her. “Do you think I don’t get it, Princess? Do you think I don’t understand why you hide?” Twilight felt her voice go quiet, unable to muster up enough energy to yell. “I hide too, Princess Celestia. I even hide from Cadence sometimes. But I just… I can’t take this anymore. You’re hurting, teacher. I can’t stand seeing you hurt.” She extended a hoof and pressed it into Celestia’s shoulder. “Please. Let me help you.”

Celestia’s eyes softened, and her erratic breathing slowed. She took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. “To think, after all this time…” She really wasn’t speaking to Twilight. In fact, she wasn’t sure who she was speaking to. Maybe herself. “Twilight Sparkle, I have known countless ponies during my years of life, but none have ever spoken to me quite as you have.” There was a faint, barely there smile… but it was a real smile, even atop the mountain of pain Twilight could easily see in her eyes. “I… I don’t know even how to begin, but…” She rubbed at her forehead, all pretense and serenity gone. “I will try.”

Cadence joined her, and they all sat on the kitchen’s tile floor together. Celestia took her glass from the table and drained it of the sweet liquid in one go. “It all comes back to Equestria,” she began, speaking softly and staring at the ice and lonesome slice of lemon in her glass. “It always has. I have devoted so many hours of my life, so many days and restless nights to her construction and preservation. I have wept for her, bled for her, and lost for her.” She swallowed once and grabbed an ice cube and sucked on it for a few moments before speaking again, her voice painfully soft. “I don’t… I could never be fair to a lover, Twilight. There is simply too much I need to do, and-”

Her words, whatever they might have been, were cut off in that moment by the sound of the front door bursting in, followed by a huge voice bellowing through the library. ”REJOICE MY FRIENDS! ‘TIS A DAY OF GREAT FUCKING MERRIMENT!” Twilight threw her hooves over her ears, an action mirrored by Cadence. Celestia did nothing except stare out of the blown open kitchen doors with bemusement.

There, Princess Luna stood with a large bottle of some very expensive looking whisky floating half empty and a little unevenly in the air, and with the biggest smile Twilight had ever seen on her face. She galloped into the kitchen and threw herself in a huge, giggling hug around her sister. “Luna, what in the name of Star Swirl’s beard happened?” Celestia blurted out, just before Luna stuck the bottle into her mouth and gave her an overly-healthy swig of the liquor.

Celestia coughed heavily as Luna giggled madly again. “Oh do not be such a simpleton, my delicious sister! Mine Knight has finally found the courage of his loins and asked for my hoof in matripony! PROST!” she exclaimed and took another astonishingly impressive swig of the whisky. Twilight stared, her brain unable to process that statement at first. Luna grinned slyly at her and offered up the bottle. “Drink to the health and future of thy sibling, Dame Sparkle! And rest assured his virility is without question!” She squirmed as Twilight unconsciously took the bottle and a sip of the strong and delicious liquor…

Before her mind clicked. Right around the same time Cadence’s did, point of fact. “Wait! Shining Armor… proposed to you!?” Cadence could not hide her astonishment. “When!? HOW?!”

Luna giggled again and raised up the bottle as if in salute. “Just this eve, mine Knight came before me with an uncommon courage in his veins. Ah, it was a glorious sight indeed. He did not give ground to my demands, nor did he show undue discourtesy.” Her eyes shone as she took another drink and shoved the bottle into Celestia’s chest. “Mm. I will spare you the details, but his proposal was most… Enthusiastic.”

Twilight’s mind broke on that one. Celestia, probably in a similar mind, grabbed the bottle and took a massive swig of the liquor. She had been so close to getting Celestia to finally talk to her, and now this… “Twilight,” Celestia rasped softly, as Luna began to ransack her cabinets, presumably for more liquor. “We… we will talk.” Her voice was soft, and she squeezed her hoof around Twilight’s. “I Pinkie promise,” Celestia whispered, much to the astonishment of Twilight.

It didn’t take long for Luna to find her stash of good booze. “AHA! More sweetmeats for the merriment! Come, Sister! We must bring about a proper celebration! Let us find the pink one and procure frosted delights!” Luna’s hoof and foreleg wrapped around Celestia’s neck, and the next thing Twilight knew, she was being swept out into the streets of Canterlot along with her teacher, a bottle of Apple Family Brandy in hoof and wondering just what the hell she was going to do about THIS little insanity.

Shining Armor? Marrying Princess Luna?!

Why hadn’t he told her anything about this!?

~~~~~~~

Cadence had not been a princess for most of her adult life without learning how to handle a crisis. She had also learned how to handle ponies who were intoxicated, and how to best keep them from doing unfortunate things. Regrettably, none of her lessons had included dealing with intoxicated princesses. “HUZZAH! I have found the shot glasses! Come, sister!” Luna’s voice boomed through the treehouse, Cadence wincing away from it.

“I truly thought that I had seen everything before today.” Rarity’s sounded just this side of scandalized with a capital S, but she was taking the scene with a tolerant amusement. “Still, I suppose one does not often get to celebrate a royal hoof-fasting.” She lifted the highball glass and examined the bright pink liquid in it critically. “Where in Equestria did Princess Luna learn how to mix drinks so quickly?”

“Ah’m not entirely sure I want’a know,” Applejack muttered and drew Fluttershy closer to her in a clear protective motion. Cadence couldn’t help but feel her heart melt a little at the sight of Fluttershy snuggling up into the larger, more confident earth pony and looking as happy as a clam doing so. “Cadence, ya’ll sure we’re not gonna end up enchanted or somethin’? When Twilight gets soused, she gets awful experimental…” Applejack nervously adjusted her hat with her free hoof.

Cadence shook her head. “I’m certain everything will be fine. Just… let’s humor Auntie Luna until she falls asleep, then we’ll sort everything else out.” She sighed heavily, rubbing at her forehead. There was a sudden crashing sound, and the newly minted Twilight / Celestia / Luna trio reappeared in the main room of the library, toting glasses, bottles, and big smiles all around.

Twilight was likely drinking because of how emotionally drained she was. Celestia was probably just glad to be able to throw up her emotional shields again. And Luna? Well, Luna was about to give Pinkie Pie’s reputation as the ultimate party pony a run for its money. “Rejoice, friends! We have acquired crispy potato slices and delicious creamy dips!” Luna brandished a pile of potato chip bags and dip containers, and Cadence wondered idly where they’d gotten them all. Had Twilight been holding out on her? “Now, Dame Rarity.” Luna’s voice took on an absolutely overblown pomposity, in spite of a bit of slurring. “Thy dressmaking skills are second to none, and so we hope you will accept the commission to design the royal dressage for the occasion! As well as the royal lingerie, of course. We shall need something appropriately ravishing for the mating to follow.”

If the six ponies sitting at the table had been anypony else, they might have been scandalized. Fortunately, they were all used to the bawdiness Cadence and Twilight could get up to. “I would be absolutely honored Princess.” Rarity fluttered her eyelashes, and her cheeks lit up bright red. “But really, I’m afraid I possess no noble titles. I’m simply Rarity.” From seemingly nowhere, she produced a silk fan and gave herself a little flutter.

“Truly?! Sister, thou hast been lax!” Luna scolded Tia, who smiled sheepishly. “We shall see to it thou art made a proper Duchess immediately!” She beamed brightly, pouring herself what looked like a straight up shot of vodka, and lifted it high. “A toast, to the Duchess of Ponyville, Dame Rarity!” And she downed the thing without so much as a grimace.

Rarity’s cheeks had gone bright red, her jaw had dropped, and her hooves gathered daintily around her mouth. Celestia slipped over with a goofy grin, and lifted her maretini up to Rarity’s lips. “Drink up, Duchess,” Celestia cooed, and Rarity drank the liquor slowly, Celestia almost… sensually feeding her the drink.

Cadence shook off the thought. Twilight was staring at Rarity for that moment, and Cadence grabbed her shoulder. “Twilight, she’s trying to build up the wall again,” she whispered harshly into her ear, her fiance turning to stare at her in surprise. “Don’t let this fool you. She’s just… not herself right now.” Twilight licked her lips and nodded once.

“Mine cousin is right,” Luna stage-whispered conspiratorially. Her eyes were slightly glassy, her smile broad. “Do not trouble thin heart, young one. I know my sister’s heart, and it pines for thee not for sheeee.” She giggled. “Thee and shee! That doth amuse me!”

Cadence wanted to facehoof, but at least Twilight brightened up a bit. “Well… then I’d better go over and keep fighting for my teacher.” Twilight sounded calm and resolute, even if her words were a bit thicker than normal. She grabbed the vodka straight from Luna and marched over to where Celestia was sitting with a brightly blushing and still stunned Rarity.

Luna nodded decisively. “Applejack, I wish for thine farrrm to supply my cele...cele… party with proper foodstuffs! And pink one, thy task shall be the construction of a suitably royal cake!” Luna grinned hugely. “Perhaps I should simply save time and ennoble all of thee. T’would save time.” She paused and grinned at Cadence. “Pour our friends some suitably full tumbl’rs of brandy, would you Cadence?”

Cadence paused, and blinked. That had been the first time Luna had ever called her by her preferred name. So she did just that, pouring the apple brandy out for the table and giving Pinkie a severe look. She loved Pinkie Pie to bits, but the last thing she needed was the rest of her friends getting as drunk as Luna was. Pinkie giggled and crossed her heart with a small nod. She knew the score.

Applejack snorted. “Beggin yer pardon, yer majesty. But I’d rather not deal with bein’ some highfallutin’ noble. I got my taste of that when I was a filly, and I didn’t much like it.” She paused and gave Luna a severe look. “What’d ya’ll have in mind for Fluttershy here then?”

Luna sipped the brandy with a soft moan of pleasure and purred sensually. “Mmf… The yellow one shall provide the musical accompaniment of course! I hath heard tale of her glorious voice and wish to experience it myself!” She smacked at her lips and finished off the brandy with another barely concealed moan.

Cadence could almost feel her horn twitch. Oh, glorious. Aunt Luna is a horny drunk. She sighed silently and turned back to the table. That covered everypony present, except for… “And Rainbow Dash!” Luna exulted, slipping around the table and draping herself around the pegasus, whose wings flared out in surprise. Luna grinned slyly. “Whilst I certainly expect thee to perform thy rainboom at the height of the ceremony, I have another much more important task to set thee.”

“Uh… W-w-w-what might that be, P-princess?” Dash stuttered a little, her eyes gone wide. Cadence could feel the anxiety flowing off her at first, until Luna slipped in and began to whisper firmly into her ears. Dash’s wings flapped a bit as she tilted her head to one side, and they went stiff as boards in a single moment. “Oh. Oh! Oo-oooh… Um… I don’t…” She paused again, Luna still whispering hotly and gulped. “Um… Y-yes ma’am… I’d b-be happy to, Ma’am… um…”

Cadence felt her horn twitch again and sighed, feeling the headache coming on. “Go get some air, sugarcube,” Applejack said quietly, her eyes fixed on Celestia and Twilight and Rarity…. Rarity and Celestia were pouring one another drinks and slowly feeding them to each other in a manner one could only describe as ‘flirtatious’. Twilight was nearby, trying to interject herself between the two ponies with a look of stubborn determination. “I’ll keep things from gettin’ too rowdy. Ya’ll look like ya need a minute.”

Cadence hesitated for a moment but nodded. She quickly slipped upstairs into the room she and Twilight shared and gently closed the door behind her. The air up here was far cooler, and much more still without all the bodies moving about. She took in several deep, cleansing breaths of the cooler atmosphere, leaning against the doorway.

Shining Armor was going to get married to a princess alright. Just a different princess than before. She knew, intellectually, that she should feel happy for him, and… she did, a little. But she also could not help but mourn a tiny part of her that finally died. Her prince charming had finally found what he’d been searching for, and it had nothing to do with her. Not that she’d entertained any thoughts of reuniting with him but… well… Some parts of her mind simply didn’t listen to logic and reason, it seemed.

Still.

She was happy, there was no doubt about that. Happy that at long last, she could close that old chapter of her life once and for all. No longer a prince charming for her. Now she had to be the princess alluring for another pony, one who was just as special in her own way as Shining had been. She took another deep breath and cleansed her mind in one rush of air of those old and dusty thoughts.

Without announcement, a flash of blue light, and Luna was there. She radiated love, eroticism, and desire out of her every pore. It was almost a little overwhelming. “I do not recall giving thee thine instructions, niece,” Luna purred at her, her eyes half lidded. Cadence turned fully around to face her and projected the gentlest shield she could against those powerful emotion.

“My apologies, Auntie. I needed to get out of there for a few moments.” Cadence kept her tone level. She would need to remember never to show Luna a whit of jealousy, no matter what happened. Shining Armor deserved his happiness, no matter who he had it with, and she was glad for him. “How can I help with your event?”

Luna’s eyes softened a moment, even more than they already were. “I wish for you to do but one thing, and only one thing, Mi Amore Cadenza.” Luna’s words were surprisingly lucid, given how much she’d had to drink. She advanced quickly and pressed her hooves into Cadence’s shoulders. “Find some way to heal the wound in my sister’s heart.” Her lucidity instantly broke down, and she pressed her forehead against Cadence’s. “I have found mine happiness again. Help her find hers. I beg of thee.”

Cadence swallowed the biggest lump she’d ever felt in her throat and gently squeezed Luna’s shoulders. “I promise, Luna. I will do everything I can for her, and for you too.” She felt her smile broaden as she came to realize something almost too amusing. “After all, we’re all going to be one big happy family soon, now aren’t we?”

Luna laughed happily. “Truly, it is so.” She kissed Cadence firmly on the lips and boldly on each cheek. Cadence couldn’t help but blush, feeling Luna’s emotions seeping into her own. “Now, we have set Hearts and Hooves day as our glorious union. A proper romantic date for a hoof-fasting.” She giggled softly and nuzzled her cheek to Cadence’s. “Do not wait to join us for too long, Cadence. Thine beloved may end up doing something rash if you do not restrain her.”

And she vanished in a bright flash of light and energy, leaving Cadence to feel all the energy drain out of her. Hearts and Hooves Day? That was supposed to be one of her busiest days of the year, and now she had to worry about a wedding too? Goddess preserve me, I’m going to be run off my hooves all day with all the dates as it is! And I’m barely going to get to spend any time with Twilight! BUCK! She sighed, feeling another headache coming on just in time for Luna’s last words to penetrate her skull.

Twilight? Doing something rash?

She flung open the bedroom door and dashed downstairs, hoping that she wouldn’t need to peel Twilight off of Celestia and cause both of them more emotional scarring.

~~~~~~~

“Aegis Armor, I don’t think…”

Royal Guard Silver Trill felt her heart thumping in her chest harder than she’d ever felt before. The smell he gave off was so primal, so utterly male that it made her head swim. Her flank hit the wall of the barracks, emptied at this time of night, and she swallowed a lump in her throat which felt all too much like pulling a thick shaft into it. “It’s alright. The princess understands.” His voice was a growl that sent a shiver up her spine.

Truth be told, she really didn’t want to resist all that much. His eyes were so very beautiful, and the feel of his body pressing against hers was exquisite. “Yes…” was all she could whisper, falling ever deeper into those gorgeous emerald eyes. Did the Aegis have such eyes? Yes… of course he did. His eyes had always been so beautiful, his strength so reassuring. She wrapped her hindlegs around him and felt her back arch perfectly as he took her.

Her mind swam with pleasure, blotting out any thoughts of the impropriety of what was going on. With every thrust, she felt more of her concerns draining away into nothingness, replaced by a foggy desire to obey his every command. His eyes bored into hers, and all at once she realized how very much she loved him. Totally. Completely. Her heart, her mind, her very soul belonged to him…

And as she cried out in pleasure, the world re-settled itself into its rightful place. She would be his concubine of course… once he was married, he was going to need more than just a single marecunt to ravish and bear his children. She laid, drained and satiated upon the bunk where he had claimed her, alone with the sound of her panting breath and a lilting, almost musical hum from her Master…

“Mmf. So much more satisfying to draw power from dozens of witless little ponies than one witless, if powerful, pony. Not that the powerful one isn’t going to be delicious… Oh, this time it’s going to be perfect…”

Chapter 12 - Of Ponies and Princesses...

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~~~~~Canterlot, Hearts and Hooves Day~~~~~

Twilight was now certain of it. Getting to see her brother before the ceremony was going to be the next closest thing to impossible. Even Mom and Dad had only been able to see him briefly, and they admitted it hadn’t been for terribly long. Between his duties as Princess Luna’s personal guard, and the ‘preparations’ for the wedding ceremony…

Twilight blew out a frustrated breath. It doesn’t make any sense! Why wouldn’t he want to see me? She couldn’t conceive of what was going on, but the wall of guards he now commanded had turned her away every time with the same apologetic smile and phrase. ‘The Lunar Aegis is not currently receiving guests.’ It was manure that’s what it was! Some kind of dodge, hiding behind his command in order to not have to see her, but she couldn’t understand why.

In fact, about the only explanation she could come up with was he was afraid she’d be angry at him for not telling her about this. I mean, I am angry, but I’m not THAT angry. She was only going to yell at him a little for it, and then hug him and congratulate him for his new happiness! If only Cadence was here, but the instant they’d arrived in Canterlot, she’d vanished to take care of ‘other things.’ Really, Twilight was about two hoofsteps away from saying to buck with it, and going to Pony Joes until the whole thing was over.

Alas, she didn’t have that luxury. Princess Luna had placed her formally in charge of keeping everypony organized, and so thats what she had to do. Fortunately for her sanity, there wasn’t a lot of oversight needed, just a lot of schedule keeping. She examined her clipboard and turned towards the palace kitchens. She’d worry about her big brothers stupidity later. Right now, she needed to make sure this wedding went off without a hitch, so she could tell Shining Armor and her family about her own future wedding plans without them becoming a distraction.

Just before she reached those kitchens, Cadence swooped in from a window and came to a skidding halt. “Twilight, I need a minute.” Her voice was quiet, but seriously concerned. Twilight could almost predict her next words, “Shining is refusing to see me, and-”

“Shining is refusing to see anypony related to him.” Twilight snapped with a wry smile. Cadence blinked in surprise, and Twilight nodded to her. “Even me, mom and dad haven’t been able to penetrate his security.” She sighed heavily, leaning against the wall outside the kitchen doors and deeply inhaling the scent of apples coming from inside. “I’m worried too, Cadence, but what can we do? Princess Luna isn’t taking visitors either, and Celestia’s run off her hooves with her own normal work.”

Cadence opened her mouth, then shut it with a snap and a sigh. “I suppose I can’t think of much we can do to get into see him, but that doesn’t make me any less worried.” She glared out the window. “There’s so much for me to do today, ugh… I hate this. This is supposed to be a special day spent with your special somepony, not running around like a filly on Nightmare Night!”

Twilight stifled a laugh, and instead giggled softly. “Cadence, every day I spend with you is special.” She injected as much warmth and love as she could into the words, and was rewarded with an equally warm smile from Cadence. Twilight put on her best grin and shook her head. “Don’t worry so much, love. Once Shining and Luna are off for their honeymoon, we’re going to talk to my parents about our own plans, and then we’re going to have a very long discussion with Celestia.”

Cadence nodded, and nuzzled her cheek against Twilight’s. “Alright then, love. So long as you’re okay, I can stow my own complaints.” She took in a deep breath through her nose and smiled slowly. “Especially if I have Apple Family cooking to look forward to.” She reached out a hoof and ruffled her mane, and winked. “Alright, I’m going to get back to work, Twily and I’ll see you at the Ceremony.”

Twilight brushed her lips to her hoof and extended it to Cadence, who gently touched hooves with her, then brushed them back against her own lips with a cute smile before swooping out of the nearby window, once again leaving Twilight alone with her checklist. She ran a hoof through her mane, then shook off her thoughts. She would worry about Celestia when the time came, but for right now she had work to do.

She turned, and shoved open the door to the kitchens. “Hey Applejack, how’s things going in here?”

~~~~~~~~~~

Cadence wheeled in midair and reveled in the feel of the breeze against her face. It was a glorious day for Hearts and Hooves, and the entire city of Canterlot was saturated with the magic that was her specialty. It was beautiful to see so many couples walking around the city, sharing their special day with one another, enough so that it was much easier to forget she wasn’t sharing this one with Twilight.

Instead, she hovered in midair for a moment and glared down at Canterlot castle, full of mysteries and suspicious goings on. Shining Armor wasn’t like this, and she knew it. He ought to be clinging to his family like a life raft and getting absolutely hammered to try and not be so nervous about the upcoming ceremony. Years in Stalliongrad or not, Shining had never handled public events well, and she much doubted that had changed in his years out of the spotlight. So why was he hiding?

She didn’t like it, no matter what Twilight said. A quick glance at one of the many sundials positioned around the castle told her she had a little time to spare before she did another sweep through the city looking for couples in need. Her Princessly duties demanded such, no matter how much she’d rather be trying to corner Celestia or spend time with Twilight. Still… That’ll be enough time to sneak a peek in on Shining. Maybe I can find out what’s crawled up his armor.

With a thought and plan now firmly in mind, she peeled out of the sky and dove down close to the castle wall, darting between the windows as she circled the main keep and headed for the Lunar Tower. There was no sign of aerial guards, but there wouldn’t be if Luna had anything to say about it. Her batwinged night guards prefered to keep the the shadows and watch for intruders rather than provide the more obvious presence of the Royal Guard.

Fortunately, most of them knew her by sight, and more fortunately, none of them answered to anypony but Princess Luna. So though she kept close to the tower, nopony interfered with her ascent to the royal quarters. With absolute quiet, she cast a listening spell to enhance her hearing and peeked into one of the windows.

Shiny was there, sitting lazily upon a large chair carved out of a pitch black wood and levitating a glass of wine. He looked vaguely brooding, almost sinister as he sat alone in the room… or… wait. Not quite alone. There were two mares in the room, both Royal Guards by the golden armor they wore, who stood nearby as if in attendance to him. One of them had a bright silver mane and white coat, and was kneeling to one side of him in pure silence and utter stillness.

For almost a full minute, he said and did nothing. Merely stared into the mirror and took little sips of the wine. Finally, he spoke in a voice that was not entirely his own. “Silver Trill. Tell me you have positive news.” The voice itself was frightening, almost two voices merged into one. One was distinctly… feminine and almost insect like. The other was Shiny’s normal voice, but much deeper and more powerful.

The kneeling mare spoke in a low, hurried voice. “All is in readiness my lord, and we await your command to carry out your wishes. Our Princess awaits to serve you hoof and horn, as do we.” She gave a little shiver, and even from here Cadence could sense the little trickle of love energy that seeped out of her body and was… sucked, for lack of a better term, into Shiny’s body by some unseen force. There, it simply… vanished.

Which was utterly impossible.

Love energy didn’t react like that. It hovered around whoever it was directed towards, infused them and didn’t just… vanish like that. Not even the worst seducers and cads in Canterlot absorbed love energy like that! They might feed off its presence, and revel in stealing it from those it belonged to, but they didn’t just… consume it!

Then, worse happened. Shining’s face twisted into a cruel smile. “Good. That’s a very good piece of news my little pet. And since you’ve been so very good, I think I’m going to reward you.” He pushed himself off the chair and laid down the wine glass, and it was clear his erection was growing with every step he took. What was worse, was Silver Trill’s reaction… She spread her hindlegs wide and raised her flank into the air, shaking it desperately as desire rolled off her body in sickly waves. Cadence couldn’t help but stare, the other Royal Guard’s only reaction a look of jealousy and a subtle rubbing of her hindquarters together. Shining rounded the desperate mare, and without ado mounted her on the spot.

The instant his cock came in contact with the mare, she let off a massive burst of love energy that Shining just…. sucked in out of the air with a relish that was all too plain. His blue eyes shifted into a sickly evil green, and slitted up like a Dragon’s…. and that was all she could stand. She didn’t even bother flying, but simply folded up her wings and went into a perfect dive towards the ground, hoping she could get away without anypony noticing.

Fear and horror drove her, as it became all too clear that some dark creature had replaced Shining Armor and was capable of eating their emotions for sustenance. What was worse was that creature had some means of… controlling other ponies with those emotions, and it was about to marry Princess Luna. A Princess Luna who might already be under its spell. She wanted to scream, to panic, to run like fury…

But that wasn’t how a Princess of Canterlot acted.

Instead, she quickly turned on the wing and quickly beat them as hard as she could to speed towards the wings of the palace where the wedding preparations were ongoing. She had to warn somepony, but who? She had a history with Shining Armor, a history that was not entirely positive. One which someponies might think would color her perceptions of him. She had to find somepony who would believe her. Somepony who would understand she wasn’t just overly emotional.

Her first thought went to Celestia, of course.

Unfortunately for her, Princess Celestia was currently in close attendance with Princess Luna in the Royal Offices, preparing and signing all of the vast and relevant documentation involved in the marriage of a new royal consort. Their desks were piled high with proclamations, sealed documents, and stacks of legal books. “Ah, Princess Cadence! Come to take up your share of the interminable paperwork?” Princess Luna sounded as boisterous and happy as ever, and her eyes sparkled with excitement.

Cadence thrust out her senses and could find… nothing. No sign of tampering, no signs of control or strange magic. The aura of love around Luna was almost overpoweringly strong. And more wisps seemed to be added to it with each passing moment. Cadence could feel all of her words and warnings drying up in her mouth as she landed.

There was going to be no possible way to convince Celestia of something wrong with Shining without some sign on Luna. And she had no doubt in her mind that Luna would object very strongly to any suggestion that Shining Armor was not on the up-and-up. “Cadence, is something wrong?” Celestia’s voice cut through her thoughts. She stood up, looking puzzled and worried.

Cadence didn’t know what to do. “I… Um… I’m just… you see….” What could she do? She had to get to somepony who could help but-

Twilight.

Twilight could help. Twilight would believe her. But she couldn’t risk leaving Luna alone. What if Shining came down? What if she couldn’t sense the spell because it wasn’t emotional in nature, but some kind of mental control? Luna was possibly powerful enough to overwhelm Celestia. If that happened, there’d be no way to stop whatever force was bidding to seize control of Canterlot.

Her breathing was coming faster and faster, and she felt her hooves moving on their own, backing her up towards the balcony she’d come in from. “Lulu, she’s having a panic attack!” Celestia’s voice cut through the room like a clarion call, and Luna was already rushing around the table.

She had no choice.

She couldn’t stay here.

She would just have to hope that she could get to Twilight in time, and find a solution before it all came apart.

Her wings spread and she launched herself off the balcony, and raced to the rest of the castle in search of her beloved.

Together, there was nothing they couldn’t conquer.

~~~~~~~~

“Thanks, Rarity. It all looks great! We’ll grab dinner together before the ceremony!”

Rarity’s cheerful wave was a welcome sight as Twilight checked another box off her list, and silently wished Spike was here with her instead of watching over the Cutie Mark Crusaders and the other fillies and foals involved in the proceedings. Little Pipsqueak had been taking his job as the ring bearer very seriously, and had been practicing all week. She sighed happily, and checked the list. Next up was Fluttershy and-.

Her vision was filled with a flurry of pink feathers and wild violet eyes. “Come with me right now.” Princess Cadence said, and then without another word grabbed her around the middle and hauled her off into the air. Twilight saw her clipboard clatter to the ground, and only the action of her face being stuffed into Cadence’s shoulder kept her from screaming bloody murder as she was whipped out into the skies above Canterlot.

Every nerve in Twilight’s body screamed out in fear, and her mind swam as she felt herself being taken around sharp turns at a speed that she had never known Cadence could achieve. Her beloved was afraid, though, and soon enough sense overtook instinct and she clutched her forelegs tightly around her. She didn’t know what was wrong, she didn’t know what had happened, but Cadence needed her, and that was all she really needed to know.

Mere moments later, they were in a familiar, if slightly dusty room. It was Cadence’s room, once upon a time, and now was mostly sealed up and covered up with sheets and carefully placed rugs to await her return to Canterlot for an extended stay. The room was a little dusty, but the windows had been thrown open a little to allow fresh air to seep in. Cadence laid Twilight down, as though she feared for her health. “Sorry, Twilight, but I just didn’t know who else to come to…” Cadence spoke in a hushed whisper, her horn illuminating and shutting the door firmly behind her. The bolt was thrown, and the window closed seconds later. “We could all be in grave danger, and I cannot tell Celestia…”

That made Twilight frown, and feel a little chill of fear. Cadence turned to face her and… and Twilight felt her heart wrench. Her eyes were wide with fear, and her breathing was coming in such rapid pants that Twilight feared she was going to pass out at any moment. “You must believe me, Twilight. I need… I need you to believe me. Even though it’s going to sound absolutely insane.” She began to dry-wash her hooves, and licked repeatedly at her lips as though she felt them to be too dry to speak.

Twilight reached out and grasped Cadence’s hooves, squeezing them warmly. “Cadence… It’s okay. You don’t have to be afraid to tell me anything. Of course I’m going to believe you.” She put on her very best smile, and tried to project reassurance like Cadence had taught her. All confident poise and smiles. “Now walk me through it, slowly. Why can’t you tell Celestia about this?’

Cadence sucked in a deep breath and began to speak slowly, “Because some dark creature has replaced Shining Armor, and I think it intends to ensnare Princess Luna in some kind of mind control spell.” She swallowed visibly, and nearly tugged her hooves clean out of Twilight’s grasp in nervousness.

Twilight couldn’t blame her though. She took a breath, then another, trying to focus her head. “What?” She managed, the word coming out in a blurt. “I mean…. what?” The very thought of Shining Armor somehow replaced by some kind of demon-creature was absurd. Princess Luna was many things, but a fool was certainly not one of them.

Cadence’s muscles tensed, and her jaw set. “I know. It’s insane. But I swear to you, Twilight, I saw it with my own two eyes. I saw that… thing consume love energy.” She shivered in place, as though she was freezing cold and Twilight instantly moved to hold her close. Cadence wasn’t just frightened, she was terrified, and that all by itself was reason enough to bring the whole thing into easy focus.

Cadence was right - it DID sound insane. But then again, so did so many of the other threats they’d faced along the way here. “I believe you, Cadence.” Twilight spoke softly, and kept her forelegs firmly wrapped around Cadence until she stopped shivering. “We’ll figure this out, I promise, but we’ve got to be calm.” That was a good start - it’s what Cadence would have done for her if she’d been in that position.

Slowly, achingly slowly, Cadence began to stop shivering and breathe more normally. Her head sunk against Twilight’s shoulder, and it was distinctly odd to feel like the one in control for once, instead of the one needing to get control over herself. So she did her best to emulate her mentors, and slowly stroked her hoof through Cadence’s mane. “We’ve got the drop on whatever this thing is, so we can out-maneuver it before it can do anything drastic. We’ll get the Elements of Harmony, and bring the team together.” Twilight injected as much brash confidence as she could into her voice, hoping that it would help calm Cadence’s nerves. “We’ll wait for our chance and then rip off the disguise…”

Twilight swallowed. That this thing had somehow replaced Shining Armor was… the possibilities of what might have happened to him were… It took a lot to keep control, but she managed. “We’ll get your brother back.” Cadence’s voice was rough, but she was obviously far more collected than she’d been mere moments ago. “We’ll find out what happened, Twily. I promise.”

She nodded, and Cadence slowly pulled herself up. “You’ve become so strong, Twilight Sparkle.” Cadence was smiling, her eyes shimmering with unshed tears. “I’ll go retrieve the elements. We’ll do just like we did with Discord, and meet somewhere safe with the whole crew.”

Twilight bit at her lip, then nodded. “I know of one place where nopony is likely to bother us.”

~~~~~~~

The Glass Hall was nearly empty of visitors at this hour of the day, though it wouldn’t remain that way for long. With a state event in the offering, those individuals who rarely had a chance to step inside the royal palace would be treating it as an opportunity to see all of the wonders within. One such wonder was the Glass Hall, where stained glass windows represented the seminal moments in Equestrian history.

Twilight Sparkle and her friends now stood in two of those windows. and if events continued on as they were, Cadence had no doubt they’d be finding themselves in more of them. For now though, she had a far more important task… retrieving the Elements of Harmony. That meant getting to the Royal Vault at the end of the hallway, and…

And dealing with the two Royal Guards standing sentry there, stolid as ever. Except… they weren’t. Not quite. Their eyes were wrong, tinted a faint and sickly green. The mare looked like she was breathing a touch too heavily, and the male was shifting in his steps, as though trying to hide a stiffy. She might not have even seen it if she hadn’t been paranoid at that moment. “Princess Cadenza?” The foremost guard asked, his tone quiet and concerned. “Is something the matter?” Even the way he spoke was subtly off. Like he knew what he was supposed to be saying, but had to double check with something before saying it.

Cadence needed to act quickly, but what could she do? She had every right to retrieve the Elements from the vault, legally speaking, but… “Ah, I just wanted to check in on whoever was standing guard here. Given the holiday today, I thought It was a little unfair for you two not to have any time to participate.” She put on her very best, big and happy smile, and was pleased to see the guard relax a bit.

“Ah, we’re doing just fine here, Princess. Neither of us have… lovers.” He stumbled over the word, looking uncomfortable. The other guard had stepped forward and was looking at her with an uncharacteristic wariness. “We don’t need any help here, Princess. So if you would please just-”

There was too much going on here that was too fundamentally wrong. Guards didn’t start conversations, especially not Royal Guards on a vault duty, and neither did they move from their posts without being summoned to do so. They were confused, erratic, and if Cadence didn’t act quickly she wasn’t sure what they might try to do to her. So she did the only thing she could think of…. she lashed out with her magic, hitting them with the strongest blast of love energy she could possibly conjure up.

Royal Guard armor was designed to provide protection against spells, of course. But they weren’t designed to protect against ‘positive’ magic. In this case, it certainly wasn’t designed to protect against a sudden surge of lust and aphrodisiac qualities provided by her own magic. The male groaned aloud and threw his helmet to the ground. The mare did the same, and before a few seconds had passed they were all over each other, kissing sloppily and without the least possible nod to decorum.

“Sorry.” She half whispered at them, and then quickly dashed past the couple as they began to get a bit more… involved with one another. There was no time to worry about them, though. She ducked down her head and thrust her horn into the tiny, circular lock. Okay, what in the name of Celestia’s plothole was that combination again. She had to focus, calling back to mind the complex numbers, magical pulses, and other esoterica that all went into unraveling the special lock on the vault.

It didn’t help that somewhere behind her the sounds of a vigorous rutting began to ensue. In fact, that was quite counter-productive to invoking all the various arcane phrases in her head and transmuting them into magic while the pair of them made some very appealing noises. Ones that made Cadence very much wish Twilight was here to share in her mild discomfort, so she could tease her about it later.

Fortunately, she only had to endure this slightly ironic and hilarious torture for about a minute. One long, squishy sounding minute that drove her only a touch mental. By the time she’d extracted her horn and the doors began to swing open, she was pretty certain the mare was already well on her way to her first orgasm. I am not going to be jealous of her. She grumped, and slipped into the Royal Vault.

All around her were neat wooden shelves bearing countless identical matte black boxes. The boxes, Celestia had informed her once, were made of a special kind of stone that completely blocked magical auras and effects. There were things in here ponies were not meant to fiddle with, and fortunately Celestia hadn’t done any rearranging of the place recently. Near the end of the main row, a large glittering glass case held the five torques and one golden crown that made up the Elements of Harmony.

It took all of twenty seconds to stow them into her bags, and not for the first time she felt a sense of awe in merely handling the artifacts. It was astonishing to think of what these jewels had accomplished over the centuries, and even moreso to realize the pony she loved the most held the most powerful of them all. She shivered and then hurried from the vault, pausing only to shove the doors firmly closed behind her. On the ground outside, the two Royal Guards had discarded all of their armor and were now passionately entwined with one another.

Cadence felt a little whimsical smile, as she sensed the powerful aura of love growing between them as they did so. Well, at least she’d accomplished one unequivocally good thing today.

~~~~~~~~~

Twilight pushed the door to the study room shut firmly as Pinkie Pie bounced in through the crack, and sighed in relief. Getting her friends away from their duties had been difficult to say the least, but they’d at least been willing to hear her out when she said it was an emergency. “Now what’n tarnation has got you so spooked, Twilight?” Applejack’s tone was richly amused, but she had no small amount of concern there too. “Ya’ll haven’t been this upset since yer problem with the Friendship letters.”

Twilight turned to face her five friends, each of which was watching her with a measure of real concern. “We’ve got to be careful. Cadence found out something that…” She shivered a little, unable to repress the mental image of her beloved frozen in stark terror. “That scared her very badly. In fact, I can’t recall a moment other than with Discord where she was that frightened before.” Again, she shivered, and tried to fight down her own fright.

Pinkie Pie laid a hoof on her shoulder and gave her a gentle smile, and Twilight felt some of the fear subside. She had her friends. She had Cadence. Things were going to be okay. “Well, then just tell us, silly.” Pinkie giggled faintly, her eyes sparkling. “So we can kick this things heinie and get back to the party!”

Twilight sighed. “It’s not that simple, Pinkie.” She squeezed the familiar hoof for comfort, then turned to face each pony in the room. “It’s Shining Armor. Cadence says she saw some other creature disguised in his place.” The very thought of something capable of overpowering Shining Armor like that was frightening enough, but that something could replace him…

But now wasn’t the time for that. Her friends all turned to one another in turn, their faces masks of concern now deepened by her news. “Um… Twilight, are you sure Cadence hasn’t just… Yanno… Cracked a bit under all this pressure?” Dash’s voice was a little more timid than usual, and she fiddled with an errant pencil from somewhere.

Rarity coughed softly. “Really, darling. I know this can’t be easy for her, given how much we all know she’s had to go through because of Prince Armor, but doesn’t this strike you as a bit… odd?”

Applejack frowned, shaking her head. “I dunno, Twi. Normally I’d be right there with Dash, but…” She sighed, rubbing at her head. “But I’ve seen too much hooey happen with ya’ll to dismiss this outright. I’d hafta hear more first.” Fluttershy nodded, her forelegs wrapping around Applejack’s own foreleg and making it clear she shared Applejack’s opinion.

Pinkie Pie, however…. Pinkie just gave her a hard, serious look right in the eyes for a few long, slightly awkward seconds before blowing out a breath. “I believe you, TwiTwi.” That got a stare from Dash and Rarity, both of whom were still looking rather uncomfortable. Pinkie huffed. “Seriously, you two? Twi might be a bit kooky like me, but she wouldn’t just lead us on a wild kumquat chase for something like this!” Pinkie huffed visibly, bristling. “We’re all supposed to be a super-team of super-ponies! Not a Lame-Team of lame-o’s.”

Twilight’s heart, which had been bidding fair to sink into her hooves, rose a little bit at Pinkie’s reassurances. Well, one out of five wasn’t… disastrous at least. She took a deep breath and exhaled. “Rarity, Dash, I need you to talk to me.”

“Talk! Talk!” Dash burst out. “C’mon Twi, this isn’t like some Ponyville-only problem. We can’t just talk.”

“Yes dear, I hardly believe we should lose our heads as Rainbow seems to be implying, but we don’t exactly have much to go on except her word,” Rarity added with a small nod to Dash.

“And that’s not good enough?” Twilight wanted to smack them both, but that would hardly be constructive. “After everything we’ve been through, this is the time you pick to call her word into doubt?” She smacked her hoof on the table. “I know you and her haven’t always been on the best of terms, Rainbow Dash, but what’s she done to make you call her a liar?”

“I don’ think she’s sayin’ Cadence is a straight up liar,” Applejack put a consoling hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “I don’ think she is, an’ I’d be the pony ta know, but…”

“It’s… it is a little odd,” Fluttershy picked up for her. “Princess Luna would have been the first to notice right? If it’s true, that is.”

Twilight opened her mouth, and snapped it shut as Pinkie interjected. “Oh, c’mon Shy! We all know how lonely-pony the Princess was, even after Nightmare Night went so well!” Pinkie huffed out a breath, then turned her head away as the whole table seemed to focus on her. “I… I know what it can be like when you feel like you’ve got nopony who loves you and… and how somepony paying attention can kinda make you go blind to everything else.” She gulped, then put on a faint smile. “I been there, yo.”

“So what, now you’re sayin’ Princess Luna’s an idiot?” Rainbow gave her a stern glare. “She’s not the type Pinks. And Twilight, you honestly can’t sit here and tell me your brother and her don’t have some sort of… problem.”

“Dear, as much as it seems unlike Cadence, high society places a great deal of importance on relationships. Both unsuccessful and successful, and -” Rarity began only to have Applejack interrupt.

“Oh, horseapples to tha’!” she retorted with a fair bit of a flare. “Them two ain’t had nothin’ muckin’ each other’s lives up since tha Gala!”

Twilight felt her heart lighten a little at Applejack’s interjection, turning to nod. “Applejack’s right. Cadence and Shiny settled that score.” She blew out a breath. “Look, we all know she’s not the kind of pony to rabble rouse. Heck, more than anypony in town, she’s the one who's done the most good putting a stop to that nonsense!” She half glared at Dash. “Or do you forget who stood up for you when you let your ego get ahead of you, Miss Mare Do Well?”

“Twilight! That was uncalled for!” Rarity scolded her. “And who can say she hadn’t just buried the feelings? Something like marriage to a princess is stressful enough on a normal pony. It’s not too far fetched to think that might break some old wounds open.”

“Cadence… Cadence isn’t a… um, stressed pony,” Fluttershy said. “She knows how to calm most everypony down when they need it. If she were hiding anything…”

“Flutters! Hush for a sec!” Dash said before pointing a hoof at Twilight. “You can’t sit there and call me out for Mare Do Well when you guys were the one’s… oh, that’s right… LYING!”

Twilight bit at her lip, and grabbed Pinkie’s shoulders as she did so. “You’re right, Dash.” She kept her voice calm, but it was obvious that there was anger in her voice. “Which is why Cadence called us all out on it. Which is why she, need I remind you, spoke up for you.” She slammed her hooves into the table, making everyone jump almost a foot into the air. “Which is why, need I bucking remind you, that of everypony we know, shouldn’t her word be the one we don’t question?”

“Twi, Cadence is a great gal, but she ain’t exactly perfect. She’s lied plenty o’ times tryin’ ta keep ponies from gettin’ heartbroke, even if it needed ta happen. What if she’s just tryin’ ta… I dunno, keep Luna from havin’ ta through the same thang she did,” Applejack said with a little less sympathy than before. “An’ you!” she rounded on Dash. “What the hay’s gone up yer plot? Goin’ off on Fluttershy like that!?”

“Up my plot!” Dash spat back. “Maybe the hat’s blocking your view or something, but the whole ‘stress factor’ thing wasn’t getting us anywhere.”

The door slammed just in time to halt AJ’s hindhooves from impacting Rainbow Dash’s middle. Twilight turned on the spot to see Cadence standing there with a bulging saddlebag and a look of exhaustion on her face. “Nice to see the Elements of Harmony being so harmonious.” She said drily, shifting her gaze to everypony in the room one by one. “There were two more corrupted guards in front of the Royal Vault,” she began, making Twilight’s stomach go cold. Cadence half smiled as she set the bag down on the table. “They tried to stop me from bringing you the Elements. Fortunately, they’ll be too busy with one another to go reporting back to whatever foul creatures did that to them.”

“No, really, Lovebutt,” Dash sneered at her. “That couldn’t be because love isn’t part of the Elements, and it’s the one thing keeping us from syncing back up on this whole damn thing.”

Twilight almost forgot herself. She almost got all the way across the table before Cadence’s magic grabbed her and hauled her back by the flank. Twilight snarled only once, wordlessly, before Cadence touched her shoulder with her hoof. “You’re right. Harmony doesn’t have anything to do with Love.” Cadence said, all too quietly, and Twilight felt her butt hit the floor a moment later. “Which is why I came to you six. There hasn’t been a single challenge you couldn’t face together.” She looked to each of them, and Twilight could see the pain in her eyes. “I don’t know what I can do to fight a monstrosity like the one I saw. It was… it was eating love energy. What in the name of Harmony might it do to me?”

Twilight’s anger burned up in a heartbeat, and she took a calming breath before speaking. Somehow, somehow…. somehow, she had to bring an end to this argument. “Rainbow Dash, stop for a moment and think. This is Cadence we’re talking about here.” She pushed her hooves onto the table, raising herself up a bit so everypony could more easily see her. “Look at her, Dash! She’s terrified!” She pointed her hoof at her, her eyes narrowing. “She needs your help, Rainbow Dash. She needs you to believe in her, the way she’s constantly believed in you. Whatever you two went through, no matter how many times you competed, she never doubted that you’d have her back when she needed it.” Twilight exhaled softly, wishing she could find better words. “The same way we all count on you, Dash.”

“I… I… ” Twilight watched as Rainbow tried to find some other insulting comment to hurl at either her or Cadence, but the words seemed to die on her lips. She was just staring at Cadence, who Twilight now noticed was still shuddering every few seconds. “It’s the real deal, isn't it Twi?” she asked in almost a whisper. “Something’s really trying to… to mess with Luna’s head?” Her head was hung, and where her wings had been flared out in anger before, they were now tucked neatly to her sides.

Twilight nodded at her, then turned to Rarity. “Rarity, I understand your hesitation and suspicion. I really do.” And oddly enough, she did. She’d been around Canterlot high society to know that Rarity certainly wasn’t making up how easily those socialites could make a mountain out of a molehill. “But you know just as well as I do that Cadence is about as likely to hold a real grudge as you are.” She felt a smile tug at her lips. “As much as we all know you’d like to hold one against a certain fashion pony, we know you haven’t. Can’t you give Cadence the same benefit of the doubt?”

“Twilight, you understand all, and I mean all, the ramifications if we burst in on a royal wedding ceremony, cry fraud on your brother no less, and are proven to have gone completely mental?” Rarity threw out the words like a burst water pipe, earnestly looking into Twilight’s eyes to be sure she knew just what she was saying.

Twilight nodded, and so did Cadence. “I’ll take full responsibility, Rarity.” Cadence said softly. “If I turn out to be wrong, which I am one hundred percent certain I am not, I will make sure none of you suffer for it.” She put on a gentle, tremulous smile. “Besides, I’m sure Princess Luna won’t do much more than make me be her maid for a few years.” Her attempt to interject humor was a bit awkward, but Twilight was glad for it all the same.

“Oh, dear, regardless of what you say or do, we’ll all suffer. Horribly,” Rarity said flatly. “But… You were willing to take all the blame in the first place. I can’t say I would have done the same, but if you can accept that level of risk, it would be a shame if I couldn’t.” She stomped her hoof with a little huff. “I’ll have to do something to keep the Elements from being obvious under our gowns. If the creature is powerful enough to think it can take on a princess, no doubt it would recognize them if it saw them.”

Cadence face had lit up a bit, and she was almost genuinely smiling. Twilight felt her confidence growing by the minute, and she turned to Applejack and Fluttershy. “Applejack. Fluttershy. I know…” She took a deep breath, and forged ahead. “That Cadence isn’t exactly the kind of pony you two are used to having as a neighbor and a friend. I know that stuff like this…” She gestured to Cadence and the Elements, “Was probably really not in the plan for you two. But like it or not, we’re Equestria’s best protectors. And that means sometimes, we’ve got to accept that all of the weirdest, strangest, most bucked-up stuff just happens to us more often than it does to anypony else.”

She put on her best grin, hoping she didn’t look desperate. “I don’t need to appeal to your best instincts, Applejack, because I already know Cadence wouldn’t lie about this. Nor you, Fluttershy, because as much as you two are opposites, you and Cadence both fight for the same thing every day of your lives.” She tapped her hoof to the table. “We’ve got to come together on this one, girls. I know that’s not an easy thing to ask of you two, but-”

“Cadence?” Fluttershy abruptly spoke up, directing everypony’s attention to the alicorn in question.

Cadence turned, and brought her hoof up to move her mane out of her eyes. “Yes, Fluttershy?”

“Cadence, promise us all that this has nothing to do with you and Twilight’s brother,” she said, firm and unyielding. “If we find out you were lying, I’ll never speak to you again.”

Cadence’s mouth opened for a moment, shut, then she smiled brightly. “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” And she made all the right motions too. “I swear, this has nothing to do with what happened between me and Shiny. In fact, whatever this creature is, if it’s hurt Shining Armor…” Her eyes darkened, and for a single instant Twilight could feel the ice cold chill of that black crystal creeping around her neck before it vanished like a nightmare. “It’s going to regret it.”

“Hoo, that’s some conviction you got there, Cadence!” Applejack said with an offered hoof bump to her. “Fluttershy here nailed it on tha head. We’re in, for better or worse.”

Twilight sank to the ground by the table, and Cadence took the hoofbump with a smile. “Thanks, girls.” Twilight whispered softly, feeling a heady warmth in her chest. “Thank you all so much. I know this is a lot to ask but…” She sniffled a little and rubbed at a vagrant tear.

“Aw, stow it, egghead.” Dash grumbled, reaching out and smacking her on the back with a wing. “We’re all in this together now, so no more waterworks. Right.” She clapped her hooves together. “We need a plan, Twi. We can’t just go in there and start blasting everything left, right, and center.”

Twilight nodded, and Cadence’s squeeze around her shoulders filled her with confidence. “Right then. This is what we’re going to do.”

Chapter 13 - Will Often Go Astray.

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~~~~~The Grand Hall, That Night.~~~~~

Cadence shifted uncomfortably, trying to restrain from adjusting her crown. Twilight, standing next to her, was obviously having a problem with the exact same thing, glancing around even as everypony else chatted happily. Well. Almost everypony, as Cadence glanced over to the rest of the team, finding each of them responding in their own unique ways.

Dash was watching the crowd like a hawk, Rarity was all grace and cool slathered over a core of nerves, Pinkie was utterly her normal self, and Applejack and Fluttershy both looked oddly poised, ready for anything. Each of them concealed their Elements under their individual gowns, expertly hidden thanks to some fast stitching by Rarity. She really is a wonder of a craftspony. We need to make her the royal couturier when this is all over.

The thought made her smile, calming her nerves a smidge. She needed to focus on their little plan, so when the time came she could follow through with all the necessary steps before anything could get out of hoof. It didn’t help that this hall was full of corrupted guards, though. Now that she’d seen them up close and from afar, the signs were all too clear. The discolored eyes, the faint look of distraction, the reek of pheromones and barely restrained lust.

In fact, now that she had a chance to see them without having to worry about suspicion, she was beginning to see how the whole process had been done. A sick, twisted perversion of the spell she herself used to improve and repair relationships used instead to focus a kind of lustful adulation on the spellcaster. It was brilliant, in the kind of way that made Cadence feel ill, and with every passing moment she felt her anger flare at the thought of someone using her arts for something like this.

“Cadence, are you feeling better?” Celestia’s voice was quiet and calm, and Cadence just nodded. It hurt to put on the false smile, but it was enough to reassure her aunt, who returned it. “I am sorry I insisted you undertake your traditional duties today, niece. I should have know how important it would be for you to spend time with your beloved, and I understand how you got flustered over it." She bowed her head and whispered, sounding actually chastised. “Can you forgive an old mare?”

Cadence wanted nothing more in that moment than to turn and tell Princess Celestia everything and be damned the consequences. The problem was, she had nothing to give Celestia as proof beyond her own word, and given what had already happened today… She’d think I’d cracked and I don’t think I could blame her. So she just smiled, nodding. “Don’t worry about it, Auntie. We’ll have plenty of time to unwind tonight, all of us." Or at least, she hoped they would… “Would you mind if I gave Luna and Shiny my blessing before the ceremony? I think that might make things go a little more smoothly."

Celestia regarded her with surprise, but smiled warmly. “Of course not. I think that’d be a lovely gesture." And she grinned. “And Lulu will be less inclined to interrupt me if she’s too busy thinking about getting into Shining’s armor." She giggled, a little naughtily, and Cadence couldn’t help but titter a bit in return… even if she knew that this was probably not the time for that joke.

Celestia turned to her assistant, Miss Inkwell, giving time for Cadence to touch Twilight’s shoulder. “Ready?” she asked softly, her marefriend fortunately taking all this stress very well.

Twilight took a deep breath and exhaled. “No, but does it matter?” She turned to face Cadence, her smile strained. “We’re going to have to play this heavily by ear, and I hate that. Every other time there was a crisis, there was no time to think and this waiting is killing me." She giggled faintly, but not quite hysterically. “Imagine. Me, complaining about having time to think."

Cadence laughed a little at that. “It is sort of ridiculous, isn’t it?” She shook her head. “Just be ready to… do whatever it is you do when you fire those things up." She looked up, huffing. “Once things get started, there won’t be time for dramatics." A brief fanfare of horns interrupted her next words, signalling the approach of the bride and groom. Cadence blew a sigh. “Showtime.”

Twilight nodded, and Cadence hurried back to her place next to Celestia, unfurling her wings. Ugh. I hate having to do this. Keeping them stiff is so… embarrassing. But the thought was quickly banished as the bright lights of the hall dimmed, then were snuffed out. An instant later, the hall was bathed in pale white moonlight, pouring through the clerestory windows above, a faint misty fog rolling through the crowd of nobleponies, tickling at their hooves.

Four of the cutest little batpony fillies Cadence had ever seen bounced down the aisle, scattering luminescent blue flower petals. She felt a strange coolness settle over her. The danger was at hoof, and for once she was absolutely certain of what had to be done. It made everything seem so much simpler. Deep-voiced instruments began to play their music, a strong and brooding melody that thrummed in her chest.

Cadence had to admit the atmosphere was chillingly beautiful. Bright stars glittered overhead and reflected off the petals below. The doors swung open with a startling bang. Standing four-by-two, eight batpony night guards marched up the aisle, peeling off in pairs to take up positions along the aisle. Though she’d never been particularly good at reading them, none of them seemed to be showing the same signs of corruption as the royal guards had. It was a small relief… but a relief nonetheless.

And then they entered.

They swept up the aisle in matching colors of deep blue and white, with moonstone accents present in every decorative capacity. Shining Armor’s eyes tracked warily across the crowd, and there was nothing in his decorum or manner that suggested he was here to get married. Cadence took a deep breath, stepping forward as the music rose to a crescendo, Luna smiling beautifully and Shining staring at her in mute surprise.

“Blessed be the couple who has come to join one another in the bonds of Love,” she intoned to the crowd, and her eyes caught the rest of the Element bearers moving up to the sides of the aisles. Rarity nodded minutely at her, and she continued. “To celebrate this occasion, I give unto you my blessing as the Princess of Love. May you bring one another happiness from now unto all eternity!”

Love magic was one of the very few magics one could directly imbue into a pony. That had always bestowed upon her a certain responsibility to use her power with… well, responsibility. Not that I’ve always been great about that. She winced away from the thoughts. Now wasn’t the time for self-doubt. She’d deal with her indiscretions later on, when Equestria wasn’t in danger.

Cadence called her magic into her horn, Shining’s mouth opening almost in slow motion. She knew he was going to try to stop her, but it was far too late for that. I saw you and your big appetite, you vile creature… she thought with a savage glee. Now lets see how you like it when I give you a meal bigger than anything you’ve ever had before! She drew upon the strength and power of Twilight behind her, upon the love they shared and had vowed to give to one another. She drew upon her innermost strengths and pulled them all to the surface.

The glow from her horn lit up the room for a moment, bathing all of those present in a vibrant pink light before she released the wave of power into ‘Shining Armor’. At first, he simply glowed a bright pink as was normal, doing so for just long enough she began to worry that she’d been terribly wrong…

Until a green crack appeared down his right side, the crowd gasping in an appropriately dramatic manner. “Wait… Cadence, what are you-?!” Celestia cried out, only to be interrupted as the deepened, before releasing a shattering sound. A blast of green flames nearly blinded her, clouding the area with a burst of thick smoke. She was forced a step back as Celestia’s words turned into a yelp, the crowd screaming in fear.

”Bitch…” came an angry hiss from within the smoke, and Cadence shook away the afterimages of the bright flames in her eyes. “I will not be denied. NOT THIS TIME!” its raw voice thundered, rasping insect-like against her ears, nearly driving her back to the edge of the dais. Its head came up, black and sleek and menacing, mouth seemingly full of fangs, and its eyes blazing and sickly green. It had the body of an alicorn and the wings of an insect, and every inch of the creature radiated anger and rage. “I am going to kill you little princess,” it - she growled at her, “but before you die, you will get to watch everything you love perish!”

Cadence opened her mouth, only for that rasping voice to fully overwhelm her own, “LET JUDGEMENT BE DONE!” The words blew past her like a gust of wind, and the hall transformed from full of gasps to screams and the sounds of blunt impacts. Cadence’s eyes darted around the room to see the corrupted guards doing battle with the Lunar Guard while their comrades began to strike down the fleeing guests.

“Lulu!” Celestia’s voice cut through the turmoil, Cadence’s gaze whipping around to Luna, who still stood in her gorgeous dress, heaving, her eyes almost a pure emerald green as fangs slowly extending from her upper teeth. Celestia was the very picture of pure, unrestrained terror for a single instant… until a blast of blue energy from Luna’s horn went soaring past her head and blew out the windows at the back end of the hall.

The strange, black creature cackled in laughter as Luna hurled herself at her sister, firing off blasts of absurdly powerful magic, shattering stone columns left and right. “Luna, stop this!” Celestia screamed, dodging and weaving away from the magic, but her pleas seemed to have no effect. “Cadence, get Twilight and run!” Celestia yelled out before diving out of the windows of the hall, Luna in hot pursuit.

Cadence wheeled to where Twilight still stood rigid in shock, quickly beating her wings to scramble over to her. She was already putting on her golden crown, and the gem began to glow… “Using your little toys? I think not!” The sinister voice was smooth, and a green blast of power soared over Cadence’s shoulder… and struck Twilight with full force.

The world went cold around her, as Twilight’s eyes widened for a moment before she crumpled into a heap. There were other ponies yelling. Their voices were familiar, but ultimately didn’t matter. The smug, bug-like voice cackled in triumph. Cadence felt the chill turn to anger, and anger became hatred. She spun in midair, the icy creep of dark power flowing through her veins.

Her beloved was imperiled.

This creature was harming that which belonged to her.

That could not be allowed.

~~~~~~~~

“TWILIGHT!”

This was bad. This was very very very very very bad. She owed Cadence an apology too, which only made this way worse. But Twilight was down and that was super bad and And I need to get myself together before everything goes to pieces! There were royal guards knocking out guests all over the hall. Lunar guards fighting Royal guards. Luna fighting Celestia. And Twilight was down.

Applejack, good old reliable Applejack, had already decided to lead the charge, and Rainbow Dash was right behind her. Get your head in the game, Dashie! she mentally screamed at herself, diving into the fray with both hooves. She didn’t have AJ’s insane physical strength, but she was still the fastest thing on four legs. So she punched and kicked and bowled over anypony that got in their way.

Rarity was on the scene first, Fluttershy right behind her. “She’s taken a bad hit…” Fluttershy murmured, then glared up at Rarity. “Help me hold her head steady, Rarity. I’ve got an idea, but it’s going to take a minute... Dashie, Applejack, keep us safe.” She pulled out a cloth pouch from… somewhere in her dress. “Good thing I brought these,” she muttered.

Dash nodded once, recognizing Fluttershy’s medicine pouch before turning on her hooves to watch the chaos unfolding around her and keep an eye out for- “DUCK!” she yelled, forcing Fluttershy’s head down with a hoof as a blast of green magic careened past them. She turned to identify the source, only to have her blood run cold.

Twilight had told them all about what had happened to Cadence when Discord had come around… and how they shouldn’t bring it up unless they had to. Cadence had somehow become clad in a suit of inky black crystalline armor that hugged her every curve, and the ground all around her was littered with shards of the same sharp crystal. She looked angry and cold, her eyes smoking with some kind of dark magic for Celestia’s sake! She was unlike the Cadence she knew, had ragged on and futzed around with these past few years.

If she had been really honest with herself, Cadence had become… well, kinda like the friend Gilda had been. They sassed each other, got under each others feathers, gave each other shit. But it was always in good fun, and Cadence had never become the bully Gilda had turned into. Seeing her like this was… frightening. The weird black creature she was fighting was scarier, though, so Dash wasn’t sure what to think-

Two burly guards loomed out of the crowd, their eyes crazed with green magic, breathing so heavily it was creepy. She spun and aimed a mighty fine applebuck at their faces, easily connecting and sending them staggering back… about a foot. Which left her bare flank staring them in the face, and the two of them were leering at it in a way that made her think they had other ideas than just smacking her.

Then her vision was filled with orange coat and blonde mane, a howling voice proclaiming, “YEEEHAW!” Suddenly, two massively-muscled hind legs drove themselves into the guards’ chests, sending them catapulting across the room like ragdolls. “Ya’ll need to work out more, Dashie!” Applejack smirked and went back to guarding the other side of Twilight with a flick of her tail.

If the situation was any different, she’d have sassed Applejack something fierce, but she needed to keep an eye on Cadence. The weird black creature and she were trading energy blows and bucks while they buzzed around the room on their wings. There were no words between them, just dagger-glares of hatred and menace that made Dash want to find someplace really really small to hide in and wait for everything to be over.

But that wasn’t doable, so she had to keep her gumption up. The black creature hissed at Cadence, her eyes glowing in the dim light of the hall. “Well… It seems the little pink princess isn’t such a goodie-two-hooves after all,” she smirked, and Dash couldn’t help but notice that much of the chaos in the hall was moving away from it. “Tell me, do you miss your little lover?” she cooed softly.

Cadence seethed, her horn flashing without so much as a sparkle of warning, sending a wave of razor-sharp spikes driving up through the hall tile toward the black alicorn in a wave. The creature leapt aside nimbly, cackling. “Oh, you’re so delicious… I can’t wait to tie you down and make you into my little feeding-mare.” The words came out in a threatening purr that only seemed to enrage Cadence more.

The princess launched herself forward with another flurry of attacks, Dash turning away so she wouldn’t have to feel so chilled by the sight of that crystal. “Shy, you’d better hurry up, or Cadence is going to go completely insane!” she half-yelled, hoping Fluttershy could hear her over the din.

Whatever words Shy had to say were lost, though. A sudden flash of light and a blast of energy consumed one of the hall’s walls, and a swarm of smaller and more vicious versions of the strange black creature began to pour in through the hole. “Fuck!” Dash growled, taking off and speeding toward the swarming creatures. They were little, light looking things. Sure, big teeth, but she’d fought lots of things with big teeth!

She spun midair and impacted the foremost of the creatures with a sick smack right into its jaw, sending it careening back through the hole. “C’mon! You’ll need better than that to beat the five of us!” Flashing a fierce grin, she did a little spin-and-buck just to show off, taking out two more of the bugs before they could so much as blink at her. Then they really started coming.

It was hard to concentrate on what was going on around her as the bug-things swarmed. There was the high-pitched whine of energy blasts and the crash of crumbling rock. Ponies screamed. Soldiers grunted and weapons clashed with each other. Applejack hooted and hollered and the invaders went flying. The world was a whirlwind of chaos and fighting, and as invigorating as it was to stomp all over these bugs, she was worried about Twilight.

Not that she should have worried.

“Cadence, NO!”

~~~~~~~~

Twilight felt herself coming back to consciousness slowly, wishing that whatever incredibly stinky thing Fluttershy was waving under her nose would make her feel like less of a moron. Ugh… I should’ve been able to put up a shield for that. She shook it off and brushed Fluttershy’s hoof away. “I’m okay, I’m okay…” She muttered with a slur in her speech, and nearly grit her teeth in frustration. “Urgh… what did she hit me with?”

“I don’t know, but we need to get you out of here.” Fluttershy’s voice was surprisingly firm as the world swam back into sense. The hall was strewn with unconscious bodies and- Oh Goddess, no. Cadence was clad in that sinister black crystal, trading blows and blasts with the strange bug-like pony. “Twilight, we have to go,” Fluttershy tried insisting, but Twilight was already shoving herself to her hooves.

“Cadence, NO!” she screamed out, the sound cutting through the din like a hot knife through cheese. It even managed to startle the bug creature long enough to interrupt her attack pattern. Twilight scrambled across the ground between them, just as Cadence turned her head to regard her with cold, frightened eyes. Eyes she had seen before, when Discord had filled them with madness…

Twilight did not hesitate. She threw herself across the distance, and Cadences’ forelegs came up to catch her instinctually. “This is not you, Mi Amore Cadenza!” Twilight yelled as loudly as she could, grabbing onto Cadence’s middle and holding on with all the tightness of a vise. “So you stop this foolishness right now!”

“She… hurt you,” Cadence’s voice wheezed, scratchy and quiet and not at all like herself. “Cannot… let her… hurt my love…”

“I’m fine, you idiot!” Without hesitation, Twilight reached up and thwacked Cadence across the back of the head. “So get rid of this… stuff… so I can hug you!” She imbued as much of her concern and love as she could into her voice, hoping it would find a way through.

The black crystal slowly fell away from her body, and Cadence closed her eyes with a painful grimace before opening them up again. “I’m… I’m sorry, Twilight,” she half-whispered. “I just… I thought she… she killed you.” Burying her face in Twilight’s shoulder, she held on as tightly as she could, and Twilight returned the embrace.

“Well if I didn’t the first time,” the creature snarled behind her. “This time I will!” With a primal scream, she loosed a torrent of vibrant green energy as thick and wide as Twilight was tall... Her howl was angry in a way nothing Twilight had heard before, but underneath that fury... there was unquestionable desperation. But there was too little time to counter it. Twilight threw up the best shield she could and poured all her power into it, hoping it would be enough to protect them.

The sound of shattering glass. A whirlwind of white and gold light, and the beam of power deflected straight up, burrowing a hole right through the ceiling of the hall and leaving it open to reveal the pale moonlight above. The sweet soft smells of the evening were swept away by the scent of warmed earth and sun-drenched grass. Twilight stared as wings clad in golden magic flared out and the power dispersed, revealing the familiar white plumes of… “Celestia!”

Warmth surged into her heart, even as she felt horror at the sight of a battered and bruised Princess Luna being daintily lowered to the ground. “Her heart was not in it, foul creature.” Celestia’s voice was hard as a diamond, and the black-chitinous creature took a step back in surprise. “Perhaps you think it is so easy to make her my enemy… but we have loved one another for far longer than a creature like you could possibly understand.” Celestia advanced, the chitinous creature giving ground again.. “Cadence. Twilight. To me,” Celestia growled. Cadence nodded above her, and Twilight felt her resolve harden.

She turned and fell into step alongside Celestia, their forehooves coming down together in concert. Seconds later, her friends fell into line alongside them, and Rarity tossed the Element of Magic onto her head. Twilight grinned at them, and turned her hard gaze onto the black creature…. who was giggling madly. “You really think you can destroy me?” she sneered, her eyes narrowed. ”I have the power of a goddess at my disposal! You foals have no hope of challenging me!”

Cadence stepped forward, shaking her head. “I think you underestimate us.” Her voice was a growl, but there was no coldness there. She was warm and vibrant, and exactly as the Cadence she knew and loved should be.

The creature scoffered. “You are powerless without your precious love, little princess. Your anger can only sustain you so far before it will rot you from within. You have nothing like the power of the love I possess!” Her gaze dashed to Luna. Twilight puzzled at that…. until it clicked a moment later.

She powers herself through the love she consumes. That’s why she was entrancing all of those guards, and why she had to hide her control over Luna! It wasn’t to just control them, it’s the entire source of her power! Twilight’s mind reeled at this revelation… and then a devilish smile crossed her lips. Of course. Who else did we know whose power became only greater when he corrupted those around him? And if we break her power over them…

“Cadence! Girls! I’ve got an idea!” Twilight proclaimed, and began to march forward. Cadence quickly fell in step, her friends joining them. The creature glared and hissed, but Twilight just smiled back. “You don’t have any idea of the kind of power we’ve got when we’re together, bitch.”

“Twilight, I-” Cadence began, only to have her mouth stuffed full of hoof.

Twilight grinned, tapping her nose. “Just follow my lead, Cadey.” She turned back and took a deep breath. “See, maybe our love alone isn’t power enough…” She gestured to Cadence with a faint smile, feeling something… something powerful inside of her. “But our love isn’t the only thing we have.” She stomped her hoof, and for the first time the creature looked nervous. “We’ve got the love shared between friends. The love for each other, and for the ponies we all care about. And sometimes, we call that love Friendship.”

There was a sparkle of power, and Twilight felt the magic surge into her through the crown she wore. The rainbow of power that connected them all began to stream from the elements to one another, the creature screaming. “YOU WILL NOT! BEAT! ME!” Another blast of emerald power emitted from her horn, shattering the ground around it with its strength as it lanced towards them. ”NOT THIS TIME!”

The power impacted three feet before them, right into a massive bulwark of golden light that shimmered and shone in the darkness. Celestia. Twilight thought, the warmth powerfully pulsing in her chest. Always there when I need you. She closed her eyes, and when they opened the world was bathed in white light. Her friends were rising into the air on the power of Harmony, Cadence with them, wearing a look of confusion.

Twilight giggled faintly as she turned to her. “I love you, Cadence.” She half-whispered, and kissed her with all of the passion and love she could muster. Cadence’s eyes went wide at first, then closed as their horns touched, the power around them pulsing with redoubled strength.

The world was a whirl of power and magic, colored in all the hues of the rainbow… but instead of a single beam of power, something new happened. The power pulsed around them like a restrained Sonic Rainboom for several long seconds before exploding outwards in every direction. Seven rainboom circles, each connected to one another, all expanded outwards in different directions, carrying a wave of purifying magic with them.

The windows shattered, columns of stone and marble battered by the wave. The walls of the castle and the very mountain it stood upon shook with the impact… and a breath later it was over. Twilight felt the power slowly seep from her as the cacophony of the chaos and conflict came to a conclusion, and exhaustion sweeping over her. She had used every ounce of her power for that spell, but…

Where the creature had stood, a massive shell of black chitin had appeared. It too had been battered, but it remained. It slowly fell apart, revealing the triumphant grin of the creature. “That will not work a second time,” she growled, advancing, “and now I am going to slaughter every last one-” Her power flared… then shorted out in a spray of sparkles that left her dumbfounded. “What?! This… It can’t be!” She turned, clearly intending to flee...

Only to be utterly blindsided by a solid bar of gold energy, striking her right in the gut, staggering her with a pained groan. Celestia soared over their heads, and a second blow took the black creature right across the face, leaving a nasty bruise. “You enter my castle,” Celestia snarled, unleashing a mighty buck that caught the creature dead in the chest, sending her flying through the air. “Threaten my sister,” Celestia’s horn shone, seizing the creature in midair and slamming upon the shattered marble floor. “And try to kill my MOST FAITHFUL STUDENT!” Her voice took on an edge of raw, seething power and anger, her appearance shifting....

Her mane and tail were blue-white flames, her body radiating a heat that made Twilight wince away. The creature was crawling away from her, trying to get to its hooves, but another blow of power slammed her down. “And you dare to presume I will allow you to do anything ever again.” Celestia’s merest whisper was enough to make Twilight cover her ears with its sheer power.

Then - like a miracle - a voice cried out. “Sister, you need to STOP!” Celestia’s head whipped up to stare, and Twilight turned to see Princess Luna slowly rising to her feet. She looked shaken and unsteady, but her voice was firm. “This isn’t you, Celestia.” She advanced a few steps, putting on her best smile. “I should know, better than anypony.” Reaching out, she gently tried to tug Celestia away from the creature. “She is not worth it.”

Celestia, for a single instant, looked ready to dismiss her…. and then the flames died, and the monarch Twilight knew and loved returned. The black, chitinous creature lay battered but alive, her chest heaving. “You… are right,” she whispered, turning and walking away with a resolve in her step that Twilight had never seen before. “You should thank my sister, foul thing. Were it not for her, you would be answering to the creator right now.”

Celestia crossed the hall and embraced her sister suddenly and firmly, which Luna returned with a pat on her back. “Do not weep, sister,” Luna muttered, softly nuzzling her cheek to Celestia’s. “There was naught you could have done.” She sighed... and her head came up like a whip. “Shining Armor! We must find him!”

Twilight looked to the dark creature, staring at them with fear, doubt, and despair in her eyes. They all turned to face her as Luna stalked over, her voice lowering to a growl. “You will speak, changeling.” She leaned in, menace and anger thick in her demand: “Where is my mate?”

~~~~~~~

It would take several hours of work and the assistance of both princesses to fully undo the seal upon the strange crystal mines beneath Canterlot. It was time well spent, as the now-cleansed Royal Guard were rooting out and removing any presence of the ‘changelings’ in the city. While most of Canterlot remained unharmed, the Royal Palace had been turned into a veritable warzone. The grand hall was utterly ruined, and apparently Celestia and Luna’s ‘battle’ had scarred much of the rest of the exterior with broken windows and shattered stone.

So it was a good thing they all had something good to distract themselves with. The desperate creature, identifying itself as ‘Chryssalis’ had told them where to find Shining Armor. Once Celestia had interred her... somewhere, they had all gone down to help with the search effort. Fortunately, once the mines were open, the princesses had all gone into the caves and forbidden anyone else to enter with them. “Too many dark magics still linger down here,” Princess Luna had cautioned.

For once, despite her inner student’s desire to balk, she would not complain. Instead, she sank against Rainbow Dash’s chest and finally let out the tears she’d had to hold back since Cadence had come to her this morning. They came slow at first, and turned into some pretty serious sobs by the time Rarity held her hoof and Applejack provided her solid presence. She wasn’t making a lot of noise, but… but she was still heaving and tearing up.

And they stood there the whole time. Silent, because what could be said? They were simply there for her, as it ought to be. Her friends, and more than that. Her comrades, her heart, her soul… they were as much a part of her as Cadence was. The Elements of Harmony had proven that, and… And… Her head came up, and she blinked away some of the tears. “We… We bonded our magic with hers,” she whispered, feeling a sense of awe wash over her. “That’s… I don’t think I’ve ever read about something like that happening.”

“That’s because it hasn’t ever happened before.” Celestia’s smooth, happy voice lit up Twilight’s ears, and all five of her friends looked up as the princess exited the caves. “But that’s a subject for later.” She turned, and Shining Armor half-limped, half-strode through the cave exit, his head held high.

He was battered, bruised, and a good deal thinner than she’d seen him before. But the fiery spark of courage in his eye was undiminished, as he grinned broadly at them all. “Hey Twily,” was all he said, all too softly.

Twilight awkwardly scrambled to her hooves and stumbled over to embrace him. “OOF!” he proclaimed as forelegs seized him around the middle, and Twilight burying her snout into his coat. “Easy there, little sis… I’m a little sore,” he chuckled richly, running a gentle hoof down her back. “I’m alright, I promise. Training in Stalliongrad was tougher on me than this.”

“Don’t care,” she sniffled, and smacked his chest half-heartedly. “You’re my BBBFF, and I’m going to hug you, so shut up!” And so she did. She hugged him hard and fiercely and didn’t let go until Celestia herself started giggling. Okay, not until Luna herself started to chuckle, and that was just a little too much, even for Twilight.

So she let go, and Shining smiling patiently at her before turning to Luna. His mouth opened, and every inch of him looked like he was preparing himself to get yelled at, until Luna closed his mouth with a band of bright blue magic. “Do not even start, Aegis Armor,” Luna said in a mockingly serene voice. “Thou art marrying me. Thou did not fail me, and the only punishment I will be visiting upon thy body I promise you will thoroughly enjoy as much as I do.” She released the magic… and Shining looked stunned. Happy, but stunned. He opened his mouth again, and Luna smacked it shut. “Not. A. Further. Word. Are we clear?”

Shining Armor, her brother, the Captain of Luna’s personal guard, all around great stallion, just burst into a huge grin and nodded silently. And he kept doing so like one of those bobblehead dolls, with Cadence dissolving into fits of giggles. It was a sign of just how much they’d gotten used to all this that the only pony blushing was Rainbow Dash. “I really, really didn’t need that mental image,” Dash groaned, hiding her face in Twilight’s shoulder.

Everyone burst into sudden laughter at that, and hugs were exchanged all around. For just a few moments, it felt like things were finally going to get back to normal in her life. Wait, Twilight thought, halting herself. I really, really did NOT Just think that. Did I?

As if in reply, the Element of Magic upon her head began to buzz with a powerful energy. Celestia’s head whipped around, and her eyes went wide. “No. It can’t be happening already. That’s impossible!” she blurted, as utterly informal as she’d ever spoken before.

“What’s impossible Princes- WHOA NELLY!” Applejack cried out, as her own element began to glow and pulse rapidly with a bright power of its own. The world felt like a massive pressure wave of magic was bearing down onto Twilight, and she spun about.

Sure enough, each of her friend’s elements were beginning to pulse with the same magic, each of them slowly being pulled to six cardinal points around her. “TWILIGHT!” Cadence screamed, making to dive forward…

Only to be grabbed by Celestia and wrenched back. “No! Stay back! You can’t interfere!” Celestia looked on, confusion and disbelief written into every facet of her being. “This has to happen but… Why now? Something is… Different. This… this isn’t right.”

Twilight wanted to speak, but a pure beam of energy shot out from Applejack’s element, followed by one from each of her other friends. “Twilight, it’s going to be okay!” Pinkie Pie yelled, grabbing at her torque and trying to pull it off. “Stoppit you stupid little gemstone!” she snarled at the thing.

“Sister, we must hurry!” Luna was yelling, her voice firm. “Cadence, get into the ritual circle, NOW!” Her voice thundered in full Royal Canterlot Fury, but Twilight could not see anything past the sparkling magic of the Elements. Wait, ritual circle? The Elements can’t do that! Am I doing it?

“Twilight, hang on! I’m not going to let you- ” Cadence’s voice was the last thing she heard as magic whirled around her into a sphere of pure white, and the whole world went dark.

Chapter 14 - My Princess Alluring

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~~~~~????~~~~~

“Ugh… Okay, Twilight. No more pizza before… bwuh?”

Twilight Sparkle stood up in the middle of… somewhere she had never seen before. The world rolled away from her into a faintly lit backdrop of blue and swirling white clouds. The ground seemed made out of some kind of pleasantly springy, white material that was cloudlike but not precisely cloud. Tiny sparkles of purple and pink magic floated silently in the background, and there was an eerie sense of silence. “Um… Hello?” she called out, hearing her voice echo back at her. “W...where am I?”

There was silence, and… three figures walked out of the mists, hazy and wavery at first, until… “Princess Celestia! Luna! Cadence!” Twilight’s heart surged, and she galloped over as best she could to where they were standing, all with smiles on their faces. Cadence herself looked particularly happy to see her here, and she held up her hoof just before Twilight made to pounce. “But… What are you all doing here?”

Celestia shook her head slowly. “In truth, my most faithful student? Even I do not entirely know. All I know is that you have done something that has never been done before... and that nopony could have possibly predicted. You have merged two kinds of magic, and from that created an entirely new kind of magic. One that has never been seen before, in this world, or in any other.” Gone was any sign of a mask or hidden emotions. All that remained was a happy, if weary mare, though somehow less weary than Twilight had seen her before. “I think it is time I told you some of what I have kept hidden from you all of your life.”

Twilight stared, but Cadence’s little headshake convinced her not to blurt anything out. Celestia sighed and bowed her head. “A long time ago, a very special somepony told me about you. Though he did not know your name, he knew that you would be the one to carry on his work protecting and improving Equestria.” Her eyes sparkled, just a touch. “He told me a filly would come to me one day, whose special talent was magic itself, and who would cause quite the ruckus in my school. That she would one day claim the Element of Magic for herself and master the power of the Magic of Friendship. And in so doing…” Celestia hesitated then, turning her head away.

Luna picked up, her voice calm. “In so doing, she would ascend as we did, to become Alicorns.” She waved her hoof at Celestia with a smile. “Just as Celly and I were once a young unicorn and earth pony who came to innately understand the magic of the Sun and Moon, and as Cadence was a pegasus who came to the complete understanding of the magic of Love.” She giggled faintly. “It seems, however, that things have changed.”

Twilight blinked and turned back to Celestia. “What do you mean, changed?” It felt odd asking these questions. “And just where in Hades are we, anyway? I’ve never read anything about a magical realm like this!” She stomped her hoof ineffectually into the cloud.

Celestia shook her head. “We do not have a name for this place. As far as I am aware, only us four have ever set hoof in it.” She faintly sighed. “As for what has changed…” She pointed at Cadence. “It begins, and ends, with her and Shining Armor.” Twilight felt a cold grip on her heart, and turned to stare at Cadence. What hadn’t she been told?

Cadence shook her head. “There were other prophecies that Auntie neglected to tell us.” She half glared at Celestia, then sighed. “Though now that I know a bit more about why, I can’t say I blame her.” Twilight was drawing a blank at first, and…

She smacked her forehead with her hoof. “Oh, I am such an idiot. Predestination Paradox.” Twilight groaned and sank to the ground, covering her head with her hooves. “Star Swirls’ laws of temporal travel. You can’t go back in time to tell somepony what’s going to happen in the future, because that event will automatically happen due to interference.” She smacked her head and then came to rigid attention. “But wait, why couldn’t…”

She turned to Celestia, who was grinning. “Because I wasn’t told exactly who the pony would be, or what they’d look like or act like. Only that such a pony would one day exist and follow a few basic guidelines.” She paused, and rubbed at her forehead. “The problem was, you began to go off the rails after your brother and Cadence’s relationship ended and you became closer to her. You were still following many of the steps on the path, but you were doing so at a rapidly accelerated rate.”

Luna piped up, walking over to tug Twilight to her hooves. “Which brings us to today. You see, I have tried to scry certain future events we thought were coming to pass and have found the future to be an utterly unreadable miasma.” She shook her head. “All of our presumptions about the future have been rendered moot from this point forward, and you are the cause as to why.”

Twilight blinked and nodded slowly. “You’re saying you don’t know exactly why I’ve come here now, as opposed to knowing why in the other series of events?” Celestia nodded cautiously, and Twilight rubbed at her chin. “That would presuppose that somepony actually changed the timeline at some point. But that’s supposed to be impossible.” And now she felt frustrated and cross and stomped her hoof again. “Argh! Why won’t the universe stop not making sense!”

Celestia laughed brightly and shook her head. “As much as it may personally worry me, Twilight, I feel…” She turned to the fog and took in a deep, slow breath before letting it out all at once. “Liberated. In truth, Twilight Sparkle, I now have absolutely no idea what the future will hold.” She turned in a clatter of hooves with a big smile. “And for once in my life, I am perfectly okay with that.”

Luna shook her head and smiled with tolerant amusement. “We do not know what mastery you have obtained Twilight. We know only that you have attained it, else the Elements of Harmony would not have brought you here. Perhaps it relates to Friendship and Love and is a magic of a kind we simply did not know could exist.” She gestured broadly. “Fortunately for all of us, we shall have a very long time to find out.”

Twilight pulled herself to her hooves and took a deep breath. “What happens next?” It was an odd thing to feel fear about, but she did anyway. Something was about to profoundly change in her life, something she hadn’t been prepared for in the least.

Cadence came over to her though and enfolded her in big, feathery soft wings. “Now…” she said, with a quiet smile. “We find out, together, what happens next.”

Cadence leaned down to kiss her, and Twilight saw a whirl of pink and deep violet magic enfold them both in a spiral of warmth and love as their lips met, and the world, and the future, changed forever.

~~~~~~Canterlot Castle, one week later~~~~~~

Princess Celestia Solaris nodded silently to the trio of batpony Night Guards as she approached a particularly isolated staircase in Canterlot Castle. The still and silent guards of the night did not nod, nor did they acknowledge her presence as she passed them. The magical defenses here would have long ago warned them of an intruder, especially now that those defenses had been improved to catch a highly specific form of intruder. Still, given the nature of her guest, she supposed she could be forgiven for a touch of paranoia. After all, this guest had been the first creature in centuries to successfully breach the walls of Canterlot.

The rooms here were prison cells, strictly speaking, but they were not built as such. They had good beds and amenities, warm showers and baths, exercise equipment, and even natural lighting thanks to some ingenious mechanical contrivance. Celestia had always been a proponent of gentler stratagems when it came to dealing with the unruly or the perpetually criminal. A griffon ambassador had once called it ‘killing them with kindness’, a phrase which amused her while also neatly summing up her attitudes.

Attitudes which had not pleased her niece nor her sister, but now that her anger had cooled and the crisis had passed, she was not about to sway from the methods that had served her well for countless centuries. The hallway that contained the six discrete cells was empty of obvious guards, protected instead by magic and mechanical traps which would ensure not even the cleverest thief could escape these walls. And with no guards to tempt, even the most silver tongued villain could find no ally in their escape.

But this one… she had made no attempts to escape since the incident had come to an end. She had instead sequestered herself silently in her cell, speaking to nopony who entered unless they came to treat her of her many injuries. Even then, she spoke only as absolutely necessary,\ and fell to silence when her physicians retreated. Until today.

The message had came from the physicians themselves. A simple note in Equish, but in remarkably beautiful and flowing hornwriting. The creature that called itself Queen Chrysalis wished to speak with her, face to face. It wished to ask her some things and would be willing to tell her some things. It had been such a remarkable turn of events that Celestia had canceled all her other appointments and swept down to the holding cells immediately. Preparations for Luna and Shining Armor’s vows could wait a few moments, as could those for the coronation of Princess Twilight Sparkle.

Deft steps carried Celestia across the hallway and to the door that currently occupied her attention. She channeled the ancient and powerful magics of the sun into her horn and sunk the slender appendage into the complex and arcane lock. Ancient metal tumblers rolled into place, and the thick enchanted steel of the door opened the barest crack. Celestia stepped back and swung the vaulted door open enough for her to pass through and dragged it shut behind her with an impressive thud of metal upon metal.

The room itself was in immaculate shape, having been kept quite neat and tidy by her hoof-picked staff of unicorn maids. The morning’s breakfast dishes were neatly stacked in place, and the sounds of gentle orchestral music filled the air. The subject of her visit today sat at the writing desk, manipulating a quill in much the same manner as a unicorn would across an expanse of paper. The language she wrote in was not quite Equish, but it bore a striking similarity to it nonetheless, and Celestia found its strange whorls and sweeps to be rather beautiful, despite their source.

The quill finished its journey and settled back to its place in the inkwell, and the black chitinous form of the changeling queen spun her chair to face her. Not for the first time since her arrival, Celestia felt a little chill go down her spine at the sight of those glowing emerald eyes. They bore a frightening resemblance to the eyes of Nightmare Moon, and it was at times difficult not to see the same tragedy which had produced her sister’s betrayal present in her gaze. Now more than ever, Celestia was sure that here lay the source of the answers she sought.

Chrysalis opened her mouth and licked with a serpentlike tongue across her lips before speaking. “It was supposed to be different this time,” she half whispered, her words strangled with pain and grief. “I changed everything. I kept my army away, so you would sense no threat to your city. I suborned those who would protect and defend you. I rid myself of that pestilent captain of the guard, so there would be no shield to keep me out. I removed the power of the Love Princess at its very source.” She swallowed, as though around a lump in her throat. “I seized the love of a far more potent kind. Everything was perfect.”

Her words strangled off into a sob, and she clutched her strange, hole-filled forelegs around her middle as she heaved for a few moments in tears and pain. Celestia took a step forward, and Chrysalis snarled at her. “NO! I do not need… I do not want your pity!” She spat out the last word and coughed heavily.

“It is not about pity when your life is endangered,” Celestia snapped but took a step back. After a few more moments, she frowned. “You have been planning this for fifteen years? No.” She paused, and her eyes narrowed. “Something else is going on here. What do you mean, it was supposed to be different this time?”

Chrysalis bared her fangs in a sort of grin, her eyes glittering. “I have done this before and was defeated by that miserable pink alicorn and her stupid husband! I had thought her and her filly friend, the foolish purple one to be the source of my ills.” She laughed, hard and humorlessly. “The more fool I, it seems, to have thought them neutralized. ”

Celestia barely licked at her lips, and felt as though the ground had gone out from under her. “You… wait.” She stopped and felt anger flush through her. “You were the one who caused them to split up! But how!? Changing the flow of time is impossible! Not even Star Swirl the Bearded could do such a thing!”

The changeling queen shoved herself back into the writing desk’s chair and glared at her balefully. “I stole a spell of time travel and thought I could use it to warn myself of my mistakes. But I befouled the spell with too much power and was flung too far back in time. I saw the young princess and her stud, and tried to make the best of the situation when the magic backlashed upon me,” she spat and turned her head away.

Celestia rubbed at her forehead, wishing it would stop hurting, before. “You… You miscast the spell, and it let you change one detail.” She swallowed softly, feeling a sudden rush of fear. “But when the magic tried to send you back to your present, that time no longer existed, and so it sent you someplace else.”

Chrysalis shook her head. “I was returned to my hive, where I had just begun to plan for my attack on your city. I found myself with all of my knowledge of what had gone before and plotted to use it to my best advantage. My finest spies reported the pink one had no mate and was now living in a peasant village.” She sneered. “I was certain my work had succeeded enough to give me a better chance at victory. I altered my plan to fix all the flaws of the previous one. And so… here we are.”

She fell silent then, wrapping her long forelegs around her middle and staring off into the void. For a long time, Celestia said nothing. All of the reasons for her upset plans were wrapped up into a neat little package. For everything this creature had done, for everything she’d made Celestia suffer through, she ought to be dealt with harshly, but…

Chrysalis muttered softly, her voice rough. “I have been such a fool. Thinking myself clever to have come this far unnoticed and presuming that you yourself would not have changed.” Her head sank against her chest and her grip on herself tightened. “Decide my fate and leave me to it, princess. I’ve no more energy for explanations.”

Princess Celestia bowed her head once, took a deep breath, and forced herself to stand up tall. If this creature had taught her anything, and Celestia was thinking she had just begun to learn, it was that there was a darkness in every last one of them. “I shall see you on Friday then. And every three days after that.” She turned to the door and felt her mouth turn up in a slight smile. “Tell me, do you take your tea in black or oolong?”

“What?” Chrysalis’ voice came from behind her, disbelieving and sneeringly dismissive. “Do not toy with me, princess,” she snarled, and from the sounds of things, tried to stand up and failed due to pain.

Celestia felt her smile broaden into a grin, not turning her head. “Black tea, then.” She walked to the door, her head high and her tail frisky. “I shall enjoy having somepony who is both intelligent and holds animosity toward me to have discussions with. Perhaps someday we shall find a way for you to atone for your crimes.” She placed her hoof on the door and turned her head toward the creature.

Chrysalis was staring at her in something approaching dumbstruck disbelief. “I am not toying with you, Chrysalis,” Celestia spoke, keeping her voice calm. “But I do not believe in killing when it is not necessary. Anypony can be saved from the darkness within them.” Her lips turned up, and she graced this changeling with a smile. “I should know. My sister and my student taught me that. And it is my hope that someday, I can teach you the same.”

Chrysalis slumped back against her desk, and Celestia shoved the cell door open and slipped through. She shut the door gently and felt a little giggle. Yes. They had taught her how to slay the darkness within herself. Now all she had to do was find a light to replace it.

She tilted her head and nodded once. The thought that had entered her mind would be an excellent place to start, even if it was not ultimately her goal. Still. She had a coronation to plan, and a wedding to attend, and both would offer opportunities to begin her own journey back to the light… and a chance to repay somepony who had helped her find her way there.

~~~~~~~

Cadence couldn’t help herself, she sighed and facehoofed. “You seriously never got around to actually proposing to her?” She injected as much astonishment and amusement into her tone as she could, carefully buttoning up Shining Armor’s suit coat with an almost motherly affection.

He winced away from that but grinned sheepishly. “I kept trying to come up with the words, but…” He shrugged, his cheeks a bright red. “Well, you know how I get when I really like somepony, and I can’t bring myself to say anything.”

Cadence smiled wryly and smacked him over the back of the head. “Boy, do I remember. At least you didn’t try driving a parade float into the bedroom before leaping on her and going at it like teenagers.” That got him to cover his face in embarrassment, and she grinned broadly. “Chin up, Shiny. She’s obviously nuts for you, even if I don’t really understand why.” She trailed off the last word, keeping it teasing and suggestive.

Shining Armor muttered something about treating her like a proper lady, and Cadence chose to ignore it. Then... “Thanks, Cadey,” he said, very quietly. “I’m sorry I was such a jerk back then. I shouldn’t… I should’ve known what was important.” He reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “Instead of focusing on all the bad stuff. Maybe if we’d tackled it together, we could have changed things.”

Cadence smiled and gently brushed his hoof off his shoulder, before kissing his cheek. “You’re a heck of a stallion, Shining Armor. But in the end, I think this all worked out for everypony.” She turned and flipped up an ear. “Almost time for the big show. Have you thought about what I asked you earlier?”

Shining grinned at her broadly. “I’d love to be your best stallion. But do I really need to wear a pink tuxedo?”

~~~~~~

Princess Luna turned and smiled at her. She was radiant in her dress, even moreso this second time. “Rarity, you have truly outdone yourself,” Twilight said with no small amount of praise. Her good friend blushed prettily and tossed her mane coyly, and Twilight grinned at her. “We’re going to need to restrain Shiny when he sees her in this! Or else we might have a complete scandal in the middle of this wedding too!”

“HAH!” Luna boomed and beamed at them both, “Let them be scandalized! I intend to bring an end to this silliness regarding sexual norms once I am married to mine Knight. We shall remind our beloved citizens what it means to have a good time!” She stomped her hoof imperiously, and Twilight giggled madly. She could just imagine what kind of ‘good time’ Luna had in mind.

“Well, I cannot say I did it all myself, darlings.” Rarity’s eyes lit up like lanterns. “Fancy Pants was a magnificent help, as was Fleur, in getting all of the gowns mended and ready in time.” She clapped her hooves together happily. “Fancy has even suggested we go into business together! It will be like a dream come true, and all thanks to you, Princess Twilight.” And she bowed, most elegantly to her.

Twilight rolled her eyes. “Can it with the bowing, Rarity. Or I’ll take away your titles until you do.” Rarity looked horrified… then gave her a wry smile when it became clear Twilight had been joking. She grinned and nodded to Luna. “Shall we go then?”

Luna returned her nod, and Rarity waved them off. “I need to get cleaned up here, dearies. I’ll join you outside in a moment.” Twilight smiled at her and slipped over to the door with Luna, ducking outside where….

“She’s all ready for you,” Twilight whispered, and Princess Celestia smiled slowly at her. Twilight reached out and took Celestia’s hoof and squeezed it firmly, keeping her voice low. “I’m not… I’m not rejecting you, Princess Celestia, I’m just-”

A golden hoof silenced her, and Celestia giggled faintly. “Twilight. We will have centuries, if not more, to explore the bond we share.” She leaned down and kissed Twilight on the cheek. It was a gesture enough to make her blush more than she ever had before. “But for tonight… There is another lonely heart in this castle that needs me as much as I need her.”

Celestia pushed open the door and strode through it. Luna was smiling broadly, a bare glimmer of tears in her eyes as she hugged Twilight very enthusiastically… and they both put their ears to the door. “Princess Celestia!” Rarity exclaimed, delightedly. “What can I do for- Mmmf!” Her words descended into a strangled moan… and followed into something a great deal more enthusiastic.

Luna grinned at her, and Twilight had to drag her away before the sounds got too loud.

~~~~~~

The wedding was glorious and as fun as any state occasion could be. The rainboom in the middle of the night was a glorious sight to behold, and given how much liquor and food was being distributed, the after-party was bidding fair to write itself into the legends of Canterlot lore. The bride and groom had vanished almost immediately following the ceremony, as had Rainbow Dash. Nopony knew what the three of them might be up to, but nopony seemed inclined to ask. At least, not tonight.

Twilight though… Twilight found herself flying rather awkwardly up to a small cloudbank seeded by the Canterlot weather team after the Rainboom. Mostly for the many pegasus and batpony guests who had come to attend and wanted someplace quiet to chat. For Twilight, this cloudbank was an escape. A chance to get away from the noise for a moment and lay her head on the soft, fluffy clouds. No wonder Dashie had loved to sleep on these things. She needed to get one for her library.

But once thoughts of fluffy clouds dispersed, her thoughts went to the mare she loved, and the new life that now lay before her. Strange powers coursed through her veins, and some of them she could not help but feel a little afraid of. They were powers seated in her emotions and not her logic. They did not respond to the magical formulae she had spent her whole lifetime learning how to use, and she did not know what to do with them.

But worse still, she was now a Princess. Or at least, she would be in the very near future. The formal coronation had yet to take place, yet even now she wore the regalia of a full princess. Luna had provided the hoofboots and torque, modified to bear her cutie mark and not the moon. They were in silver and felt strangely light, as though enchanted…. which, on reflection, they probably were.

She was a princess. That meant princessy responsibilities. Titles. That meant she might have to move away from Ponyville… and any of a host of other problems that might come to roost in her otherwise normal and well ordered life. Admittedly, not normal by most Equestrian standards… but it’s normal to me. And as for Cadence? Celestia had been strongly hinting that Cadence would have responsibilities of her own in the future. Responsibilities that might carry her far away from Twilight…

And that terrified her. She had spent so very much of her life alongside her that now… the very thought that Cadence might have to go and live someplace else, especially if Twilight’s own duties carried her elsewhere was- “Stop that, Twilight, or you’re going to give everypony fits.” Cadence’s firm voice filled her ears, and her warm body wrapped tightly around hers as they lay together on the cloud.

Twilight nearly shoved herself away, but Cadence was holding on so firmly it would’ve taken a full on punch to dislodge her. “No. Stop,” Cadence said again, firmly. “Calm your emotions before they get the better of you.” Twilight gulped at the iron hard command in that voice and slowly forced herself to calm. It took a little while, but by the end of it Cadence was stroking her mane slowly. “Goodness, I never thought I’d have to teach somepony to use the same magic I do…” Cadence’s mutter was soft, but loving.

Twilight shook her head. “How do you manage to live with all of these…” She wanted to flail her forelegs, but all she did was gesticulate one of them broadly. “These pressuring emotions? I can’t seem to.. to DO Anything with them.” She whimpered a little and leaned into Cadence’s touch, desperate for that warm affection that awaited her. She found it easily, and strangely she could feel a blanket of calm settling over her.

“No one ever said love was easy, Twilight.” Cadence smiled faintly at her, then leaned in to kiss her cheek. “You need to relax.” She gently lifted Twilight’s chin and kissed her far more firmly on the mouth, pulling her passionately into her embrace for a few long moments before pulling away. “I’ve already told Princess Celestia right to her face that there is no force on this earth that will separate us. And if she has any intentions of trying, we’re going to fly away to live in Roam, and we’ll take the Elements of Harmony with us.”

Twilight stared for a moment but promptly threw herself into the hottest, firmest, deepest kiss she could possibly conceive. She wrapped her hindlegs around Cadence’s body and squeezed her tightly until she laughed helplessly. And a thought hit Twilight, clean out of the blue. “I want to have foals,” she whispered at Cadence, tucking her head under her chin. “Since we… um… didn’t succeed the first time, I thought…”

She was blushing. Cadence was blushing too, but she was also giggling. “I’d wondered, but…” She shook her head and laughed softly. “That’s a big commitment, Twilight. Are you sure?” Twilight just nodded instantly and nuzzled herself up closer under Cadence’s chin until she could nibble at her neck. Cadence giggled again. “Alright, alright… simmer down, purple smart.” Twilight groaned at the use of the nickname, and Cadence laughed. “We’ll sit down and figure that one out together. I promise.”

Twilight nodded again and turned her body carefully so she didn’t dislodge the warm cuddling or any contact with Cadence. “So… Um… are you going to teach me how to fly?” she asked softly, staring up into the glittering night sky and wondering what else the future might hold for them.

Cadence laughed. “You already know how to fly, my little princess alluring.” She kissed Twilight’s horn softly, and the sensation made her squirm in place. “But I suppose I can show you how to properly use those wings of yours.” Cadence’s hoof wrapped around hers, and the next moment they were plummeting out of the sky back toward the party, her wings and Cadence’s flared out in concert and sent them into a glide. Cadence’s smile over her shoulder was very wicked indeed as she spoke, her voice warm and dripping with promise.

“Lesson one, preening!”

~~~~~The End~~~~~