A scheme years in the making tears Shining Armour and Princess Cadance's marriage asunder and puts Equestria on the brink of war...
Summer's End
A long-planned scheme has torn Shining Armour and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza's marriage asunder. Now, a young mare-turned-princess must help her former foalsitter through her breakup and figure out how to reveal her true feelings to Cadance, all while a dark shadow at the heart of Equestria works night and day to conquer all of ponykind...
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Rated M for Sex. Clop chapters will be marked with [C] if you so wish to avoid polluting your gaze with ponysex. Otherwise, since this is a Mature-rated story, I must recommend that nopony under the age of 18 our your regional equivalent view this work. Have fun!
Story will be updated as I finish chapters. Please do not expect regular updates. Thank you.
“… Shining Armor, I hereby name you Lord Commander of the Crystal Guards…” Cadance’s voice was laced with pride for her husband, and she grinned from ear to ear. “By my right as Princess of the Crystal Empire, I charge you with the defense of this city and the surrounding countryside, and all ponies within.”
Shining couldn’t help but shed a man-tear as the sword touched each of his shoulders. He had been training for this moment for weeks now, and yet all of that seemed to melt away the moment he sensed the love pouring from Cadance. “I thank you, my Lady.”
Cadance grinned. “Arise, Lord Shining Armor, Prince of the Crystal Empire, Defender of the Realm and Commander of Her Armies.”
Shining obeyed, and rose. The ponies gathered in the hall all stomped their approval. After a cursory wave, Shining turned to his wondrous bride and grinned. “My Princess,” He began.
Cadance answered by putting a hoof to his lips. “Shut up and kiss me, ‘Knight-Commander’.” She whispered, before capturing him in a tender kiss.
The crowd went wild. Bells rang. Ponies cheered, even a guard or two stomped on the ground. And when they broke their kiss, Shining stared right into his wife’s eyes. “I love you, Cadance,” He said. And she grinned her gorgeous grin.
“I love you too, Shining.”
Hours later, Shining Armour and Mi Amore Cadenza sat in their bedroom, while Shining stripped himself of his plate armor and set it on a mannequin. The afternoon had been a long one for him, and he was utterly exhausted.
“All I’m saying, Cadance,” He sighed, setting his helmet on the mannequin’s head. “Is that I don’t need all these ceremonies and parties. I’m happy to just get the job and go do it.”
Cadance chuckled. “I know you would,” She gestured out of the bedroom’s window, toward the city beyond. “It’s for them, you know? The common ponies love a good party, especially if it stars their prince. They love you, you know.”
“Yeah, I suppose.” Shining agreed, falling onto a nearby sofa. “Still, leaves me way too tired for all the stuff I’ve got to do tonight.”
Cadance hummed, sitting down next to her husband. She lit her horn and began to brush through his mane. “Tell me,” She murmured.
“Well, we’ve…” Shining let out a sigh as Cadance’s magic brushed against his ear. “I’ve got to rework the whole Dining Hall’s guard detail for the Griffon Ambassador’s arrival next week. We’ve got those Saddle Arabian nobles in two weeks, and…” His head fell back and he groaned. “And Princess Celestia herself is coming tonight.”
The magic working his mane suddenly ceased. Shining looked up, and found a look of pure shock on his wife’s face. “Auntie Tia’s actually coming here ahead of her visit?”
Shining hung his head. “Right, yes. Yes, she is. I wasn’t supposed to tell you. It was supposed to just be an hour-long meeting.”
A look of mock suspicion crossed Cadance’s face. “Why would our Princess just stop by for an hour? Is there something you’re not telling me?”
The stallion let loose a loud laugh, and kissed Cadance’s cheek. “No,” He shook his head, his laughter abating. “I think I’d probably get the headspony’s block for that.” He sighed. “No, it’s just… she wants to discuss the guard roster ahead of time. Personally, for some reason. I’ve no idea why she doesn’t send her Guard Captain.”
“Maybe there’s some danger to Equestria that only you can deal with, and she’s coming alone to tell you, and she’s only using security as a cover-up to avoid drawing attention to herself? You did say it was a secret, after all.”
Shining’s eyes went wide as dinner plates. “Oh, I hope not.” He buried his face in his hooves. “All the shit I’ve been dealing with these past few days, I’m up to my neck in work. Last thing I need’s to save the world.”
They sat in utter silence for a mere moment, before Cadance started to giggle. Before long, she was on her back laughing, and Shining had joined her.
They spent what seemed like minutes like that, before ending up cuddled against one another, Shining gently stroking Cadance’s mane.
“It’s getting late,” Cadance said, looking out the window toward the dipping sun. “You’ve got to go deal with your Griffon thingie.”
“Yesss…” Shining murmured as he untangled himself from his wife’s embrace. “I should go deal with the… Griffon thingie.” He chuckled. “I’m just glad you’re not our ambassador,” He looked over his shoulder. “Griffons have a certain… air about them. Calling the ambassador’s visit a “thingie” would probably start a war.”
“Noted for future reference,” Cadance grinned. She rose to her hooves and gave Shining a hug. “Go get ‘em, stallion.”
The Knight-Commander Prince of the Crystal Empire grinned back. With a quick kiss, he left the bedchambers and shut the door. The moment he heard the wood slam into place, his smile vanished. It was gonna be a long night.
After Shining Armour had spent the better half of the night arguing with the Griffon Marshal about guard placement in the dining room, and a good three hours figuring out what rugs would best please the Saddle Arabian nobles upon their arrival, he was glad to be almost done with his duties.
“Can’t wait to get to bed,” He murmured to nopony. There was only one… thingie left on his to-do list for the evening. Meet with Princess Celestia about… guard rosters, of all things.
Truth be told, the purpose of the visit truly perplexed him. While it was customary for nobles to be picky about their guard rosters, having the Princess of Equestria come in the flesh to discuss them was just odd. She, like all other nobles, had a Guard Captain who would handle those matters for her. It made him feel a mite suspicious as to the princess’ true motive.
Of course, there was always what Cadance had suggested. That the visit was merely a cover, and some enormous danger had surfaced that only he could resolve. He really didn’t want that.
Shining Armour gulped as he rounded a corner, seeing two Crystal Guards standing on each side of a large wooden door. They snapped to attention the moment he came into view. “My Lord,” They said in unison.
“At ease,” Shining said, though he didn’t feel too ‘at ease’ himself. “Is she inside?” He asked, and the two guards nodded. “Very well, you may leave us.”
The guards complied, and Shining took a moment to collect himself. “Please don’t be an emergency disaster. Please don’t be an emergency disaster.”
He lit his horn, opened the doors, and trotted in.
The room was sparsely furnished. There was naught but a sofa and a couple of coffee tables. A half-drank cup of tea sat on one of them.
And then there was the princess.
Celestia Everfree Solaris, Sovereign Princess of Equestria and Avatar of the Sun Goddess, sat facing away from Shining Armour, staring out of her window toward the moon. After standing for a moment, Shining cleared his throat, and the princess turned toward him.
“Your Grace,” Shining bowed his head. “It’s an honour to host you here.”
“It really is, isn’t it?” Celestia seemed to mutter, then cleared her throat. “Ah, Lord Shining,” She grinned. “Or, should I say ‘Knight-Commander’?” A chuckle escaped the princess’ lips. “I heard of your appointment just after I landed.”
“Your congratulations are appreciated, but unnecessary,” The stallion answered. “I serve the crown as best I can. That’s my job.”
“I must admit, having you as Knight-Commander of the Realm makes my job far easier.” She smiled at him.
“Yes, I had heard that your visit might concern our military. Specifically, guards.” Shining cocked his head to one side. “Forgive me, your Highness, but I can’t quite understand why you would want to…”
“I'll be replacing your guards with mine,” Celestia said simply, and Shining did a double-take. “For my coming visit.”
The stallion was at a loss for words. This was huge. There were well over a thousand guards employed in the palace alone, well over double that amount in the villages nearby. “That’s a…” He swallowed. “That’s a tall order, your Grace.”
“But a necessary one.”
“Might I ask why you want to do this?” Shining asked. “The changes in the rosters would take days. Plus we’d have to change the barracks around…”
“I don’t… trust your ponies.” Celestia’s eyes seemed to glow for a mere moment. “They were under the oppression of a savage king for years. Only now have they just managed to break free of his memory. I shudder to think what dark thoughts may still lie in their minds.”
“You don’t trust them?” Shining tilted his head, and she nodded. “I assure you, our ponies are… well-recovered from King Sombra’s evil. They’re not bound by his will any more than a normal pony would be. And even if they still suffered… side effects, you can rest assured that my guards are loyal to the crown, your Grace.”
“And how does that assure me?” Celestia seemed to snap, and Shining took a step back. “Your guards are loyal to the crown, and mine are loyal to me.” She glared at Shining. “Many ponies have held crowns, Sombra not least among them. I hope you can understand my desire to have my own ponies whom I trust with my life guard the palace I will be spending months living in.”
Shining bowed his head. It wasn’t his place to question the intentions or desires of his princess. “As you wish,” He said. “It will be done.”
“Good,” Celestia smiled, wrapping a wing around the prince. “There is one more thing, then, before I go.”
“Of course,”
Celestia knocked on the bedroom’s door, and it opened. “This is Serene Sword. She’ll be my… Well, my ambassador. She’ll be overseeing the guards’ transition.”
She was a young mare, and… Well, Shining couldn’t deny she was cute. Pure white coat, dark blue eyes and golden mane. A gorgeous smile adorned her lips. She didn’t seem very guard-like, but who was Shining Armour to question his princess? “Charmed, my Lady,” The stallion bowed his head, and Celestia laughed.
“Oh, you’ll get along great,” The princess snickered. “After the guards transition, she will be your new Guard Captain.”
“As you wish, your Grace.” Shining said, bowing deeply as Celestia walked to the door. “We look forward to hosting you for the summer months.”
“Yes, indeed...” Celestia grinned, looking back at the young prince. “Oh, one last teensy-weensy thing,” She laughed. She lit her horn, and Shining felt the telltale touch of magic on his mind. “That should take care of it.” The magic retreated back into the princess’ horn, but before Shining could question, she had already galloped away, back toward her carriage.
Shining Armour found himself alone in the guest bedroom with his new guard captain. “So,” He said, shrugging. “Shall we go over those rosters? Say, over drinks?”
Serene Sword giggled gorgeously. “As you wish… my Lord.”
As Serene trotted out of the room, Shining felt a small pulse of magic in his head. “She’s cute,” It told him. Dismissing the thought as a mere fantasy of a married stallion, he trotted out after Serene. They’d discuss the rosters, and that was all… right?
~~~ The Chill of Autumn ~~~ ~~~ Spinner of Tales ~~~
“Winter is coming,” Night Light muttered to nopony as he trotted into his daughter’s huge palace. “There’s a nip in the air. Cold won’t be good for my tomatoes back home.”
“Well, dear, perhaps you’d care to stop worrying about tomatoes and come join me for some food?”
The stallion turned to face his wife as she came around the corner. “Did you get the news?” She asked, and he nodded. “Ooh!” Velvet squeed, bouncing in place on all four hooves. “She’ll be so happy to hear!”
“That she will,” A grin came across Night Light’s face as he pulled the small paper from his bag and opened it up. “Cadance will be spending a whole week with us. Er, a whole week with Twilight, that is.” She’d be so happy!
“Twilight really loves spending time with Cadance, doesn’t she?” Velvet asked, to which Night Light provided a happy nod. “It makes me wonder if we shouldn’t have set Cadance up with her instead of Shining!” She giggled.
“Well, then you wouldn’t have a chance to get those grand-foals you’ve always wanted, would you?” Night Light joked, wrapping his wife in a warm hug. “You said she’ll be happy. She doesn’t know yet?”
Velvet shook her head. “So far as I know, I think she just wants to skip today. She’s still in her room asleep, last I checked.”
“You think I should go wake her up?” Night asked, and Velvet shrugged.
“I think she’d like to wake up to news that her favorite foalsitter’s coming to stay with her for a whole week!”
“Sounds good,” The stallion nodded, and turned around a few times. “Stairs?” He asked, much to the amusement of his wife, who sent him the right way.
Twilight’s palace was huge, and it was easy for Night Light to get lost in it. The halls and corridors seemed to go on forever, turning and turning and rarely going nowhere at all. All in all, it took far longer than Night would’ve liked to find the bedrooms, never mind his daughter’s chambers.
Though, come to think of it, it should’ve been pretty easy to spot. The doors were huge, made of marble, with a star dead-set in the center. As he came nearer and nearer, the doors seemed to grow larger and larger, ‘till Night Light’s horn stopped just short of the mid-point.
Suppressing the urge to grin, Night Light tapped on the door. “Honey?” He called. “Are you awake in there?”
“No,” Came a voice from inside. “No, I don’t wanna…”
The side of his mind which understood the plight of a poor, tired pony told Night Light to leave her be and go back down for a nap, but he forced himself to stay. “She’ll be so happy once she hears the news,” He told himself. Whenever Twilight learned that Cadance was coming to visit, she’d always jumped up and cheered. In fact, the family had come up with a… well, a Cadance-is-coming dance based entirely on Twilight’s reaction to that piece of news. They had done it a lot when she was a filly, but it had tapered off when she had grown older.
“No…” The voice answered again. “No, please…”
Night Light narrowed his eyes. “Twilie? Are you all right in there?” He tapped on the door again.
“Please, don’t hurt me!” The voice cried out, and panic set in on Night Light’s face. He lit his horn and cast the door open as if it were a cardboard box.
“What’s going on he…” He began, but he couldn’t finish. Twilight was on her bed, still asleep, though she was tossing and turning. Tears fell down her cheeks, and her horn lit and sputtered out random magic bursts. Her bed was drenched with sweat, and pillows had been tossed about the whole room.
Twilight was having a bad dream.
Fatherly instincts kicking in, Night Light galloped over to Twilight’s bedside and sat down, running a hoof through her mane. His first task was to get her awake and out of her nightmare. “Twilie,” He called out to her, cringing as she shook in his grasp. “Hey, it’s time to wake up…”
Slowly, far too slowly, her shaking subsided, and she opened her eyes. “D- Daddy?” She whimpered, her ears back against her head.
“It’s okay, muffin. I’m here, I’ve got you…” He offered her a hug, which she took.
“Daddy, I…” She sobbed into his coat, still unsoothed by the hoof rubbing her ear. “I had the worst dream ever…” She whimpered.
“It’s all over now,” Night Light murmured, firing up his horn and using it to bring over a non-soaked blanket, draping it over Twilight’s back. “It was just a dream… Just a dream…”
“No,” She said, still quaking a little bit. “It was… it was so much worse than that… It was like…” Twilight’s voice faded, and she let out a sob into her dad’s coat.
“Do you wanna talk about it?” Twilight nodded into Night Light’s chest. “Are you still scared?” Twilight started to shake her head, but then nodded again, another sob wracking her.
In so many ways, Twilight was still Night Light’s little filly. Savior of the world she might be, but to a dad, a daughter will always, first and foremost, be a daughter. And a daughter, especially when scared, needs hugs. And so Night Light hugged Twilight. “It’s okay, daddy’s here to keep you safe,” He hugged her again. “And you don’t have to say anything you don’t want to, and you don’t have to tell me until you feel ready, okay?”
Twilight took a deep breath. “I’m being foolish again, aren’t I?” She said, and Night Light began to protest, but Twilight silenced him. “It’s just… these bad dreams I have are so scary…”
“You have them a lot?” The stallion asked, and Twilight shook her head. “Once in a while?” She nodded.
“They began, well…” She shuddered at some hidden memory. “They began when I became an alicorn. When Tirek came to conquer all of ponykind’s magic, I had bad dreams for a few days beforehand. I think… I think the princesses had them too, and maybe that’s how they knew they had to prepare for him. I dunno,” Twilight sniffled, and Night Light hugged her again.
“And then a year later, when that thing happened…” The young mare shook her head. “They all say they should’ve seen it coming, but… I did. For days, I had those bad dreams, warning me about it.”
“So you think that this is some warning? Of danger?” Night asked, and Twilight nodded. Night Light had done his goal. He’d roused his daughter from the nightmare, and now, he had a new goal. Comfort her. Help her overcome the fear she had gone through. “Twilie, it’s just one dream,” He murmured. “It doesn’t mean anything. And you haven’t had them before, or you would’ve written the princesses. So let me ask you one thing, little college student of mine… If this is the first time that this has happened… Is it possible that one dream is just that? One dream?”
“I… suppose…”
“If it happens again, send a letter to Princess Celestia, all right? Otherwise, we should just treat this as we would any other bad dream.”
After a short while, Twilight nodded. “That sounds… reasonable.” She giggled. “I know I’m in a bad state when you’re being more logical than I am, huh?”
Night Light scoffed, and then both ponies broke out into a fit of giggles.
“Mission accomplished.” He thought as his daughter’s laughter subsided, and she calmly rested in his hug. “Twilight, I’ve got something to tell you,”
“Oh?”
He grinned. “Cadance is coming. She’s gonna be spending the week here, along with Shiny!”
Twilight’s eyes became as wide as saucers, and her huge happy smile was even bigger. “Cady’s coming?”
“Yeah!” Night could feel the enthusiasm pop into the young pony. “She says there hasn’t been too much to do these last few weeks. Apparently, Princess Celestia’s all but taken over running the Empire, so she thinks she’ll come down and see what all the fuss about the Summer’s End Week is.”
“That’s…” Twilight broke free of Night’s hug and jumped onto her hooves. “We’re gonna have so much fun! Now Shiny and Cadance and I can do all those fun things I’ve been wanting to try!” She plastered a goofy grin on her face as she began to hop around her dad. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes…”
The stallion merely chuckled and blocked out the parade of yeses flooding the room. “She really loves Cadance, doesn’t she?” Night was just happy that he had been able to quell his daughter’s fears. He had always hated seeing little Twilight cry, and seeing her happy again brought a flutter to his heart. And truth be told, Night was looking forward to seeing Cadance himself. He had always been fond of her, way back when. She had been one of the few ponies Night Light had trusted instantly, and enough that he had been willing to charge her with the safety of his only daughter, and enough that he had been willing to promise his only son to her. And hay, when she had turned twenty-one, she had proven to be a rather capable drinking companion as well. Always a plus in Night’s book, and who could've known?
“When is she gonna be here?” Twilight’s voice shook him from his internal monologue.
“Uh, soon!” Night said, looking over at the clock. “She said she’ll be coming when Shining does, and Shining said he’d be over a little past two, so… A couple hours, I guess.”
The young mare stuck out her lower lip and pouted. “I can’t wait that long!” She cried, prompting a laugh from her dear old dad.
“Come on, Twilie. Let’s go downstairs. I’m pretty sure your mom’ll make some pancakes if you ask.”
The two ponies walked out into the hallway, the door slamming shut behind them. And as they walked down the stairs, one thought crossed Night Light’s mind.
The whole family stood in front of the door, looking on as a carriage bearing the royal banners of the Crystal Empire came closer and closer to their palace. Twilight Sparkle hopped in place. Cadance was coming! Cadance was coming!
Truthfully, Twi was excited to see Shining about as much as she was to see her former foalsitter. However, she hadn’t seen Cadance in far longer, so the pink princess was still at the front of her mind.
Her thoughts lay on Cadance for a while. It had been… Well, at least two years since they had last spoken face to face. And Twi wanted to see her again.
It didn’t help that the mare had a crush on Cadance. Well, not a crush, per se, but a… A fillyhood obsession. Well, obsession was too strong a word. Okay, it had been a crush; a crush that Twi had gotten over years ago. Still, though, she couldn’t help but blush whenever Cadance showed the least bit of affection toward her. And she may have been the tiniest bit jealous at her and Shining’s wedding.
Okay, maybe Twi still had a crush on her. But not a huge crush! No, it was just a little bit of… A crush. Twi’s mind went back years, to teenage nights, when she, in her bed, would hold up pictures of Cadance as she clopped. Her mind went back even more, to the first time she had gone into heat, refusing stallion after stallion even though they had offered to help her, just because she had hoped that Cadance would be the one to notice and offer her own help and love.
And her mind went back several more years, when she had been but a filly, playing dress-up with her mom’s old wedding dress, pretending to be having a grand wedding. When Cadance had confronted her, her nerves had gotten the better of her, and she’d said that she was marrying her Prince Charming. However, she had been imagining none other than Princess Cadance standing there right in front of her, having the happiest day of her life as they got married.
Twi shook her head, pulling her mind back to the real world as the carriage pulled up, coming to a stop right in front of them. Cadance and Shining were here! “This is gonna be the best week ever!”
A royal guard pony, adorned in the colours of the Crystal Empire, hopped off of the front of the carriage and pulled the doors open.
Princess Mi Amore Cadenza looked as regal as ever as she stepped out of her carriage and floated down to the ground. Twi grinned from ear to ear as they made eye contact, as did the pink princess. The closed in and gave each other a giant hug. Eventually, they pulled back, and Cadance’s grin transformed into a smirk. “Sunshine, sunshine…” She began, and Twi turned beet red.
“We haven’t done that for years, Cady…” She murmured, hiding behind her mane.
“Sunshine, sunshine…” Cadance said again. “Come on, your princess commands you…”
Try as she did, Twilight could not suppress the happy smile which eventually broke through. “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake…” She said, doing their little dance.
“Clap your hooves and do a little shake!” Cadance cheered, finishing the ritual. By the time they had finished dancing, both Twilight and Cadance sported matching happy smiles.
“It’s so good to see you, Cadance!” Twi hopped up and down on her hooves as she hugged the other princess again. “I missed you!”
“I missed you too, Twilie…” Cadance sighed, returning the happy hug. “Shining Armour sends his regards,” She looked over to the rest of the Sparkle family, who looked a little bit confused. “Unfortunately, some business came up in the Crystal Empire, and he couldn’t make the train I made. He’ll be here later today.”
Twilight looked past the pink princess and into the carriage. Odd, she hadn’t even noticed Shiny’s absence.
“I don’t know about you guys,” Cadance said, putting a hoof to her stomach. “But I’m starving. I haven’t had a decent meal since last night. I don’t suppose you could make me something?”
Right this way, dear…” Velvet, Twilight’s mom, said, gesturing into the house. “I made some pancakes a while ago, and there are some leftovers I can heat back up. That is, if you don’t mind leftovers?”
Cadance shook her head. “Cold pancakes are delicious. They’re like pizza. Better cold, that is. Shall we?” She began trotting forward.
“Your Highness, I’d suggest clearing the palace first.” Came a voice from behind the carriage, and a stallion rounded the corner. Another Crystal Guard, he wore the same royal colours the other one did. Still, he looked… familiar, somehow. A yellow-orange coat and a blue mane, he looked eerily similar to…
“Twi, I believe you’ve met my Guard Captain, Flash Sentry.” Cadance gestured toward the stallion, who inclined his head. “Flash, this is my sister-in-law we’re talking about here. I don’t think she’s laid any secret booby-traps to try and kill me. At least, I hope not.”
“As you wish, Princess.” Flash bowed deeply. “I’ll have a guard bring your belongings up to your room.” He trotted back around the carriage.
Cadance leaned in close to Twilight. “He won’t be too much of a bother, I don’t think. I’ve told him to keep his distance while I’m here. I intend to spend some quality time with you, don’t worry.” She sighed. “It’s just… Princess Celestia’s unnaturally worried about my safety while I’m here, so she’s ordered Flash Sentry to guard me everywhere I go. It’s quite annoying.”
Twi shook her head. “It’s okay, Cady,” Her eyes seemed to light up as if she had just come up with an idea. “I know a place that’ll help you relax! There’s a magic garden in the palace that I haven’t even fully explored yet! We can take a walk through there after you eat!”
The pink princess giggled. “Sounds great, Twi-Twi. I can’t wait!”
And with that, the whole family, sans Shining Armour, of course, trotted into the house. Cadance to eat, and everypony else to begin their great vacation.
The two ponies chatted idly as they trotted through the enormous gardens. The room was a lot bigger than it seemed at first glance, and it took several minutes for the duo to even lose sight of the door.
It was magical. It had to be, there was no other logical way to explain it. There were plants which grew even though there was no sun. There was natural lighting coming from inside a walled-in room covered by a marble ceiling. And birds sang despite the lack of local wildlife.
“So, I’m curious, Cadance…” Twilight muttered, and Cadance looked down at her. “Shining’s never been late to a Summer’s End getaway before. In fact, he’s always taken great care to finish all of his work early so he can be on time?” The mare shrugged. “I guess what I’m trying to ask is… Well, why now? Do you have some huge event coming up that Shining needs to prepare for? What’s going on?”
“You must really miss him, huh?” Cadance asked, to which Twi nodded. “I really don’t know,” The pink princess admitted, a deep sigh escaped her. “These last few months, Princess Celestia’s been taking a larger and larger role in ruling the Empire. Half my staff’s been replaced; I’m basically useless now… All I do is power the Crystal Heart a couple of times a day.
“But even that’s been hard. There’s this constant drumming in the palace at night, and I can’t figure out why. It sounds like something’s happening underground, like something’s being built, but nopony seems to know anything about it. I can barely sleep at night anymore.” Cadance shook her head. “I don’t think I need to say how much I need this little getaway.” She paused for a moment, as if trying to remember some little detail that she had forgotten.
“Not that I don’t mind you getting all of that off your chest, but…” The young mare next to Cadance giggled a bit.
“You did ask about Shining, didn’t you?” Cadance asked, and Twi nodded. “Like I said at the beginning of this little rant, I don’t know. He’s been spending more and more of his time with Auntie Tia and that Guard Captain of his, Serene Sword,” Cadance hung her head. “Normally, I wouldn’t need to rant like this. Normally, I’d tell him all about what’s going on before we would go to bed, but…” She sat down on her haunches and sighed. “These days, he doesn’t come to bed until so early in the morning, if at all…” She sniffled. “And he’s so tired, he just goes straight to bed. I miss… I miss having the company of somepony, just to talk to him, y’know?”
Twilight bit her lower lip. Cadance really did have a lot on her plate. And she knew more than anypony how hard it could be to hold secrets and not have anypony to tell them to. Twilight took one of her wings and pulled the pink princess into a hug. “I’m here for you, Cadance…” She murmured. “If you need to talk to somepony. Maybe I can’t do all the things Shining can for you, but…” She let her voice trail off into a small giggle, which was accompanied by Cadance.
“Oh, I dunno…” Cadance sang, playfully looking over Twilight’s body. “You’re a pretty pretty mare, Twilight Sparkle.” She waggled her eyebrows at her. “Maybe you and I could have a little ‘girl-time’ sometime this week.”
Twi was just thankful that she had managed to hide her blush. “Ha!” She forced, having to spit her words so they wouldn’t get caught in her throat. “You… You wish you could get your hooves on this!” She playfully nudged her flank against Cadance’s, who, in turn, sported a small blush on her own cheeks.
“In any case, I… Thank you, Twi,” Cadance spoke softly and seriously, her tone far from what it had been mere moments prior. “You don’t know how much that means to me. As… As a Princess of Love, I kind of need somepony. Even if it’s not a romantic connection, I’m a very… I’m a very social pony. I need to vent, and if Shining’s not there for me, I can get very stressed. So… Thanks.”
Cadance leaned into Twilight’s embrace, nuzzling the smaller alicorn ever so gently and causing Twilight’s heart to soar up into her throat. Cadance was nuzzling her! “It’s… no problem!” She squeaked, hiding behind her mane in an attempt to cover up her blush. “Feel free to… Talk to me whenever you want!”
Cadance nuzzled Twi for a few moments more, before pulling away and standing up. “You know, it’s a little strange… We’ve got this whole garden to stroll through, and yet we’ve just been sitting here in this small part of it. Shall we?” She extended a hoof, pulling Twilight up to her own hooves.
And so the two trotted in silence, each content to simply enjoy the other’s company. They passed flowers and bushes and more flowers and trees, until they eventually came to a wondrous sight. A waterfall, where the water was made of pure rainbow. Both Cadance and Twilight gawked in amazement at the sight, even Twilight, who had been living in the palace for years, had never ventured so far into the gardens as to see this.
“How… how is this possible?” Cadance asked, sitting back down and looking at the younger mare. “We’re still…” She glanced up toward the sky, still finding the high, vaulted, crystal ceiling so far above her. “We’re still inside, I keep forgetting. How do you fit an entire waterfall inside this…”
“It’s magic,” Twi whispered, her gaze never leaving the waterfall. “It’s bigger on the inside,”
“I would say it’s smaller on the outside,”
“Shush,” Twi, once again, wrapped one of her wings around Cadance. “Don’t ruin the moment.”
Cadance was going to protest this… oddly affectionate action from the younger mare, but eventually decided not to. Twilight’s wing was warm and soft, and it was a rather peaceful moment. So Cadance merely leaned into her friend’s feathers, a content sigh escaped her as the rainbows cascaded onto the rocks far below.
However, all good things must eventually come to an end, and Cadance decided that she wanted to continue their little walk. So she tried to pull away and climb back up to her hooves, but found Twilight’s wings still holding onto her. She turned to face the younger mare, and found a dazed but happy smile on young Twilight’s muzzle. She seemed… lost… as if she were on an entirely different plane than Cadance was.
“Um, Twi?” The pink princess asked, getting no response. “Twi,” She said again, nudging the other pony in the stomach. “Twi, my butt’s getting sore,” She said.
Twilight slowly looked over and smiled again, blushing ever so slightly. Then, her gaze drifted to her wing, and then back to Cadance, and then her mind seemed to click as she put together everything the pink princess had just said.
“Oh!” Twi yelped, jerking her wing back and clamouring to her hooves. “Sorry!” She squeaked. “I didn’t mean to…”
Cadance giggled, a wondrous, beautiful sound. “Don’t worry, Twi-Twi…” She shook her head. “It’s okay. You got lost in the moment, it happens. Especially when you’re in a place such as this…”
Twilight nodded and cleared her throat, her head jerking back toward the pathway through the park. “Shall we?” She asked, and the two trotted off once again.
Several hours later, both ponies had explored what they assumed was the entire garden. And now they trotted back into the main palace, exhausted but not at all unhappy. And when they arrived back at the main living room, Twi saw a sight that made her scream in pure joy!
Shining Armour stood in the living room, examining some photos hung on the wall. A smile adorned his face as he looked at one of him and Twi, both young and still living in Canterlot. It had been taken on the day Shining Armour had been accepted into the academy, and on the same day Twilight had been accepted into Celestia’s school.
Shining turned slowly. As soon as he made eye contact with the two mares in the doorway, a tired but happy grin spread across his face. He looked… far more rugged than Twi remembered him to be. His chin was a bit more scraggly, his eyes had a few more bags. He looked as if he hadn’t slept in the past few days.
And the sweater… “Thank Celestia Rarity isn’t here right now, or she’d have a fit!” Shining was wearing a light-green fleece sweater, and it looked awful. Green was not the stallion’s best colour, it seemed.
“Well, if it isn’t the two best mares in the world!” Shining Armour said, trotting over and hugging each of them. “Haven’t seen you in a while, Twilie,” He regarded his younger sister.
“Oh, it’s been far too long!” The young mare smiled. “It’s so good to see you again, Shiny!”
Cadance nuzzled her husband’s cheek. “Have you seen your parents yet?” She asked, and Shining nodded.
“They were in the dining room when I arrived, eating some lunch.” He said. “Dad actually ran off to find you too, but I think he gave up once he saw how big your garden was.” Shining laughed. “Still, he’s such an avid gardner, I’ve no doubt he’ll know that place inside and out by the time he leaves.”
The three ponies stood in the living room for some time, chatting and catching up, eventually migrating to the sofa and some chairs. And while they caught up, the clock ticked on and on, and the sun in the window set lower and lower, until the sky was a great golden colour, with rays of pink strewn here and there.
“I’m hungry,” Shining said, getting up off of the couch he had been sitting on for so long. “What do you think’s gonna be for dinner?”
“I dunno,” Twilight said, shrugging. “Mom said it would be a surprise.”
With a grunt, Shining got to his hooves, shaking out his mane. “Well, I suppose we could go check. Which way to the dining room again? This place is so damn big, I can’t remember.”
Twilight laughed, and pointed down a hallway. And so the three of them trotted off, hungry, to find some delicious supper. The first day had gone perfect. Of course, the day wasn’t over yet, and much could still happen in the last hours of the sun.
“Well, that’s an ominous thought, isn’t it?” Twilight thought, shaking her head. “Nah, everything will be fine. I won’t let things fall apart. This is gonna be a great week!”
