Little Princess Mi Amore Cadenza suddenly appears in modern-day Canterlot. Adapting is... hard.
It all started when Shining Armor decided he wanted to meet Cadence's parents. Turns out he has; he helped blow him up.
Join Shining Armor as he hears from Cadence's point of view how little Mi Amore Cadenza, daughter of King Sombra and True Heir to the Crystal Empire, came to Canterlot; and just what made her into the Cadence he knows and loves today.
All of the Crystal Empire had finally returned. Every last piece of it.
Now, not all of it had remained the same. Sombra's overbearing rule had meant that nobility as a concept had been systematically crushed and wiped out; most crystal ponies now considered themselves all on equal standing and were, for the most part, content to live peacefully and prosperously as equals under Princess Cadence.
Unfortunately, thought Shining Armor bitterly, Celestia had not chosen to take this path. Thanks to his new status as prince-consort of the Crystal Empire, he was now considered high nobility, and, as the Crystal Empire was an ally of Equestria proper, he was expected to attend the most boring meetings and dull parties that he had ever had the displeasure of sitting through.
This is why he was currently back in Canterlot, at a dinner party so boring he seriously contemplated jumping out a nearby window.
He’d patrolled this area as a young guard. There was a large bush underneath this window. He'd survive the fall with minimal injuries and a few superficial scratches.
He didn't mind actually coming to these parties; no, not at all. Every once in a while, it felt good to dress up all fancy and waggle his ears at the handsome stallion looking back from the mirror. It didn't hurt that Cadence had to dress up, too; and she looked amazing (even more so than usual, that is) when she did.
No, what really bothered him was the other ponies he had to put up with.
Like the mare that had been prattling on for the last five minutes. Shining was not a good actor; he'd been tuning her out for a while, but either she didn’t know, didn’t care, or just wanted to show off to anypony who happened to be watching just how well she knew Prince Shining Armor.
Gag.
Still, some things he couldn't ignore. Like the direction her last few sentences had been going.
“But you know, larger age differences are becoming so much more common among the nobility recently. Aren't you quite younger than she?”
Shining turned and his face contorted as he tried to think of the politest way to ask this mare to go and boil her head. But suddenly, as if able to sense that her husband was in distress, Cadence appeared nearby. She leaned over and gave Shining Armor an affectionate nuzzle on the cheek, short enough to still be socially appropriate, but long enough to make the mare look around and look mildly uncomfortable. “Hi, Shining,” she said. “How’s your night going?”
“Great,” Shining lied.
Cadence glanced between the two. “What did I miss?” she asked with a small smile.
“Age difference in ponies in love,” Shining said quickly, glaring at the other mare as if daring her to speak.
She blushed, but Cadence laughed lightly. “Age is always so complicated. I've found that a few years apart actually strengthens a relationship because each pony will bring a slightly different perspective to the table.” She paused. “Speaking of relationships, isn't that your husband over there?”
As the mare looked over to confirm Cadence's words, Shining's eyes flicked up to Cadence's horn. Sure enough, a tiny pink heart squeezed out of the tip and floated over to the mare.
The change was instantaneous. She licked her lips as her eyes traced over his body. With a polite but rushed, “Excuse me,” she walked away from Cadence and whispered in her husband’s ear. He pulled back, surprised; but when she nodded and stepped away with a swish of her tail, he quickly followed behind.
Shining exhaled. “Thanks, Cadence,” he said, relieved. “I was debating jumping out that window. Or throwing her out that window. One of us was going to go out that window.”
Cadence giggled quietly. “She won't be giving you any more trouble. Let's just say she's going to be… a little too tired for anything like that.”
“Maybe she'll overexert herself and have a heart attack,” Shining suggested bitterly.
Cadence lightly swatted him with her wing. “Stop," she chided gently.
Shining grinned. “Hey. Just because you show love everywhere doesn't mean I have to.”
“No… but you show me love.”
Shining stepped closer so his hips rested against hers. “That's right. I do.”
Cadence nodded contentedly. “Like Celestia used to tell me, there aren't many problems that can't be solved with a little love.”
“Did she really say that?”
“No; I think she said 'kindness'. I was somewhat of a bratty little filly, remember?”
Shining chuckled. “How could I forge- I mean… uh… I have nothing but happy memories of you from when I was a colt.”
Cadence chuckled. “Well, if I have my way, there will be a lot more happy memories we can make.”
“That sounds great,” Shining Armor said, before his voice turned slightly bitter. “But tonight is definitely not going on that list of happy memories.” He glanced over and saw another talkative pony approaching, and a cold shiver ran up his spine.
“Oh, shush,” Cadence said. “Besides, the night's not over yet.”
* * *
From his position under the covers, Shining watched as Cadence lit her horn and slid her dress off. She did it slowly, taking great care to make sure her wings were taken out one at a time and that it remained perfectly straight as she slid it down her backside with tiny side-to-side rocking motions of her hips. Cadence always took her time getting undressed; and Shining was very certain that she did it on purpose. Not that he was complaining about the show, of course.
Still, his mind had wandered that night, and something had occurred to him. He fidgeted with the covers and then finally spoke. “Uh, Cadence?”
“Yes?”
“Do you think…? Uh, are…? Hm.”
Cadence chuckled. Shining was cute when he was confused.
“Ok, how do I put this? You met my parents; do I ever get to meet yours?”
Cadence froze. “Well…” she said hesitantly, her hooves kneading at the sheets. “You… kindof already did,” she admitted.
Shining sat up. “I did?”
“Well, according to the official story, my mother died in foaling, and my… other parent, well… When they say I'm the true heir of the Crystal Empire, that's literally true.” She smiled sheepishly.
It took Shining Armor a few moments to put two and two together; but when he did… “Wait, wait, wait,” Shining Armor stammered. “You mean to tell me that your father was Sombra?” Having killed his father in law would definitely place a bit of a damper on their relationship.
“Yep,” Cadence said with a smile. “But Celestia raised me more, so I don't even consider us related.” A devious smile spread across her lips. “Think of it this way,” she offered, sliding onto her back. “You slew a dangerous dragon…” Here she shifted her hips and slid her tail away invitingly, “…and now you get to claim the princess as your own.”
Being a red-blooded stallion, Shining couldn't help but glance over at Cadence's now-exposed treasure. His eyes widened ever so slightly, and he licked his lips once before he shook his head and refocused on his previous problem. “But… but that was your dad! I blew up your dad!”
“We,” Cadence corrected.
“We blew up your dad!” Shining repeated.
“So he mounted a mare and I was born,” Cadence said dismissively. “That doesn't make him my dad.”
“How can you be so calm about this?”
Cadence rolled so she was sitting upright. “Because I was wrong!” she nearly shouted.
Shining Armor stood stock still. Hearing those words spoken exactly like that by a female was an entirely new experience, and one he doubted he'd ever get again.
“When I came here, I thought Celestia wanted to eat me. I didn't understand and I fought her. But here I learned the value of love and friendship. I earned my cutie mark for being a peacemaker, not a warrior. I can manipulate ponies, yes; but I don't make them do anything contrary to their nature. I'm not like him. I may have inherited some of his power, but I'm my own mare now. The best thing he taught me was to not be like him.”
Shining thought for a moment before speaking out on something that troubled him. “Could you… influence ponies to do things against their nature?”
Cadence rolled over and rested her head in her hooves, looking down into the covers as if expecting to find an answer there. “I could,” she admitted quietly. “I don't; but I could.”
Shining was silent for a moment. And then: “Have you ever influenced me?”
Cadence sat up. “No! No, I would never! Shining, I've loved you since you stood up for me at that first gala.”
“Not since that first kiss in front of all my friends?” Shining asked cheekily.
Cadence cracked a smile. Celestia had been right about him never forgetting that. “No. Trust me. I've wanted you for much longer than that. I've always had a thing for… powerful stallions.” She flicked her tail up and swatted him on the flank.
“Are you just trying to flatter me?” Shining asked.
“Is it working?” Cadence asked right back.
Shining Armor rested his head against her back and placed one of his hooves against her cutie mark. “Maybe a little,” he said, giving it a gentle rub. Cadence chuckled and settled into his motions, enjoying the attention.
His lovely hoof motions stopped far too soon. “But seriously… Sombra's your dad?”
“Technically.” Cadence grinned mischievously. She rolled onto her back again. “And what better way to show your dominance over a dead tyrant than by taking his daughter, mounting her, and making her bear your foal?”
Shining swatted her gently on the shoulder. “Stop that! I'm trying to wrap my head around all of this! You grew up in Canterlot—we practically grew up together—and now Sombra's your sire?”
“I'll wrap my lips around your-”
“Cadence!”
“Ear,” Cadence said innocently. “I was going to say 'ear'.”
“Sure you were,” Shining grumbled; but his cheeks did tinge slightly red. He did enjoy having his ear nibbled.
Cadence nuzzled his cheek gently. “Ok. I'll tell you what. Tonight, you help me demonstrate the more physical aspect of my element; and tomorrow morning, if I can't leave the bed, I'll tell you the story.”
Shining cracked a smile and gently started rubbing under her wings. “Agreed,” he whispered into her ear.
* * *
Shining Armor trudged dejectedly down the hall. His bed was empty; Cadence had left. Sure, she was limping and shuffling more than walking, her wings had been spread for balance, and she'd had to brace herself against the wall a few times as she'd walked out; but she had indeed left.
With a subdued greeting nod to the princess of the sun—he had received many long lectures on how Celestia considered them equals now and wished to be treated as such, and he had no desire to be subjected to another—Shining Armor climbed onto the chair at the breakfast table. He morosely poured syrup over his oat waffles and, with a small flash of magic, halfheartedly tossed a single strawberry on top. It tumbled end over end, not staying in the center like he usually liked it to be.
“You seem to have something on your mind,” Celestia observed.
“I'm fine,” Shining said. “I just…” His cheeks colored as his mental filter kicked in just in time. Celestia undoubtedly knew he had been having sex with her niece, but he couldn’t just say that to her face, and he certainly wasn’t about to tell her that he felt like a failure because he hadn't ridden her hard enough the night before. He started a bit later in the story. “Cadence said she was going to tell me about her foalhood this morning; but she left before she did. She probably didn't want to tell the story.”
“Oh, I know that story,” Celestia said, a devious smile playing at her lips.
The doors opened, and Cadence shuffled in. “I heard that,” she said faux-accusingly. “If you're going to be telling the story anyway, I want to be here to make sure it's accurate.” She gave Celestia a poignant glance.
“And I'm sure this all has nothing to do with the fact that you are unable to comfortably walk anywhere?” Celestia asked pointedly.
Shining Armor blushed furiously; but Cadence remained calm. “Not at all,” she lied with a perfectly straight face.
Celestia held her teacup in front of her mouth, hiding a smile. “I see. There's still plenty of time for breakfast if you'd like to take a seat?”
“Oh, I'd rather stand,” Cadence said airily.
“As you wish.” Celestia sipped at her tea. “Well, this story begins a long time ago…”
Luna and Celestia looked down in horror at the crystal ponies. Once paragons of peace and prosperity whose happiness brightened Equestria, they were now broken and defeated, their coats dull, their beaten bodies chained together as they worked in the mines. King Sombra looked down on them from his high balcony and laughed.
The two princesses looked at each other and nodded. The many crimes of Sombra could not be winked at any longer. It was time. He needed to be banished to the ice of the arctic north, for the good of the Crystal Empire and also for all of Equestria itself.
Together, they flew up to the balcony from where he watched his slaves work. He scowled at their appearance. “This is not your dominion. You overstep your bounds,” he growled, scuffing a hoof threateningly.
“You far surpass yours,” Celestia accused, lighting her horn. Luna quickly followed suit.
Sombra growled and lit his own horn, intending to end this quickly. He fired a burst of energy, but Celestia easily dodged it. He shot at Luna next, but she, too, easily evaded the attack.
What he should have done was attempt to stop the spell they were casting. Too late, he felt something unsettling happening around his hooves. Frowning, he looked down and his eyes widened as he saw the golden and navy magic swirling around him. His hooves began to dissolve as the spell took effect.
But Sombra was not going to let them punish him with impunity. Even as his body melted into shadows, he roared and lit his horn.
Luna’s eyes narrowed, and then flew open as she recognized the patterns in the magic. “Treachery!” she roared, casting up a shield around herself. “'Tis a powerful curse! Shield thyself, Sister!”
Celestia lit her horn and wrapped a golden cancellation spell shield around herself; but though the spell reached its tendrils out, they were not the target of his spell.
A dark circle formed around the entirety of the Crystal Empire, crackling with black lightning and purple sparks. Purple haze filled the air as black crystals exploded from the ground. and spiderwebs of purple magic reached over the Empire as if it were a snowglobe.
And as Sombra vanished into the ice, the Crystal Empire vanished as well, leaving behind nothing but the wind, ice and snow.
Celestia and Luna landed, horrified. Celestia lit her horn and looked for signs of life, while Luna closed her eyes and listened.
“I feel nothing,” Celestia said worriedly.
“Nor I,” Luna concurred. “It is as if the Empire has disappeared completely.”
They looked at each other in horror. So many lives lost before their time, innocent lives. Sombra's revenge had been terrible indeed.
* * *
Celestia walked back into her throne room dejectedly, her head hanging down. The crowds of ponies praising her name even in her failure to protect the crystal ponies made her heart ache.
Luna followed behind, her head also low and her mouth clenched tightly shut, though for different reasons. The crowds of ponies praising her sister's name, and her name alone, made her heart ache.
Finally, she had to speak. “Sister, something troubles me,” she said. The words came tumbling out of her mouth before she could stop them.
“What is it?” Celestia asked.
Luna opened her mouth, and then closed it. Now wasn't the time. Celestia likely felt overwhelmed. Besides, it was a petty thing she complained of. “It is nothing.”
Celestia nodded slowly. “Was it when the foul king cast his curse, didst thou not feel that he sought another target?”
Luna had felt nothing of the sort; but she seized this opportunity. “Yea,” she said. “This. Anywhere in Equestria could be the thing he sought.”
“Sought; but hopefully did not obtain,” Celestia said darkly. “Who knows what dark plots he created in his madness?”
Luna's mouth tightened, but she did not respond.
Celestia noticed, and offered her sister a weak smile. “Wilt thou accompany me to mine chambers? I have obtained for myself a portion of a new substance known as ice cream, and I greatly desire to taste of it.”
Luna tossed her head. “Cream has no business being solid,” she said dismissively. “I shall… I shall guard the night.”
Celestia noticed the little hitch in her voice, but didn't press the issue. “Very well. Guard my dreams, Sister?”
“Do I not always?” Luna said in reply, a small—and somewhat sad—smile playing at her lips before she turned and flew away.
* * *
Celestia looked down at her schedule and brightened as she recognized the next name. This was a visit she could look forward to. She adjusted herself on her throne and waited.
Right on time, the doors opened, and the royal librarian stepped forward, announced by a member of her royal guard. He stepped forward and bowed deeply.
Celestia inclined her head, wordlessly permitting him to speak.
He lit his horn and pulled in a cart full of scrolls, which rolled to a gentle stop behind him. “Behold, the records which survived the curse of Sombra; but behold, there is something we found which doth trouble me.”
Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Speak,” she commanded.
“From the records which have been kept, we see that Sombra had an heir: a daughter.”
Celestia pursed her lips. This was new information. Powerful though Sombra may have been, it would have been a dramatic understatement to say he was mad; and the mare who lifted her tail for him must have been a strange mare, indeed.
And then it occurred to her that their intercourse might not have been entirely consensual, and she grimaced. Many things there were that happened to mares, and that should not have been one of them.
She shook her head. That she could dwell on later. “And what of this filly? Where is she?”
“The records led us to a small fortress, a good three day's journey westward of the crystal empire, within the borders of Equestria proper, guarded by two crystal ponies; but to our astonishment, they were mad; they knew not who they were nor what they were doing.”
Celestia pursed her lips.
“A search was conducted and evidence was found that showed unto us that the filly had been there; but had vanished without a trace.”
Celestia massaged a temple with her hoof. Doubtless that the filly had been Sombra's other target, and doubtless he had succeeded in pulling her down with him.
And doubtless the poor filly shared the same fate as the rest of the crystal empire.
* * *
Nearly a thousand years later…
* * *
At the sound of urgent knocking on her door, Celestia stirred and lifted her head. “Yes?” she murmured.
A royal guard poked his head in. “Forgive me, your majesty,” he said breathlessly, “but your presence is required urgently in the throne room.”
Required, not requested? Celestia did not let that word choice go unnoticed; but she did not react to it. She merely slid out of her bed with the poise and grace that befitted her position, and retrieved her regala. Once fully dressed, she nodded, and he led the way.
She was not sure what to expect; but when he opened the door, she suddenly felt rather silly—and more than a little bit overdressed—as she saw the young filly sitting there.
Even in the great city of Canterlot, sometimes there were foals who fell through the cracks in the system. Celestia was no stranger to this. What was strange was the appearance of this filly before her; and it wasn't just her tricolored mop of a mane. She sat on the stone and looked up at Celestia. Though her position and posture were clearly defiant, her large eyes took in everything, from Celestia's mane to her wings and her long horn. She frowned and her eyes flicked between them, as if struggling to comprehend this strange dichotomy.
As for Celestia, she, too, found herself looking over this filly, also struggling to comprehend. After all, precious few ponies anywhere—only two, as far as she knew; and, with a quick glance at the moon, she could see that both of them were presently accounted for—had both wings and a horn.
Celestia, suddenly mindful of just how tall she was and just far she towered over this little filly, crouched down to the ground, getting down on her belly so to be at the filly’s eye level. “Hello,” she said kindly.
The filly did not respond. She stared at Celestia with large, unblinking eyes. She lifted a forehoof, her defiant expression softening somewhat as uncertainty began to cross her face. Her eyes flicked to her horn and the wings at Celestia’s side, and her own wings seemed to twitch. This large white pony looked like her!
“Do you know why you are here?”
The filly shook her head.
“Do you remember what happened?”
The filly shook her head again. “I was with my minder, and then everything went dark. Then I woke up outside. It was snowy; but this castle isn't right.” She looked around herself again, taking in the sight. “It’s too dark.”
“I see,” Celestia said slowly. For some reason, she thought that the filly wasn’t just referring to the fact that it was currently Night. “Do you remember your name?”
This one she could answer. She straightened up and puffed her little chest out. “My name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza,” she announced proudly.
Princess? Mi Amore Cadenza? Nopony named their foals like that anymore. Was she perhaps in the presence of a young time traveler? “Mi Amore Cadenza,” Celestia repeated. “That's a nice name.”
Mi Amore Cadenza dropped her hooves. “Princess,” she insisted. “And it's not supposed to be nice!” She scowled. “It's supposed to inspire fear and terror in all who hear it!”
Celestia had not expected this conversation to take that turn; but she prided herself on taking things in stride. “Do you want to inspire fear and terror?”
Mi Amore Cadenza looked down at the ground, and her wings wilted slightly. “I can't,” she confessed. “Not yet, anyway. I'm still just a little filly.” She straightened up and stomped a hoof on the ground. “But I'm training hard and when I'm big and strong and I'm Queen Mi Amore Cadenza, then I will strike fear in the hearts of all ponies!” she swore in her little wrath.
“I see,” Celestia said slowly. That was certainly an odd life goal. These words were words she'd expect from a seasoned tyrant, not a precutiescant filly. All that was missing was a practiced evil laugh. She cleared her throat. “My name is Princess Celestia, and I…”
“Celestia?” the filly squeaked, her front of defiance shattering. She skittered backwards until she hit one of the stone columns, her horn sparking as she tried desperately but failed to call up a spell to defend herself. Her once defiant expression had quickly morphed into horror. “My daddy said you were a bad pony! A monster!”
Celestia had been called many things, but ‘monster’ was certainly a new one. She frowned, feeling rather hurt that a filly would think that of her. “And who is your daddy?”
Mi Amore Cadenza frowned, stunned into lucidity by the simple question. Who was this huge, ignorant pony? “He's my daddy,” she said, as if it were obvious. “His name is King Sombra, king of the Crystal Empire.”
Celestia's jaw dropped. “S- Sombra?” Could it be…? Suddenly, her manestyle and attitude were all too horribly familiar. She had seen them before.
The filly nodded, then stood and glared again, her defiance returning as if suddenly remembering her father's power. “And if you try to eat me, I'll tell him and he'll use his purple magic on you and you'll regret it!” she threatened.
“Impossible…” Celestia whispered. She had made personally sure that all reference to casting his dark magic had been relegated to library rooms behind the strongest protections she could cast. She motioned a guard over, and magicked up a piece of paper and a quill. “Have your fastest pegasus patrol sent to these coordinates, and then report back directly to me,” she ordered quietly. “Order them to stop for nothing. Nothing.”
Though he undoubtedly found these instructions odd, the guard saluted smartly and departed.
Celestia turned back to the filly, who still glared defiantly at her. She put on her warmest smile as she shifted tactics now that she knew that she was speaking to the filly of one of the greatest threats ever seen in Equestria. Though the thousand years weren't over yet, thousand seemed to be more an estimate than a guarantee; and if Sombra had indeed returned, then it was time for a little damage control. “I'm afraid there's been a misunderstanding,” Celestia said kindly. “I don't eat ponies, and especially not nice fillies like you.”
Mi Amore Cadenza's glare intensified. Apparently, she didn't care for flattery.
Wise filly. Celestia seamlessly changed tactics. “I like eating other things. I like hay, and alfalfa, and oats—I really like oats—and cake and jam-filled doughnuts and hayfries and…”
That was as far as she needed to go; Mi Amore Cadenza's little tummy rumbled. She looked down and scowled at her stomach's betrayal, and shifted uncomfortably.
“Oh, my. Sounds like you're hungry,” Celestia said innocently. “I'm feeling a bit hungry, too. Would you like to come get some food with me downstairs?”
Mi Amore Cadenza glared at her suspiciously, but slowly nodded her head. There was no sense in starving to death.
* * *
Celestia was no stranger to visiting the kitchen at odd hours, and the night shift was always willing to prepare a snack or three for her. It wasn't much of an imposition; after all, the nocturnal night guard needed to eat, too, so there was always fresh food and plenty of fruit at any time of the night.
Speaking of which…
A young bat pony soldier stood guard outside the kitchen, probably standing here being punished for something—the sweet smells wafting out of the kitchen could have driven anypony mad. The bat ponies' foreign appearance tended to unsettle those who did not see them often, and this time was no different; the young alicorn filly froze and her wings flared in shock at the sight of him. He stood stiffly and didn't respond; but her eyes widened, and she crouched and shuffled around him, always facing him so as to not let him out of her sight. She nearly pinned herself against Celestia's hind legs as they passed him by.
As much as Celestia disliked seeing her guest in fear, she did find some consolation in the fact that Mi Amore Cadenza had trusted her enough to use her as protection.
As they arrived in the kitchen proper, Celestia suddenly realized that she was unsure what to serve Mi Amore Cadenza. After a thousand years, she could not remember what they had eaten at the Crystal Empire. She went with something light and safe: toast and jam, various breakfast pastries, and a glass of warm milk. She set the food in front of Mi Amore Cadenza, and sat back, letting her choose first.
She reached for a muffin, and then waited as Celestia made her choice. The filly looked at her food, but she did not eat. She looked around over her shoulder, as if expecting something; but nopony was there. She looked back over at Celestia as, in contrast, she began to eat readily. She squirmed slightly and bit her lower lip; clearly something pressing was on her mind.
Celestia paused and raised an eyebrow, wordlessly inviting her to speak.
“No one wants to kill you?” she asked suddenly.
Celestia paused. She blinked, and then wiped at her mouth politely with a napkin. “I should certainly hope not,” she said. “Why do you ask?”
“We have a pony who tastes all our food before we eat it,” she said matter-of-factly, “because lots of bad ponies want to kill my daddy.”
Celestia cracked a wry smile. Almost a thousand years ago, she was one of those ‘bad ponies’. “Well, it doesn't quite work like that here,” she said. “The ponies here like me, and don't want me to die, and I trust them.”
The filly narrowed an eye suspiciously. “Daddy says you should trust nopony, not even yourself,” she said.
“You're trusting me right now,” Celestia pointed out.
Mi Amore Cadenza was taken aback. She was, wasn't she? This wasn't right. “How do I know you don't want to kill me?” the filly demanded, suddenly looking suspiciously at her muffin. Maybe those little bits of fruit were actually poisonous bits of death!
Celestia reflected on this. Why would that be her first reaction? Still, from her perspective, it was a valid question. “If I'd wanted to kill you, I would have thrown you out in the snow earlier and let you freeze to death; or thrown you in a dungeon and let you starve to death,” she pointed out, sliding her plate closer to her. “But if it makes you feel any better…” Using her hoof, Celestia brought her fork over, scooped off a large portion of the muffin, and then placed it in her mouth. She chewed and swallowed, and then showed the filly her empty mouth so she could see that she had indeed eaten. She repeated the process with her cup of milk, and exaggeratedly licked off her milk mustache.
The frown on her face did not leave, but it did soften a bit, and the filly picked up her own fork and began to eat.
Once she'd decided that the food was not poisonous, she ate ravenously. She had probably been out there in the cold snow for a while before they found her. Luckily, Celestia reflected as her eyes traced over Mi Amore Cadenza's tiny frame, she looked as though she hadn't missed too many meals. Her mane was messy, but that was an intentional style clearly emulating Sombra's. Like his, hers was thick and luxurious; though it had three colors in it to Sombra's one. Her body still carried much of her foal chubbiness, and her coat showed signs of care and grooming. She couldn't have been very old at all. Mad though Sombra may have been, he had clearly reserved what little compassion he possessed for her.
When she had eaten everything before her, she sat back and waited; but though she hid her expression well—naturally, or through training?—Celestia could see that she was still hungry.
A slow smile crossed her face. She knew exactly what to give her now. She gestured over a chef and whispered an order, and she smiled and quickly departed. She more quickly returned with a large platter and slid it in front of Mi Amore Cadenza.
Mi Amore Cadenza stared blankly at the round objects in front of her. They were a golden brown, with dark brown chunks in them. “What are these?” she demanded to know. “Cow pies?”
“These are cookies,” Celestia said.
“Cookies?” Mi Amore Cadenza repeated slowly.
“They're delicious. You will like them, I'm sure of it.”
The corners of Mi Amore Cadenza's mouth curled down into a little scowl, and she did not make a move for one. Apparently, she did not put it past Celestia to feed her and then poison her.
Celestia knew these games. She slid a cookie over and broke it into fourths with her hoof. “Choose two,” she said, “and I'll eat mine first.”
“Do I choose yours, or mine?” Mi Amore Cadenza asked.
“Surprise me,” Celestia said with a smile.
Mi Amore Cadenza pulled one towards herself, then pushed another towards Celestia. Celestia popped it into her mouth and chewed contentedly.
Mi Amore Cadenza hesitantly slid one quarter into her mouth. She chewed once, and then her eyes widened. She reached out and quickly took not only hers, but Celestia's other quarter as well, and shoved them into her mouth.
“Slow down; I promise they're not going anywhere,” Celestia said with a smile.
Mi Amore Cadenza swallowed. “Are there more of those?” she half asked, half pleaded.
Celestia chuckled and slid another over. “Of course.”
Once Mi Amore Cadenza had eaten her fill (once the dozen cookies Celestia had requested were gone), Celestia glanced at the clock. “Oh, look at the time. It's time for sleep.”
Mi Amore Cadenza took this as a personal challenge. She stood and flared her little wings. “No! I'm a princess, and I take orders from nopony!”
Celestia waited until Mi Amore Cadenza had finished her yawn before continuing. “Well, I am an older princess; and I have learned that when you are tired, you make mistakes.”
“And if you make mistakes, you'll wind up dead,” Mi Amore Cadenza finished, nodding. She scowled, but couldn't deny this train of logic. “Ok. Where do I sleep?”
Dead? Celestia thought. “There are many spare rooms in the castle.”
“Fit for a princess?” Mi Amore Cadenza asked, raising an eyebrow.
Celestia chuckled lightly. “They're my rooms, and I am also a princess, so I certainly believe they are.”
Mollified, Mi Amore Cadenza followed Celestia down the hall.
* * *
Mi Amore Cadenza looked around her room. She stopped on the window and scowled. “What's with the window?” she asked accusingly.
“All bedrooms have windows,” Celestia said with a shrug. “All the better for seeing the sun rise.” And the moon, she silently added. Her lower lip tightened ever so slightly.
“More like opening up for an assassin to come in in the night,” Mi Amore Cadenza grumbled darkly.
It took Celestia a split second to remember the definition of that word. “I can assure you, there is no threat of assassination,” she said.
Mi Amore Cadenza scowled. “That's exactly what an assassin wants a ruler to think. How long have you been ruling, anyway?”
“Nearly one and a half thousand years, give or take a century,” Celestia said loftily.
Mi Amore Cadenza paused, and then scowled again. She had clearly expected a smaller, more inferior number, which she would then have compared to Sombra's rule. She settled for flicking her tail dismissively and grumbling something about taking care of herself before hopping up on the bed. She paused only long enough to appreciate the softness and bounciness of the mattress, but hid it quickly and trotted over to the center of the bed. She scrunched up her face and bent over under the strain as she lit her horn. Celestia couldn't suppress a wince as awfully familiar green and purple magic swirled around her horn, and purple magic trails flowed from her suddenly green eyes. A circle of dark light flashed into existence around the bed, an arcane circle with swirling runes. Then, as quickly as it had appeared, it faded away. Giving a self-satisfied snort, Mi Amore Cadenza lit her horn again, this time with a light cornflower blue glow, magically turned down the covers, then spun around three times and lay down.
Celestia swallowed and then left the room. That had been Sombra’s dark magic, for sure. And she had cast it so naturally and easily. What else had Sombra taught her?
* * *
The lunar guard commonly known simply as G stood staunchly at attention. Though nothing in her stance or expression betrayed it, she was a bit on edge. She knew there was something very wrong here in the throne room. Her royal highness Princess Celestia paced in circles like a nervous foal, continually looking out the window, as if waiting for a messenger bearing news. In all G's time as a lunar guard, Celestia had never been in the throne room when she stood on shift, even though protocol called for nearly a full squad of guards there just like during the day shift. Some speculated that this was an archaic practice for the protection of a long-lost Princess of the Night; but most lunar guards (including G) attributed it to general ignorance on the part of the Lightwalker brass on Night time logistics.
Finally, with a flurry of wings, three pegasi flew through the open window and landed, panting. Ice still clung to their armor, and Celestia felt a tinge of regret that she hadn't warned them to bring a scarf. Still, she rushed over, eager to hear the report.
“And wind,” a second added, shivering hard enough to knock icicles off his armor. “Lots of wind.”
Celestia reached out her hooves, seized the nearest guard's head, and brought it close to hers so she could study his eyes; but they showed no sign of magical interference. They did, however, widen and show moderate surprise and confusion at being so forcibly handled.
“Thank you. Dismissed,” Celestia murmured as she dropped her hooves and resumed pacing.
A few minutes later, she had formulated a theory. Mi Amore Cadenza had been the outlier, the strange anomaly of Sombra's targets when he had cursed the empire; but she had been far enough away that the full effect of the spell did not take hold, and she had returned early.
This meant that Sombra's inevitable return was nearing. Perhaps even sooner than expected.
She glanced up at the moon and exhaled. There was another return coming soon, as well. Could her young student be ready in time to face two threats?
The next morning, Celestia knocked on the door to Mi Amore Cadenza's room. “Mi Amore Cadenza?” she called.
There was no answer.
Celestia tried the door handle, and was pleasantly surprised to find it unlocked. She pushed the door open and stepped inside. She neared the bed, careful to not be too loud so as to not startle the filly awake.
She needn't have worried. Mid-step, thick black crystal spikes suddenly erupted from the circle that the filly had cast last night and had remained unseen until then. They shot up and embedded themselves into Celestia's barrel; had she been a pony of average height, they would have run her through and she would have never taken another step.
As it was, it had hurt. A lot. But Celestia was not about to show that to Mi Amore Cadenza.
As Mi Amore Cadenza sat up and looked on in mortified fascination, Celestia lit her horn and neatly removed the crystal spikes from her chest, and then disintegrated them, before methodically healing her wounds, calmly but solidly showing that she was no slouch in magic herself. “Your skills are impressive,” Celestia commented as she finished knitting muscle back together.
If anything, Mi Amore Cadenza looked disappointed that her defense had not been lethal. Even so, she straightened up proudly and ran a hoof through her mane, flicking it to get more of that Sombra-esque curl. “Told you I could protect myself.”
“Oh, I never questioned that. But I have been wondering something. What do princesses do in the Crystal Empire?”
Mi Amore Cadenza shrugged. “I train a lot. Daddy teaches me new spells and things. Wanna see?”
“If they're anything like that circle, I'll have to decline,” Celestia said airily. “As the only other princess in Canterlot, if something were to happen to me, you would be next in line to rule.”
She'd meant it as a joke, but a cold shiver ran up her spine at Mi Amore Cadenza's gleeful, almost predatory smile. Still, perhaps she could dissuade little Mi Amore Cadenza from attempting hospiticide. “As a visiting dignitary, perhaps you'd like to sit in on today's royal business?”
“What good is that?”
“Well, that's what I will be doing,” Celestia answered. She had meticulously reviewed this morning's schedule prior to arriving. Any business that might have held any tactical advantage whatsoever had been rescheduled, leaving her schedule full of plenty of boring, nonsense business.
Mi Amore Cadenza considered this. “Fine. But when do we get to eat?”
“You know, I was hoping you'd ask,” Celestia said with a smile.
* * *
Celestia licked her lips as her attendant slid a tray of food in front of her. It was piled high with oat pancakes, applesauce, jam, and shredded hay hash browns, with a large pitcher of orange juice nearby. She thanked her attendant with a subtle, “perfect, as always”, and then looked over at Mi Amore Cadenza's plate. She raised an eyebrow. Her platter, in contrast, was piled high with chocolate chip cookies.
She glanced back at the departing chef, but she hadn't seemed to notice anything amiss. Celestia raised an eyebrow. Had Mi Amore Cadenza used mind magic on her chef? It was a possibility.
Or maybe her chef had just taken pity on the filly and gave her something she wanted. That wouldn't be unheard of, as well. Her own personal student had made a few… unique requests of food (for some reason, she really liked oat waffles with syrup and topped with only one strawberry), and they had always been granted.
She took a bite of her pancake and chewed slowly. This was something she'd have to keep a close eye on.
* * *
Celestia walked through the castle, Mi Amore Cadenza following closely behind. She scampered back and forth, examining the armor and pottery and suits of armor and paintings with a practiced eye, occasionally making a few quiet (and clearly grudging) grunts of approval.
Then she slowed to a stop, peering out the window. Celestia paused when she didn't catch up quickly, and then backtracked, wondering what had grabbed her attention.
It was a group of of guard recruits, running laps around the garden in their armor. It was endurance training, and some were panting hard and showing that they did not quite have the stamina that the job required. Celestia couldn’t suppress a frown. She’d made it a habit to personally attend every single orientation meeting for the new recruits. They’d all come with such sparkles in their eyes and such eagerness in their hearts, and it nearly broke hers every time one had to be sent home for not making the cut.
Mi Amore Cadenza watched in fascination as the parade of recruits went by, and then she suddenly spoke. “I like that one,” she said, pointing out one of the recruits near the front of the pack.
Celestia recognized her target, and an eyebrow shot up. “Cadet Shining Armor?” she asked, identifying him before she could stop herself.
Mi Amore Cadenza nodded, a devious, almost predatory smile on her lips. “Yeah. Him.”
Odd, that she would select him… “And what do you like about him?” Celestia asked conversationally.
“He's strong,” Mi Amore Cadenza said simply. “Good build, wide shoulders, nice mane, looks like a natural leader.”
Celestia nodded, having had similar thoughts herself. All the reports from his superiors had said as much (though with more emphasis o his training than his physical physique). In fact, if he kept this up, he'd probably make top brass in-
“He'd definitely go on the front line as a forepony in the salt mines.”
Celestia choked. “What?” she stammered in a most un-princesslike manner.
“I've gotten good at picking out the strong ones,” she said with a shrug. “I’ve watched Daddy do it a lot.” She gestured at another colt, this one an orange pegasus with a blue mane, and scoffed. “That guy? He wouldn't last a day.”
Celestia nodded. “I… see…”
Mi Amore Cadenza continued blithely. “Sometimes daddy picks mares that aren't very strong, though. They get assigned to clean his bedroom. I guess it gets really dirty in there because lots of mares have to clean it.”
Celestia coughed at her unfortunate choice of words. “I see,” she said again.
“And it’s always new mares. I don’t ever see them again.” Mi Amore Cadenza shrugged. “They must be really bad at their jobs.”
Thankfully, the last of the recruits vanished around the corner, and Celestia was able to steer the conversation away from a topic like that. “Up first is morning court. You'll be sitting in, I presume?”
“Court?”
Celestia nodded.
“You sit in a court all morning?” Mi Amore Cadenza asked, tilting her head. “Like, outside?” She glanced up at the sky, as if trying to determine the weather.
“Court isn't exactly a place. Court is when you listen to your subjects and solve their problems.”
Mi Amore Cadenza squinted. “You let the commoners speak? Inside your castle?”
“Of course.”
Mi Amore Cadenza slowed to a stop, her mind completely blown. For a moment, her mouth just worked wordlessly. “But why?” she finally asked.
“Why not?” Celestia asked.
“Because they're commoners,” Mi Amore Cadenza said, as if it were obvious.
“And they have problems, much like our own,” Celestia said.
Mi Amore Cadenza frowned. “Their wings get crooked feathers, too?”
“That’s fairly common for those of us with wings,” Celestia conceded, “and I can teach you how to preen properly later. But even commoners, as you say, have problems and feelings, too.”
Mi Amore Cadenza considered this. “Well, I suppose. I mean, if they tell me their problems, I'll know their weaknesses.”
Celestia barely missed a step. “I suppose,” she said lightly. “Or you could help them overcome their weaknesses.”
“Their weakness, my strength,” Mi Amore Cadenza muttered. The words slid off her tongue, almost like a mantra.
Even in the warm morning light, Celestia felt a tiny shiver run up her spine.
* * *
Celestia hid a smile as Mi Amore Cadenza struggled to keep her eyes open. She hadn't even made it through the second item before starting to squirm, and by the fifth petition she had succumbed to the boredom. Even her desire to discover weaknesses had faded as the businesspony described for the fourth time how the taxes situation had completely ruined his business strategy and the horrifying 2% pay cut he was forced to take.
Suddenly, Celestia frowned, and closed her eyes. She was feeling something she hadn't felt in a long time: a foreign magical source. Somepony was attempting to mess with her mind, trying to influence her. This was a very, very dangerous situation.
For whoever had been so foolish, that is.
She waited until the tendril of magic came poking again, a bit more forcefully, and then she seized hold upon it. Before the pony could retract it, she sent a powerful jolt of energy down it. It wouldn't cause any permanent damage, of course; but the magical feedback would feel like a hammer to the forehead, and would definitely leave the caster with a pretty powerful hornache. She looked around, having given no external indication of what she had done, looking to see who had dared influence her.
To her shock, though, the pony that had collapsed and was rubbing painfully at her horn was none other than little Mi Amore Cadenza.
That afternoon, Celestia took a moment to compose herself outside Mi Amore Cadenza's room. Eventually, she realized that she could not put this conversation off any longer, and pushed the door open; but this time after casting a spell to ensure she did not step in any other traps.
Mi Amore Cadenza sat on her bed. When she recognized Celestia, she crossed her forelegs and spread her wings defiantly. Clearly, she was ready for a fight.
Celestia had no such intentions. Instead, she smoothly slid onto the bed next to her, while still giving the filly plenty of space. “I seem to recall promising to teach you how to preen your wings this morning,” she said.
Mi Amore Cadenza did a doubletake. She squinted, suspecting a trap; but Celestia merely stretched a wing out and waited for her to follow suit. Mi Amore Cadenza scowled, still suspicious, but finally and grudgingly she spread one of her little wings as well.
“Now, birds and griffons preen with oil from a gland under their tail; but our pegasus magic makes our saliva have the same lubricating effect without needing to lick anywhere near your tail.”
Mi Amore Cadenza cracked a tiny smile against her will.
Celestia continued. “Feathers work best when they’re all aligned; so if there’s one out of place, it will mess up your flight.”
“I know that,” Mi Amore Cadenza said snippily.
She was lying, Celestia could tell. Seeing as how Sombra had been a unicorn, she had likely never seen a pegasus flying, let alone flown herself. “With your feathers in the correct condition, flying should come almost naturally,” Celestia said smoothly. She surreptitiously pulled one of her own feathers out of place, then showed Mi Amore Cadenza her wing. “Now, a feather like this one right here needs to be realigned. So take hold of it with your teeth, and slide it back, like this.” She demonstrated.
Mi Amore Cadenza squinted at her wing. She found one that was particularly bad, and hesitantly opened her mouth.
“That one might need to be pulled,” Celestia observed. “Old feathers sometimes can't be fixed, and it's best to just let the new one grow in.”
Mi Amore Cadenza narrowed her eyes slightly, and grabbed it, intending to put it back in place anyway just to be contrary. But just like Celestia had predicted, though her tug was gentle, it fell out in her teeth, and she spat it out. “Shards,” she swore under her breath.
Celestia chose to ignore that. “Feathers fall out all the time. It’s important to take them out for the health of your wings, so new ones can grow in properly. That one next to it might work, though,” Celestia suggested.
“I saw that one.” Mi Amore Cadenza grabbed it and tugged it back into place. “Like that?”
“Perfect. Be sure to keep your lips moistened and keep going.”
Under Celestia’s supervision, Mi Amore Cadenza preened her first wing. She didn’t need to say much; Mi Amore Cadenza picked it up quickly.
Celestia waited until she had finished half of her second wing before speaking. “You're quite the audacious filly,” she said.
Her head spun around. “Don't call me words I don't know!” Mi Amore Cadenza scowled, suddenly remembering that she was angry with Celestia.
Celestia allowed herself a little chuckle. “It means daring, adventurous, willing to take risks. Not many ponies would dare try and influence the princess of Equestria.”
Mi Amore Cadenza tried to keep frowning, but one corner of her mouth curled up a bit. “Yeah,” she said, with more than a hint of pride in her voice as she ducked down to pull another feather. “I am pretty 'dacious'.”
“What were you trying to do, anyway?” Celestia asked.
“I wanted to get a cookie,” Mi Amore Cadenza said simply.
Celestia blinked. “I… beg your pardon?”
She sat up a bit and spat out the feather she’d pulled. “I wanted to stop the stupid court and get a cookie.”
Celestia blinked again. Mind magic was class three forbidden magic, often requiring months of practice before even attempting to use it and carrying harsh penalties if ever used on another pony, it was moderately dangerous for the victim (especially in the horn of an untrained caster); and she was using it to try and get a cookie? “Is that all?”
“Yeah. It was boring. Don't you have room in your dungeons or your salt mines for all those boring ponies?”
“Salt mining is a private business in Equestria, and we haven't used the dungeons in many years,” Celestia informed her.
Mi Amore Cadenza frowned. “Then how do you get rid of the annoying ponies?”
“We don't,” Celestia shrugged.
Mi Amore Cadenza sat back, her mind positively blown.
“Is that what you always do?” Celestia asked curiously.
“Huh?”
“Use mind magic on ponies to have them do what you want, forcing them to comply?“
“Yes,” Mi Amore Cadenza said, as if it were blindingly obvious. “How else do you do it?”
“You can get ponies to do things for you by being nice to them and being their friends. Then they want to do things for you.”
Mi Amore Cadenza scoffed. “Being nice means you're being weak; and friends are just enemies who try to get close to you before they can hurt you.”
“Is that so?”
“Why do you ask all these questions?” Mi Amore Cadenza demanded.
“I'm just wondering why you think that way,” Celestia said simply. “I've found that there are very few problems that cannot be solved with kindness; and I've also found it feels good to do things for other ponies.”
Mi Amore Cadenza rolled her eyes.
Celestia continued as if she hadn't seen. “See, in my life, everypony is my friend; and every morning, I raise and lower the sun. That's certainly not a weak thing.”
Mi Amore Cadenza smiled and shook her head, disbelieving. “No way. The sun doesn't need a pony raising it.”
“I'll show you after dinner,” Celestia offered. She glanced at the clock, and her eyebrows raised. “Look at that. It’ll be lunch time in an hour.”
Mi Amore Cadenza brightened.
Another thing occurred to Celestia. “But you can't have just cookies for lunch,” she cautioned.
“Watch me,” Mi Amore Cadenza challenged, flaring her wings.
Celestia cracked a half-smile. Already, her preened wing was flaring easier and more fluidly. If she guessed right—and she was fairly certain she had—Mi Amore Cadenza would finish the other wing and then spend the rest of the morning practicing her flying.
* * *
Sure enough, when Celestia came to pick Mi Amore Cadenza up for lunch, she found her working on flight, hovering in the air. Taking this in stride (as it were), she smiled. “A little flight before eating would do me well, I think,” she said, spreading her own wings. “Fly with me?”
Not about to turn down a challenge (even though the sweat shimmering on her coat suggested that she probably should), Mi Amore Cadenza nodded.
Celestia let Mi Amore Cadenza lead for a bit down one of the longer halls, just to see how well she had picked it up. She was pleased to see that she had picked up up flying almost instinctively; her little habit of flapping constantly instead of gliding along the currents would be broken naturally on its own.
Mi Amore Cadenza blinked as Celestia took the lead once more, leading her. Her scowl turned into mild confusion as Celestia turned away from the dining room.
She soon landed, and unicorn guards lit their horns and opened the doors, revealing a table with plenty of food set. This was a new room, one Mi Amore Cadenza hadn’t been in before. The decorations weren’t suns, as they often were, but more of a landscape theme, with rolling hills and amber waves of grain under purple majestic mountains.
This beauty was lost somewhat on Mi Amore Cadenza, who scowled as she climbed into her seat and then looked at her plate. In front of her was a lovely selection of good foods… and only two cookies.
Celestia hid a smile as she climbed into her own seat.
Mi Amore Cadenza glared defiantly at Celestia and lit her horn… but the light fizzled out and the green glow of her eyes faded to nothing but a weak spark. She frowned, confused, and tried again; but she got the same result. She looked up at Celestia, frowning, silently demanding an explanation.
“Oh, didn't you notice? We’re sitting in a magic cancellation circle,” Celestia said airily, using a hoof to lift the fork to her mouth. She winked at Mi Amore Cadenza as she placed it in her mouth.
Mi Amore Cadenza scowled and looked down. Sure enough, deeply carved into the ground around the table was a circle with strange markings; she recognized some of them as magic cancellation runes. She scowled harder, then screwed up her face and concentrated as hard as she could in an attempt to brute force her way through the block; but all she managed to produce were more sparks and the thinnest wisp of a purple trail from one eye, leaving her gasping for breath. She growled and then got off her chair, clearly intent on leaving the circle.
Celestia chewed thoughtfully and swallowed politely. “A princess may be put in positions she does not want to be in. Sometimes, these are due to her own mistakes or inattentiveness; but where she really shows her strength is how she reacts to them.” She raised an eyebrow. “After all, we’re both in the circle, aren’t we?”
Mi Amore Cadenza slowed to a stop, ears pricking. She muttered something under her breath that would have been quite appalling in polite company, turned around, and hopped back on the chair, scowling darkly. Celestia got the distinct impression that she had returned more out of defiance than anything else. She scowled once more at Celestia as she faced the table and picked up the fork with her hooves. Preened wings or no, she was still in the presence of an enemy. She looked at Celestia's little smile and scowled harder. “Suck shards,” she spat.
“Don’t look so down,” Celestia said helpfully. “Dessert is coming later.”
Mi Amore Cadenza couldn't help but brighten a bit at that prospect, and she ate quietly. Celestia was pleased to see that she could use her hooves just fine.
That smile of hers faded somewhat when the dessert actually arrived. It was a large, white round thing with the outside painted white with thick paint and the interior divided with red lines and it was most definitely not a cookie. “It’s not a cookie,” Mi Amore Cadenza said accusingly.
Celestia hid a smile. “No, it is cake. I happen to enjoy it even more than cookies.”
Mi Amore Cadenza squinted. There was nothing better than a cookie, right? Half out of curiosity and half out of a deep seated desire to prove Celestia wrong, she lifted her fork and cut herself a bite-sized piece of the moist, rich cake. She slowly put it in her mouth and chewed thoughtfully. Her eyes widened ever so briefly and her wings nearly spread; but she quickly hid her reaction and tucked her wings back in. She finally looked up. “Not as good as a cookie, but it’s not bad,” she said grudgingly, reaching for another bite.
Celestia hid a smile.
When she was done, Celestia remarked, “I have other business to attend to; but you're free to visit some of the other areas of the castle, such as the hall of records…”
Mi Amore Cadenza squinted.
“…or maybe the gardens…”
Mi Amore Cadenza scrunched her nose.
“…or maybe the pottery restoration wing…”
Mi Amore Cadenza stuck her tongue out.
Celestia pretended not to notice. “…or the long, padded training hall where the guards practice their flight sparring, that should be open all afternoon and you wouldn’t be interrupted in there…”
Mi Amore Cadenza’s ears pricked up, and she retracted her tongue.
“…or maybe you would like to come with me to court again today?”
“Training hall sounds good,” Mi Amore Cadenza said quickly.
Celestia nodded. “Then I'll take you there.”
* * *
Mi Amore Cadenza practiced her flying all afternoon; at least, she probably had, judging by how hard she was panting and the frothy sweat covering her pink fur. Celestia had immediately sent for a large trough of water, and it was a testament to how thirsty Mi Amore Cadenza was that she didn't even bother demanding that somepony else test it for poison first before she drained it.
At Celestia's subtle suggestion, she also went in for a bath. By this, it should be understood that she kicked out the attendants, let the hot water run and nearly overflow the tub, loaded her mane and tail with excess shampoo, and deemed rolling around in this soapy water sufficient for her coat, which she cleaned with a few lazy brushes.
Still, she did look (and smell) relatively clean as she stood in front of Celestia, ready for dinner, and so off they went.
Mi Amore Cadenza was ready for the magic cancellation room this time. So it came as a bit of a surprise when instead, Celestia led her outside.
Mi Amore Cadenza frowned as she crossed the threshold. “What's wrong with the dining room?” she demanded.
“Sometimes it's nice to have a change,” Celestia said airily.
Mi Amore Cadenza narrowed her eyes and muttered something under her breath that sounded vaguely like ‘show-off’.
Celestia waited a few moments before continuing. “Also, I like to lower the sun from outside.”
“Oh, yeah.” Mi Amore Cadenza’s ears pricked up. “Don't think I forgot!”
Celestia hid her smile. “It never once crossed my mind,” she said.
* * *
Mi Amore Cadenza sat on her haunches, glaring suspiciously at Celestia. It was time to show her moving the sun. Unless she couldn’t do it, of course. Mi Amore Cadenza had already checked to make sure there weren’t any tricks going on.
Celestia, still mildly unnerved at the previous sight of the little precutiescent filly wandering around with dark, purple magic flowing from her eyes, waited until precisely the scheduled time, and then she stepped forward onto the balcony. She spread her wings and raised herself into the air. She felt like she was performing at another Summer Sun Celebration, but with an audience of only one. Still, Celestia did feel obligated to put on a bit of a show for her. She lit her horn and gently rolled her head back and let the light on her horn grow stronger. She lifted herself higher and spread her forelegs, slowly lowering them as, under her guidance, the sun slowly sank beneath the horizon. With similar motions, she raised up the moon in its stead, and then slowly let herself drift back down to the balcony. She landed gracefully, with barely a sound as her hooves hit the marble beneath.
Mi Amore Cadenza stood, stunned. The magic flow faded into nothingness. Her jaw had dropped and her ears had pinned and her wings had spread and her eyes were as wide as the dinner plates she had just eaten off of, and Celestia couldn't help but crack a smile.
“Will I learn how to do that?” Mi Amore Cadenza whispered reverently.
“Maybe someday,” Celestia said. “It takes practice, and a lot of energy; but I don't doubt that one day you could.”
Mi Amore Cadenza nodded, her face a mask of confusion.
“But for now, it’s time for young princesses to go to sleep,” Celestia said, kindly but firmly. “You must rest if you want your magic to grow stronger.”
Still thinking about what she had seen, Mi Amore Cadenza put up no protest as she followed one of the castle workers back to her bedroom.
* * *
Mi Amore Cadenza paced and pondered in her room. This had definitely given her much to think about. Celestia was clever, tricky, and strong; strong enough to bring down the sun! And then bring up the moon! Not even daddy could do that!
So how did Celestia get so powerful? By being nice?
She stomped a hoof, wings flared in frustration. That didn't make any sense, though! Strength came from crushing the wills and bodies of other ponies! Asserting your dominance! Not by helping ponies preen and giving them cake!
But maybe it was different here. There were strange ponies here with flat coats, not the crystally coats she was used to. There were not nearly enough crystals in this strange place, and for a brief moment, Mi Amore Cadenza felt homesick.
“Shards,” she cursed under her breath. She wanted to be strong. She wanted Daddy to be proud of her. He'd be proud of her for learning how to fly, that was for sure. But she needed more. If that meant learning to play by different rules, she would learn. And one day it would be her sitting on Celestia's throne, being fed cookies and sentencing annoying ponies to the salt mines.
So. Do things for other ponies and get stronger. Stronger was good. But what could she do?
Celestia frowned at the empty seat where Mi Amore Cadenza was to sit for breakfast. She looked over at the attendant sent to retrieve her and raised an eyebrow, wordlessly asking for an explanation as to why she was alone.
“She said she was coming.”
Celestia raised both eyebrows. It was hardly like her to leave with such a flimsy excuse.
“And then she threw a vase at me when I offered to walk with her.”
Celestia exhaled sharply through her nose and suppressed a small smile. That did sound like something little Mi Amore Cadenza would do. Hopefully, the vase wouldn’t take too long to repair.
Mi Amore Cadenza eventually shuffled in, a deep scowl on her face. Her wings hung limply at her sides, and it suddenly dawned on Celestia why. Her wings were sore from all the flying yesterday.
Not wanting to call attention to that (as she might take it as an attack in her time of weakness), she merely inclined her head in welcome, and Mi Amore Cadenza gave her a sullen nod in return as she clambered onto the nearest chair. As she pulled herself up, her wings flared instinctively for balance, and she froze. She let out a pained groan through gritted teeth before narrowing her eyes and finishing her ascent, but this time using only her hooves.
Celestia smiled politely. “I’m glad you could make it.”
Mi Amore Cadenza scowled and muttered something under her breath that sounded vaguely like ‘suck shards’.
Celestia considered. “You know, whenever I feel stress, I’ve found that a visit to a masseuse is helpful. You might find that, too.”
Mi Amore Cadenza’s eyes narrowed. She flared her wings. “I can-” Whatever she was going to say quickly got cut off in another pained whimper. She slowly folded them back down. “-hardly wait,” she finished through gritted teeth.
* * *
Gentle Touch had been warned about this filly. Word traveled fast around the castle staff, enough so that they had drawn straws to see who would have the ‘privilege’ of dealing with the castle’s new princess. As the proud owner of the shortest straw, he now had her on his table. He expected a troubled experience; definitely even a troubling one. Still, having her start a conversation with-
“Hey, Slave.”
-wasn't entirely expected.
“My name is Gentle Touch,” he said pleasantly.
Mi Amore Cadenza shrugged. “Yeah, whatever. Let’s say you wanted to do something… nice-” she nearly spat the word, “-for another pony. What would you do?”
Gentle Touch shrugged. “Something they wanted me to do, I guess.”
Mi Amore Cadenza snorted. “I doubt it’s this, because I can barely feel you doing anything back there.”
Gentle Touch’s nose scrunched up. He was good at his job, and he wasn't about to take that insult sitting down. With a little bit of his earth pony strength, he pressed down harder, but she gave no indication that she had noticed the difference. He tried again, harder this time, but still nothing.
The way she flicked her tail, though, told him that she knew that he was trying and failing; and though he couldn't see, he was certain she was smirking. Defiantly, he adjusted his weight and pushed again, this time elevating to Celestia-tier pressure.
A sharp cracking sound split the air. Mi Amore Cadenza’s whole body arced, her hind leg kicked out, and she let out a little shriek. For a brief moment, he thought he had hurt her; but then the shriek slowly became a pleasured moan.
“Ok, that was good,” she admitted, pulling her leg back down. “Do that again.”
Gentle Touch exhaled, relieved, and slid over to the other side to do it again. Once more, he pushed as hard as he could; and once more, that painful crack and Mi Amore Cadenza’s howl rang through his office.
“Mm. Again.”
Gentle Touch winced. He’d started something he wasn’t sure he’d be able to finish. It was quite the workout for him, earth pony strenght notwithstanding, and it was a great relief when she relieved him with a wave of her hoof.
“So, you…”
Gentle Touch counted this form of address as a marked improvement. “Yes, Princess?”
“What do ponies want you to do? Give them power? Money? Fame?”
Gentle Touch hummed. “I think ponies want to feel good,” he suggested. “That's one of the reasons I love my job. I help ponies feel good.”
“Huh. Feel good.” Mi Amore Cadenza closed her eyes and rested her head against the table. “I'm going to have to think about that.”
Gentle Touch paused. “Uh… that's a good idea, but maybe you could go do that somewhere else?”
Mi Amore Cadenza shook her head. “I think I'm just going to lay here for a while, do you mind?”
Gentle Touch scratched behind his neck. “Actually, I do; I have other clients, and so-”
Mi Amore Cadenza lit her horn, picked him up off the ground, and quite literally threw him out of the parlor before slamming the door shut and pulling up a crystal barrier from the ground, sealing herself inside.
Gentle Touch grimaced as he slowly lifted his head and came eye-to-eye with a rather poky-looking crystal. “Or… I could take the rest of the day off?” he offered shakily.
* * *
Mi Amore Cadenza pranced along through the gardens. Celestia and her stuffy court could go choke on a salt crystal. She was on a mission. She was going to be nice. And she would gain more power than Celestia had ever dreamed possible and dethrone her in front of everypony. ‘Queen Mi Amore Cadenza’ had a nice ring to it.
The filly trotted out and abruptly came to a quick stop. There, stretching out, was a small group of guard recruits, apparently doing a little unsanctioned extra training in their fancy uniforms.
And in this group was a white unicorn colt with a two-toned blue mane.
A slow smile spread across Mi Amore Cadenza's face. Time for a little experiment in being nice.
She strutted in front of them and was pleased to note that their attention shifted to her almost instantly. She suppressed a grin, and turned back towards them. “Hey, you guards in training!”
They looked at her with guarded curiosity. They were at the age where a filly is both a desirable thing and a confusing (and slightly scary) thing at the same time. They were hesitant, staring, awkward.
That wouldn't do. They needed to show a little respect. “Attention!” she barked.
They reacted instantly. Recognizing the authority in her voice, they lined up, facing forward, standing staunchly at attention.
Mi Amore Cadenza began to pace. “Alright, you worthless slackers,” she growled. “You’re supposed to be the pride of the Empire, or princessdom, or whatever Celestia calls this shardpile, so let’s find out how true that is. We’re going to have ourselves a little competition.” She stopped and pointed with her hoof. “You'll start here,” she said, lighting her horn. A narrow, flat strip of crystal formed in front of the cadets, an off-white pearl for a starting line. She looked back over to the other side of the field. “And you'll go to there.” She pulled up a small strand of black crystals for a finish line, smooth but noticeable against the ground. She flapped her wings to get into the air and pointed. “First one to cross the finish line wins.”
At the notion of a competition, the colts lined up eagerly; but Mi Amore Cadenza wasn't done. She dropped to the ground in front of Shining Armor. “I think you're handsome. If you win, I'll give you a kiss.”
His ears pinned and his jaw dropped. He looked around frantically as the colts around him giggled. Mi Amore Cadenza grinned. Clearly, he'd been flattered into submission! It was working!
An orange pegasus raised a hoof. “Does that go for everypony, ma’am?”
Mi Amore Cadenza laughed. She stepped up close and stared him in the eyes, grinning maliciously when he flinched ever so slightly. “If you win, I’ll kiss you twice.”
He blinked dumbly, and then grinned and narrowed his eyes in determination.
Huh. He did have a bit of a spark in him. Maybe there was some hope for him after all.
Shining Armor scowled at him. He looked forward and pawed at the ground, suddenly much more focused on the competition.
Mi Amore Cadenza flew up and raised her hooves. “On your mark! Get set! Go!”
They took off, hooves pounding and sparking against the rocky ground, their fancy clothing fluttering in the wind. Mi Amore Cadenza giggled, reveling in her power.
She flew overhead, wordlessly egging them on. Shining Armor pulled forward, but the orange pegasus was not to be ignored. These two in particular pulled ahead of the pack, and Mi Amore Cadenza was moderately surprised.
And then about fifty paces from the finish line, Shining Armor smirked. He ducked his head and sprinted. He had been holding back. The orange pegasus could only stare dumbstruck as Shining effortlessly increased the distance between them, easily outpacing his competitor.
Mi Amore Cadenza grinned. She did know how to pick them.
Now with a clear margin of victory, Shining Armor burst across the finish line a good twenty paces ahead of the next pony. He looked up and cantered triumphantly, even though his shirt was now tinged with sweat and looked much more wrinkled than before.
Mi Amore Cadenza landed. She trotted up to Shining Armor. “Congratulations,” she said, licking her lips. “To the victor go the spoils.”
It was obvious that Shining hadn't planned this out much further out than just winning the race. His ears pinned, and he took the tiniest of steps back as the consequences of his winning actions became frighteningly clear.
But Mi Amore Cadenza was not a pony that backed off when something she wanted was in sight. She strode forward, and when Shining retracted his head slightly she lit her horn and pulled it back forward.
And she pressed their lips together.
Shining Armor froze. He had never felt anything like this before.
Incidentally, neither had Mi Amore Cadenza. But she wasn't about to let that stop her. She pulled back slightly only to press down again.
Something was wrong, though.
Oh. That's right. She needed to breathe.
She pulled back again, their lips making a strange smacking sound as they separated, inhaling sharply. Shining Armor did, too, both the exertion from the race and the shock of the kiss leaving him gasping for breath.
But his mouth was open. And Mi Amore Cadenza got an idea.
She darted close again, bumping muzzles on accident, and as Shining opened his mouth further to protest, she slid her tongue inside.
She wasn't sure why she'd done this. But she wasn't exactly complaining. It was wet and tasted slightly of mint, but at the same time it felt strangely intimate, and she wanted mo-
“Princess Mi Amore Cadenza!”
Mi Amore Cadenza spun around, nearly letting Shining Armor drop to the ground. She recognized the armor of someone rather high in rank, and the angry look in his eyes seemed terribly familiar. “Celestia told me to!” she defended herself.
Once again, Mi Amore Cadenza sat defiantly on her bed, and once more, Celestia sat patiently nearby. Celestia had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from chuckling. This was definitely not what she'd had in mind when she'd said it felt good to do things for other ponies.
When Celestia was finally certain she would be able to maintain her composure throughout this whole conversation, she finally broke the silence. “You know what I like about you? You're forward.”
Mi Amore Cadenza looked down at herself in confusion. She always walked forward, didn't she? Nopony walked around with their head facing backwards. And nopony walked at all with their heads on backwards.
Celestia noticed her confusion and clarified. “That means you don't dance around what you mean to say or do; you just do it. It's refreshing, really.”
“I don't like dancing,” Mi Amore Cadenza said snippily.
“Then I assume you haven't been taught properly. I shall have to teach you that, as well,” Celestia said with a small smile.
Mi Amore Cadenza made a noncommittal grunt. There was no dancing in the Crystal Empire; there was only work. “Waste of time.”
“Now, I wouldn't go that far,” Celestia said airily. “Some stallions enjoy having a mare that they can dance with. And if you know and he doesn't, you can teach him; and that will endear you to him forever.”
Mi Amore Cadenza grunted again, but her ears did perk up a bit.
“Luckily for you, I happen to know that Shining Armor does know how to dance. It might be a good idea to learn, should you ever attempt to woo him again.”
Mi Amore Cadenza's cheeks tinged slightly pinker than normal, but her eyes remained narrowed and her forelegs remained crossed.
“I'm certain he'll never forget that kiss, either,” Celestia said with a smile. “Though perhaps that part might have been a bit too forward.”
Mi Amore Cadenza scowled harder. “Just you wait and see,” she vowed. “I'll get him next time.” She paused, thinking. “When is next time?” she asked.
Celestia exhaled. “That might not be until later,” she admitted. “That little meeting you interrupted was their last few hours together before the graduation, hence their dress uniforms.” She neglected to mention how much trouble the cadets had gotten in for having messy uniforms in front of everypony. “Everypony who passed basic training is now up for field training.”
Mi Amore Cadenza frowned. “What’s that?”
“That’s further, specialized training. Their first stop is survival training on Foal Mountain.”
Mi Amore Cadenza squinted. “Why do they need to know shards like that?”
Celestia shrugged. “A guard may serve in many capacities and in many locations. He should be trained in many things so he can serve wherever he may be needed.”
“So when are they coming back?”
Celestia paused before responding. “Nine months,” she answered.
“Nine months?! Shards!” Mi Amore Cadenza crossed her forelegs and glared at Celestia. “Fine; but I won't be happy about it!”
“That's reasonable,” Celestia said calmly.
“Stop being so agreeable!” Mi Amore Cadenza shouted.
Celestia shrugged. “Very well. Go to bed immediately, Mi Amore Cadenza, and that’s an order.”
“No!” Mi Amore Cadenza shouted defiantly.
Celestia shrugged again. “I don't know what any of that was supposed to accomplish,” she said calmly.
Mi Amore Cadenza let out an inarticulate roar of frustration. She shot to her hooves and started pushing on Celestia's ribs. “Get out!” she howled, trying to physically push her off the bed. “Out!”
Celestia let her push. “Mi Amore Cadenza, I understand that sometimes things don't go the way you want; but-”
“All I want is for you to get out!” Mi Amore Cadenza stopped pushing, took a step back, and lit her horn. Shards of crystals burst into existence on the floor, and she launched them at Celestia.
Celestia lit her own horn and formed a golden shield around herself, and the crystals merely bounced off. Becoming convinced that her presence was only making the situation worse, Celestia stood and left with a polite bow of her head.
Mi Amore Cadenza’s breath came fast and hard as Celestia closed the door behind her; and she opened the doors again just to slam them shut even harder.
Celestia sighed. It wasn’t Mi Amore Cadenza’s fault, really. With time and a little kindness, she had no doubt that she could get the little filly on her side.
But how much time was she willing to give her?
* * *
Celestia had been alive for a very long time. As such, she had learned much about her little ponies; and especially when they were hiding something. Tiny muscle twitches, little movements of tails and eyes, changes in breathing and heart rate told her a great deal more than the pony in question would be comfortable sharing.
And the guard next to her definitely had something on his mind.
She looked up from her writing and looked at him. Not staring, not scowling; just gentle observation. She waited until his shifting became slightly more pronounced, and then she spoke softly. “Mineral Spark?”
He jumped slightly. “Yes, Princess?”
“Is there something you would like to tell me?”
The guard swallowed. “It’s nothing, Princess.”
Celestia waited patiently. She never said anything; she just waited.
Minteral coughed lightly. “But, uh, if I may… Princess Mi Amore Cadenza has been acting… somewhat strangely recently.”
“Strange in what way?” Celestia asked invitingly.
Her answer came when the door was forcibly kicked open, and Mi Amore Cadenza came in, walking backwards and dragging an overstuffed suitcase. Celestia squinted. If Celestia didn't know any better, she would say it was filled with cookies.
“Mi Amore Cadenza?” she asked.
Mi Amore Cadenza dropped her suitcase and turned to face her. “Life is too complicated here. I wanna go home,” she announced.
Celestia winced. She had been hoping to put off this conversation for as long as she could. “I'm afraid that's not possible.”
“I've figured you out,” Mi Amore Cadenza said, narrowing her eyes. “You foalnapped me. Daddy's looking for me. You take me back right now, and maybe he'll show mercy on you.”
“I'm not sure you'll want to go back,” Celestia said gently.
“Well, it's better than here!” Mi Amore Cadenza spat, working herself into a rage. “I can’t do anything right here! Everything is stupid here! There's not nearly enough crystals, there's too many stupid rules, there's stupid food, there's stupid you, everything is stupid here!” She looked over at the guard and pointed a hoof. “Take me back!” she ordered.
“His patrol doesn't take him that far,” Celestia interrupted quietly. “He wouldn't know where it is.”
“Who would?” Mi Amore Cadenza demanded.
Celestia shook her head. “None of the patrol routes go that far north.”
“Suck shards! I'll find it myself!” Mi Amore Cadenza turned and stomped off, dragging her suitcase behind her. She walked through the door and as soon as she went though, lit her horn and slammed it shut as hard as she could, rattling some of the pictures on the wall.
Celestia exhaled. “That went better than I'd hoped,” she said.
“Princess?” Mineral Spark asked. “Forgive me if I'm speaking out of turn, but she seems quite insistent. She'll likely try again.”
“I know,” Celestia admitted. “What I hope will happen is that she will become discouraged enough to eat a cookie or two, and then realize that it's not so bad here.”
“But…?” the guard prompted.
Celestia sighed. “I doubt it will be that simple.”
* * *
“You, with the weird mane and the ugly glasses!”
“Shh!” the librarian instinctively returned, looking around to see who had broken the cardinal rule of libraries.
Mi Amore Cadenza jumped up on the counter and brought their faces together. “Do not shush your princess, Slave,” she emphasized through gritted teeth. “I have need of your talents.”
The librarian cracked a wry, condescending smile and tapped her hooves together. “Where to begin, where to begin? First of all-”
Her words were cut off as the filly lit her horn, seized her by the throat, and dragged her closer. “You will find me the location of the Crystal Empire,” she hissed, “or I will tear your eyeballs from your skull and feed them to you one at a time.” She released the librarian with a harsh shove, making her fall out of her chair and tumble to the ground.
The librarian coughed, gasping desperately for air. She looked up nervously, cowering under her fierce gaze. Who was this crazy filly, and what was the Crystal Empire? Now quivering with fear, she stammered, “Maps are on the second floor-”
“I've been there, but they were all shards. I couldn't find it. You find it for me.”
“I'm… I'm not actually supposed to leave my desk, and-”
Mi Amore Cadenza narrowed her eyes further, and they suddenly took on a very sickly tinge of green…
* * *
Celestia walked past the library, having left yet another budgetary meeting. She cracked a smile, knowing that she'd secured the funding. Really, cutting money to the library was a terrible idea. Her poor little student would have had a conniption fit if she'd ever heard ponies were even thinking of cutting funding to a library.
She stopped short in her tracks and hesitated. She slowly turned her head to look behind her, hoping against hope that she hadn't seen what she'd seen.
The door to the restricted section was ajar.
Powerful enchantments were on the entrance to that wing. For a pony to brute-force his way past those enchantments, he would need to be nearly on the level of Starswirl the Bearded himself.
Or she could have simply taken mental control of an authorized librarian.
“Mi Amore Cadenza,” she realized in horror. She burst into the wing, nearly galloping down the hallway as she searched for the little filly princess.
But it was too late.
She found Mi Amore Cadenza laying on the ground, surrounded by books on the Crystal Empire (and one hypnotized librarian, standing still, obediently facing the corner as if in punishment). Pictures and artifacts decorated the pages. All of the books were open to the later portions, open to pages detailing the reign and terrors of an evil king. Everywhere Celestia looked, journals and artifacts looked back at her, containing ancient drawings and records, showing dark magics and its effects on the innocent, and even the ways of making an alicorn that were too horrible to consider.
It was damning evidence.
Mi Amore Cadenza looked up at Celestia, defeat and despair written across her face as tears streamed down her cheeks. She had been wrong; so very, very wrong. Her whole life had been a lie.
