Sunset Shimmer is Celestia's prized student. Cadence is Equestria's newest princess. They never really got along well, but after Cadence's coronation, it just gets worse. Especially now that Celestia wants them to be... best of friends?
Sunset Shimmer didn't really like that stupid pegasus to begin with, and her distaste for her only grew after the day of Mi Amore Cadenza's coronation. That crown was supposed to be hers. Instead, it went to the stupid Princess of Love. Now, Celestia has arranged for Cadence to stay in Canterlot with Sunset, and encourages the two of them to become friends. But with Sunset's dour attitude, and her constant bullying, will the two ever become close?
Highly underrated and little-known ship I have dubbed "SunDance"
Rated T for pseudo-profanity and suggestive content.
If Sunset Shimmer were as powerful as she wished to be, the intense glare radiating out from her turquoise eyes would incinerate those pink wings and burn the victim for good measure. Her brow was furrowed downwards, and her face was twisted into an angry grimace. Who the buck did this mare think she was, just trotting into Canterlot and getting- no... stealing those wings.
Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, the newly christened Princess of Love, stole her alicorn wings. And Sunset was going to make her pay.
...after she suffered though this wretched ceremony, of course.
She felt a gentle tap on her flank, and turned to see Princess Celestia, her teacher and ruler of Equestria, standing behind her. The fiery student quickly reigned in her anger and simply raised and eyebrow at the alabaster alicorn. "Yes, Princess?" A talented listener may have been able to detect the air of resentment that laced her voice.
"Why don't you find your seat, Sunset," said Celestia softly. "The ceremony is about to begin." With that, the Princess of the Sun turned back to the new pink alicorn, leaving Sunset Shimmer alone.
The unicorn's face fell slightly at that. Ever since Princess Cadenza, or Princess Cadence, as she preferred to be called, had stepped into the spotlight, Celestia had been paying little attention to Sunset. And that feeling, of Celestia ignoring her, it hurt. Throwing those emotions away and locking them in a deep corner of her mind, Sunset merely replied, "Of course, Princess," in a rude, snarky tone, before walking out into the court chamber.
'At least they gave me a front-row seat to this thing,' she thought dully to herself, before plopping down in the chair. She leaned back in a very casual manner, crossing her forelegs over her torso, and earning her a few unpleasant glances from Canterlot's finest nobles. Feeling at least a little humility, Sunset straightened her posture somewhat, while still trying to remain as disrespectful towards the pink princess brat as equinely possible.
The ceremony itself was very much a bore. Cadence marched in, completely full of herself in Sunset's opinion, and took her place at the head of the hall, right before Celestia. The choir marched in behind her, belting out what seemed to be an endless stream of "Behold! Behold! Behold!" as they held up banners embellished with the pink alicorn's cutie mark. Princess Celestia was all smiles the entire time, giving a speech about how proud she was of her niece's achievements and such, and welcomed Equestria's newest princess into the ranks of the monarchy. Well, now it was a... diarchy? Sunset pondered the thought, finally finding something other than glaring at Cadence to amuse her.
Suddenly, the chorus of beholds began to rise up again, and Cadence and Celestia were headed for the balcony. With a thankfully resounding silence, the doors closed behind them, and Raven, Celestia's scribe, announced that all of the guests were welcome to head to the reception area by the kitchens. Seeing this as her escape, Sunset quickly ducked out of the grand hall, and headed towards her chambers. The unicorn was very eager to lock herself up and ignore everypony for the rest of the day.
Sunset's spirits managed to rise a little as she trotted along towards her room. At least, in the end, she was still Celestia's student. And in time, Celestia would inevitably grow bored of Cadence, and return to her student. Until then she could wait. The unicorn rounded the corner, entering the hallway that lead to her suite. Then, she froze as she saw the sight before her.
There were at least a dozen maids, guards, and general staff ponies rushing about, moving furniture into and out of her suite's main room. Hoof steps rapidly trotted up behind her, and she stepped out of the way to see Raven rush past her at a hurried pace. Thoroughly confused as two heavy-set ponies carried out a couch she never cared for, Sunset regained her ability to walk, and slowly approached her suite.
"What's going on?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.
Raven paused from her frantic scanning of her clipboard, and looked up, as if noticing Sunset standing there for the first time. "Oh, Miss Shimmer," she greeted. "We're just prepping for the Princess's arrival." With that, she went back to studying whatever was attached to her clipboard.
The fiery unicorn standing beside her huffed in annoyance. Some help that was. Realizing that Raven would be of no help to her, Sunset cantered up to one of the various royal guards scattered about the corridor. "So, since she was no help, mind telling me why we're prepping for Celestia's visit to my room?" she asked, waving her hoof about at the ruckus around her.
The unicorn guard shifted his eyes down to look at her slightly smaller form, and raised an eyebrow. "Princess Celestia?" he repeated in a questioning tone.
Rolling her eyes, Sunset nodded. "Yes. You know, the Princess of the Sun? Ruler of Equestria?" she listed the various titles in an overly sarcastic tone.
"I don't know what you're talking about. All I know is that Her Highness ordered us to prep the guest suite in time for Princess Cadence's arrival," he replied, a slight edge to his voice at being addressed so rudely. "She will be staying here."
Sunset Shimmer balked at him. 'What. The. Buck.' Whatever level of animosity she felt towards Celestia in the wake of that stupid, pink alicorn's ascension had just doubled- no tripled. Princess Cadence, the pony she openly hated, was going to live with her. Oh, hay no! And did he just call her room the 'guest suite?!'
The Royal Guard shifted uncomfortably under Sunset's gradual glare. "Um, Miss?" he tapped his hoof on the ground in front of her. "Are... are you alright?"
Realizing that somepony had spoken, the unicorn was broken out of her hateful, internal tirade. "Hm?" she asked, shaking her head slightly. "Oh, yeah, I'm... fine..." she trailed off. "Do you know where Princess Celestia is?"
---
The doors closed behind her with a heavy sigh as the Princess of the Sun walked in from the balcony, the cheers behind her going silent with a soft bang. The new Princess Cadence was beside her, cheeks rosy from all of the attention she had received today.
"Whoah..." she breathed out.
Celestia smiled softly at the newly ascended alicorn behind her. "Woah indeed," she laughed. "I have to say, it has been a while since one of those things occurred!"
Cadence, following in her new equal's laughter, just shook her head. "I never imagined it would be so... festive! I kinda figured it would be overwhelming at first!"
With a grin that could almost be considered malicious, Celestia laughed again. "Oh, we haven't gotten to that part yet!"
The pair left the royal court and started down the hallway. "So, Princess Cadence," Celestia began, placing emphasis on the princess part. "Now that you are officially royalty, we can't have you living in just any old cloud house!" she exclaimed excitedly.
"Princess, you seem almost more excited about my ascension than I am," giggled Cadence mirthfully.
The alabaster alicorn joined in the brief fit of giggled. "Do I? I'm sorry, its just been so long since there's been another prin-" she was cut off suddenly by a raging voice ahead of her.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHERE SHE IS?!!"
"HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW? YOU ARE HER BUCKING SECRETARY!!!"
Celestia and Cadence rounded the corner to witness Sunset Shimmer bellowing into Raven's face relentlessly. Upon noticing the two alicorns down the hall, the fiery unicorn backed away from the poor unicorn and addressed the two. "Oh, there you are."
"Sunset!" chastised Princess Celestia, approaching her student. "What is the meaning of this!"
"IT'S HER!" Sunset flung out a hoof to point at the pink alicorn.
Princess Cadence was very uncomfortable. Sure, she was still trying to adjust to the whole "I'm a princess now" thing, and many ponies may consider that uncomfortable. But what she was experiencing now was somehow even more uncomfortable.
Sunset Shimmer was literally standing a few hooves away from her, screaming into the face of Princess Celestia. And as she did so, Celestia just stood there calmly, listening to what Sunset had to say. Never in all of her life did Cadence ever think that she would see any pony be so blatantly rude to the ageless alicorn, let alone be screaming in her face. And she never expected Celestia to react so calmly either.
"Do you mean Cadence?" asked Celestia. "What could she possibly have done to make you upset? Today seems like a day in which she has made many ponies happy."
Cadence could picture steam pouring out of the fiery mare's ears as Sunset's face turned bright red with rage.
"What could she have done?" she asked, her voice a half whisper. "Oh, where do I begin?" The unicorn threw her full attention at the pink alicorn now, only adding to her discomfort.
"Let's see..." Sunset began. "I have been your student for years now, and have gotten little to no recognition on my talents, but as soon as some random pegasus shows up and gets all familiar with some old fishing town somewhere, she gets to become a bucking alicorn!"
Celestia raised an eyebrow at Sunset's foul language, and opened her mouth, but the young mare wasn't finished.
"Then, on the same day, I have to give up my personal space to make way for her new royal highness, because there is obviously no other room in the castle where she can stay! Nope! Not a single suite, guest bedroom, or even cupboard around!" The unicorn took a deep breath, before a sickeningly sinister grin took over her face. "Actually, if I recall, there's a certain, dusty old room next to yours that could be used. It's not like anypony worthwhile actually used it anyways-"
"SUNSET SHIMMER THAT IS ENOUGH!" Celestia bellowed, her voice echoing in the corridor and leaving a deafening silence in its wake. Sunset fell instantly silent, her ears flattening against the back of her head. Cadence, too, flinched at the sudden outburst, now feeling more uncomfortable than ever.
"Sunset Shimmer," Celestia repeated, her voice once again clam and collected, but still stern. "Princess Cadenza will be staying in your suite, which as I recall, is rather large, and has two rooms." Sunset opened her mouth to interrupt, but her mentor gave her no chance. "She will be staying there because no where else in the Castle is fit to accommodate her quite yet, and probably won't for the coming months. As you know, the Royal Wing of the castle is being renovated, and I, myself, will be displaced for a few months." She gestured a hoof to the door to Sunset's suite. "That suite is kept clean and tidy for you, and therefore, by convenience, Cadence, will be staying there until her royal chambers are ready."
"But Princess-" Sunset began.
"It is non-negotiable." With that as her final word, Celestia walked briskly past the now-stoic unicorn, and spoke with the staff which were now bringing in furniture to the suite.
Cadence remained where she stood, one foreleg awkwardly crossed over the other as Sunset glared at her, the fire in her eyes burning into the last, fleeing bits of her confidence.
"This isn't over," the unicorn said coldly, as she turned and stormed away into the suite. Celestia just watched after her, a sad and tired smile on her face. It seemed that she was getting more and more used to these outbursts.
A few short moments passed with Cadence still standing there in shock before Celestia returned to her side. "I'm terribly sorry about this Cadence, but I hope you really do understand where I'm coming from here," she said. "Sunset Shimmer desperately needs a companion. Perhaps not a friend just yet, but just a pony nearby." The alicorn turned and began to walk down the hallway. "Walk with me."
The pair traveled the hallways alongside each other, the conversation stalled until they reached their destination. A set of closed, oak doors, the portal to Celestia's private chambers. They entered silently, and the alabaster alicorn closed and locked the door behind them.
"Here, we can speak freely, Cadence," Celestia said before letting out a heavy sigh beside her. "She was not always like this. Sunset used to be a very kind pony. But lately..." Celestia shook her head. "I am scared of what she may become, Cadence. Of what she is becoming. I truly am. Now, more than ever, she needs someone." A pristine, white wing unfolded and lay across the smaller alicorn's back. "With your capacity to love, I believe you can get through to her. Save her from the future I fear may come."
Cadence nodded, letting out a weak sigh of her own. "I will try my very best, Princess."
Celestia smiled. "I know you will, Cadence. I know you will. Consider it your first official duty as an Equestrian Princess."
Despite what had just occurred, and the new situation she was presented with, Cadence let out a small, tired laugh. It was only her first few hours as a princess, and it was already becoming very difficult.
Princess Cadence wandered the halls of Canterlot Castle, stalling as much as she could before returning to her new home. Her conversation with Celestia had at least shed some light on the current situation, but it still seemed impractical. Celestia wanted her to become friends with Sunset Shimmer? While her interactions with Sunset in the past had been minimal, they were mostly unpleasant. The fiery unicorn had always shown no interest in becoming friends with her, despite her early attempts. Cadence wasn't the cold type, and would always try to be kind to Sunset despite the circumstances, but this task seemed to be a little too hopeful.
The pink alicorn hung her head and sighed, stopping before one of the many ornate, stained-glass windows of the castle. The sun outside was low in the sky, gently drifting beneath the horizon. Her first day as a princess was slowly drawing to a close, and soon, she would have no choice but to retire to her new bedroom.
Well, she did have a choice. 'I could stay up all night and wander the halls of the castle...' Her body promptly protested against this thought with a long yawn.
With another yawn, and feeling defeated, Cadence turned from the window, and headed back to her shared room. She walked at a slow pace, ever stalling the inevitable next encounter with Sunset Shimmer. The halls stretched on, but it was not long before she reached her destination.
Standing before the ornate door to her suite, Cadence took a deep breath. Preparing herself for whatever was to come, the pink princess rested a hoof upon the polished surface and pushed the door open with a creak.
She was greeted by a small, closet-sized room with two branching doorways, and a mattress lying haphazardly on the floor between them. Raising an eyebrow at the peculiar sight, she headed to the door on the left first, reaching out only to find it locked.
Figuring it was Sunset’s room, she went to the door on the right instead. Finding this one unlocked, Cadence went inside, only to be greeted by the harsh glare of a fiery unicorn.
“Oh,” she said, instinctively taking a step back. “Sorry, I thought this was my room, the other side was locked, you see, and-” Cadence suddenly found herself cut off by a snarky voice.
“Oh, yeah,” Sunset said, mock worry on her face. “This was supposed to be your room, but actually,” she leaned away from the desk she was working at and whispered, as if telling a secret. “It's my lab.”
Cadence looked around the room. It was a splendid bedroom, assuredly much more elegant than any of the bedrooms she had before coming to Canterlot. The furniture in it looked as though it was brand new, and she figured that this was what the castle staff was moving in to the suite when Celestia had confronted Sunset earlier. The only peculiarity was that the bedframe was missing the matching mattress.
"It doesn't look much like a lab," she said, without thinking. Quickly though, she shut her mouth and looked back at Sunset, who was now glaring at her.
"It's. My. Lab." the unicorn repeated coldly. "You may sleep in the vestibule if you must reside with me." Turning, she went back to whatever it was she was doing.
Frozen by the strange occurrence, Cadence could only think to ask, “The what?”
Sunset let out a groan. “That area out there! Where you just came from!”
“I don't think they call that a vesicle…” Cadence trailed off as Sunset spun back around to glare at her. “Okay, well, is there a bathroom or anything I can use?”
Begrudgingly, Sunset gestured a hoof over to a door on the other side of her “lab.”
“Alright, well, um, thank you,” mumbled Cadence as she went over to the indicated door. Upon reaching the door, she sighed. The doorknob was one of those annoying round ones; the type that couldn't be gripped easily by hooves, and we're meant for unicorns selectively. They were popping up all over the castle, and were proving to be a burden to the new princess.
Cadence, a former pegasus, had not yet mastered even some of the more basic magical skills. Celestia was teaching her, but it was proving more cumbersome than either of them had imagined. But she was not going to let her novice skills stop her right now. Sunset was right there, and she was not going to let the first impression be of weakness.
The alicorn briefly wondered where this want to impress Sunset came from, but didn't let it linger for too long.
Concentrating, Cadence thought back to one of the first lessons Celestia gave her. She closed her eyes, and pictured the doorknob in front of her. Then, she searched inside herself for the well; a well that was filled with hot, molten lava. Twisting the handle, she brought up a bucket and focused on channeling that heat and power to her horn. Her tongue stuck out of the corner of her mouth as her horn ignited with a light blue aura. Cadence smirked gleefully, and tried to pour the bucket over the doorknob… only to lose concentration as a teal aura overwhelmed her own and twisted the knob for her. The door swung open in front of her.
Cadence looked over to see Sunset staring at her with an unreadable expression on her face. The alicorn could feel something though. She wasn't sure what it was, as her magic in the realm of feelings wasn't developed fully either. But it was like a warm tingling, like just entering a warm room in the fall.
“You were taking too long.”
Sunset’s voice snapped Cadence out of her trance. The fiery unicorn was back to reading a book, not seeming to pay any attention to the pink alicorn.
“Um, thanks…” she said as she walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her with a hoof.
With a groan, she collapsed against the door, her flank landing hard on the tiled floor. Great. One of her first interactions with the pony she was supposed to befriend, and she made an idiot of herself. 'Why do I care so much?' she asked herself. It wasn't like she even really liked Sunset all that much. The unicorn was arrogant, narcissistic, and a total bitch overall. None of those qualities even remotely appealed to Cadence, at least not consciously, and this strange feeling she got around Sunset didn't help to explain any of it. All it helped to explain was why nopony liked her in general.
And then it hit her.
Like to ton of bricks being lifted off of her chest, Cadence realized what the was feeling. She felt sorry for Sunset Shimmer. No pony liked the mare, she was antisocial to the max, and a royal pain the flank. Sunset was the ultimate pity case, and Cadence felt sorry for her.
With this realization in mind, the pink alicorn stood from her slumped position against the wall, and faced herself in the mirror. Celestia's task for her had now taken on a whole new meaning. She would do her best to become friends with that lonely little pony, no matter how hard it was. She would be nice to Sunset, no matter how mean or cruel she was in return.
This would be the first test of Cadence's skill. Friendship was just another form of love, and Cadence would get Sunset to recognize the magic of friendship.
---
As the door shut behind Cadence, Sunset attempted to refocus her attention on her work. The castle staff had moved most of her equipment into her own bedroom, but she refused to surrender this space to the newcomer. So she sat at the desk in the nearly empty room, reading a book.
However, she found that she had trouble concentrating on the words. She could hear Cadence fumbling around in the bathroom, no doubt screwing about trying to use her magic. Sunset had to admit it was pretty humorous to watch the former pegasus try and open the door by herself, with her muzzle scrunched up and tongue sticking out-
Sunset was shaken from her inner thoughts as she heard a hoof knocking on the door. "Cadence?" came Princess Celestia's voice. Sunset groaned and let her head slam into the desk. Of course she would come to check on that spoiled pink featherbrain.
"Cadence," came the voice again. "Are you in there? Why is your mattress out in the entranceway?"
Realizing that the annoyance would not leave on her own, Sunset briskly opened the door with her magic from across the room, and felt the room glow slightly with the entrance of the princess of the sun. Not really wanting to deal with this right now, she refocused her attention on her book. An action which turned out to be a futile attempt.
"Sunset!" Celestia said, sounding startled to see the unicorn in the room. "I told you this was to be Cadence's room! Why are you in here, and where is she? Where is her bed?"
The fiery pony grunted, before lifting her head and spinning around. "She understands that this was my space, and offered to sleep out in the corridor," she mumbled, hoping the Celestia would accept the blatant lie. She didn't.
Celestia's gaze bore into her, and Sunset had to fight the urge to look away. "Sunset," Celestia's voice, unlike her gaze, was soft. "I know you're having a hard time adjusting to this, but you need to accept it. Part of your teaching is to welcome change in your life, and not all of the changes will be entirely in your favor." Celestia took a few steps closer to her pupil, before adding in a hushed tone, "You want to be a Princess, and yet you still act like a foal sometimes. So pony up, accept what's changing, and get used to it." With those final words, Celestia turned and left, the mattress magically being dragged back into the room before the door closed gently behind her.
Once again alone in her former room, Sunset let out a deep breath before slumping into her seat. As much as she put on a strong face, Celestia's chastising still got to her. The princess was right, she supposed. She used to be a good student, but where did it all change? Hearing Cadence drop something else in the bathroom, her train out thought got back on course. 'It all changed when I decided I wanted to be something more than just a student.'
The door to the bathroom opened, and Sunset bit her tongue from mentioning how Cadence was able to open the door on her own this time. "Did somepony visit while I was in there?" the pink alicorn asked Sunset.
"Yeah, Celestia came in to do your bidding," grumbled Sunset, turning back around to her desk. "You can sleep in here, but this is still my space so don't expect me to leave. I have work to do." Sunset gestured to the mattress that Celestia had dragged in before opening her book back up and attempting to read again, very aware of the alicorn in the room behind her.
"Oh," Cadence said sounding surprised. Quickly though, a smile appeared back on her face. "Well, thank you for compromising for me! That's really thoughtful of you!" Cadence tried to be as friendly as possible. In some strange way, she could all of a sudden see Sunset's point of view. Here she was, a pony whom Sunset had only passing contact with before, and she was suddenly moving in with her.
The feeling passes almost as soon as it came, and Cadence was left confused. She didn't know where these thoughts and emotions were coming from, but they were certainly... interesting to say the least. Trying to shake the puzzlement from her mind, she focused her attention on the mattress lying on the floor next to the bed. She lit her horn, and attempted once again to call back to the magic lessons Celestia had given her.
No luck. "Uhhh, Sunset?" she asked timidly. "Could you help me put the mattress back on the bed, please?"
'Of course she needs help.' Sunset fought the urge to vomit. Her opinion was resolute now; she hated that damn princess, no matter how sexy she- 'wait a minute, where did that come from?!'
Sunset Shimmer wanted to throw herself off of the edge of Celestia's balcony.
While she had done her best to ignore the intruder in her room, Sunset's attention kept focusing back on the alicorn mulling about the room behind her. In the past two hours, she had gotten through only two pages of her book, her attention span suffering greatly with the added presence.
Cadence had been wandering around her new room, setting things up for herself. Her possessions had arrived not too long after Celestia had left, and she had unpacked what little she had and set herself to the task of making the space her own. The bed had been made, nightstand adorned with a lamp and a few romance novels, while a picture of her and and few other ponies sat beside them. All in all, there was very little that Cadence had brought to the castle with her. Of the few possessions she owned from her home, she had left most of those behind.
The alicorn stood back, and looked at her corner of the room. The sight made her smile. It was like her own little slice of home transported to Canterlot. She turned back to look at Sunset, and see how she liked it, but upon turning around, she saw that the unicorn was aggressively nose-deep into a book. Thinking better about disturbing her, Cadence opted to just go take a late night walk instead. Silently slipping out of the room, Cadence softly walked down the hall.
The castle was oddly deserted at night. It was a strange juxtaposition to see the emptiness of the corridors that bustled with activity during the daytime. Sconces along the halls signalled that perhaps there had been a time when the building was active at night, but now they lay dormant on the walls. It was no matter though, as beams of moonlight drifted in through the windows and lit Cadence's path in a pale light.
As she turned a corner, Cadence let out a small, startled gasp as she almost walked into another pony. The castle was so dead, the presence of somepony else was almost unnatural in a way.
"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry," Cadence apologized, putting a hoof on her chest.
The pony whom she almost ran over nodded in forgiveness. "It's quite alright, your highness. Not too many ponies expect to see me wandering these halls at this hour."
Cadence smiled in reply. "May I ask why you are, as you put it, wandering the halls at night?" she asked kindly.
The pony, who Cadence now noticed was a unicorn with a grey-blue coat and pale purple mane, nodded and gestured to a bench by the window. "Why don't we take a seat, your highness, and I can explain myself," she suggested. "It's not often I have another pony to speak with, let alone the newest princess of Equestria."
Cadence's smile softly dimmed at the last part. "Oh, I don't think I'm all that special," she said. "I mean, I'm barely a princess yet. I haven't done anything!"
As the two sat down, the unicorn sitting beside Cadence tutted. "But you have! I heard that was a very brave thing you did in that town of yours. Showing an evil pony the path to light and love is no easy feat," she said. "And yet I'm told you didn't even hesitate in walking right up to them."
"I guess," Cadence said, shrugging. "But that's enough about my story. What about you?"
The pony extended a hoof, which Cadence took in a simple hoofshake. "My name is Eventide, seneschal of the Night Princess," she said, introducing herself.
Cadence raised an eyebrow in confusion. "The 'night princess?' Who is the night princess?"
Eventide smiled. "She is... away... for some time," she replied. "Quite a long time, if I am to understand it correctly."
"But who is she?"
There was sigh, and Eventide leaned back a little on the bench. "The Princess of the Night was Princess Celestia's closest companion. They ruled Equestria together. As Celestia would take court and serve Equestria during the day, those duties would fall to the Princess of the Night at sundown," the unicorn explained. "They ruled in harmony together for many, many years. Then, something happened, and the Princess of the Night had to leave." Eventide paused for a moment, gazing out the window solemnly. "The Night Princess never returned."
Cadence listened to the story in fascination. She had never heard it before, and it piqued her interest.
"Princess Celestia has kept a seneschal however, ready for when she eventually returns to us," Eventide went on. "And thus, here I am. Awaiting the return of my princess." The unicorn smiled at Cadence as she finished her story.
"I've never heard of this," the alicorn said, wonder showing on her face. "So I assume this 'night princess' is like Princess Celestia? She's immortal too?"
Eventide nodded. "Yes. As are you!"
Cadence's demeanor fell as the reality of her new situation was once again brought to her attention. "I'm not really sure how I feel about that," she said softly, looking down at her hooves. "I mean like, it's something that a lot of ponies seem to want and wish for, and now I have it. But I don't know if I want it."
She felt a gentle hoof on her shoulder. "Immortality is hard to comprehend," Eventide said. "It's right there in front of you, stretching on forever. It is empty, and it is up to you to fill it up." There was a pause as Cadence absorbed what the seneschal was saying. "I know it seems daunting. That's because it is. And it will take you quite a long time before you feel comfortable about it. Some ponies have told me it took Princess Celestia herself hundreds of years to become accustomed to the fact."
The pink alicorn sighed. This was indeed her reality now. She hadn't expected this on her first night as a princess, but the subject of her immortality was bound to come up sooner or later. That moment just happened to be at almost midnight in a dark corridor with a mysterious seneschal of a long-lost princess of the night.
Eventide seemed to read her mind. "I know this seems like a lot to take in, and this is your first day as an official princess," she said, kindness in her voice. "But the sooner you're able to begin the adjustment process, the easier it will be in the long run."
Cadence smiled dryly. "And if not, at least I have eternity to get used to it," she said, only a hint of mirth betraying her dismal look. The comment earned a sympathetic look from Eventide, but the unicorn said nothing. Instead, she choose to stand, and turned away, walking up to a window. Silence fell upon the two ponies as they both gazed through the stained glass at the pale surface of the moon.
"You should go and get some rest," Eventide finally said, her suggestion shattering the stillness of the silence. She turned to look back at the alicorn. "It's been a long day, and from experience, they only get longer before they get shorter." Cadence gave her a confused look. With a small smile, Eventide clarified. "Things may get harder at first, they will get harder, but you'll get used to this new life soon. I promise you."
"Thank you so much," said Cadence. "It's been wonderful to be able to talk to you, and learn so much more about this." She waved a hoof around. "I hope to see you again soon."
Eventide smiled. "I'm happy to talk. I'll be around." With that, the unicorn turned and continued walking down the hallway, heading back to whatever mysterious task the Seneschal of the Night Princess did.
Now alone on a bench in the hallway, Cadence decided to take Eventide's advice and get some rest. She stood, yawning, before turning hoof and walking in the opposite direction of the unicorn, back to her suite and her bed. Her walk back was relatively uneventful, however as she gazed out the window, she could have sworn that a face on the moon gazed back at her.
The trip back to her room was uneventful, the maze of corridors slowly becoming more and more familiar to her. Soon she was at the door to her half of the suite. Cadence paused, taking a deep breath and preparing for whatever was to come before pushing open the door. The sight before her, however, was not quite what she was expecting.
The light that Sunset Shimmer was reading by had gone out, and the unicorn was slumped over the desk asleep. The open book was acting as a surrogate pillow on the hard wooden surface. Cadence almost chuckled at the view. Sunset, for the first time since they had formally met, was quiet and calm.
Not wanting to disturb her suite mate, Cadence quietly took off her regalia, and placed it on the dresser by her bed. Then, she climbed into her own bed, and pulled the covers over her.
Soon, the soft snoring of Sunset lulled her to sleep, and Cadence too was in the realm of dreams.
A knocking on the door roused Princess Celestia from her late-night paperwork. "Come in!" she called out, magically opening the door. The mare who stepped through the door was not one she saw often at all, and wasn't one whom she expected to see tonight.
"Good evening, Princess," Eventide said, bowing slightly. "I hope I'm not intruding."
Celestia smiled. "Of course not, Eventide," she replied. "It's good to see you! What brings you here." She tidied up the papers on her desk before turning around and facing the visitor.
The unicorn sat on a cushion by the foot of Celestia's bed. "I ran into Princess Cadence earlier tonight," she said. "She was having the typical first night thoughts."
The alabaster alicorn slumped in her seat. "Please tell me she isn't-"
"Right now I think she's doing fine," Eventide hurridley assured her. "She didn't seem too uncomfortable with the concept, only perplexed."
Celestia sighed. "Please keep an eye on her, Eventide," she said softly.
Eventide nodded, before standing up. When she reached the door, she paused, and then turned back around. "Princess, if I may," she began. "It wasn't your fault."
Celestia swallowed back a few tears as she turned back to her paperwork. "I need not be assured, Eventide."
With that, the Seneschal of the Night Princess left the room, and Celestia continued to sign papers by the candlelight.
The light of the morning sun streaming through the window roused Sunset Shimmer from her sleep. The warm beams draping across her face caused her to scrunch up her muzzle and squeeze her eyes tighter, desperately trying to hold on to the last vestiges of sleep. Unfortunately, like most mornings, her efforts were in vain.
Reluctantly, the unicorn opened her eyes and lifted her head off of the desk it was resting on. With a groan, she twisted her head around, trying to rid herself of the soreness in her neck caused by her odd sleeping position. There was a satisfying crack and she sighed in relief, relaxing herself once more.
The relaxation only lasted a few minutes however, as Sunset remembered where she was. Suddenly completely awake, the unicorn bolted upright in her chair, magically steadying it so that she didn't accidentally knock it over. She took a moment to gather herself, before she turned to face her new suite mate.
The sleeping princess was snoring ridiculously loud, her mane erratically splayed out around her head. There was a distinct absence of grace about the scene that Sunset found vaguely charming, but she refused to let the sentiment get into her head, pausing only for a moment before violently tearing it from her psyche. So she threw a book at her instead.
The leather-bound tome landed on Cadence's exposed belly, and the alicorn let out a very undignified "urp!" before bolting upright in confusion. "Whazzat?"
Sunset merely rolled her eyes as she crossed the room before opening the door to her own half of the suite. "It's morning. I have work to do. Get out." The words were curt and quick and Sunset was out of the room before Cadence could even process what she said. She closed the door behind her, cutting off the mumbled "O-okay" before collapsing face first into her own bed.
The unicorn pulled a pillow to her muzzle, and screamed into it. Everything about this situation was wrong. She was supposed to be the one sleeping in and getting to be all cute with their snoring and their wings and their messed up mane. Instead she was stuck in a seemingly endless cycle of tutelage towards Celestia and- wait did she just call Cadence cute?
All of the processes in Sunset's mind simultaneously stopped and she rose her head, stunned at her own thoughts. "Where did that come from?" she muttered to herself. She pondered on the source of the thought briefly before shaking her head to try and clear it from her mind. Cadence was a stupid pony who just happened to have a nice mane and nice wings that Sunset desperately wanted. It was probably logical to think they looked "cute." Probably. Maybe.
Sunset was pulled from her thoughts by a light knocking on her door. Thankful for any distraction before she could continue down that current line of thought, she stood from her bed and quickly made her way to the door. She was both surprised and slightly disappointed to see Raven standing there, hoof poised to knock again.
"Oh, uh, good morning, Sunset," said the unicorn, shuffling her clipboard in her magic. "I've come to let you know that the Princess would like to talk with you after breakfast!"
"Which one?" Sunset deadpanned, already knowing the answer but still wanting to emphasize her irritation at that even being a question she could ask. Raven did not catch onto the sarcasm.
"What do you mean which one... oh! Why, Princess Celestia of course!" came the stuttered reply.
Sunset took a minuscule amount of comfort in the fact that Cadence's ascension was not immediately present in another's mind, before huffing and turning to close the door.
"Very well. Tell her I'll be ready after breakfast," she replied before closing the door on whatever Raven's response might be. She was not in the mood for any form of conversation, and that included listening to whatever Celestia's mouthpiece had to say.
Breakfast itself was an uneventful affair. She sat alone in the dining room, idly munching on some fruit that the kitchen staff had provided while continuing to read "Advanced Arcane Solutions to Otherwise Ordinary Problems." Cadence had stumbled into the room briefly, questioning whether or not this was where she ate before she was quickly ushered out by a waitress directing her to a more "regal setting."
Sunset rolled her eyes at that. Of course she would be eating in Celestia's dining room. No need for a Princess like her to mingle with the peasants. Maybe she could bring that very point up with the Princess later when questioning her as to why they were even rooming together.
The unicorn was pulled abruptly from her thoughts for the second time that morning when Princess Celestia walked through the doors that Cadence had just been escorted through only moments earlier.
"Good morning, Sunset," she said warmly, seeming to forget the fiery unicorn's outburst the previous day. "How are you this morning?"
Sunset sighed, closing her book and putting on a comically fake smile. "Oh I'm just chipper, your highness! Can't wait to see what this wonderful day has to bring."
Celestia shook her head in response, an eyebrow arching upward at the obvious sarcasm. "Now now my dear student, there is no need to be so sarcastic. I have something exciting to discuss with you today."
"Oh and what might that be?"
The alabaster mare sat on the cushion opposing Sunset, opting to snag a banana and peel it as she spoke. "Today, Sunset Shimmer, we will discuss your future as my pupil," she said, before biting into the yellow fruit.
Now she had Sunset's attention. The unicorn straightened up in her seat and gave all of her focus to Celestia. "What do you mean?" she asked, a small part of her worried that the Princess was more upset about yesterday than she had let on. She wouldn't let her nervousness show, though, and continued to watch the princess eat the banana, outwardly displaying only a mild interest.
Celestia swallowed her bit before continuing. "As you well know, and like to often point out, you have been my personal student for quite some time," she began. "You are certainly an exceptionally powerful unicorn, Sunset, I will not deny that. You have come very far in your tutelage, and I am very impressed by your drive and continued motivation."
Sunset beamed at the praise. Celestia often mentioned how she impressed her, but it was rare to get such unfiltered compliments. A small smile began to creep onto her muzzle.
"But," Sunset's smile instantly vanished. Of course there was a but. "Your maturity and compassion has not seen the same improvements. The lessons of friendship and empathy are just as necessary in my teaching as that of the magical arts." Another pause, and another bite. "One might even say that they are lessons in a magic of their own."
The unicorn slumped down into her cushion, replying "I am mature, though." It was a weak counter-argument, and she admitted it to herself. But Sunset did not know exactly how to respond. Friends and feelings and all of that junk would weigh her down, take up precious amounts of her time that could be devoted to mastering a new spell. She had argued this point with Celestia many times before, but this claim that Sunset was not mature was a new talking point.
The last bite of banana vanished and Celestia gracefully folded the peel before placing it on a discarded plate. "Are you?" she asked. "Throwing a fit at some other pony's great accomplishment is not a sign of maturity, Sunset. Screaming in rage at myself and my aides because of an inconvenient, yet small change in routine is not a sign of maturity." The large mare leaned slightly closer to the unicorn. "You need to learn to take things as they come, and understand why they are happening. You need to be less selfish, and congratulate others on their success. And most of all, you need to learn to simply be nice to everypony. Be the bigger mare. Showing some humility from time to time also wouldn't hurt."
Sunset was very quickly getting angry. Now Celestia was accusing her anger of being unjust. What was unjust about another pony swooping in on her stupid wings and stealing the crown away from her? In her own mind, Sunset had every right to be angry, and that anger was validated by this nopony from some stupid fishing village stealing her hard-earned glory. Before she could speak any of these points aloud however, Celestia stood and let out a sigh.
"Follow me, Sunset," she said, beckoning towards the door with a nod of her head. "I have something I would like to show you."
Still seething with anger, and annoyed by her inability to counter any of her teacher's claims, Sunset stood and followed. Celestia led her out of the dining room. The two walked through the halls silently, heading towards Celestia's private wing of the castle. Sunset had been here before, of course, but it was still a rare occurrence for anyone outside of the Princess' personal staff and guard to be in this area. Curiosity slowly replaced her anger, and she tried to figure out where they were going.
Eventually, Celestia came to a stop outside the door of a room that Sunset had never been in. It was a fairly ordinary door, but what stood out was the lock that adorned its otherwise plain wooden front. Celestia leaned down, and slid her horn into the lock, sending a surge of magic briefly before the door's lock slid open, and the door cracked ajar.
Celestia straightened back up, and pushed the door the rest of the way, nodded to indicate that Sunset should enter. The unicorn hesitantly stepped forward into the dark room, Celestia following right behind. Sunset jumped as a jet of fire erupted from Celestia's horn, fanning out and lighting the chandelier hanging from the center of the ceiling.
With the room now lit, Sunset could actually see that they were in what looked like an ordinary storage room filled with junk. "You took me to see a closet," she said, unimpressed.
To her surprise, Celestia replied with a light chuckle. "Mmm, not quite." The alicorn walked around the stationary unicorn to a tall object in the corner of the room. "I brought you here to see this."
Celestia's magic gripped the edge of the cloth covering the object, and yanked it to the side. Decades, if not centuries worth of dust flew into the air and she pulled her head back as to not get suffocated by it. When the cloud of particles finally settled, the object of interest was finally revealed to be a tall, ornate mirror. It's frame was carved from a translucent crystal, and various small gems adorned its border.
Sunset gazed into her own reflection, still not impressed. "It's a mirror," she said, wondering what mind game the Princess was trying to play with her.
The alicorn raised a hoof to her. "Step closer," she said, and Sunset hesitantly complied. "Look into the mirror and tell me what you see."
The unicorn gazed back into her own reflection. Her own teal eyes stared back at her, a perfect replica. After a few moments, she sighed. Mockingly, she said, "I see a beautiful pony with nothing but power and potential."
"Look closer. With some of that humility we spoke about this time."
Her annoyance growing, Sunset continued to stare at herself. Much to her surprise, after a few moments of stillness the image began to shift. Her horn began to grow longer and a pair of bright wings unfolded from behind her. An aura of magic began to encompass her entire body. "I see a pony who could be more powerful, who hasn't yet reached her full potential," she muttered, almost to herself. "I see a pony that could rule Equestria." The image continued to shift, and the magic around her grew brighter and brighter until her wings began to burn with bright flames. The fire spread and soon everything in the room was on fire. Sunset's eyes grew wide as she watched her fur burn away completely until she was staring into the empty eyes of her own charred skull. "W-what is happening?" she almost screamed. "What's going on?"
Then, as if a switch was flipped, Sunset was back in the storage closet with Celestia staring into the same two teal eyes that greeted her in every other mirror. "Sunset, are you alright?" the alicorn asked, concerned.
Sunset took a few moments to respond. "Yes, sorry," she said softly. "I just... I thought I saw... nevermind..."
Celestia looked down at her, her mouth frowned with concern. "Maybe it's best if we move on to today's lesson," she said softly. A hoof was placed on Sunset's back and gently guided her back towards the door.
The unicorn pulled herself away from the mirror, and followed her teacher back into the hallway. The door was pulled shut behind them, and Celestia resealed the lock before looking down at her once more. "Are you sure you're alright, Sunset?"
Sunset nodded, finally looking up at the Princess. "Yes, I'm fine. Sorry."
Celestia raised her eyebrow, not totally believing what she heard. However she didn't pry, and instead chose to start walking back towards the more public area of the castle. "Alright then, if you'll follow me we can get started on your lessons for today."
Sunset trailed behind the alicorn as they headed towards the library. The entire time, her mind was focused on that mirror, and what she saw. What did it mean? She saw herself as a princess, and then... what happened?
"Princess," she asked as they approached the large doors of the library. "What was that mirror?"
Celestia paused in opening the doors and let out a deep sigh. "The mirror posses a magic far beyond that of even my own, Sunset. It can gaze into a pony's soul, and project the path they might take." She turned to look down at the unicorn. "But you must know that the mirror is not always right, and often times what it shows is a warning just as much as it is a prediction."
She could tell that Celestia was trying to be comforting, but for some reason, the words sparked a new anger in her. Suddenly the mirror's message was quite clear. Cadence had stolen that crown from her. Those wings were rightfully hers, and she would have to burn a path to get them back.
"It's actually quite a simple task once you get the hang of it," said Celestia as she shut the door with her magic. Cadence watched closely as the older alicorn lit her horn again and twisted the door knob open, before closing it again. "Why don't you give it a try?"
Concentrating, Cadence lit her horn, and a weak blue glow encompassed the door knob. The knob began to rattle, and with some effort, began to slowly rotate. Eventually, it had turned all of the way, and Cadence pulled her head back, the wooden door swinging open with it.
"Ha ha very good, Cadence," laughed Celestia. "But you don't actually need to move your head with it."
The pink alicorn blushed sheepishly, but smiled at the praise. "Maybe now I can actually get into rooms around this place."
"Don't worry, soon it will feel like second nature to you," Celestia reassured. "But for now, how about we go get some dinner. I could eat the whole garden if the staff would let me."
Cadence giggled at the comment, and followed the older princess down the hall.
"So how are you liking the castle?" asked Celestia. "Settling in well?"
"Oh, it's very nice!" chirped Cadence. "It's a big difference from my old home, but I can't say it isn't a pleasant change!"
Celestia laughed again. "I'm sure the royal life would be an improvement for almost any pony," she said.
The statement was a little off-putting to Cadence, but she didn't let it bother her. Of course, there were moments when she missed her quaint fishing village, but she didn't want to step on Canterlot's hospitality. Especially when Princess Celestia was trying so very hard to make her feel welcome.
"What about Sunset, has she been nice to you?"
Cadence paused, trying to pick the right words. "She's been cordial," she decided. "We don't really talk all that much, though."
Celestia nodded. "At least she isn't being rude," she said. "Sunset can be very persistent, and I was worried she'd try her hardest to kick you out."
Cadence decided not to mention a few of the muttered comments she had heard Sunset make over the past few days.
The two continued on their walk towards the dining room. When they arrived, dinner had already been prepared and set out for the two of them. Cadence hadn't realized how hungry she was, and was practically salivating at the tantalizing smell of roasted vegetables. She hurried to her seat, and was ready to dig in before a thought came to her.
"Princess?" she asked, getting Celestia's attention. "I accidentally stumbled into Sunset's breakfast this morning, and uh, I was wondering... why does she always eat alone?"
Celestia sighed. "When Sunset was younger, we used to eat together. However as she grew older, she seemed to want more and more privacy. I respected those wishes, and it eventually turned into how it is now." The Princess traced a hoof around the edge of her goblet before continuing. "Now, we only really see each other for her lessons, and from what I hear of the castle staff, she spends most of her time alone."
"O-oh," Cadence looked down at her meal, not really feeling all that hungry anymore. How could anypony spend all that time alone? No wonder Sunset was so angry and upset all the time.
"I'm growing very worried about her, Cadence," said Celestia, her tone becoming more sullen. "I've never been particularly good at recognizing when ponies are upset or stewing in their own minds. It is one of my failings even after all of this time." She looked up now, looking Cadence in the eyes. "But I can see it with her. Something inside of her is breaking, and it won't be much longer before it breaks completely. I don't know how to help her, and that is part of the reason I want you to."
Cadence swallowed, nodding in agreement. The more she learned about Sunset Shimmer, the more and more concerned she became for the young unicorn. She would do her best to help her, not only because Celestia asked her to, but because she couldn't leave anypony behind. Sunset's standoffish and coarse attitude was most likely a byproduct of her growing loneliness, and Cadence would not let that continue, not when she was tasked with helping her.
"Well, I think that's enough of such a maudlin for the evening," Celestia said, suddenly forcing a smile. "Let's enjoy our dinner, shall we?"
The rest of the meal was silent. There was little to say after that conversation, and Cadence was too busy trying to figure out how to go about actually speaking to Sunset. When she had finished her meal, she politely excused herself from the table.
Celestia looked up from the slice of cake that had been placed in front of her, a slightly surprised look on her face. "You don't want any cake?" she asked, wondering how anypony could not want a slice of cake.
"I'm quite full from dinner, maybe another time" replied Cadence, before excusing herself once again and leaving the dining room.
The pink alicorn slowly walked back to her room, Celestia's words echoing in her head. Her view of Sunset had completely changed in just under a day. She had thought that the unicorn was just a spoiled brat who was mean and entitled, but as more and more was revealed, she agreed with Celestia more. Sunset was probably just incredibly lonely, and far too proud to ever admit that to herself.
She was soon at the door of her suite, and suddenly brightened up as she remembered what she had learned earlier today. Her horn lit up and surrounded the doorknob, and then slowly turned it, letting out a happy cheer as it swung open. Humming happily to herself, Cadence closed the door behind her and went to go freshen up in the bathroom before freezing as she noticed who was sitting on her bed.
"Congratulations," said Sunset mockingly. "You can now enter rooms without a real unicorn's help."
"Oh," mumbled Cadence, a little put off by Sunset's words. "Uh, thanks. Princess Celestia spent the afternoon teaching me."
Sunset did not immediately reply, instead opting to inspect her hoof as the two sat in silence. Then she spoke again. "You know, something interesting happened this morning," she said, returning her attention to Cadence. The alicorn perked her head in interest, an action that for some reason only made Sunset more annoyed. "Yeeaah... you see, Princess," she continued, contempt dripping icily from her words. "I found out that you're nothing but a liar and a con."
Cadence was shocked by the sudden accusation. Of course, it wasn't all that surprising coming from Sunset, but that suddenness was still a bit of a shock. "W-what?" she asked.
Sunset returned her attention to her hoof, but continued speaking. "Celestia revealed something to me this morning. She granted me some insight into my destiny. And in those visions, I saw myself as an alicorn, standing by Celestia's side." Her hoof dropped back down to the bed, and the unicorn leveled her glare back on Cadence. "And then you stole that away. My dreams and visions and everything I had ever hoped for burned away because of you!" She was shouting now, anger burning in her eyes. "You stole my wings just so you could get that stupid horn on your head!"
The unicorn stood up on the bed, and slowly approached the other side. Sunset was now towering over Cadence as she continued her rant. "And now you're here, continuing to do nothing but steal from me. Everything I was striving for, everything I had worked so hard to get to is now gone because of you! My home, my dream, my destiny is all for nothing because you wouldn't keep your greedy hooves away from my crown!" Cadence was now sunken down beneath Sunset's angry stance, afraid of what the unicorn would do now that she was apparently unhinged.
"You ruined my life just so you could get your shot at immortality!" Sunset lowered her face so she was closer, not unlike she wanted to spit in Cadence's.
Cadence's eyes widened. "W-what?!" she asked, surprise filling her voice. The comment stunned her so much that her initial feelings of fear and shame were pushed aside to due to the hurtful words. "You think I wanted this?"
"Oh don't even try your pathetic excuses on me!"
"You think I want to live forever?" Cadence shouted back. "Well I don't! I'm terrified! My life will go on and on and I have no choice but to sit there and watch as everything happens around me! As all of my friends and family die! And.. and..." Cadence was breathing heavily now, the beginnings of a panic attack setting in. "I don't want this! It wasn't my choice! It just happened! I don't want this!"
Heavy sobs were racking her body now, and her words were fading into panting breaths and cries. She collapsed down onto the floor, curling up and trying to make herself smaller and control her breathing. It wasn't working.
Sunset pulled away, looking confused and only slightly concerned at the scene unfolding before her. Silently she left the room, leaving Cadence to panic and sob by herself.
---
Sunset pushed the door closed behind her, and let out a sigh and leaned her flank back against it. She could still hear the faint sobs coming through the thick wood, so she moved away and instead chose to take a seat on her bed.
At the last comment that Cadence had shouted, Sunset had felt her anger calm and simply drain right out of her. She suddenly felt... bad?
'Okay, maybe that was kind of a dick move,' she thought to herself. But she quickly tried to push the thought away. 'It makes sense that the lovey-dovey princess is soft,' thought Sunset, but a particularly loud sob from next door made her wince, and she once again felt that same sense of regret.
It wasn't like she was concerned for her or anything. The sound of her loud crying was just annoying, that's all. It distracted her from her thoughts and scheming. But her mind eventually returned to the crying princess next door.
Sunset had felt that she was completely justified in her actions, and she had the backing of a magic mirror to prove it. However the more she thought about it, the less solid her stance seemed to be. As dramatic as the princess of love sounded, Sunset doubted that the reaction she had invoked was not genuine.
She let out another sigh, and put her head in her hooves. Were her efforts in vain? Maybe Celestia was right. Maybe the mirror was trying to give her a warning. Pursuing this end goal would take her nowhere. Maybe she had lost her shot at becoming a princess.
The unicorn pondered this for a moment. Somepony had to have at some point done research into this mirror. Perhaps there were more complicated factors that went into what the mirror showed ponies. She will just have to figure it out. Then the vision she saw would be more clear.
"Tomorrow," she decided. "I'll go to the library and figure out just what my destiny will be."
Sunset Shimmer decided that it would be best to avoid Princess Cadence for the next few days, or even possibly for the rest of her life. Being around the alicorn was giving her strange feelings that she really did not want to think about. She was beginning to feel bad for her. She had been thrust headfirst into a situation that she could not control, and it appeared that she really didn’t want to be a princess after all.
The unicorn had some to terms with this fact. Sunset was not stupid or ignorant, she knew when something was beyond her control. Cadence becoming an alicorn was not in her control, nor was it in Cadence’s. It simply happened the way it happened, and Sunset would have to live with it. Besides, there were more important matters to attend to.
Within a fort of books that rivaled the castle itself, Sunset was currently holed up in the library. She was scouring through tome after tome, attempting to gather any information she could about the mirror that Princess Celestia had shown her. She had encountered a few promising clues, but nothing substantial.
She tossed aside yet another tome with a sigh. Her eyes burned from all of the reading. Between her lessons with the Princess and regular meals, and even skipping some of the latter, Sunset had spent every waking minute reading about ancient arcane constructs. So far all she had come up with was a reference to a mystical mirror that Starswirl the Bearded had made to help predict the weather in the Everfree, and a strange tale of disappearances that always involved a tall, crystal mirror.
Her head fell to the desk with an unceremonious thump. Celestia’s lesson was in half an hour, and she had made no progress. Sunset decided that she was going to have to ask the Princess about the mirror directly, something she was not looking forward to.
Celestia had not mentioned the mirror since the incident, and any allusions that Sunset made to it were deflected. She figured that the only way to actually get any information was to confront the issue directly.
“Well she’s already annoyed about me and Cadence, so might as well piss her off more,” Sunset mumbled to herself as she slammed the book shut.
Sunset briefly flashed her horn, encompassing all of the scattered books in a bright red glow before sending them flying back to their respective shelving across the library. The two books that showed some promise were left behind, and she quickly stowed them in her saddlebag before heading out of the library, with the used catalog cards were unceremoniously dropped off onto the desk of the dozing librarian on the way out.
Her lesson, like the rest passed with little fanfare. Celestia was droning on about some unusual spell that she used once to navigate the Limbo several hundred years ago, and she had long since stopped paying attention. That is, until she heard the princess mention Starswirl the Bearded.
"Excuse me, Princess," she interrupted, seeing an opportunity to segue the conversation. Celestia paused mid thought and looked at Sunset with surprise. "You had mentioned Starswirl, and it just reminded me of a passage I had found in the library." The unicorn pulled the tome out of her saddlebag, and began to flip though it.
"Oh?" questioned Celestia. "An Archaic Antiquity of Arcane Artifacts?" she murmured, reading the title as Sunset paged through it.
"Yeah... here it is! It says that Starswirl had created a magical mirror to predict the future of weather, and the description of the construct seems similar to the one you showed me last week." Sunset held up the book to show Celestia the passage. "I was just wondering if it could be the same thing, because if it is, that would be a really strange coincidence-" Sunset rambled on, doing her best to sound overenthusiastic and excited about something as mundane as the implications of predicting the weather.
Celestia raised an eyebrow, doing her best to follow the nonsensical rant whilst also trying to read the passage. "Sunset," she gently interrupted, finally opting to just take the book from her student's grasp. "What is your point?"
Sunset stopped rambling and took a deep breath. It was now or never. "Well, it just got me curious as to how a construct designed to do one thing evolved into whatever it was you showed me in that closet," she inquired, hoping that it would work.
To her surprise, Celestia's eyes brightened, and she smiled. "That's quite an impressive deduction, Sunset," she complimented. "And an excellent question as well."
Sunset blinked at her own success. "Uh, thank you?" she replied questioningly.
"Hundreds of years ago, when Starswirl created this mirror, the art of constructional thaumaturgy was not quite as refined as it was now," Celestia explained. "Even today, unicorns have trouble mastering the art. Often times, artifacts created with one application in mind have unintended uses, and even side effects." The princess stood from her cushion, and walked over to a bookshelf across the room. "Starswirl, even as powerful a sorcerer as he was, wasn't immune to these mistakes as well." She pulled a tome from the shelf, and levitated it over to Sunset. "I believe this volume will satisfy your curiosity about the process."
The fiery unicorn took the book offered to her, and glanced over the title. "So Starswirl accidentally created a mirror that showed me my destiny?"
Celestia's expression fell slightly at that. "Destiny is a strong word to use, Sunset," she said softly. "The future is not set in stone, and it is up to you to choose your own path."
Sunset stood as well. "Then why did it show me that?" she asked, her voice rising in frustration. "All I want to know is why it showed me what it did, and how it knows it! Every time I ask you just change the topic and shoot me down! I deserve to know! It is my right to know!"
"Sunset," Celestia said, her voice filled with command. "We will have that conversation when you are ready. But right now, even at this very moment, you are proving to me that you are not ready."
"I am ready!" shouted Sunset. "I have been ready!"
"No, you are not." The alicorn's words were final, and Sunset's lesson was over.
The unicorn angrily stabbed her fork into her salad. Of course Celestia would not tell her anything of significance. She had been doing so well too, easing her way into the conversation. But then of course Celestia got mad, and of course she didn't think Sunset was ready.
She had already flipped through the book Celestia had given her. It was certainly interesting, however provided no real answers to her actual questions. It brought her closer, but the answers were still out of her grasp.
Sunset stuffed the last bite of her lunch into her mouth, chewing aggressively and pushing the bowl off to the side. How could the answer elude her so easily? She was the smartest unicorn in the entirety of Equestria, and she could not figure out one way that the mirror could accurately show her anything about herself other than her image.
Perhaps Celestia was right, and the mirror was wrong. But even so, how did it-
"Oh sorry," came a bright voice. "I didn't realize you were in here."
Sunset looked up and saw Cadence standing by the doorway apprehensively. "Well, I am," she replied icily, glaring at the alicorn for a moment before sighing. "But what does that matter? You're a Princess now, just sit and eat wherever you want. Don't mind little old me." The unicorn levitated a peach over from a nearby bowl and bit into it, returning her gaze to the book in front of her.
"Oh, uh, okay," replied Cadence sounding confused by the strange, almost dejected behavior. She walked over to the other end of the table, and one of the kitchen staff quickly came out to ask what she wanted to eat.
The unicorn paid little attention to her presence, choosing instead to continue her futile efforts in finding an answer. However, her studies didn't last long before Cadence spoke again.
"So, what are you reading?"
Her head rose in an angry glare. "I don't see how that concerns you," Sunset replied curtly, attempting to end the conversation.
Cadence started at the harsh reply. "Oh, sorry," she apologized.
Sunset glared back down at the book, but found it suddenly hard to concentrate. Her chest felt tight, almost as if she felt... bad? The unicorn internally groaned. This is why she had been avoiding Cadence. The alicorn made her feel weird lately, almost every single time they interacted with each other. Sunset did not know what it was, but she hated it.
She shook the feeling from her head, and instead picked up a small mirror she had brought with her for testing. Sunset lit her horn and examined it, her spell allowing her to see any magical power it was emitting.
The staff exited the kitchen again, a tray of food held aloft in their magical grasp. "Oh, thank you," said Cadence. "Could you possibly bring it to my room, please?" The staff nodded silently, and headed for the door. The alicorn stood, and paused before leaving. "Um, I'm gonna go now. Bye, Sunset." Then she turned and followed.
Sunset lifted her gaze to watch her leave, a sudden urge to ask her not to rising in her throat, before her eyes widened. Her spell was still active, and she could see Cadence pulsing with a faint blue glow. As the door closed behind her, the urge suddenly faded away, and Sunset dropped the mirror in shock, the object clattering to the table.
It all suddenly made sense. Why she felt bad about bullying Cadence, the strange feelings she had been having. Cadence, the so-called Princess of Love, had been using her magic on her. Cadence was manipulating Sunset's feelings to try and get her to like her.
A small part of Sunset felt flattered that the alicorn was going to such lengths to try and get her attention, but she quickly attributed that thought to the manipulation. The greater part of her was furious that any pony had the gall to dare try and manipulate her thoughts. Oh, Cadence had made a fatal mistake, and Sunset would waste no time in exposing it.
Tonight would be perfect. Celestia had been wanting her to join the two of them at dinner for some time now, and Sunset was going to finally accept that invitation. She would show Celestia just what Cadence was doing, and maybe that daft old alicorn would come to her senses.
Sunset quickly gathered her things and placed them into her saddlebag. There were things to be done, and schemes to plan. By the end of this night, she would finally be heard.
Her arrival at dinner was a surprise to the other two. Neither Celestia nor Cadence had expected Sunset to accept their invitation, but it seemed to be a pleasant surprise nonetheless. They enjoyed most of their dinner with small talk that Sunset neglected to participate in, but she still butted in here and there. It would seem odd if she didn't, and the unicorn wanted to maintain the ruse until her big reveal.
Finally, it was time for desert, and Sunset decided to make her move just as they were all taking the first bites of their sweet cake. "So, Cadence," she began, drawing everypony's attention. "What exactly do you do as the Princess of Love?"
The pink alicorn's face perked up with pleasant surprise. "Oh, well, I'm afraid I don't do much right now," she said. "But eventually, I will be using my magic to keep ponies happy!"
"By making them love each other?" Sunset questioned.
Cadence giggled, a sound that both infuriated Sunset and sent another wave of conflicting emotion over her. "Well, kinda. Princess Celestia says that my magic is unusually strong in emotional bonds. I should be able to use my power to help ponies stay in love, or strengthen the love they already have," she explained with a smile.
Sunset raised an eyebrow. "So, you don't have this power yet?"
This time it was Celestia who replied. "Of course she has the power, Sunset," she answered. "It is now just a question of her honing it and training it."
Cadence's smile fell a little bit as she added, "Yeah, I have no idea how to use it."
Bingo! A predatory smile suddenly came over Sunset's face. "Are you sure about that?" she asked. Cadence looked at Sunset questioningly, while Celestia's eyebrows raised, wondering where exactly her student was going with this.
"What do you mean?"
Sunset took the last bite of her cake before continuing, placing the fork gently down on the side of her dish. "I'm just saying I know what you're doing," she said smugly. "You did a great job hiding it, but you couldn't get it by me forever!"
The look of confusion on the other two only increased. Their denial was starting piss her off, and she rose from her chair. "Oh come on, you've been caught!" she cried. "Stop acting all innocent, I know what you're doing!"
"And what is it that she is doing?" asked Celestia, doing her best to try and figure out what Sunset was talking about, and hopefully calm her down.
The unicorn leveled a hoof at Cadence in accusation. "She's been manipulating me with her love magic every since she got here!" she cried. "I don't know why, or what her end goal is, but shes lying to us! She knows how to use her magic and she has been!"
Cadence's mouth dropped open, and she went to possibly speak up, but Sunset cut her off. "I couldn't figure out what all these strange feelings were, but today I caught you! I was casting an arcane reveal spell just as you used your manipulation tactics on me!"
What was your end goal, hm?" questioned Sunset, placing her front hooves up on the table. "Were you trying to get me to do whatever you wanted? Trying to get me to fall helplessly in love with you to server your every whim?" She glared down the table at Cadence, her mouth turning up into a snarl. "Or did you just want a quick romp with me because you're just the slutty Princess of Sex?!"
"Sunset Shimmer!" bellowed Celestia, having had enough her student's angry rant. The archaic volume of the royal Canterlot voice echoed in the dining room, making everypony in the room flinch. Sunset Shimmer fall silent as well, however the unicorn didn't move from her pose, still staring down Cadence in anger.
"You are not to brazenly accuse or insult any pony in this castle, is that clear?" Sunset Shimmer glanced at Celestia and gave a noncommittal nod. "I said is that clear?!"
"Yes, Princess," she mumbled, lowering her head to face the floor.
"Good," affirmed Celestia. "Now go back to your quarters at once. I do not wish to see you until your lesson next week."
Sunset Shimmer sighed in exasperation and turned tail, quickly making her way out of the dining room. Celestia stood menacingly for a few more moments in case she came back, but she did not.
"Princess," Cadence finally spoke, a tinge of worry in her voice. The alabaster alicorn looked down at her, her stance softening and nodding for Cadence to continue. "What if she is right? What if I really am manipulating her? What if... what if I can't control my power?" the pink pony asked frantically, the possibility of her actually doing what Sunset accused her of scaring her.
Celestia paused for a moment, before responding. "It is not impossible, Cadence. However I highly doubt it." The statement did not seem to reassure the young alicorn at all. "If it makes you feel better, we'll keep an eye on it." Her hoof found its way to Cadence's back, but the motion did little to make her feel any better.
"Sunset Shimmer is angry, and is grasping at straws," Celestia said softly. "She needs to calm down and accept this situation." She removed her hoof and returned to her seat.
Cadence remained standing, staring at the doorway Sunset had left through. She could not shake the nagging feeling that Sunset Shimmer might be right, and the prospect of not being in control frightened her. It frightened her a lot.
Princess Celestia stood on the edge of her balcony, eyes closed in concentration as she slowly lowered the sun. There moon rose up to take its placed, and she let out a sigh as she released her magic and slumped slightly.
"These past few years have been taking their toll on you, Princess."
Celestia turned to face Eventide, her expression tired. "I only need to manage for a few short more," she said softly. "Then I will have one less burden to carry."
Eventide walked out on to the balcony beside her. "Even an alicorn so powerful as yourself was not meant to wield both celestial bodies," she said. With a grim smile, she added, "And with Sunset, it seems you may be trying to wield three."
The Princess of the Sun let out a deep sigh and seemed to slump even further. "What am I to do about her, Eventide?" she asked quietly.
"Perhaps," the unicorn said softly. "It is time you add some real stakes to her game."
Celestia raised an eyebrow in question. "How do you mean?"
Eventide took a seat beside Celestia, gesturing for the princess to do the same. "So far, Sunset's residence and studies here have been absolute. You can be upset with her, and punish her, but right now, she thinks she can stay here indefinitely." She looked up at Celestia. "You need to change that."
"What, you want me to kick her out?" the alicorn asked, surprise in her voice. "I'm not going to do that."
The night seneschal shook her head. "Not immediately. She just needs to know that her actions have real consequences," she said. "I have watched the both of you for some time now, and by my count, Sunset Shimmer is on her last strike."
Celestia sighed. Perhaps Eventide was right. Over the past few years, Sunset had repeatedly pushed the limits of what she could do. She failed to show respect for most ponies, and her anger and temper had grown increasingly uncontrollable. If this were any other student, perhaps she would have been kicked out long ago. But she had graduated from the School for Gifted Unicorns, and was now under the constant tutelage of Celestia. The risks against her outbursts had significantly lessened.
But come to think of it, Celestia could not recall any incidents from Sunset's time at the school. Even when she first took the unicorn on as her student, she did not witness these tirades. It had only been fairly recently that Sunset had begun to act out and be mean, cruel, and rude.
The Princess shook her head. There was no time to dwell on the causes of Sunset's anger, there was far too much to do, and too much else to worry about. She would simply have to take Eventide's advice and give Sunset her ultimatum.
"Raven!" she called into her chamber.
A few moments later, her own seneschal emerged, quill and pad in hand. "Yes, Princess?"
Celestia turned away from the moon and looked at Eventide as she spoke. "Please make an appointment with Sunset Shimmer. I wish to speak to her tomorrow, privately."
Sunset did not wait for the Princess to invite her in. That was the first major mistake she made.
"Sunset Shimmer," Celestia said, her voice already tight at the unicorn's profound rudeness. "It is usually customary to knock on one's door before barging in."
Sunset sighed in annoyance, but acquiesced to her teacher's comment. "Sorry, Princess," she replied, her voice lacking sincerity.
Celestia pressed a hoof to her temple, her patience growing short and the topic about to be discussed was not lowering that at all. "Sunset," she said calmly. "Do you have any idea why I asked you to come see me today?"
"Let me guess," quipped Sunset. "I've done something that you don't approve of, and you're going to explain to me how I need to be a better pony," the unicorn deadpanned with a roll of her eyes. "We've had this conversation so many times before, Princess-"
"Yes!" interrupted the alicorn, sounding exasperated. "We have had this conversation countless times before! And nothing ever changes. That is the problem, Sunset."
Sunset sighed, plopping her rear down across the small table from Celestia. "Here we go again."
"Here we- Sunset! Are you serious?" Celestia's voice rose, causing Sunset to jump and look at her. "What on Equus makes you think you have any right to be so rude?" She stood and glared at her student from across the table. "Answer me! What makes you think you think that?"
The unicorn opened and closed her mouth, not actually knowing how to respond. "I, uh, I don't know," she finally said weakly.
"Sunset Shimmer, over these past years you have grown into nothing more than a vain coxcomb whose singular goal is to grow a pair of wings!" bellowed Celestia, the full extent of her wrath finally revealed. "I have given you everything, and perhaps in doing so, this is my fault. But let me assure you that mistake will be my last when it comes to you."
Sunset shrunk in terror at the amount of rage Celestia was leveling at her. Never before had she seen the alicorn so angry. Celestia was always calm and collected. It was a far different picture than the one she was faced with now. Why, she half expect the alicorn's made to suddenly burst into flames.
"I have given you chance after chance after chance, with some small modicum of hope that you will grow and learn to be a better pony. But no more. You have used them all up."
The unicorn paled in horror. She definitely bucked this one up, that's for sure. Sunset raised a hoof meekly, to do what, she had no idea. "S-sorry," she finally squeaked out, hoping to at least somewhat tame her teacher's fury.
"Sorry will no longer cut it, Sunset!" replied Celestia, her voice quieter than before, but none of the anger having vanished. "Unless you are truly sincere, which I doubt." Her pink eyes bore into Sunset's for a moment longer before she relaxed and closed them. She sat back down, taking a small sip of tea while she let her student stew in worry across from her. Swallowing, she spoke again. "Give me one good reason as to why you deserve to stay," she said. "Just one reason why I should not expel you as my student, and kick you out of this palace. Otherwise, you will be leaving by the end of this week."
Sunset sat there, doing her best to avoid making eye contact with the Princess. She knew that her threat was not weightless, and that her next words would make the decision for her, regardless of what they were. She desperately tried to come up with a reason that Celestia would accept, playing countless options though her mind.
She was a good mage, one might even call her prodigal. However, in her own admittance, she was probably one of the worst students Celestia had ever had. But she learned things quickly, and was always striving to learn more. Her quest for knowledge could not be satiated. Yet, Celestia would probably connect that to her idea that Sunset was also power-hungry.
In reflection, Sunset found that she was agreeing with many of the things that her teacher had said about her. She was rude, insolent, conceited, and horrible to most of the ponies in this palace. She failed to show even the most basic of respect to the Princess of all ponies. Sunset was a horrible pony.
"I- I can't," she finally said quietly. "I can't think of a good reason." Tears began to well at the corners of her eyes. The reality of the situation was finally taking its toll on her, and she didn't know if she could take it much longer. Sunset had not cried since she was a little filly, but she did not know if she could hold it back now.
"Nothing?" questioned Celestia, flatly. "Nothing at all?"
The lack of emotion in the alicorn's voice shook Sunset. This was a new experience for her, a position she never expected to be in. Up until now, she had thought herself untouchable. But it was quickly being revealed that she was helpless. In that instant, the unicorn realized that she depended on Celestia for everything, and it was all going to be taken away.
The dam finally broke, and tears streamed down Sunset's cheeks as sobbed, collapsing forward in a pathetic heap before Celestia. "P-please P-princess," she cried out. "Please d-don't send me away!" Her tears soaked into the carpet against her face as she begged. "I'll do better, I'll b-be better! I'm so sorry!" She choked as she spoke, fighting through the tears. "I promise I will change!"
A golden-clad hoof rested itself on Sunset's shaking shoulder, and the unicorn looked up at Celestia. Her teacher's eyes were softer than they were before, but her face was still stern. A handkerchief was levitated over to her, and Sunset took it hesitantly.
"Dry your tears, Sunset," said Celestia. "I will not be sending you away." Sunset went to speak but the Princess silenced her with a hoof. "But, this is your last chance. Your final warning," Celestia said. "You have promised me you will change, and I expect you to do so. There will be no more chances."
Sunset nodded, blinking away the last of her tears in relief. "I understand, Princess."
"I hope for your sake that you do."
The alicorn's words carried a heavy weight, and Sunset could not help but be fearful of the consequences should she break her promise.
"Take a moment to collect yourself," Celestia said after a moment. "There is more I wanted to discuss with you today."
Sunset wiped her face with the silken cloth, and folded it neatly on the table. "What is it you wished to discuss with me, Princess?" she asked quietly. Her voice held a degree of politeness that Celestia had not heard in many years from her student. At least not genuinely.
The Princess sighed. "I wanted to discuss your accusations at dinner a few nights ago," she said. "As valid as your concerns were, that was not the time or place to go about voicing them. Definitely not the manner in which you did, either."
"Wait," Sunset said. "What do you mean by 'valid?' Do you mean I was right?"
"Are you doubting the conclusion you came to?" Celestia asked in return.
The unicorn thought for a moment, before shaking her head. "No. I know what I saw," she said firmly.
Celestia nodded. "And I believe you," she said. "However, I also believe Cadence." Sunset raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Cadence does not believe she is intentionally manipulating you with her magic, and neither do I," Celestia explained. "However it is not outside of the realm of possibility that she is unknowingly using her magic. After all, she does not exactly know how to control it."
"But she is manipulating me," said Sunset quietly. "You just said so yourself."
To the unicorn's surprise, her teacher's eyes sparkled with mirth. "Cadence's magic does not create love, Sunset. She can not manipulate you by 'making you love her.'" She explained with a small smile. "Her magic can only affect what is already there. Perhaps you are in love with her and you do not even know it!"
"P-princess!" Sunset gasped, blushing at what Celestia was suggesting.
The alicorn laughed lightly at Sunset's discomfort, which despite the unicorn's embarrassment, was a welcome change to the tone she had only a few minutes prior. "I speak in jest," she said. "The feeling in the room was too stiff."
Sunset balked. "O-oh," she mumbled.
"But," added Celestia. "I was not lying. Her magic is incapable of creating love where there is none. It is not necessarily true that you love her, but I think that deep down, you do indeed care about her in some small amount."
The unicorn sat in silence, digesting Celestia's words. Even though the Princess had been making a joke before, her second affirmation did not seem too far off of her original comment.
"I just want you to think about it," the alicorn's voice interrupted her thoughts. "You are free to go."
Sunset nodded and stood, idly walking towards the door. She was still lost in her thoughts, and the implications of her teacher's words still ringing in her ears.
"Oh, and Sunset?"
She turned back to look at Celestia. "Yes, Princess?"
The Princess gave her a soft smile. "For the love of all that is good, will you please try to be a bit friendlier to her? She is all alone except for us."
Sunset nodded, Celestia's earlier warning echoing in her mind.
The remainder of the week was relatively uneventful. Sunset was avoiding Cadence again, this time far more effectively. The alicorn did not know the reasoning behind it, and didn't make any effort to pry. She was still worried about accidentally using her magic on the unicorn again. Perhaps Sunset was right in keeping their distance until Cadence learned to better control her powers.
Her absence, however, left the alicorn feeling surprisingly empty. She had grown accustomed to Sunset's presence, as harsh as it could be. Cadence only hoped that they could get past whatever this was eventually, as she was fairly lonely with no pony but Celestia to talk to. Maybe her and Sunset could even become friends once they managed to put this all behind them.
The afternoon came with an unusual surprise for Cadence. She had returned from her breakfast and began to read one of the several romance novels she brought with her. Her cheeks were tinged red and a smile adorned her face as she pictured the relationship within the pages. Her enjoyment did not last long however, as the door to her room was swiftly opened.
The soft bang of the door against the wall startled her, and she looked up to see Sunset walking into her room. The unicorn looked angry, a emotion that had been increasingly present on her face for the past few days. This was the first time that Sunset had come in here in a while, and her sudden appearance startled Cadence. She had assumed that Sunset was trying to avoid the new princess even more than she had before, and so this sudden intrusion was a surprise.
"Oh hi, Sunset," said Cadence. The fiery unicorn did not reply, and instead grabbed a saddlebag that was hanging from the chair at her desk.
Cadence opened her mouth to speak again but instead found herself speechless as Sunset magically swept up her loose belongings. The unicorn tossed them into her saddlebag with little care, an empty glass beaker cracking as it collided with something else. The sound did nothing to calm her actions however, and more object were simply thrown in on top of the broken glass.
Sunset did not even glance in Cadence's direction, instead offering a mere grunt in reply. The desk was soon empty, cleared of all the equipment and books that cluttered it before. She hefted the saddlebag over her back, before leaving through the side door she came through.
Cadence blinked, not understanding what was going on. Why would Sunset just throw away all of that stuff? She had labored over whatever projects she was working on since Cadence had arrived. Her demeanor when handling any of the equipment was precise and careful, but now it was as if she had not a single care in the world.
The door opened back up and Sunset strolled back in. She lit her horn and the table was surrounded with an deep red glow. With a heavy grunt, Sunset yanked the desk towards the door, the wooden legs dragging along the floor as she pulled it through.
The alicorn closed the book she was reading and spoke up again. "Do you need any help?" she asked, sitting up slightly.
"Nope," was the curt reply she received.
The desk finally made it through the door, and Sunset slammed it shut behind her. Cadence just sat in confusion, wondering what that incident possibly could have been about. Why on Equus would Sunset just abruptly empty out her self-proclaimed lab? And why so aggressively.
Worried, Cadence set her book down on her bedside table and hopped out of bed. She felt as if this charade between the two of them had gone on long enough, and was determined to put an end to it. The alicorn trotted over to the door dividing their two rooms with determination, and swiftly knocked on the door. "Sunset? Can I come in?"
There was a brief pause before Sunset replied, "Go away, I'm busy right now."
Frowning, Cadence tried again. "I just wanted to talk to you about something," she said. "It will only take a moment."
She heard grunting in reply, following by a crash. "Ouch! Leave me alone, Princess. I'm really busy right now!"
Cadence prepared a retort, but paused as Sunset's words sunk in. Princess? Sunset had never referred to her by that title. As a matter of fact, she thought that the unicorn intentionally refused to think of her as a princess. Why would she all of a sudden change her mind?
"Are you alright in there?" Cadence called as another crash was heard. "I'm hearing a lot of worrying noises."
"I'm fine!" Sunset said back, her voice rising with a hint of anger. "Now leave me alone! Go do your stupid worrying love crap somewhere else!"
Worrying love crap? That's a new one, Cadence thought to herself. Defeated, she turned away and went back to her bed and book. She would figure out what to about this eventually. Now, she was just going to try and loose herself in the story again.
A few minutes passed, and nothing Cadence tried was working. She would read a few lines, and then her thoughts would return to the unicorn in the other room. She would not deny that she was worried about Sunset- she was. Sunset was acting very strange lately, and it was starting to become more than a simple problem.
Unable to calm her mind, and not knowing what else to do, Cadence let out a sigh. She would have to talk to Princess Celestia.
"Good afternoon, Cadence," Celestia smiled, welcoming her into her study. The pink princess stepped inside the room, her stance low and sluggish. Celestia could immediately tell something was wrong. "Are you feeling alright?" she asked.
Cadence looked up at the older princess, offering a weak smile to offset her sadness. "Yeah, I am feeling fine, Princess," she replied softly. "I'm just worried about Sunset, that's all."
Celestia raised an eyebrow, an action she found herself doing more and more lately. "Worried? About what?"
With a sigh, Cadence sat down on the tufted carpet, idly pawing at it with a hoof. "Usually, she's mean or harsh. But lately she's just been distant," she explained. "Not that we were particularly close," the alicorn amended.
Concern began to rise in Celestia at these remarks as well. "What do you mean by distant?" she asked softly, taking a seat beside her.
"Well, she's not doing a lot of the things she used to, like the random experiments and stuff," Cadence said. "I rarely see her leave her room now. She doesn't even make those rude remarks." She ruffled her wings and turned to to face Celestia, her eyes slightly watery. "I think it's my fault."
Now worried for both of her students, Celestia awkwardly stretched a wing over Cadence's back. She did her best to offer a comforting gesture. "Why would you think it's your fault?" she asked.
Cadence leaned into the hold. "I don't know," she admitted. "I think maybe I have been influencing her with my love magic, and maybe now I'm trying too hard to push her away. I want her to feel like I'm not manipulating her, and I want her to know she can trust me but I don't think she ever will." Tears were leaking down the alicorn's cheeks now and she tried to bury her face further into Celestia's side. "And then after the incident this weekend, she won't even come near me. I tried to speak to her once and she just mumbled an excuse and left."
Celestia frowned. This situation was very confusing to her. "But, Cadence," she began. "I thought you and Sunset didn't get along at all? How is this any different or worse than before?"
"Before she would just insult me or have some snarky remark," Cadence said quietly. "Now, she just runs away from me." The pink alicorn lowered her head dejectedly.
"And this upsets you," the older alicorn summarized. Cadence simply nodded in reply. "Well, I certainty did not expect this," said Celestia, standing up and walking over to her desk.
Cadence looked at her curiously. "What?" she asked, not understanding what Celestia was saying. "You didn't expect what?"
Celestia looked back at the pink alicorn with a soft smile. "I didn't expect you to care so much about Sunset. I had thought you would at the least be impassive towards her. I didn't realize-" She cut herself off with a small laugh. "Oh this all makes so much more sense now."
With her sadness now replaced by pure confusion, Cadence raised an eyebrow. "Princess," she began. "I... I don't know what you're talking about."
Celestia laughed again. "You will soon enough," she said with a sly smirk. The response did nothing to clear up any of the pink alicorn's confusion.
"But Cadence," she added, her tone lowering a bit and her face becoming more serious. "There is something you should probably know." Cadence nodded, waiting for the Princess to continue. "I had to give Sunset and ultimatum. She's on her last strike. If she continues to act the way she has been acting, I told her she would no longer be under my tutelage."
Cadence let out a small gasp at the revelation. This was a harsh action, and she could not believe that Celestia had actually done such a thing. "Princess!" she gasped. "You aren't actually saying you're going to kick Sunset out!"
"In my heart, I feel I had no intentions of following through," Celestia admitted with a sigh. "But if her rage and insolence does continue, I may not have a choice."
Her brow furrowed in worry. Cadence rapidly tried to digest this information. Now that she knew what was going on, Sunset's abrupt change in attitude towards her made a lot more sense. The unicorn was trying to avoid interacting with her like the pegasus plague. She probably feared that any outburst would result in her loosing her home and academia, and was thus trying to avoid any situation that could result in that.
The ultimatum was quite unfair in her mind, however. Sunset seemed to have a perfectly valid reason to be so upset. Celestia had seemingly paid little attention to her while Cadence was getting accommodated with the castle, which was bound to upset her. Then, the possibility of Cadence forcing her love magic upon her was definitely a reason for the unicorn to be upset, even furious.
All of the reasons for Sunset to be upset were tied to her. In run-about sort of way, Cadence would be the reason that Sunset would be kicked out. The blame was levied on her, and she would not accept that. She had to find a way to convince Celestia otherwise.
"But, Princess Celestia," Cadence said. "What if I am using my magic on her unknowingly?"
"I don't see how-" the Princess began, but was quickly cut off as Cadence continued.
"If I was using my magic on her, her outbursts and frustration would be justified! You can't punish her for reacting the way any other pony would!" the younger alicorn reasoned.
Celestia frowned slightly. "No, they would not be justified. She had no right to blatantly accuse you or any other pony in this palace at her own will. There was no evidence that you were using your magic on her, she was just trying to-"
"How do you know there was no evidence?!" cried Cadence, frustration entering her voice. "Sunset said there was evidence, and you ignored her! Just like you always do! That's why she needs to act out and be all coarse. It's the only way she get any of your attention!"
The elder princess balked at the outburst. She clearly had not expected Cadence to be so passionate, or even argue about this. "Cadence, what has gotten into you?" she asked.
"What had gotten into me? Are you serious?" Cadence was furious now, how could Celestia be so blind? "You are threatening to expel a pony because she was upset that she was losing your attention, and then got angry about something that was perfectly reasonable to be upset about. How do you not see anything wrong with what you are doing?"
Celestia blinked, but said nothing. With a huff, Cadence turned and stomped towards the door.
"Where are you going?" asked Celestia, a hint of surprise in her voice.
Cadence turned to glare one last time at the Princess. "I'm going to find Sunset," she replied coldly, and exited the room.
Celestia watched her leave, unable to find anything to say. I'll need to get used to not being the only princess around again, she thought.
The pink alicorn angrily trotted back towards her suite. Celestia would apparently not listen to her reasoning, and she would have to solve this problem by herself. Her mind raced with various ideas and plans she could set into motion. However, she was not a mastermind, and they all seemed too far-fetched to work. It was not long before she found herself standing in front of the door to her half of the shared suite.
Perhaps the first step would be to actually talk to Sunset. If she approached the unicorn with a mentality of understanding, and offering her help, maybe she would listen. Or she might act too proud and say she doesn't need my help, thought Cadence dejectedly. With a sigh, she lifted her hoof to knock on the door. She would not know until she tried.
Three loud knocks rang out, and Cadence nervously shifted her hooves waiting for the reply.
"Wha do yah want?" came Sunset's muffled voice after a few moments. "I'm busssssy."
Cadence's eyebrows raised in surprise at the tone of Sunset's voice. Was she slurring her words, or was her voice just muffled through the door. "It's, uh, me... Cadence," she replied hesitantly, hoping that it would not push the unicorn away.
"Whddya want?" Her voice was clearer this time, but there was still a faint slur.
The alicorn shifted her hooves some more, not knowing exactly what to say, and slightly worried about the way Sunset was speaking. "Can I come in?" she asked finally.
There was a moment of silence, which only made Cadence's nervousness worse. "What the buck, whyynot," came the reply, and the alicorn let out the breath she had been holding. The was a clunk and some muffled swearing before the door opened before her.
As Cadence stepped into the room, a waft of harsh air hit her. She wrinkled her nose at the smell of alcohol. "Sunset are you alright, what is that smell?" she asked, turning the corner around the entryway into the bedroom proper. Any thoughts about why she was here evaporated and her eyes widened at what she saw.
Sunset was sitting on the floor at the foot of her bed, with her back leaning against the wooden frame. A bottle of something was clutched in one of her forehooves, half of the liquid already missing. Her hind legs were splayed out wide in an uncaring fashion, and Cadence quickly averted her gaze before getting a view of anything inappropriate.
"S-sunset," she stuttered. "What are you doing?"
The unicorn looked up at Cadence, her eyes taking a moment to focus. She blushed as she saw Cadence averting her gaze, and attempted to make herself more modest. "N-nothing (hic)," she replied, a hiccup interrupting her. "Just chillin'."
Just chillin'? Did she seriously just say that? Cadence took a few steps closer, reaching down and taking the bottle from Sunset's grasp. The unicorn mutted out a weak "hey" in protest but was unable to stop her. Cadence took a look at the label, Horseshoe Vineyards Double-Fortified Cabernet. She looked back at Sunset, and gasped as she saw the unicorn taking a swig from another bottle.
"Sunset!" she cried out, yanking the other bottle away from her. "Stop! You're going to make yourself sick!"
"So (hic)?" came the unicorn's reply as she reached for the bottle. "I'm getting thrown out anyways sho I dun see tha problem."
Cadence's eyes softened, and she put down the bottles outside of Sunset's reach. "Celestia told me about that," she said quietly.
Sunset slouched down looking at her hooves. "So you dun need to worry 'bout me anymore," she mumbled. "Bet you're real (hic) happy about dis."
"Why would I be happy?" Cadence asked, lowering herself down to sit beside Sunset. "I don't want you to be expelled."
"Wh'not?" slurred the unicorn, a weak amount of anger filling her voice. "It's perfect, you dun need to worry about me bein' mean to you or stealing that old hag 'way from you anymore."
Cadence chuckled at Sunset calling Celestia an "old hag," but quickly became serious again. "Sunset," she said softly. "It's my fault. If I didn't come here, you wouldn't be in this situation. I'm sorry," she apologized.
Sunset lifted her head to look at Cadence, her eyes watery. "That's what I said," she replied quietly. "But Celestia was right, itshnot." She lowered her head back down, and a few tears fell into her lap. "It's all my fault. I'm a horrible pony (hic), and Celestia was right."
The unicorn's response surprised Cadence, and she didn't really know what to do. Sunset was drunk and now openly crying next to her. She wanted to offer some form of comfort, but didn't want to push her limits. Her resolve broke quickly however, and she extended a wing out to drape over the unicorn's shoulders.
To her even greater surprise, Sunset leaned into the hug, crying against Cadence's side. The alicorn tightened her hold and placed her chin on top of Sunset's head, making reassuring nickers to try and calm her down. "It's alright," she said softly. "It's alright, Sunset."
Sunset cried harder, reaching up to clutch at Cadence, desperate for any form of comfort. Cadence gave her all she could offer, holding her tight and trying to convey her support.
"Y-you're d-doing it (hic) again," sputtered Sunset through her sobs, not leaving Cadence's hold. "T-the love thing."
Cadence blushed and pulled her head away. "What?" she asked, panicking slightly. She did her best to try and stop the magic flow in any way she could. But she did not even know how she was doing it in the first place. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-"
"S'ok," muttered Sunset clutching onto her harder. "It feels warm. I probably won't remember this (hic) tomorrow."
Cadence relaxed slightly, her blush increasing as Sunset curled closer into her breast. She felt weird about unknowingly using her magic again, but at least Sunset seemed to forgive her. She was not sure about how she felt about Sunset's sudden clingyness however. Cadence liked it a lot more than she ever expected she would - not that she ever thought about it of course! It's just that she enjoyed the warmth that Sunset was giving off, and she would be lying her she said that the unicorn's mane didn't smell nice. Cadence quickly lifted her head up away from Sunset's fiery mane, trying to cool her face down.
Sunset's tears began to slow down, and her sobs grew quieter as Cadence held her. "You'll probably be a better princess than I ever would be, anyways," she mumbled as she calmed down. "You definitely have tha (hic) cute factor nailed." Cadence once again blushed at the compliment, and hoped that Sunset could not feel the brief flutter in her chest at her words.
"But I still bucking hate you," Sunset muttered weakly as her eye fluttered shut. "Not so much anymore, though."
With a chuckle, Cadence placed her chin back on Sunset's head, holding the unicorn as she fell asleep.
After Sunset had fallen asleep, Cadence had moved her to her own bed, and tucked her in gently. Picking up the two bottles, the alicorn left Sunsets room and returned to her own half of the suite, ready to fall asleep as well. But sleep would not take her. Instead, she lay awake in her bed, thinking about the situation and reviewing the events of the night.
She felt oddly attached to Sunset. It was a natural feeling, perhaps. After all, the unicorn had finally seemed to open up to her, even if it was through a medium of an alcoholic influence. The alicorn just hoped that it was a step in the right direction, and that Sunset would continue to grow closer to her in the future.
Cadence thought back to her pipe-dream thoughts the other day, about how she hoped that Sunset and her would eventually be able to move past all this and become friends. It had seemed foolish at the time to assume that the steadfast and pretentious unicorn would do anything of the sort, but after last night, perhaps that dream was closer than she had realized.
Ponies often said that you're the most honest when you are drunk, not that Cadence had much experience with the idea. The older fishermen stallions in her home village often got sloshed after hauling in a large catch, but she would not equate their drunken partying with deep honestly. Perhaps it was just between the two of them then, in that brief moment of intimacy that Sunset had felt the need to be honest with her. At least that is what Cadence hoped.
Cadence tried to settle her thoughts the best she could, and turned over. She stared at the door joining her room to Sunset's, and allowed herself a small smile. Despite everything that happened, Cadence truly cared for her, and she could only hope that Sunset would accept her companionship.
The next morning was not quite as peaceful. Cadence awoke to the jarring noise of somepony retching in the bathroom. An unpleasant way to wake up, for sure. As another horrible noise escaped from the bathroom, she scrambled out of bed and hurried over to the door, quickly knocking on it.
"Sunset!" she called out, a slight panic in her voice. "Are you alright? What's wrong?"
There was another retch, and then a weak reply, "I'm f-fine." The words were unconvincing to say the least. Cadence sat worriedly outside of the bathroom as Sunset continued to vomit, wanting to help but not wanting to invade the unicorn's privacy.
"A-actually, can you come in?" Sunset's voice was quiet, and Cadence could sense the embarrassment and shame hanging from the words. She felt bad, but she also was not going to just leave her alone when she needed help.
Cadence carefully opened the door and stepped inside, her nose curling at the unpleasant smell. Sunset sat next to the porcelain toilet, her head handing over the open rim. The alicorn winced at the sad sight, stepping into the room further and coming to Sunset's side. "What can I do?" she asked.
"Can you go into my room, and get me the blue bottle in the third drawer of my desk," she asked, pointing roughly to her room. Cadence nodded and went to do just that. The bottle was indeed in the third drawer, along with several other colorful bottles. They were all lacking labels, and looked as if they had been bottled by hoof, rather than by any actual production.
She returned to the bathroom, holding out the vial. Sunset snagged it in her magic and uncorked it hurriedly, before bringing it up to her mouth and chugging it in one go. Cadence's eyes widened at the scene, and she couldn't help but ask, "What was that?"
Sunset coughed before simply replying, "It's a potion," and struggling to stand. "It'll stop the vomiting." Cadence went over and helped her up and Sunset shot a quick glare at her, but did not protest. Together they left the bathroom and made their way over to Sunset's bed. The unicorn sat down on the edge and groaned, holding her head with a hoof.
"You lie down for a minute," Cadence ordered. "I will be right back."
Sunset lay down but tried to interrupt. "You don't need to-"
"I'll be right back," the alicorn affirmed, and left the room. She went to the door to their shared suite and poked her head outside. "Can you please go and get some tea from the kitchens, please?" she asked the guard by the door. The guard nodded and turned to go and do so.
Cadence turned back into the room and went back to the bathroom. She flushed the toilet and then used her rudimentary magic to attempt and wipe up the area around it. Much to her displeasure, she seemed to feel more than if she had simply used her hoof. A chorus of "ew" and "yuck" rang out in the bathroom, but eventually the room was mostly clean. Right on queue, there was a knock at the door, and Cadence went to open it up. Tray of tea in hand, Cadence returned to Sunset's bedside, giving a bright smile to the unicorn as Sunset looked at her warily.
"What's that?" Sunset asked as Cadence placed the tray on the bed next to her.
The pink alicorn took the teapot in her grasp and gently poured the tea into one of the two mugs. "It's tea," she answered as she gave the mug to Sunset. "It will make you feel better." She filler her own mug and set the teapot down before lifting it up to her lips and taking a small sip.
Sunset took a sip of her own tea, and she visibly relaxed as the calming beverage warmed her throat. "Why are you being so nice to me?" she asked suddenly, stirring Cadence from her caretaker mode.
"Huh?" she asked in confusion. "What do you mean? Why wouldn't I be nice to you?"
Sunset stared down into the mug of tea, a sad and thoughtful look overtaking her face. "I have, admittedly, been horrible to you. There were times when I was downright nasty and cruel." Her gaze finally found Cadence's and she looked into her bright purple eyes. "How can you even bear to be near me at this point?"
Cadence's heart broke at the confession and question. "Sunset," she said softly. "It's okay. You have your own reasons for doing the things that you did, and neither I nor you need to find a way to justify it. Your feelings were valid." Cadence scooted closer on the edge of bed, right up next to the unicorn. "When I first got here, you seemed incredibly lonely. Celestia said that she would like for the two of us to get close, and maybe we could be friends."
The unicorn let out a huff, slumping further into her bed. "And you just followed that guidance blindly, I assume," she said sullenly.
"I'll be honest, in the beginning, yes," Cadence replied. "But after some time, I got to know you. I really got to know you, no matter how aloof you were. I saw that you just needed a friend." The alicorn smiled at Sunset. "I may not fully know how to manage my magic yet, but I could feel that you were lonely. I wanted to help you, to be there for you." Cadence placed a hoof next to Sunset's. "I wanted to be that friend."
Sunset Shimmer took a shuddering breath, holding back tears as she tore her gaze away from the alicorn's. "W-why?" she asked.
Cadence shrugged with a bright smile. "Because you needed one," she said simply.
Suddenly, the unicorn felt it again. An overwhelming surge of magic radiating off of the pony sitting next to her. The weird feeling she had now associated with Cadence's love flooded her chest, and this time, Sunset let it come without a fight. The strange warmth was comforting, and for the first time in a long while, Sunset no longer felt alone.
Cadence nervously paced outside the door to Princess Celestia's chambers. She knew she had to go inside, but she did not want to. The princess was most definitely mad at her, even though she felt as though she had made the right choice. What would she even say to her? Cadence needed to apologize for sure, but she did not want to trot back on her stance with Sunset. Before she could continue to ponder the thought anymore, the door opened and Eventide stepped out.
Startled, Cadence jumped. "Oh! E-Eventide!" she said in surprise.
Her abrupt appearance startled the unicorn as well, and she turned to greet Cadence with a small bow. "Good morning, Princess Cadenza," she said. "How are we doing today?"
The alicorn waved a hoof in dismissal. "Just Cadence is fine," she said. "I am doing okay, how about you?"
Eventide nodded in response. "I am doing fine, Cadence," she said. She turned back to look into the room she had just come out of. "What of Sunset Shimmer? Still as problematic as ever?" A wry grin overtook her face as she mentioned the unicorn.
Cadence frowned at the disapproval in Eventide's voice. "Problematic? Not at all," she replied. It was a small white lie, but she would do anything to wipe that superior grin off of Eventide's face. "She is doing the best that she can, given the circumstances," she said curtly.
The unicorn looked surprised at her defense of Sunset, but knew better than to step out of line with royalty. "W-well that's good to hear," she said, quickly collecting her stoic attitude. Eventide glanced back into Celestia's chambers. "Celestia is free right now, if you wished to speak with her," she said, looking for a convenient out of the suddenly awkward conversation.
"Thank you," Cadence said, brushing past the seneschal and entering Celestia's room. As the door shut behind her, she let out the breath she had been holding in a huff. Who did that unicorn think she was? Aide to a forgotten princess, strolling around the castle spewing her unwanted opinions like a-
"Cadence?" Celestia's voice interrupted her inner tirade, and she looked up to see the alabaster alicorn gazing at her curiously. She was standing by her bookshelf, and held a loft a fairly large book in her magic. "What brings you here this early in the morning?"
Her sudden surge of confidence spent, she shifted her hooves nervously again as she tried to gather her thoughts. She took a deep breath and looked up to meet Celestia's gaze. "I... I just wanted to apologize, Princess," she said quietly.
Celestia closed the book she was reading, and returned it to its place on her shelf. She sat down on a cushion by her table with a smile, and gestured for Cadence to do the same. Hesitantly, the younger alicorn made her way over and sat across from her elder, still awaiting a reply.
"You have nothing to apologize for, Cadence," assured Celestia softly. "You are, in all respects, my equal. It is your right to question and stand up to my judgment. An act that I will need to get used to once again." Celestia smiled at her. "And it also means you will eventually need to stop calling me 'princess.'"
The weight on Cadence lifted slightly at Celestia's words. "I didn't have to be so rude, though," she said, regret filling her voice at yesterday's actions.
Celestia reached a hoof out, and placed in on the table between them. "But perhaps you did," she reasoned. "Perhaps I was being far too harsh, as you implied." Celestia leaned forward, lowering herself to meet Cadence's gaze. "You are good for her, and I realize that now. Keep working, keep trying to get close to her and I feel as though my intervention will no longer be needed."
Cadence nodded. She internally debated whether or not to tell Celestia about what happened overnight. She did not want to get Sunset in trouble, but she also felt it was important to tell the princess what had happened. Eventually her dedication to Celestia won out, and she opted to tell an abbreviated version of the night's events. "Actually, I think I've already made some progress on that front," she said excitedly. "We spent the night together, and even this morning!"
She paused for a moment, gauging Celestia's reaction. The white mare raised an eyebrow at her with a playful smile. "Wow, moving quickly aren't we?"
Cadence was confused for a moment, before the message sunk in. A blush erupted on her face, and she sputtered. "What!? No! No- I mean... That wasn't what I meant!" she stammered, desperately attempting to clarify what she meant.
Celestia laughed. "I know, Cadence," she said. "I was just teasing." The alicorn took on a playful face again. "It wouldn't have surprised me though."
Still blushing, Cadence tried to reign in her surprise. "W-what do you mean?" she finally managed to ask with minimal stuttering.
An aide entered the room then, carrying a tray of tea. They set it out in front of the two ponies, and Celestia quickly went to pour herself a cup. "Well Cadence, it's quite plain as day, if I may use such an analogy. You are the Princess of Love, and I believe in one of Sunset's outbursts she alluded to your physical beauty." She levitated the teapot over to Cadence's cup, and poured her a cup as well. "Plus, you can only act as an amplifier of love, not a generator of it. So if she really was feeling an effect from you, it would have to mean that she was already, in some way, attracted to you."
Cadence just stared at Celestia, watching as the older princess lifted her steaming cup of tea and took a small sip. "You're joking," she said after digesting everything that was said.
"Why would I jest?" was the simple reply.
Cadence did not reply immediately, and instead stared into her teacup. Mixed emotions bubbled up from her chest, and she did not know how to process all of them. The idea that Sunset might like her was, to say the least, confusing. She couldn't say she was opposed to the idea, as it sparked one of the warmer feelings within her. However it also didn't make much sense to her. Why would Sunset like her? She seemed to hate her.
"Are you alright?" asked Celestia suddenly. "You look like you're about to either cry or laugh."
It was apparently the laugh that won out, as Cadence let out a small chuckle. "Yeah, I think I'm okay," she replied. "Just... confused." She broke off her gaze on her teacup, and looked back at the princess. "I don't know how she could like me."
Celestia nodded. "Well, she certainly seems to have an odd way of showing it," she said. Then she asked the question. "Do you like her?"
Did she? Cadence sat back and thought for a minute. She recalled all of the emotions she had felt about the unicorn in the time she had known her. Many thoughts and moments came to mind, however one that seemed to rise above all of the others was the one that prompted this whole turn of events: care. Cadence cared about Sunset, and not just a little bit. In the recent days and weeks, the unicorn had become the apparent center of her world. Her actions revolved around her and her thoughts were consumed by how to help her.
Could she see herself loving Sunset? Cadence tried to picture the two of them together. Images of last night and this morning drifted into her mind, and she found herself smiling at the memories. Maybe, in a way, she already loved her. Her smile grew brighter as she realized this, and the idea of Sunset liking her back suddenly became a beacon for her.
She went to give an answer, but Celestia stopped her. "You don't have to give me an answer. As long as you know the answer for yourself, you will be fine." Cadence nodded in understanding, the smile not leaving her face. "Now why don't you go get some breakfast?" Celestia suggested. "Perhaps you should grab something for Sunset as well."
Cadence stood up. "Thank you, Princess," she said, before turning to leave.
"It was my pleasure," Celestia said. Then she added, "And stop calling me 'princess!'"
Cadence laughed. "Then what should I call you? I don't think I feel comfortable calling you by your name, it seems too informal."
Celestia gave her a warm smile. "Well, a while back, one of my pupils took a liking to referring to me as her aunt. Perhaps that would be more comfortable for you?"
"That sounds nice, auntie," Cadence replied, testing out the word. The warm smile that Celestia gave her solidified the new title. With a wave goodbye, Cadence left the chambers, a smile on her face, and a comfortable warmth radiating from her heart.
Sunset stared into the teal pools of her own eyes. They gazed back, revealing absolutely nothing about her current situation. She had hoped for and expected some vision or some glimpse of what to do, an idea of what was coming, just as this mirror had shown her before. But this time, no such apparition came. Instead, Sunset merely sat alone in the closet, staring into the magical mirror, wasting away the rest of her day.
Things had changed dramatically since she had drank herself half to death. Cadence had been going out of her way to spend more time with her, and Celestia had even offered Sunset an apology for her harsh treatment. It was, quite frankly, embarrassing. Every pony was treating her like a fragile glass ornament, rather than a pony. They were afraid that the slightest provocation would set her off into another tirade, but they were wrong. Sunset was tired of fighting. She would never be a princess, Cadence had won that fair and square.
So now she sat before the mirror, gazing into it and trying to unravel its elusive mysteries. It was one of the few things that she couldn't figure out, and trying to was a welcome distraction from the inner turmoil she was feeling inside her. But her thoughts drifted back to Cadence anyways.
Sunset had to admit that the pink princess was very quickly growing on her. Every since their conversation, she had found herself cherishing the time she spent with her, and enjoying the company. It was a strange sensation as Sunset had never had a real friend before. And Cadence was definitely that - a friend. The idea made Sunset smile. She had a friend. A real, genuine friend.
"I thought I might find you here."
The voice startled her, and Sunset whipped her head around to watch Princess Celestia walk into the closet, closing the door behind her. She approached her student, a warm smile on her face.
"Good morning, Princess," Sunset said quietly, avoiding her gaze and looking back at the mirror. She could see Celestia standing beside her, but no longer needed to look at her directly. It added a degree of separation that the unicorn felt she needed, but could not wholly address why.
Celestia took a seat beside her, and also gazed into the mirror. "You know, there is something quite special about this mirror that I haven't yet told you about," she said cryptically. "It's actually quite an interesting thing, and I'm sure you'll have fun trying to dissect exactly how Starswirl was able to achieve it."
The mystery piqued Sunset's interest, and she broke her gaze off from the mirror to look at Celestia in questioning. The alicorn smiled knowingly at the unicorn, and she smiled sheepishly as she realized she trotted right into Celestia's ploy. Sunset could not refuse a mystery, and that had been used against her. "What else can it do?" she asked, still intrigued by the premise anyways.
"Take another look at it, and see if you can tell me," said Celestia, pointing at the surface with a hoof.
Sunset looked back towards the mirror and attempted to figure out what Celestia was talking about. It's surface shimmered back at her, and she leaned in closer to get a better look. Visually, it still looked like an ordinary mirror. Not knowing what else she could do, she quickly cast a spell of arcane revel on the object. She had tried this before, and the results now were not much different. The mirror hummed with a steady magical aura, like most arcane machinations. With a sigh of defeat, Sunset looked back at Celestia and shook her head, indicating she could not figure it out.
With a slight smile, Celestia suggested, "Why don't you try touching it?"
Rolling her eyes and wondering what touching the mirror could possibly do, Sunset reached out a hoof and pushed it against the smooth surface. Her body expect to rest against the solid face, but to her surprise, the unicorn instead found herself nearly falling forward into it. Celestia's golden magic quickly caught her however, and gently pulled her back.
Sunset looked at her hoof, and gasped in shock when it was not there. Her foreleg had sunk into the reflective surface of the mirror, her hoof having gone completely through. A steady, pulsating ripple rolled out around the perforation, and Sunset suddenly realized what she was looking at. "It's a portal," she breathed in awe.
"Indeed it is."
The unicorn slowly pulled her hoof back through, before poking the portal experimentally. She had heard rumors of magical portals before, they had apparently been widely used in the long-lost Crystal Empire. Yet she had never seen one before, and had assumed she never would.
"Where does it go?" she asked as she poked her hoof through again.
Celestia smiled at her student's curiosity. This was a far cry from Sunset's recent behavior, and far more akin to how the unicorn was when she had first taken her on as her pupil. "It leads to another world, one quite like our own," she explained. "But also quite different."
Sunset looked up at her, drawing her attention away from the mirror for a moment. "Have you ever gone through?"
"Once," Celestia said with a reminiscent smile. "Shortly after it's creation, I decided to venture through. Little did I know, however, that the gateway had a limited window. It only opens for three days, once every thirty moons. So, I got trapped on the other side." She chuckled as Sunset's eyes widened. "When I got back I had never seen the royal court so angry! It was chaos," she laughed. "Imagine if I just up and disappeared for two and half years now, the entire monarchy would probably fall apart."
"Wow," Sunset commented. "What is that place like?" she asked, gazing back through the mirror.
Celestia placed a hoof on her shoulder. "It is different, as I said. It is it's own, unique pocket. A society completely different to our own in customs, appearance, and even creatures. But there are far more parallels to Equestria than seems coincidental," she explained thoughtfully. "One day, maybe we can take a trip there together. The next time it opens."
"Why not now?"
With a smile, Celestia stood. "Unfortunately, it's a little bit late for that. Today is the last day that the portal will be open. It closes at midnight, we wouldn't have nearly enough time to enjoy the experience." The alicorn turned and headed back towards the door. "Now come on, Sunset. Let's start today's lesson."
Sunset stood, her gaze at the mirror not wavering. An idea was forming in her mind, and she quickly began trying to sort out the logistics of it. Silently, she followed the princess out of the closet and to her study, all the while formulating the logistics of this new plan.
There was nothing left for here in this world. The revelation came to her suddenly, but in retrospect it made perfect sense. Everything in this world had been taken from her. Not maliciously, she realized that now. But maybe it was simply her fate. Sunset would not amount to anything here, and she was finally coming to terms with that.
The portal, however, changed things. Now, there was a whole new world presented to her. Sunset could go there and get a fresh start. She could start anew, with every opportunity available to her. It would be a new world and anything would be possible.
"Are you alright, Sunset?" Celestia asked, as she realized the unicorn had stopped following her.
"Yeah," replied Sunset, giving Celestia a genuine smile. "Yeah I'll be okay."
The day's lesson flew by, with Sunset not actually paying much attention to the content. It was a review of astral manipulation techniques anyways, and since the topic was mostly theoretical there was nothing for her to actually do. After all, it wasn't like she of all ponies could move the sun. So she kept her mind busy with trying to figure out exactly how to enact her plan.
She had a short time frame. Celestia said that the portal closed tonight, meaning she needed to gather everything and figure it out as the day progressed. The unicorn made a mental check list of what she would need, and as soon as her lesson was over, she would go about to get it done.
"Well, I'm afraid we're going to have to end here today," Celestia said after Sunset had successfully calculated the exact amount of thaumaturgical aura she would need to adjust the stellar zenith. "I have something I need to attend to this evening. I will see you tomorrow."
"Goodbye, Princess Celestia," said Sunset softly as the alicorn left the room. It struck her then, that if she went through with her plan this would be the last time in a long while that she would see Celestia. It was a solemn feeling, but if there was one thing the unicorn was good at, it was burying the feelings that she did not want to feel. Besides, it would only distract her in her preparations.
In that case, it would probably also be best to avoid Cadence as well. She did not know how her friend would react to her plan, and she wasn't sure she wanted to find out. Her heart winced at the idea, however. Her friendship with Cadence was still very new, and she felt guilty that she was just leaving her.
But, the unicorn's mind was made up and she did not want anypony trying to steer her away from it. This was the only solution, it had to be. There was nothing else she could accomplish here, and she craved the feeling of something novel. She would not find that here.
Her goal solidified, Sunset left the room after Celestia and headed in the other direction. There was much to do, and with determination in her steps, she went to put her plan into motion.
"Princess, Princess Cadence you must wake up!"
The pink alicorn stirred, looking around in confusion before her eyes focused on Eventide's panicked ones. "Wha- what time is it?"
The unicorn shook her head and pulled on her hoof. "Please, you must come quickly, I am afraid Sunset is going to make a big mistake!"
At the mention of Sunset's name, Cadence quickly sat up and rubbed at her eyes. "What's going on?" she asked. "What do you mean? Is she okay?" The seneschal's frantic behavior was not helping her understand anything. "Please, calm down."
"Quickly, Princess," Eventide said. "I saw her in the corridor near the library. She had heavy saddlebags full of her belongings." The unicorn nervously shifted in place. "I think she's running away."
Cadence quickly threw back the covers and climbed out of her bed. "Where did you say she was?" she asked as she threw on her horseshoes and headed for the door.
"Near the library! A guard had stopped her when I saw, but I do not know how long they'll be able to stall her!" Eventide called after her.
The pink alicorn left her room and ran as fast as she could towards the other wing of the castle. She blew past the library, frantically searching for any sign of Sunset Shimmer. As she turned the corner, she found a startling scene. A royal guards-pony lay unconscious outside a half-open door, and Cadence quickly rushed over to it. She paused to make sure that the guard was okay, and then pushed the door open and stepped inside.
"Sunset!"
The fiery unicorn froze, and turned to look at Cadence. She was standing in front of a large mirror, saddlebags adorning her flanks and a dark cloak wrapped around her. Her teal eyes stared at Cadence, but she did not say anything.
"Sunset," Cadence said again, softer this time. "What are you doing?"
Sunset's feature's hardened, and she squeezed her eyes shut as she turned away from her only friend. "I have to do this, you don't understand," she replied sharply. "There is nothing left for me here."
Tears began to pool in Cadence's eyes as she took a few steps towards the unicorn. "W-what do you mean? Where are you going?"
"You wouldn't understand," Sunset said again, looking back up at her. "This is the only option left for me. I will amount to nothing here, but there's a chance I could be something through there." She gestured to the mirror with a hoof, only confusing the pink alicorn more. When she just stood there in silence, Sunset gave her a small, sad smile. "Goodbye, Cadence." With that final word of parting, Sunset stepped forward, and Cadence watched in shock as she melted into the mirror and vanished.
"SUNSET!" she screamed after her as the unicorn disappeared in front of her.
Cadence's mind was reeling as she rushed over to where Sunset once was. Tentatively, she stuck her hoof and out and observed as it slipped through the mirror's reflective surface with ease. Not knowing what else to do, and terrified for her friend, she did the only thing she could think of to do. Cadence stepped through the mirror, and let the violent swirl of color take her wherever it intended.
Wherever it was Sunset had gone, Cadence was determined to follow.
The swirling myriad of colors finally came to an end, and Cadence felt herself get thrust back out into the real world. She stumbled around, blinded for a few seconds before falling into the ground with a pained cry. She blinked, trying to get her eyes to focus on wherever she had ended up. It was not particularly working though, and the world continued to spin around her.
She brought a hoof up to her head, pressing against the base of her horn. A dull pain throbbed outwards from the area, and she rubbed at the hairless patch. The hairless patch? Cadence brought her other hoof up and slapped it against her forehead, panicking as she realized there was no hair. Her vision cleared and she looked at her forelegs which also seemed to be missing her hair. Nearing a full-blown state of panic now, she desperately looked herself over the best she could. The ends of her hooves split out into five smaller digits as well, not unlike a monkey's. Strange cloths appeared to cover her torso and hind legs, akin to what she would expect to find at a fancy boutique. She started hyperventilating, horrified at whatever disfigurement she had just experienced.
Cadence flung her head around, scanning the unknown scenery for Sunset Shimmer. There was a figure a few paces ahead of her, hunched over. A purple top covered her body but Cadence would recognize that amber shade and fiery mane anywhere. "S-sunset!" she called out, trying to stand up.
The former unicorn in front of her shifted, straightening up on her hind legs and taking a few uneasy steps forward before falling back to her knees. Cadence mimicked her, and after a few tries, she was able to stand up straight. She tried taking a step towards her fallen friend but she quickly lost her balance. Her body felt top heavy, and she was not used to the bipedal form. Giving up, she collapsed to her knees and tried to clear her spinning head.
Sunset raised a hand, pressing it against her forehead as she tried to steady herself and stop the spinning. Unfortunately, it did little to help her disorientation. She heard an echoing voice behind her, yelling something that could perhaps be her name. Some instinctual part of her said that she wasn’t meant to be a quadruped anymore, but she could not possibly shed light on where that intuition came from. She stood on two shaky legs, feeling obscenely tall as she attempted to balance herself again. After a few moments, Sunset finally opened her eyes again.
She was standing in a large plaza before a grand building. The sky was dark and the only light was provided by the glowing moon high above in the sky. Big, bold letters were displayed in an arch across the front of the building, reading out “Canterlot High School.”
Sunset read those words over and over again, playing them in her head. Wherever she was, it too was called Canterlot. Her mind started putting the pieces together, trying to solve the puzzle of where she was. Multiple theories popped into her head, from multiverses to parallel universes, to even pocket dimensions created by Starswirl for his own weird fascination. She took several unbalanced steps forward, eager to explore, but quickly fell to her knees as she was still not entirely used to her bipedal form.
“Sunset!” a voice called out behind her.
The former pony turned to see who was shouting, and saw another bipedal creature crouched on the ground behind her. It did not take particularly long to figure out who it was, as the distinct hair colors cascading around the creature’s shoulders were easily recognizable.
“Cadence?” Sunset asked. She stood again, and unsteadily walked over to her friend. “W-what are you doing here?”
Cadence looked up at Sunset, gladly taking the hand offered to her. “I wasn’t going to let you just run away,” she said, a determined tone in her voice. “Especially not alone.”
Sunset found herself smiling at the words. It meant more to her than she realized that Cadence would follow her through. She had not been expecting it, and certainly not wanted it, but in the end she was surprisingly happy that it did. “Thanks,” she said simply, offering her friend a small smile.
“Where are we?” Cadence finally asked, looking around as well. “Does that sign say Canterlot?”
Letting go of her friend’s hand, Sunset nodded. “Yeah,” she breathed. “I don’t actually know where this is. All Celestia said was that the mirror was a portal to another world. She failed to mention where that world was.”
“Then why did you think it was a good idea to go through?” asked Cadence sadly, looking at Sunset again.
Sunset took a deep breath. She had been waiting for that question, and she had avoided it before by just stepping through the portal. But now that Cadence was here with her, she supposed there was no more running from it.
“There was nothing left for me in Equestria,” she said softly. “My only choice was to leave.”
Cadence grabbed her hand again, and Sunset found herself enjoying the strange feeling of the foreign digits intertwining with her own. “Yeah, that’s what you had said,” the princess replied. “Why do you say that?”
“Because it’s the truth.” Sunset’s words held a sense of finality as she spoke them. “All of the goals I had in that world are now firmly out of my reach. There is nothing left for me there to achieve. I’ve gone as far as I can go there, and it was time to move on,” she explained sadly.
“This is a brand new world for me. There are countless things I do not know.” Sunset swept her free arm out in a wide arc, gesturing to the unknown world around her. “Who knows what I can do here, but at least there is something for me to do. I won’t just be sitting stagnant in a palace for the rest of my life, constantly fighting to gain Celestia’s notice and finally get what I deserve.”
Cadence could tell that Sunset believed every word of what she said. Those were the words of a pony who believed that they had one last choice to make. Cadence hung her head, trying to figure out how to address what Sunset had said.
“But, think of all the good you could do in Equestria,” she countered. “You’re a magical prodigy! There’s so much you could do there! So much you could offer to the world.”
Sunset just shook her head. “There is an entire school full of gifted unicorns, Cadence. Dozens that will eventually be able to do everything I can do. Eventually I will fade into mediocrity. The only thing that could have prevented that was being made an alicorn.” She paused for a moment, gathering her words before continuing. "And I know that sounds selfish and conceited, and maybe it is. Maybe I am a selfish and conceited individual. But I don't know how to be any other way."
"Sunset..." Cadence said softly. "It's okay, you can be selfish sometimes. But... but I think that there are still ways you can move forward in Equestria. There is still so much for you to do there!"
Sunset turned away, looking up into the sky. "Maybe," she finally admitted. "But everypony is just going to keep holding me back from achieving it."
"I'll help you!" Cadence was pleading now, trying to grasp onto anything to make Sunset stay. "I'll help you push through them! I'm a princess, they need to listen to me! Whatever you need to do, I'll be there to help you do it!"
Turning back to face her, Sunset just looked at her sadly. "But that's it, isn't it," she said. "You're a princess. You can just say whatever it is you say, and ponies will move out of your way. That's what I want. I don't want to have to keep fighting just to be heard. I have been fighting for years Cadence. Years. And now, when I've finally reached a point where I thought that I would maybe be recognized for all of my hard work... you came along and all of the recognition shifted to you."
The monotone explanation slammed into Cadence like a runaway steam train. Sunset never had let go of that jealousy towards her and her title after all. That's what it had been about all this time. Cadence had thought that Sunset had moved on, that he two of them had moved past this. But she was wrong, and she felt her heart break at that realization.
"And just so we're clear, I don't blame you or despise you for that," Sunset went on, noticing the heartbroken look in Cadence's face. "You were rightly crowned. You deserve to be a princess. It's my own fault for not pushing hard enough." The former unicorn hung her head. "I wasted my potential there. There is nothing left in Equestria for me now."
Cadence opened her mouth to reply, but nothing came out. She was immediately relieved that she had read the situation wrong, but the underlying sadness was still there. Even though Sunset did not blame her for stealing her crown, she still felt as though Cadence was in the way of her achieving it. She desperately wanted to convince her to stay, but she could not adequately come up with any points to counter that Sunset would believe. Of course, there were many, but she did not know how to word them convincingly, or if they were even possible.
The truth was that Cadence did not know if it was possible to obtain the goals Sunset had set for herself. She did not know if she was actually in the way of letting Sunset achieve hat she wanted. She did not know what Celestia’s plans for the unicorn were, and therefore she could not counter any of the arguments Sunset had put forth.
All of the reasons Cadence wanted to stay were selfish. She did not want Sunset to leave because she would miss her. She did not want Sunset to leave because they had just become friends. She did not want Sunset to leave because she was excited to grow closer to her. She did not want Sunset to leave because when she pictured the palace she pictured Sunset with it. She did not want Sunset to leave because she was falling in love with her.
And so with tears in her eyes, Cadence realized the only thing she could do was beg for Sunset to stay, and the only reason she could give was herself. “Y-you’re wrong,” she said, sniffling. “You’re wrong, Sunset. There is something left in Equestria for you.”
“And what is that?” asked Sunset, surprised by the tears, and not knowing what it could possibly be.
“Me.”
A pregnant silence followed. Sunset just stared at Cadence as the princess cried, not knowing how to possibly reply to that. Cadence looked back up at her, desperately hoping and praying that she, herself, would be a valid reason for Sunset to stay.
“I… I...” Sunset stammered, at a complete loss for words. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Then don’t say anything, and just listen,” Cadence said, wiping the tears from her eyes. “I don’t want you to go away. You’re one of my only friends in the palace, and I feel like I only just got close to you. I don’t want you to leave me so soon. It’s incredibly selfish of me, but I can’t help it.” She paused to take a breath before continuing.
“And also, we could approach your problems together. I have trouble believing that there is absolutely nothing left for you in Canterlot. And maybe it’ll be hard to achieve your goals, but you don’t have to achieve them alone anymore.” Cadence looked up at Sunset, a bright glimmer in her eyes and a small smile on her lips. “You have me, and I promise I will be there to help you get where you need to go. Even if you don’t ascend, we can still be princesses together, you and I.”
A tear slipped down Sunset’s cheek as she listened to Cadence’s pleas. She felt her heart break as she realized what it was she was actually abandoning. Sunset was not just leaving Equestria behind, she was leaving Cadence behind. And in that moment, with the two of them standing there and with Cadence pouring her heart out, she realized that staying in Equestria together was better than leaving it behind.
“A-alright,” Sunset finally said. She gripped both of Cadence's hands in her own, smiling softly as she looked into her friend’s eyes. “Alright. I’ll go back.”
Cadence let out a gasp of joy, and pulled Sunset forward in a hug. Joyful tears streamed down her face and she buried it in her friend’s shoulder. Sunset’s arms wrapped up around her as well after a moment, and Cadence’s heart fluttered as Sunet leaned into their embrace. “Thank you,” Cadence said softly.
The two stood there in silence for a few moments before Sunset pulled away. Cadence instinctively tried to follow, holding onto the hug, and Sunset laughed softly before gently pushing Cadence out of her hold.
When Cadence went to complain, Sunset said, “We need to go. The portal is closing in a few minutes.” Realization dawned on Cadence’s face, and she backed away from the other girl. Sunset went to go back through the portal until she realized something startling. She could not see the portal anywhere. “Well, horseapples.”
“What’s wrong?” asked Cadence as she saw the worry stretched across Sunset’s face.
Scratching her head, Sunset spun in a circle, trying to find where they came through. Unfortunately, she saw nothing besides the building and an ornate marble horse statue. “Uh, do you know where the portal is?” she asked, an undertone of panic in her voice.
Cadence took a look around as well, realizing their problem. “No,” she said. “We just sorta, appeared here.” She turned back to look at Sunset and froze. The former unicorn raised an eyebrow at the strange look Cadence was shooting over her shoulder, and was about to ask what was up before a voice cut off her line of thought.
“Well, this was unexpected.”
Sunset turned to see a tall, slender woman standing a few paces away. The bipedal form was strange and unfamiliar, but that pale skin and prismatic hair would be recognizable anywhere.
“P-princess Celestia?” Sunset said in confusion. “What are you doing here?”
The Princess smiled at the two, walking past them towards the statue’s base. “I hope I do not need to inform you of the irony in your question, Sunset Shimmer,” she said mirthfully. “But if you must know, I was visiting someone I hold very dear.”
Sunset and Cadence shared a brief look between them, each asking each other the same question. However, there was no time to discuss the matter, and Sunset turned back to ask, "Princess, do you know where the portal is?"
Celestia gave a mirthful chuckle, much to the other two's confusion. She walked past them and approached the massive horse statue, beckoning them to come over. "It's right here, of course," she said, waving her hand through the large marble base. Sunset would have facehooved if she wasn't trying to stay upright. The location of the statue lined up perfectly with where the portal would be. It should have been obvious. "Now come, quickly," Celestia said, waving them over. "We don't have much time."
Sunset and Cadence went over to the statue, and Sunset stepped through first, disappearing through the seemingly smooth face. "Don't have time for wha-" Cadence began, but was cut off as Celestia suddenly pushed her through.
Celestia turned to give one last glance at Canterlot High School, locking eyes with a woman standing in the doorway boasting a wavy mess of midnight blue hair. With a sad wave goodbye, Celestia followed her two fellow ponies through the portal, just as the moon reached it's apex in the night sky.
One by one, the three ponies came out of the mirror, their hooves settling back on solid ground. As the nauseating swirl of colors around them faded, the trio steadied themselves back on four hooves in a familiar Equestrian closet. Celestia seemed to be the least bothered by the transition, stepped away from the mirror, using her magic to smooth out her mane. Cadence and Sunset however, needed a few moments to remember how they were supposed to walk with their center of balance once again shifted back to where it should be.
"Now," Celestia began, turning to face the two. "I'm not going to ask why you two decided to take a trip through the mirror. But I will ask that you not do so again without asking me, first." The alicorn gestured to the mirror with a hoof, and the other two turned to watch as the mirror's face seemed to glow for a moment, before it's magical shimmer faded away. Curious, Sunset laid a hoof on the surface, and found that she could no longer stick it through. Instead, her hoof just rested on the cold face. "However, that won't be for quite some time until the portal opens again," Celestia continued. "Now, seeing that it is past midnight, I suggest we all go and get some rest."
Cadence and Sunset followed Celestia out of the closet, and back towards the residential wing of the palace. They parted ways and shared their good nights with Celestia before heading towards their respective rooms. As they went for their separate doors, however, they paused.
"Sunset?" Cadence asked quietly, turning to face the unicorn. "Did you know that the portal was going to close?"
The unicorn did not turn to face her, and instead leaned forward to rest her forehead against the wooden door to her room. "Yes," came the quiet reply.
The pink alicorn cautiously stepped over beside the unicorn. "But, why? We would have been trapped over there," she said, not quite understanding why Sunset would want such a thing.
"I didn't ever mean for you to follow me," said Sunset quietly. "I chose to leave before the portal closed so that I wouldn't be able to come back, and so that nopony could follow me through." She lifted her head to look at Cadence now, a distinct regret in her eyes. "I'm sorry... and I'm glad that you didn't get trapped there with me."
Unable to hold herself back any longer, Cadence wrapped Sunset up in a tight hug. The action finally broke through everything that Sunset had been holding back and the unicorn began to cry into Cadence's hold, burying her face in the crook of the alicorn's neck. Cadence simply sat there and held Sunset, letting her friend let everything out. Her heart swelled with love and care for Sunset, and she realized that there would be no holding it back any longer.
Cadence added her wings to the hug, and tried her very best to convey that love and affection to Sunset. While it was not the most appropriate time now, the alicorn realized that she would have to tell Sunset about her feelings soon. She was not one-hundred percent sure how the unicorn would take it, but she was fairly confident that they would be accepted, and the hopeful side of her was sure that they would be returned. For now though, Cadence was content to simply hold her and let her know that she was here, and that she would always be here.
As her crying died down, Sunset pulled away from Cadence slightly, rubbing at her wet muzzle with one of her fetlocks. She dried away the tears and she looked up at the alicorn in a silent question. Wordlessly agreeing, the two went into Sunset's room, crawling into the bed together and holding each other tightly. That night, neither wanted to let the other one go. They just wanted to feel each other's presence and know that they were not facing this world alone.
"I'm glad that you and Sunset are finally getting along," Celestia said with a bright smile as she sipped her morning tea with Cadence. It was a look that the younger alicorn had not often seen on Celestia over the past year or so that she had known her. The smile held a genuine warmth and satisfaction, and Cadence hoped that she would see Celestia smile like that more and more throughout the years to come.
Cadence returned an equally warm smile. "I'm glad, too," she said happily. A faint blush heated her cheeks as she thought back over recent events and her mind turned to her new close friend. A chuckle pulled her out of her thoughts and her blush deepened as she looked towards Celestia. "What?"
The larger alicorn brought a hoof up to her lips in an attempt to stifle her light laughter. "Oh, Cadence. If you were any more in love you would have a big sign exclaiming it atop your head," she said mirthfully.
Cadence grumbled into her cup of tea, but she was not really angry. It was a little unnerving that Celestia could read her so well, but she supposed it came with the many many years of ruling. But she sure as hay couldn't 'read' Sunset, she thought to herself scornfully for a moment, but she pushed the thought from her mind. Celestia was making a real effort to reconnect with Sunset and try and mend the student-teacher bond that had deteriorated over recent years. Cadence could not really be all that mad at her for trying.
"She really has improved, you know," said Celestia after a moment. "I think in no small part due to you."
The pink alicorn smiled at the comment. She was glad to know that she had a positive effect on Sunset. Cadence had done her very best to be there for Sunset, especially recently. The knowledge that it was helping the unicorn to improve in these aspects brought no small amount of joy to her heart.
Celestia's smile mirrored Cadence's as they continued drinking her tea. "How did you do it?" she asked.
"I'm sorry?" Cadence replied, not knowing what the other princess was referring to.
"How did you get through to her?"
Huh. Now that was the question, wasn't it? In all truthfulness, Cadence did not actually know. So that is what she said. "I do not know," she replied quietly. "I just did what you asked me to do when I first became a princess. You said she needed a friend. So, I reached out to her and tried to be her friend." She shrugged her shoulders as if it was a simple fact.
Celestia chuckled. "Many a pony would not have your determination," she said. "Most would not choose to endure the nastiness you had."
Cadence just shook her head. "I can't explain it," she began. "But I could feel that Sunset wanted to change. Somehow, I knew that if I stuck with it and kept reaching out that she would eventually take that chance and grab on." She looked back up to see Celestia smiling and nodding.
"I'm very proud of you, Cadence," she said softly. "And I am very proud of her. You have both come a long way, and I am overjoyed that you two managed to get close."
Cadence's face blossomed into a bright smile. She was glad, too. Sunset was one of her closest friends now, and she could not be more happy about that fact. A small blush returned to her face as she briefly daydreamed about where that friendship could lead.
"Well, I think that's enough about Sunset for this morning," segued Celestia as she finished her tea. "We wouldn't want you to turn into an actual tomato, now would we?" A playful smile once again graced the monarch's face as Cadence let out a fake sigh of exasperation.
"Will you stop teasing me one of these days, auntie?" she asked, rolling her eyes with a smile.
"Maybe," came the reply, Celestia giving her a soft smile. There was a moment of pause before she spoke up again. "You've been a princess for a few months now, Cadence. Do you think you're ready for your first duty?"
The idea caught the pink alicorn's attention, and she set her tea down on the table. "My first duty?" she asked. "What do you mean?" She was a little nervous. There had not been other princesses besides Celestia for a long time, and to be quite honest, Cadence did not really know what she would be doing. Celestia's seneschal, Raven had done a brief explanation of her royal duties before her coronation, and they mostly revolved around helping Celestia with tasks and public meetings. Outside of that however, the description of her duties was incredibly vague.
"Think of it as your next assignment," Celestia said. "It may sound a little dull at first, but there is a purpose in it for both of us."
Cadence nodded. "Alright," she said. "What do you want me to do?"
Celestia placed her teacup next to Cadence's and levitated over a folder from her desk. "Sunset Shimmer is nearing the end of her tutelage with me," she said. She saw that Cadence was about to protest and held up a hoof to keep her at bay. "I'm not throwing her out or anything of the sort," Celestia explained, and the other alicorn visibly relaxed. "But she is reaching the point where she has learned all she can from me. You have done a great deal in bringing her past those final steps, and I cannot thank you enough."
"So if Sunset is no longer your student," Cadence said as she put the pieces together in her head. "Does that mean..."
"I will be taking on a new pupil, yes," Celestia confirmed. She floated the folder over to Cadence who plucked it out of the air gently. "You remember that incident a few weeks ago with the dragon, don't you?"
Cadence nodded in response as she looked through the documents. "How could I forget? There was a massive dragon in the middle of Canterlot!"
"That was the magic of one 'Twilight Sparkle.'" said Celestia, a hint of pride in her voice. "The very embodiment of a gifted unicorn if I do say so myself. I've been in talks with her family to take her under my wing."
"So that's who is going to be your new student?" Cadence asked. "Wow, these exam results are impressive. I mean, I have no idea what half of these magical things mean, but the results seem incredible."
Celestia nodded. "Oh they are very far above average. This young filly is almost at the level of arcane prowess that Sunset is, and nearly four years younger, too." The brought a particular file to Cadence's attention. "Look at this. After she became the first student to actually hatch the dragon egg, she asked to keep him as a 'lab partner!'"
"Oh my gosh, that's so adorable!" Cadence gushed with a bright smile. "So what does this have to do with my first princess assignment? You said it would be boring?"
Celestia chuckled as she took the folder back from Cadence. "Well, I would not call it boring. I believe the actual word I used was dull," she corrected mirthfully. "I want you to be Twilight Sparkle's foalsitter. One of the mistakes I made with Sunset was that I do not feel I adequately helped her transition to being my student. I rushed in blindly, and it resulted in her losing touch with the social world," she explained. "I want her to stay in the school for now, and keep in touch with all of her friends. But I still want to be able to keep a close eye on her."
Cadence giggled. "You want me to spy on your new student for you?" she asked.
"No, no," Celestia assured her. "I want to to help transition her. I don't want her to become disconnected like Sunset was. Guide her into the process and be a friend along the way." Celestia rested a hoof on Cadence's shoulder. "Be there so that she does not feel as alone as Sunset did."
Cadence nodded with determination. "I will do my best, Princess."
The pink alicorn was guided out of the castle soon afterwards. It had been a while since she had properly left the palace walls, save of course, for her brief trip to an alternate dimension. Canterlot really was a beautiful city. Pearlescent architecture flanked either side of the street that her carriage rumbled down, and all of the ponies trotting about seemed incredibly happy to go about their days. The population was heavily skewed towards unicorns, however the odd pegasus and earth pony popped out among the crowds.
The Sparkles were not exactly nobility, and thus lived a considerable distance from the castle. She realized quickly that she had never been this far away from the castle. Her outings leading up to her coronation had been reserved to the commercial districts immediately outside the palace grounds. As the carriage traveled through the cobblestone streets, Cadence found that she no longer knew her way back, and was incredibly thankful for transportation.
Eventually though, the rolling came to a stop in front of a modest house. The facade was a muted purple with white dormers, and a quaint garden bed meeting it at the ground. The door to the carriage was opened by one of the escorts, and she stepped down. Cadence was excited to meet this young filly.
It appeared she did not have to wait long. The front door opened to reveal a light purple unicorn with a white and purple mane. A small, lavender filly poked her head out from behind her forelegs, casting an inquisitive gaze onto their visitors. As soon as she saw Cadence, her eyes widened and she squeezed out from her mother's grasp and bounded down the front steps. She quickly trotted up to Cadence and came to a stop at her front hooves.
"Hello!" the young filly chirped as she looked up at Cadence. The small unicorn only came up to the midpoint of her chest, and was the most adorable pony that Cadence had ever seen. "My name is Twilight Sparkle, and you're going to be my new foalsitter!" The statement was made as a fact, not a question. Twilight already knew who Cadence was, and why she was here.
Cadence replied with warm laughter. "Why yes, I am," she said. "It's nice to meet you, Twilight Sparkle."
Twilight smiled. "What are you the princess of?" she asked.
"I'm sorry?" Cadence responded confused.
"What element do you represent?" Twilight clarified. "You know, Princess Celestia is the Princess of the Sun. What are you the princess of?"
"O-oh," Cadence said, caught off guard by the line of questioning. "Well, I guess you could call me the Princess of Love. At least, that's what-"
"That is very interesting," Twilight said, cutting her off as she brought a hoof to her chin. "That would imply that love is not actually and arbitrary emotion but instead some thaumaturgical construct that can be manipulated by the aura-aero flows of aliconistic arcane filaments. Which would mean that the idea of love as ponykind knows it is actually just a societal construct-"
Cadence blinked as the small unicorn rambled on. She had no idea what the young filly was talking about, but was never the less impressed at the sheer amount of vocabulary that she was throwing around. How in Equestria did she know all of these things at her young age? She was talking about aspects of magic that Cadence had just learned like they were commonplace small-talk topics!
"-but that's all just a theory I have," Twilight eventually concluded. Her mother coughed behind her. "Oh!" she said, as if suddenly realizing something. "Do you want anything to eat? To drink? My mother told me to ask you but I got distracted."
"I'd love something to drink," chuckled Cadence, enamoured by the absolute adorableness of this young pony. Twilight turned and trotted back up the front steps to her mother and Cadence followed behind, greeting the pony whom she learned was Twilight Velvet. "It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm really excited to get to know Twilight better!"
When Cadence returned to the castle, she was filled with a bubbling warmth that radiated off of her in beams. Sunset was waiting for her at the entrance, and she quickly galloped up to her.
"Wow, what's got you so happy?" the unicorn asked as Cadence approached.
The alicorn practically let out a squee as she idly danced in place. "I just met the cutest, most adorable little filly ever!" she cried. "And the best part is I get to foalsit her!"
Sunset raised an eyebrow at Cadence's enthusiasm. "Yikes. If I ever get this excited over having to deal with a slobbering foal and their messy diapers, please, just take me out of my misery. It would be a mercy kill. I beg you. I won't even be mad."
Cadence rolled her eyes at her friend's sarcasm. "She's not that young. She's only like four years younger than us," she said. "Besides, it's my first job as a Princess of Equestria!" She placed a hoof to her breast and flung her mane to the side in an over-the-top gesture.
"I thought I was your first job as princess," Sunset snickered, her grin showing that there were no hard feelings.
Cadence grinned back and stepped past her. "That was not an official assignment," she said as she entered the castle, and Sunset trailed behind her.
"Hey," the unicorn spoke up after a few moments. "I have some pretty great news, too."
Cadence turned around to face her. "Oh, really? What is it?" she asked, her curiosity piqued.
Sunset proudly lifted a hoof to her own breast, mimicking Cadence's gesture before proudly declaring, "I have officially graduated from Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, under the tutelage of the Princess herself, with the highest honors possible!"
Somehow, Cadence's smile got even wider and brighter and before either of them knew it, the alicorn had swept Sunset up in a tight hug. "Oh my gosh, Sunset that is amazing! I'm so proud of you!"
To Cadence's surprise, Sunset leaned into the hug and returned it without hesitation. "I know! Princess Celestia even allocated me a royal grant to pursue a research topic of my own choosing!" She pulled away after a moment, and Cadence noted with interest a faint blush donning the mare's cheeks. "I have so many ideas!" she exclaimed, but her mood darkened for a moment. "But none of them have really forumated enough to be good enough yet."
"Don't worry," Cadence said, patting Sunset's shoulder. "I'm sure that one will come to you in no time." Her reassurance seemed to make Sunset lighten up again, and the alicorn again noticed the blush returning.
"Yeah," Sunset said. "I'm sure if I keep thinking about it something will come up. But hey, that's a future Sunset Shimmer problem. Tonight, we party!" She pumped a hoof in the air and Cadence laughed, following the unicorn down the hallway.
"What did you have in mind?" she asked with a smile.
Sunset shrugged. "I haven't got any solid ideas. Maybe we can just hang out together and play some games or just talk." Her signature devilish grin took over her face as she glanced back at Cadence. "Maybe crack open a drink or two."
Cadence laughed and playfully pushed Sunset. "Haha! You are such a delinquent," she mirthfully chided, but she followed Sunset to the wine cellar anyways.
The days following the assignment of their new roles went by as smooth as ever. A new normal settled into place as the two of them slipped into the tasks assigned to them. Every afternoon, Cadence would travel across town and foalsit Twilight, although she did not really find it an actual job. They had too much fun together to consider it real work. Sunset's lab was restored, set up in one of the empty rooms closer to the library. She had been given all the resources she could possibly need at her disposal, and had taken all of them head on. Each day, Cadence heard about a new idea that the unicorn was exploring and how it either was promising or how it exploded in her face.
Their evenings quickly evolved into fireside chats accompanied with some sweet treats from the kitchen or a bottle of wine. As the weather got colder, the two of them got closer and closer until they were huddled together at the foot of Sunset's bed, a roaring fire heating the room as they idly chatted about their days. Sometimes they would lay side by side under a blanket while Sunset studied her theories, or sometimes they would crack out a board game. (Cadence was getting much better at manipulating the smaller pieces with her magic now, so the games were easier for her.)
Tonight was one of the night where they just sat up against the bed together, enjoying each other's company and idly engaging in conversation. A comfortable silence had permeated the room as the warm static of the alcohol slowly took them over. Sunset was getting loose and soft, and Cadence appreciated the closeness that the unicorn only seemed to show when she was buzzed. She wished that she could get more of it, and her heart ached. Eventually she would tell Sunset how she felt, but first she needed to gather the right words.
"So," she said, trying to start a conversation to take her mind off of her feelings for a bit. "Have you thought about what your next project is going to be?"
Sunset shrugged, taking a long sip of her wine. "I dunno," she said. "I've been thinking about it, and I can't quite come up with anything. I was so excited to be set loose, but I'm now realizing that maybe there really is nothing left to do." In a quieter voice, she added. "Maybe it would be better off if I had actually left."
"Sunset..." Cadence said, reaching out to rest a hoof on her friend's foreleg.
"I know," Sunset said bitterly as she filled up her glass with the rest of the wine. "It was stupid. I'm stupid. We all know this."
Cadence opened her mouth to tell her that she was not stupid and that whatever her underlying reasons were, they were valid. She wanted to quickly nip the conversation in the bud before it went to far. But she did not get the chance to voice it before getting cut off by Sunset.
"And I know you're going to say that I'm wrong, and that I had my reasons, but frankly, you're wrong," she said, slurring slightly. "I was running away, that's all. Just Sunset being her stupid coward self, running away from the problem instead of trying to fix it. And now I have you, and that's great but I realized that there is something else I want, just one more thing. And I should just bucking pony up and ask you but..." She trailed off, as if suddenly realizing what she was saying. The took a shuddering breath followed by a deep gulp of wine, and added so softly under her breath so that Cadence could barely hear her, "I'm probably gonna run away from this one, too."
"Run away from what?" Cadence asked quietly. Her heart was beating rapidly, anticipating Sunset's next words. "What did you want to ask me?"
For a moment, it seemed like this was it. Sunset was going to confess to her, and Cadence would be able to accept that confession and reciprocate with one of her own. They would be together, and there would no more tiptoeing around each other like giddy schoolgirls with crushes. They could embrace their love and bask in their closeness and everything would okay.
But at the last second, Sunset's face slipped into an apathetic slump and she turned away. "It doesn't matter," she slurred quietly. "S'not important."
Cadence tried not to visibly show that her heart had just shattered. It was not important to Sunset. It did not matter. Or maybe it was not what she was going to ask after all. But Cadence was the princess of love, and she could feel the pull on the string between them. It was there, but Sunset was still not ready to accept it. Cadence did not know how much longer she could wait for Sunset to make up her mind before that string grew lose and eventually unravelled.
"O-oh," Cadence finally said. She resigned herself to the facts and gathered her composure. "Okay."
It was awkward after that. Neither of them spoke, choosing instead to just sit and stare at the empty wall across from them. The was an unasked question hanging in the air, but neither of them were bold enough in that moment to ask it.
"I think," Cadence began, watching as Sunset's head popped up at the sound of her voice. "I think I'm going to go to bed for tonight." She watched carefully as Sunset's face fell, before it was quickly replaced by her usual, neutral gaze.
"Alright," the unicorn said softly. "Good night, Cadence."
Without another word, the pink alicorn stood up, taking one last moment to wait for Sunset to say something. But Sunset offered nothing, and so Cadence began to walk away slowly, fighting the unsteadiness in her step. She refused to admit that maybe it was the heartache brewing inside her, and instead blamed it on the wine. She reached the door, and pressed her hoof against it, ready to open it up and crawl into her bed and cry. Her heart forced her to take one last pause, to just give Sunset one last chance. But her stillness was met with the cold silence of Sunset's room, and so with a heavy heart, she pushed her door open.
"Wait."
Cadence turned around, desperately trying to hold back the hope that rose in her chest before it consumed her.
"Wait," Sunset called out again, reaching a hoof out to her. "Don't go."
Sunset watched as Cadence walked away from her. Her heart beat faster, and she desperately wanted to reach out, call her name, anything to make her stay. But she could not do it. She was not strong enough to make the leap. And so Sunset watched as the mare she loved moved further and further away.
Cadence reached the door, and the unicorn watched as she paused one more time. She somehow realized that this was her last chance. She somehow knew that once Cadence went through that door, the feeling she had in her chest would not come back. Sunset opened her mouth, but still no words came out.
The unicorn watched as Cadence's head hung lower, and her stance deflated. Her heart broke as the door slowly swung open. She could not let this happen. How did she let this happen? Everything was perfect. Everything was okay. And now... now she was going to lose the very thing that kept her in Equestria. A tear slipped down her cheek. It took every ounce of courage she could muster, but as Cadence's hoof stepped into the other room, she finally called out to her.
Sunset held out a hoof, reaching out to Cadence. "Wait!" she called out. Her voice was quiet and weak, and Sunset could barely even hear it herself. But Cadence paused at the sound of it, frozen mid-step. "Wait." She watched as Cadence took a deep breath and turned back to look at the unicorn. "Don't go," pleaded Sunset softly. "Please... stay."
Everything in the room was still. Frozen in this one moment of time. The unicorn and the alicorn staring at each other, both with differing but equally strong emotions calling out to one another in their gazes. Then, silently, Cadence walked back over to her spot and sat down next to her.
The unicorn's stance softened slightly at her return, and Sunset took another sip from her glass before speaking again. "I'm sorry," she said after a moment. "For everything. I was horrible to you, and even though I like to think that I have changed recently, I know that I've hurt you. A lot." She took another shaky sip from her glass, and set it down beside her. The alcohol was loosening her lips, and she tried to slow herself down. But Sunset realized that she did not want to stop talking. And so she continued to pour her heart out to Cadence.
"I don't want to do that anymore. I hated that I was so aloof and alone and angry that I felt the need to do that. And because of that stupid, stupid decision, I messed everything up. I bucked everything up so freaking hard, and now that's just going to make what I want to tell you so much harder." A few tears slipped down Sunset's cheek, and she squeezed her eyes shut to try and stop them.
Cadence scooted a little closer to Sunset. "What... what do you want to tell me?" she asked breathlessly. Sunset was terrified that her love magic could feel that something that was stirring inside her, and she hoped that Cadence's senses were so muddled by the alcohol that she could not quite tell what it was. She needed to tell Cadence herself, and she did not want that to be messed up too.
So Sunset steeled her nerves. It was now or never. She stared into her glass, watching the rest of her wine slosh around as she idly turned it. "I was lying earlier... when I said it doesn't matter," she finally said. "It does matter. It matters a lot, actually... what I want to say to you."
There was a moment of silence as Sunset just glared at her own lap until she looked back up and her gaze softened. It was now or never. "I... I really like you, Cadence," Sunset said quietly, looking at Cadence only briefly before once again lowering her head. She could not possibly meet her eyes now. "You've been so kind to me and you've treated me with so much care. I think... I think I knew that I liked you for a long time, but in my stupid attitude, I just never let myself see it."
The confession flooded Cadence's heart with a bright warmth that she had never felt before. A wide smile came over her face as tears pooled in the corners of her eyes. Without a second thought, she leaned in closer to Sunset and wrapped the unicorn up in a tight hug, bringing her muzzle up to her ear. "I like you too," she whispered as a tear slipped down her cheek.
The whispered words sent a charge of electricity through the unicorn's body. She found herself leaning into Cadence's embrace, and nuzzled her face into the larger pony's shoulder. Sunset was glad for the closeness, the comfort. She was craving it, ever since that first time she had experienced it. Cadence was warm and electric and soft and strong all at the same time, and being embraced with her sent a myriad of emotions coursing through her veins. All of them were good, and she never wanted this feeling to end.
Sunset suddenly realized that there were tears streaming down her face, rolling in rivulets and dripping onto Cadence's back. She began to shudder as she cried, not knowing if her tears were joy or relief. But she did know one thing - the only thing that could cure them right now was Cadence, and she would not hide away from that feeling any longer, and suddenly, she felt the burning need to voice that as well.
"I l-love..." she started, and she could feel Cadence's breathing hang in the air against her. Sunset took a shuddering breath. "I love you." And then it was out there. It was as if a great weight had been removed from Sunset's back with those three words and she could breathe one again. The relief hit her like a tidal wave and she was suddenly sobbing into Cadence's shoulder.
Cadence held her tight, her legs wrapped around her shaking body in a close embrace. She pressed into the hug, shaking too much to raise her own limbs to reciprocate the hug. She wanted to stay here forever, comforted in the alicorn's hold. She did not want Cadence to let her go, and from her perspective, it seemed like she would get her wish. Gradually, through Cadence's comforting grasp and gentle whispers in her ear, her crying ceased and she stopped shaking.
Having calmed down pulling away slightly, Sunset looked up at Cadence. She found her gaze immediately locking into place with the alicorn's. Her own aqua eyes dove into the bright purple of Cadence's own. They stared into each other's eyes for what felt like an eternity, neither wanting to look away. There was a strange pull between the two. It was like magnetism, their lips being drawn ever closer to the other. Each was so enamoured in the other's pools that they barely noticed how close their muzzles were getting, and the jumped back in brief surprise when their noses bumped against one another's. Dual crimson blushes flooded their cheeks, acting as a mirror of one another. Sunset's gaze finally broke away, falling off to the side in nervousness. But Cadence refused to let this moment slip away from them and she brought a hoof up to Sunset's chin, bringing her gaze back into her own. Then, with a final steel of her resolve, she closed her eyes and leaned in.
Sunset's eyes widened as Cadence's lips pressed against her own. She froze up for a moment, overcome by the suddenness of the action, but her surprise and shock quickly melted away. Her eyes fluttered shut and she turned her head to press back up against Cadence's lips, sealing them together and reciprocating the kiss.
There was a burst of emotion akin to an explosion as Sunset pushed further into their kiss. Cadence could physically feel the warmth of Sunset's love bursting forth out of her heart. Her wings spread to wrap around the unicorn, pulling her closer as Sunset's forelegs reached up to do the same.
The rest of the world did not exist outside of their embrace. Their shared world was made up of only the two of them, and when they finally pulled away from each other, that small world expanded to just contain their loving gaze, their small smiles, and their racing hearts.
"You love me, huh?" Cadence giggled softly, leaning in to rest her forehead against Sunset's. Their horn brushed together, creating an electric connection between them that made them both shudder.
Sunset breathed out. "Yeah," she said in a shuddering breath. "D-don't be weird about it, okay?" The two of them shared a small laugh before they melted into another soft kiss.
They broke away after a moment, their muzzles lingering in the air near each other. "I love you too," Cadence said quietly with a small smile, before leaning in to steal another short kiss from Sunset.
While she could have guessed the alicorn's response, those four words nearly made Sunset's heart explode. She leaned into Cadence some more, and before either of them knew it, they were both exhausted.
Before they could get too comfortable on the floor, Cadence gently pushed Sunset away. "Why don't we get some sleep?" she suggested. "It's fairly late, and I think we both had a day that could be described as 'emotionally exhausting.'"
Sunset nodded through a yawn. "I guess you're right," she said. "But um..." the unicorn trailed off, not knowing how to ask the question she wanted to ask.
"But what?" Cadence certainly was not going to leave it unasked, however.
"Do you, um... would you," Sunset began, her words uncertain and heart racing. "Maybe, uh, you could stay the night? In here? With, uh... me?" Her ears folded back against her head as she stared at anything in her room besides Cadence.
There was a pregnant pause, before the response came. "If you want me to, of course I'll stay," replied Cadence gently, reaching out and placing a hoof on Sunset's shoulder.
Sunset let out a breath that she had not realized she had been holding. "A-awesome, cool," she said breathlessly. "Uh, okay." She stood, and made her way over to her bed. "Shall we?" she asked, immediately facehooving at how stupid that sounded.
Cadence just laughed, however. "We shall," she said lightly, opting to climb in first. Sunset quickly followed, lying down beside the alicorn and drawing the blankets up around them, and then laying as still as she could.
She was painfully aware of the noticeable gap between them, but she certainly was not going to be the first one to do anything about it. Her mind was still cloudy and she did not want to push too far or make any assumptions. She was also having a difficult time telling herself that what had just happened was ever real. Sunset was pulled out of her spiraling thoughts when she felt Cadence suddenly shift over to press against her side.
"Oh come'ere, you," Cadence whispered, wrapping her legs around Sunset. "I know you want to cuddle. Let's cuddle."
Sunset let out a nervous hum, but rolled over to hug the alicorn in turn. "Uh, yeah. That sounds... nice," she whispered back, again wanting to smack herself in the face.
With a light chuckle, Cadence replied, "In case you forgot, I am the Princess of Love. I can totally tell what you're feeling right now."
"O-oh yeah?" stammered Sunset. "What am I, uh, feeling right now?"
Cadence's pink eyes stared lovingly into Sunset's teal ones. Their sight was lost in each other's pools, and they simply gazed at each other for a few moments in silence before Cadence finally replied.
"Love, Sunset. You're feeling love."
Sunset woke up to a warm and comfortable weight settled at her side. Groggily, she cuddled closer to it, and smiled sleepily to herself as she felt it cuddle closer in turn. Strands of somepony's mane fell against her cheek and her horn brushed up against another. The feeling was serene, and Sunset was content to just melt into the bed for another few hours.
Unfortunately, that was not to be. As the minutes passed, Sunset became gradually more and more awake until she blinked a bleary eye open. The unicorn was met with the beautiful sight of a sleeping Princess Cadence snuggle dup to her side. Her head was tucked into the crook of Sunset's neck, with her long horn alongside her face and meeting the base of her own.
It took a moment for Sunset to remember where she was. When she did, the froze for a second, feelings of confusion and nervousness racking her brain. What happened? Why was Cadence in bed with her? It took a few moments of increasing panic before the memories resurfaced in her mind. Last night, their confessions... their cuddling. She had done it. After weeks of stewing, Sunset had finally confessed to the alicorn. She smiled, leaning into their shared embrace.
Sunset was suddenly pulled out of reverie by Cadence's legs pulling her tighter, and large, pink wing shifted on top of her. The confusing thoughts were immediately pushed from her mind, and Sunset was happy to snuggle back into Cadence's embrace.
Any questions could be answered after, the details clarified later. For the moment, she was satisfied to enjoy the alicorn's company and sleep for a few more hours. Unfortunately, those extra hours was shortened into a few short minutes before Cadence began to stir.
Sunset quickly loosened her grip, but was hesitant to pull away. She was far too comfortable cuddled close to Cadence. It seemed like the alicorn did not seem to mind anyway, as a happy hum escaped her throat as her eye fluttered open.
"Um, g-good morning," Sunset whispered awkwardly.
Cadence responded by closing her eyes again and burying her face deeper into Sunset's neck. A mumbled "good morning" came from somewhere but Sunset was preoccupied by not having her eye poked out by Cadence's horn.
"Cadence, uh, your horn..." Sunset trailed off. It took a few moments for her words to register before Cadence suddenly pulled her head away, eyes wide open.
"Oh horseapples," she swore. "I'm so sorry - I didn't mean... I mean... It's still so new and I keep forgetting-" She was cut off by Sunset putting a hoof on her mouth.
"Don't worry about it," Sunset said reassuringly. "It's fine." She smiled sleepily at Cadence, before a bright blush blossomed on her face when she realized she was pressing her hoof into Cadence's mouth. The feeling of Cadence's warm lips pressed against the soft frog of her hoof sent a shiver down her spine. Sunset wanted nothing more than to press further against it, maybe even to feel their supple softness against her own.
With a look that Sunset could only call "chaotic evil," Cadence leaned into Sunset's hoof and gave it a big, wet kiss. She quickly pulled her hoof back in embarrassment, not quite finding the ability to form words. Her blush deepend as she realized that Cadence could probably tell exactly what she was thinking, and what she desperately wanted to do. But instead of saying anything, Cadence only smiled more and leaned in to plant a second kiss on the tip of Sunset's nose.
"Good morning," she said softly, bringing a hoof up to brush some stray strands of Sunset's mane out of her face.
"H-hey," Sunset replied, very easily distracted by the hoof. "So, um, about last night..." she began before trailing off.
Cadence pulled her hoof back, her gaze slightly more serious, but still comforting. "What about last night?" she asked quietly.
Sunset swallowed. "Are we, uh... are we dating now?" she asked, instantly feeling like it was a stupid question to ask when she heard it out loud.
But Cadence did not call her out on the question, and instead smiled in response. "I'd like that," she replied softly. "Would... would you like that?"
With a quick and eager nod, Sunset said, "Yeah! I mean, yes. I would like that a lot."
They shared another kiss after that, and Sunset could only wish that every morning would be like this one from now on.
The two of them laid together for a few more minutes, idly chatting and just being close to one another. But eventually, they needed to start their day. Cadence had to go take care of something before lunch, when she had to go do her new princess duty, and Sunset needed to have a conversation with Celestia. So they ate breakfast together and parted with another soft kiss.
Sunset quickly headed for Celestia's study. She wanted to get this over with quickly, so that she could go spend some more time with Cadence before she needed to leave. She knocked loudly on the heavy oak door, and gave the Princess a warm smile when she opened up.
"Good morning, Princess," she said.
"Good morning, Sunset," welcomed Celestia as she ushered the unicorn into her study. "I have to say, I did not expect to see you today."
Sunset shrugged. "Oh, well, I uh... I think I know what I want to do for my research," she said, turning to face her former teacher.
"Oh really?" Celestia replied, her face lighting up at the revelation. "Oh, please do tell! I'm excited to see what you've come up with!" She gestured to her sitting area, where the table was set up for one person, but she quickly levitated a cushion over for Sunset. "But first, let me get us some tea!"
The unicorn nodded and took a seat at the table. She ran a hoof along it's aged surface. The table had been there for as long as she could remember, all the way back when Celestia had first taken her as a student. It was always just the two of them, herself and Celestia. The student and the princess.
This was the first time that Sunset was sitting at the table without being Celestia's pupil. She felt weird, as if she did not really belong here. What were they now? They definitely were not equals - Sunset had come to accept that. Were they, friends? Was Celestia still her teacher?
A steaming cup of tea was placed gently in front of her along with a spoon and bowl of sugar cubes. Celestia seemed to pause for a moment before a small "aha" and then a carafe of chilled milk teleported into existence next to the sugar with a small popping sound.
Sunset gave the princess a small smile as she stirred the milk and sugar into her tea. "Thanks," she said softly, sliding the sugar over to Celestia. The milk vanished as Celestia took the sugar and plopped the usual six cubes into her small cup. Sunset smiled at the warm memory that suddenly overtook her of the first time she saw Celestia make her tea, and asked her how she was still alive. Celestia had laughed at the comment while Sunset had been mortified that she actually asked the ruler of Equestria that question.
"So, Sunset," Celestia began, pulling the unicorn out of her memories. "I'm excited to hear what you've come up with."
"Oh, right," Sunset said. "Well, Cadence and I were talking last night and I got to thinking this morning. I want to look into Starswirl's portal, and like, how it works and the world it connects to and if there are other worlds out there. I want to figure out how it does the things it does and why."
Celestia smiled. "That sounds like a fruitful topic, Sunset," she said. "I'm looking forward to seeing what your conclusions will be, if you find any."
The unicorn paused midway through a sip of tea, and looked at the princess in confusion. "If I find any?" she echoed. "What do you mean?"
"The thing with a research project like this is that there might not be any conclusions," Celestia explained with a smile. "You will find answers to many of your questions and make countless observations. You will stir up new questions and maybe find answers to those." She took a sip of tea, letting Sunset digest what she had just said. "You're looking into how a device works when the creator itself did not know. And you're questioning a fundamental question of the universe. You will not find all the answers."
Sunset looked down into her teacup, idly swirling its contents around. "So you're saying its a hopeless project," she asked, slightly dejected.
"The very opposite, Sunset," Celestia said. "I think it is the perfect project for you." Sunset raised an eyebrow, so she went on. "Many mages will stop searching after a certain number of setbacks. They will formulate a conclusion or theory, and move on to the next question plaguing their mind. But you," Celestia raised a hoof to point at Sunset. "You will not stop until all of your questions and research points are satisfied."
Sunset's eyes widened as she realized what Celestia was saying. "You think I'm the only one who has a shot at this?" she asked, not wanting to believe without Celestia's confirmation.
With a nod, Sunset got that confirmation. "Yes," Celestia said. "I believe you are."
The unicorn smiled, sipping at her tea. She was glad that her former mentor had such unwavering faith in her ability. Sunset knew that this research was no small task, and it would require a large amount of determination and sheer grit to accomplish. But if Celestia had faith in her, Sunset had faith in herself as well.
"You've come a very long way, Sunset Shimmer," Celestia comment as she gazed at the unicorn over her teacup. "You've grown not only in your magical prowess, but in character as well."
Sunset smiled. "Thank you, Princess," she said quietly.
Celestia accepted the gratitude with a smile of her own. "I think you'll need to thank Cadence for that as well," she said with an interesting look. Sunset blushed lightly and looked down to the side. There was no way that Celestia knew about that, was there? "But maybe later," the alicorn said after letting Sunset awkwardly stew for a moment. "For now, let's just enjoy our tea. Maybe you can explain some of the theories you had about the portal?"
The two spent the remainder of the morning together in Celestia's study. The princess seemed genuinely interested in Sunset's findings and theories, and had even fielded a few proposals of her own throughout the conversation. Although it was long, the discussion allowed Sunset to leave with a new motivation pushing her steps forward. She was looking forward towards tomorrow, when her research would formally being. Celestia had promised a new laboratory would be set up by the end of the week, and would send Sunset letters of recommendation for various assistants and cohorts that she believed would aid in her research.
It felt good to be pursuing something that was of her own choice. Of course, the topics she researched over the years interested her, but choosing it herself brought a new sense of freedom that she welcomed. She was allowed to choose her own direction. It was a feeling that she would need to get used to over time. And hey, it definitely did not hurt to be put in charge of something. She turned the corner to head back to her suite just as Cadence was leaving. A bright smile pulled at her lips and she trotted up to her.
"Oh, hi Cadence!" chirped Sunset, and awkwardly shifted on her hooves. She wanted to lean in and kiss her, or at least hug her, but she did not yet know the boundaries of their relationship. Asking seemed, wrong, somehow. But her desire to kiss her new marefriend eventually won out. "C-can I, um..." she trailed off, leaving the question hanging unspoken in the air.
With a laugh, Cadence leaned forward and wrapped a wing loosely around Sunset, planting a soft kiss on the unicorn's cheek. "You don't need to ask," she whispered. "The answer will always be yes anyways." She leaned in for another kiss, this time planting her lips on Sunset's.
Sunset leaned in to the kiss, and hummed as Cadence's wing tightened around her. It did not last nearly as long as some of them last night, but she figured it would be enough to tie her over until Cadence returned.
"Alright, Sunny," the alicorn said as she pulled away, her wing slipping off of Sunset's back. "I gotta get going. I'll see you tonight though! Dinner?" Sunset nodded eagerly, and Cadence smiled as she walked away. "Alright, bye bye!"
"Bye!" Sunset called after her, turning to open the door. She paused though, and instead turned back around to watch Cadence leave.
As the alicorn walked away down the hallway, a warm smile blossomed on Sunset's face. It was a different type of smile from the ones she had been experiencing, even recently. This one brought a comforting, happy, hopeful feeling that permeated her from her hooves all the way to the tip of her horn. She tried to place the feeling, to put a name to it, but the thoughts escaped her for the moment.
Whatever it was, it made her feel good. The unicorn was, for the first time in a very long time, happy. She was content. She was in love. She was loved. And most importantly, she was no longer alone.
Sunset's smile remained just as strong for the remainder of the day until Cadence came back home, and then for many days after that.
"Yes, Cady, I do," replied Twilight, exasperation in her voice. "I still don't understand why I need new friends. I have you and Sunset and Shining Armor too. What do I need more for?"
Cadence giggled at the young unicorn's bickering. "It's always fun to have more friends," she replied, using her magic to help Twilight lift her saddlebags onto her back. "Besides, didn't Celestia say it was important? The Princess would never lie to you about that."
Twilight huffed grumpily in defeat. "No, I suppose not," she said. "But just know that I'm doing this under protest!"
Sunset laughed as she came up alongside the two. "I was the same way," she said with a smile.
"Of course you were, Miss Shimmer," Twilight said. "You have some sensibility!"
The older unicorn rolled her eyes at the title. No matter how many times she reminded her, Twilight refused to call her Sunset. She had given up.
"Are you saying Princess Celestia isn't sensible?" Cadence asked with a fake look of horror.
"Oh my gosh I didn't mean it!" Twilight hurriedly spoke to assure her foalsitter. "Please don't tell her I said that!"
Cadence laughed before giving the young mare another hug. "It'll be our little secret," she assured Twilight before pulling away. "Shh now, here she comes!"
Sure enough, Celestia was walking towards the small group with a smile, the Captain of her Guard by her side.
"Shiny!" Twilight called out before racing forward to meet her big brother in a hug.
"Hey Twily!" he said. "You ready to go?"
Twilight nodded in response before turning to Princess Celestia. "I'm all set!"
"Good to hear, Twilight," Celestia replied. "Remember, you need to speak to everypony on that list, okay? And maybe make some friends along the way."
"Don't worry, Princess!" Twilight said. "The preparations will be all set by the time you arrive!"
"I'm counting on it."
With everything said, and Twilight Sparkle ready to go, her baggage was loaded into the carriage with the young unicorn close behind. The four ponies waved as the pegasi flapped their wings and began to take off.
Shining Armor gave one final wave to his younger sister as the carriage flew off. "Oh, don't you worry, Captain," said Celestia with a knowing smile. "I'm sure she will be just fine." Shining just nodded as a few drops of liquid pride rolled down his cheeks.
Celestia walked over to the other two ponies waiting for her by the entrance to the palace. "I'm still annoyed that you never told me you had another student," grumbled Sunset as Cadence laid a wing over her back. "Even Cadence knew, but not me."
The alabaster alicorn laughed at her former student's annoyance. "I was unaware that I needed to approve my new pupils through you, first," she said mirthfully.
Sunset just lifted her head in a mockingly haughty fashion. "As the arch-mage of the Equestrian Royal Court, I believe it is in my purview to oversee all new magical prodigies as they are discovered," she said, and let out a pained cry as Cadence swatted her with a wing playfully.
Celestia just smiled shook her head as she watched the two. "You know, I remember a time where you two could not stand each other," she said. "Let alone have Sunset be cuddling under Cadence's wings." Sunset blushed as she looked away from her former teacher, unconsciously sidling closer to Cadence as she did so.
"She has gotten awfully domestic, hasn't she," comment Cadence as she smiled at Sunset.
Sunset's heart fluttered in response. "You make me want to be domestic," she replied earnestly.
Celestia's smile refused to fade, and she felt herself grow warm at the love the two ponies in front of her shared. But unfortunately, as perfect as the moment was, it would not be able to last forever. "Comeon Sunset, we need to prepare for tonight."
Sunset nodded, giving Cadence one last kiss before pulling away. "The summer sun celebration," she said, following Celestia up the stairs to the palace. "It feels like just yesterday we were celebrating last year's."
The alabaster alicorn nodded as she looked down at her former student. "It does, doesn't it," she replied. "When you get to be as old as me, they all seem to fade together, unfortunately."
The unicorn let out a small laugh. "Oh please, I am never going to be as old as you, Princess," she commented.
Celestia chuckled lightly, but her smile faded after a few moment. "This year is going to be a little bit different," she said softly. "I'm going to need your help."
Sunset looked up at Celestia with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, what's different about this year?" she asked.
"Well," Celestia began as she opened the door to her study. "Remember the old fairy tale story about the mare in the moon..." The door closed behind them, cutting off their conversation to the rest of the palace.
In the courtyard, Cadence stood next to Shining Armor, watching as Twilight's carriage flew away towards Ponyville. Soon it was only a speck in the distant sky, and she finally turned away. The unicorn standing beside her was crying still, an unusual sight for the Captain of the Royal Guard.
"She will be alright, Captain," Cadence said gently.
Shining Armor sniffed, rubbing a hoof at his eye. "Thank you, your highness," he said earnestly. "I... I know she will. I'll just miss her."
With a smile, Cadence gently rested a hoof on the unicorn's shoulder. "She'll miss you too," she said, before heading back towards the palace.
Cadence did not know what the plans were for this evening, only that she would be in charge of Canterlot while Celestia went to the celebration in Ponyville. There was a strange feeling in the air that she could not quite place. Eventide, especially was acting differently, hurring to accomplish various tasks that no pony but Celestia seemed to see the importance was. The only thing that Cadence could surmise was that they were about to have a very important guest.
With a smile, the alicorn thought back to when she had first arrived in Canterlot. Everypony had given her the warmest welcomes she could have imagined. Everypony except, well, Sunset. But the unicorn had changed and grown so much over the years that she had come to know her. Now, Sunset was the most powerful unicorn in Equestria, the leader of the archmage guild and Celestia's right-hoof mare. This would be her first Summer Sun Celebration with the title, and the two of them would be the hosts of the party in Canterlot Castle that evening.
Cadence's smile only grew as she headed through the palace towards their new chambers. Tonight was going to be fun, and there would be so many more nights to follow. The alicorn could not wait to see what the future held for her and Sunset. And the best part was...
