"Haha!" The bear's voice sounded like Princess Celestia's, except that Celestia didn't speak in that manner. "The day shall last forever!"
An evil crackling sound came from the centre of the bear and a big fire bolt launched into the sky before plummeting to the ground. The ponies huddled together screaming, unable to move as their fear took over.
But those ponies didn't have to be scared, for a magical blue aura surrounded the fire, transforming it to opal coloured sparkles, which fell harmlessly onto the huddled ponies. A pink Alicorn was in the sky, her wings beating fast as her magic evaporated the bear and saved her little ponies.
A purple unicorn filly with a dark blue, pink and purple mane, whom Cadence recognised as her friend, Twilight Sparkle, cheered. "Princess Cadence saved us!"
All of the ponies screamed in joy, trying to hug Cadence.
Princess Cadence flew above the crowd, smiling as her ponies chanted her name.
"She's our ruler!" One white stallion shouted.
As the stallion uttered those words, something strange happened to her. Her legs lengthened, her face became more regal and her jewellery grew. Gasps could be heard below.
"My little ponies," Cadence smiled down at the mesmerised figures below her. "I am your ruler, your leader."
Cadence stretched her body to full length and she began to glow a bright blue. Her wings spread wide and she landed on the ground, the glow still lingering on Cadence. Everypony bowed and the blue expanded until the immense crowd had a touch of it. It was a blessing, a blessing from their new ruler.
"You shall live in peace. You shall live in harmony."
An illusion of a perfect Equestria hovered above Cadence.
"You shall begin your life in happiness and leave your life in happiness. Nopony shall ever harm you under my rein. You will also make sure that you yourself doesn't harm anypony."
The glow left everypony and they stood up, struck in awe. The perfection that the princess, no, their princess, had shown had left a feeling of calmness inside their bodies. They knew that they would always trust her and that she was one to follow.
Princess Cadence flew up into the air to -
Beep beep beep!
Princess Mi Amore Cadenza groaned as she groggily blinked open her heavily eyelids. She reached out and switched off the alarm clock before laying in bed again.
'What are you doing Cadence?!' Part of the Alicorn shrieked.
'Lying in bed.' The other half replied.
'Well, haha. Auntie Celestia won't want you to be late.'
Cadence sighed and reluctantly slipped out of bed. Her eyes closed in focus as she levitated her shoes, necklace and crown over to her body. Having to repeat this routine every morning, Cadence was used to wearing her jewellery when sleepy, and wordlessly stepped into the precious necklace. Her hooves fell into the small shoes and the tiara was placed on top of Cadence's head. The Alicorn trotted down the hallways, many of the guards bowing to her as she did so, to a large spotless room, the room where breakfast was held.
Princess Celestia was already there, sipping her tea. Her purple eyes swept over Cadence.
"Have you brushed your hair, Cadence?" The ruler of Equestria questioned.
Cadence groaned. How could she have forgotten?
"I will take that as a no." Celestia smiled and levitated a spare brush to Cadence's side.
Gently, the brush began to comb back the messy mane, forelock and tail. Celestia's strokes were soft, yet powerful, and the yellow telekinesis wrapping around the brush sent happy little tinglings into Cadence's pink body.
"That's better." Celestia handed the brush to a guard.
Cadence buttered her toast and silence remained for a few minutes, before Cadence asked her aunt something that was unfamiliar to the white Alicorn's ears:
"What am I the princess of?"
Cadence was relieved to get the question out. For weeks, even months, that simple inquiry had been bottled up inside the Alicorn.
"My dear Cadence," Celestia's gaze turned onto her niece. "Whatever do you mean?"
"Well," Cadence said impatiently. "You are princess of the sun and Nightmare Moon used to control the moon. What do I get to control?"
Celestia put down her tea. "I cannot tell you."
"What do you mean?" Cadence flattened her ears. "Why?"
"It is your destiny. You have to discover it like you did with your cutie mark. You, and only you, must find it."
Cadence looked at her blue cutie mark. She had loved the moment when she had earned her cutie mark, but discovering it? Not so much.
So now she had to go through all that torture again.
Tears started to well in Cadence's eyes. She couldn't help it. All those weeks, she had been waiting patiently with her aunt, hoping she'd tell her the answer of Cadence's unspoken question. She had just got the answer, but she wasn't happy with it.
"Can't you help me find it at all?" Cadence asked desperately. "Not even a tinsy winsy bit?"
Celestia hesitated. She knew that she shouldn't find it with Cadence, but that Alicorn was truly desperate. Could she help a little? Everypony needed a helping hoof every now and then...
"I'll help you a bit, seeing as you're so desperate." Celestia found the words slip out of her mouth.
Cadence's eyes widened to the size of dinner plate and she flung herself against her aunt, burrowing her pink head against the white body. Celestia chuckled and walked towards the exit, Cadence on her back. She had some ideas to get into action.
Author's Note
This is my first fanfic ever, so it may not be as good as you expect it to be! This chapter is quite short, but others will be longer.
"Breathe in, breathe out. Empty out your nightmares."
Princess Celestia held out her right leg calmly. Next to her stood Cadence in a similar position. The filly was fidgeting and she was tired of holding her leg. With a loud thump! her pink hoof landed on the floor.
"What has this even got to do with my destiny?" Cadence asked, almost accusing her aunt.
"Emptying out the negative and replacing with the positive is an important action in life," Celestia replied, her voice distant. "As it helps you immensely."
"How does it?" Cadence sat down on her rump.
"Emptying your negatives makes you more content, and being content brings what you need."
Celestia walked out of the door, but turned her head around as she did so.
"Cadence," The Alicorn said when Cadence looked slightly confused. "It's lunchtime."
***
Cadence sighed as she sank into bed. Her day had been long and stressful. Not in the way her body usually hurt. Her day had been stressful because of the unbelievably stupid exercises Celestia had planned for the afternoon. First, she had another chunk of meditating. Then she had to sit on an amazingly large stress ball that kept rolling over. After that, Cadence was told to breathe in a lavender scent from a gadget of her aunts. The day carried on with similar activities, and the filly Alicorn had had to stop herself from falling to sleep.
What was Aunty Celestia thinking?
Celestia was supposed to be a smart pony. A pony who made sensible decisions. A pony who did her best to help others.
Celestia was doing none of those so far.
Cadence had to admit, the sun princess was trying to help her with all of her heart. The tall Alicorn was quite capable of putting an end to her teaching, but she didn't bat an eyelid when Cadence groaned, it seemed. For a fleeting moment, Cadence had wondered if Celestia had been stuck with the same problems as her niece, but she had dismissed that thought almost immediately, for trying to imagine her aunt as a desperate filly was quite difficult.
How did Celestia earn her cutie mark in the first place? Did she connect with the sun? Raise the sun for the first time? There were a million possibilities, some more likely than others. Cadence made a personal note in her mind to ask her aunt how she got her cutie mark. Maybe she could ask how she became the sun princess, because surely, Celestia wouldn't have known that she was to control the sun straight away, would she? Thoughts scampered through the pink Alicorn's head, until her bedroom door creaked open, letting a shaft of light fall in. A silhouette of a tall Alicorn was in the doorway. The silhouette slowly melted away to reveal Princess Celestia as she stepped through the door.
"Aunty Celestia?" Cadence peeked over her bedroom duvet.
"Hello Cadence," Princess Celestia's daily wear was off and she looked quite different. "I thought that you may have a few questions to ask me."
"How did you know?"
"Know what?"
"That I wanted to ask some questions?"
"Because if I were your age, I would have wanted to ask some questions."
Cadence got up to open her curtains. She could see the Mare in the Moon. The filly considered asking her aunt if the Mare in the Moon was actually the former night princess and sister of the sun, but decided that it wasn't the right time. She could ask later. Moonlight streamed through the window and bathed the two Alicorn's in silver beams. The moon would provide the light that they needed.
"How did you get your cutie mark?" Cadence questioned as she got into bed under her warm covers.
Celestia didn't reply. Her horn was glowing purple. An illusion of a young white Alicorn filly with dainty little yellow shoes and a matching tiara appeared next to the princess. She was on a balcony, looking down in despair, her surprisingly groomed mane and tail swishing. Down below, a purple Alicorn filly with a light blue mane and tail was playing with a giant herd of unicorns.
"They were the unicorns who used to raise the sun and moon." Celestia said, knowing that Cadence had heard the stories of the past.
"Who's that?" Cadence asked, referring to the purple filly.
"That, Cadence," Celestia spoke softly. "Is my sister."
The filly Celestia was holding a clock in her mouth. Cadence peered at it. It read 7:03; the sun was late rising, and Celestia seemed to know that. The filly suddenly looked scared, when she saw an angry mob of ponies peering out of their houses. She gulped and rose in the air.
The illusion dropped.
"What happened?" Cadence was annoyed that she hadn't seen her aunt's actual moment of glory.
"I would rather not show you the end," Celestia replied, her voice steady. "As it is not important."
Cadence didn't know what to say. Her feelings were mixed with amazement and annoyance. Eventually, she blurted out: "When will I know what I'm the princess of?"
"You'll know the moment and treasure it when you have discovered your destiny." Princess Celestia drew the curtains and pulled open the door with her telekinesis, walking out of the room.
"But - but - wait!" Cadence didn't understand. She tried to scramble out of bed, but her aunt's telekinesis was holding it firmly down on her.
The white Alicorn closed her eyes. "Good night, Cadence."
The brown heavy door was shut and Cadence, suddenly overcome with sleepiness, drifted off, forgetting her fury and desperation and dreaming about unicorns and little purple Alicorn fillies.
