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Celestia serenely levitated her hot cup of tea towards her waiting lips. Eyes closed, she inhaled deeply the soothing scent of chamomile and mint before gently blowing on the wisps of steam billowing upwards from the surface of the light yellow-green liquid. Deeming it sufficiently cooled after a few long seconds – not that the burning heat ever bothered her, a perk of being so closely entwined with the large ball of fire burning brightly in the sky – the white alicorn took a small sip.
Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop, clip.
Silence.
Shuffle.
Repeat.
Celestia hummed inaudibly as the strong flavors burst upon her taste buds as she slowly swished the liquid back and forth in her mouth before swallowing, a thoughtful expression sliding over her face as she detected a hint of an undetermined something in the delightful brew. Not bothering to blow on the steaming liquid a second time, she took a larger sip than before, her head tilting slightly to the right as she tried to place the faint hint of something that she was tasting. It was subtle and nearly completely overpowered by the stronger flavors of mint and chamomile, however she couldn’t help but find that the third flavor gave a delightful twist to her regular morning tea.
Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop, clip.
Silence.
Shuffle.
Repeat.
Orange, perhaps, or lemon? No. No, it was obvious after another long sip that the mystery flavor wasn’t a type of citrus, although she was fairly certain that it was a type of fruit. Blackberry perhaps?
Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop, clip.
Silence.
Shuffle.
Repeat.
Hmm… Close, but still no. Rolling her tongue purposefully around another mouthful, a lightly satisfied smile bloomed across her lips as she finally placed the mystery flavor. She would have to commend the new hire in the kitchens for adding a hint of pomegranate to her usual – the subtle flavor really did enhance the taste, and she was now seriously considering making it a permanent addition to her morning tea.
Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop, clip.
Silence.
Shuffle.
Repeat.
Mystery solved and tea consumed, Celestia lowered her cup to its waiting saucer with a gentle clink before slowly opening her eyes. Calmly gazing at her niece as the pink pony distractedly paced along the room before turning and repeating the action, Celestia hid an amused smile behind an altogether more benevolent one. Spinel eyes flicking briefly to the grandfather clock ticking quietly in the corner of the room, the alabaster alicorn refocused her gaze on her younger pink counterpart and cleared her throat.
Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop, clip.
Silence.
Shuffle.
Repeat.
Receiving no acknowledgment from the otherwise occupied alicorn, Celestia tried again, her eyes betraying her amusement at the situation. Clearing her throat louder than before, she spoke. “Dear, while I can appreciate walking with purpose, might I suggest that you decide on a destination beforehoof?”
Clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-clop, clip-
Cadance froze mid-step and blinked, her troubled thoughts coming to a screeching halt as the elder alicorn’s voice broke her out of the trance-like state she had been in. Placing her raised hoof back on the floor, she about-faced and gazed apologetically at her serenely smiling aunt. “I’m sorry Auntie, I didn’t quite catch that. You were saying…?”
“Is there something troubling you, Mi Amore Caden-“
“Cadance,” Cadance corrected her aunt automatically. A teasingly raised alabaster brow caused Cadance to realize that she had just interrupted the solar diarch mid-sentence. Eyes widening and face flushing lightly, Cadance quickly apologized. “Sorry, Auntie. I didn’t mean to interrupt – I just really prefer my nickname to my full one.”
“No, I apologize, Cadance,” Celestia placed a slight emphasis on the name, earning an appreciative quirk of her niece’s lips. “You’ve told me before of your preference, though it seems to have slipped my mind in my old age.”
“You’re not old, Auntie.” Another raised eyebrow, this time in obvious sarcasm, made Cadance giggle. “Okay, perhaps you’re old in comparison to most everypony else, but considering age doesn’t really matter when you’re an immortal alicorn…” Cadance trailed off in amusement, her earlier troubles momentarily forgotten.
“Who is old?”
Both heads swiveled towards the door as a soft voice slowly and deliberately spoke - each word carefully constructed and pronounced - only to watch as the lunar diarch tiredly slipped into the room. Closing and locking the door behind her with her cool blue magic, Luna shot the occupants of the room a confused glance as she sedately made her way over to her reclining sister.
“Good morning, Auntie,” Cadance smiled warmly at the slightly bedraggled looking midnight alicorn, stumbling only slightly over the term of endearment. It had been more than slightly awkward at first to call somepony she had never met before by such a familial term, though she’d grown mostly accustomed to it over the past three years. It also helped that she had developed genuine familial affection for the older alicorn. “Auntie Celestia was just saying that she was getting old.”
“Old?” Luna scoffed as she all but collapsed onto the large pillow being occupied by her sister, her smaller body squirming to get comfortable. Sighing in contentment as the white alicorn shifted slightly and enveloped her in the soft embrace of one of her large wings, Luna snuggled tiredly into Celestia’s side before shooting her a slightly lopsided smirk. “Ancient would be a term most apt.”
“Thank you, dear sister, for that glowing appraisal,” Celestia stated wryly as she conformed her wing to Luna’s form, the comfortingly warm and soft sensation causing the younger princess to tiredly slump more fully into her embrace. “I will, however, remind you of just how close our ages are – if I’m ancient, what exactly does that make you?”
“Hmm… experienced, I would say.” Luna hummed thoughtfully before her eyes widened slightly. Turning her attention back to her grinning niece, she returned her earlier greeting, abashed at her poor manners. “Good morning to you as well, Mi Amore Ca-“
“Cadance.” Celestia and Cadance spoke in unison, causing them to exchange a look of light amusement.
“Ah… Mi Amore Cadance…?” Luna repeated uncertainly, her statement sounding more like a question to the other pony’s ears.
“No, please. Just Cadance.” Cadance smiled amiably at the confused alicorn.
“But we thought…” Luna mumbled confusedly, accidentally slipping back into her old verbal inflections as a result of her inattention. “Tia, did you not tell us that her name was Mi Amore Cadenza? T’would be quite embarrassing to find that we were calling our niece by the wrong name all this time…”
“Her full name is Mi Amore Cadenza, though the name she prefers to be addressed as is Cadance,” Celestia explained before clearing her throat lightly. “A fact that may – ah - may have slipped my mind.”
“Old indeed,” Luna muttered under her breath only to receive a light tickle along her side. Squirming nimbly away from the tickling feathers – and closer to her sister’s soft warmth – Luna gazed back at the younger alicorn thoughtfully. “”Tis a nice name. A variation on Cadenza, we-I assume?”
“Thank you,” Cadance replied, her grin perceptively softening into a caring smile as her gaze unfocused slightly, a memory coming unbidden to her mind. “When I first met Twilight – this was before I even became her foalsitter - she had a terribly hard time pronouncing my full name. The closest she could get to Cadenza was Cadance, and well, I guess it just stuck.”
“Twilight Sparkle?” Luna tilted her head slightly. “She is a remarkable pony – I can understand why you would hold on to the name she gave you. It is… comforting to be given a special name by one dear to your heart, though I doubt I would feel as comfortable allowing just anypony to use mine.”
“Oh? Do you not like it when I call you Lulu?” Celestia cooed sunnily down at her younger sister, causing the blue alicorn to flush slightly and mumble a negative. “I personally think it’s an adorable nickname.”
“Nay, sister,” Luna mumbled as she averted her gaze shyly, one of her ears twitching nervously, “We – that is, I – do not mind when you address me as such. However it… just you. Just you may.”
Celestia gave her younger sibling a warm smile and another squeeze before giving her a chance to recover her wits by returning her attention to her niece. Raising a brow, she slyly eyed the pink pony. “Speaking of special ponies…”
Cadance snapped out of the memory she had been lost in, her body automatically freezing at the gleam in her aunt’s eyes. “S-special ponies? W-were we talking about special ponies? Because, I don’t remember talking about special ponies-“
“What I find odd, dearest niece, is that instead of spending today of all days with somepony special, you’ve cooped yourself up here in the castle with us.” Celestia watched in amusement as Cadance’s face paled slightly at her observations, the younger alicorn glancing around nervously as if looking for a distraction or an escape. “In fact, I’d say that you definitely have somewhere else you’d rather be – as evidenced by your earlier frantic pacing.”
“I- that is to say-” Cadance stumbled over her words, her tongue feeling heavy and clumsy as she tried to deflect her aunt’s probing words.
“What is special about today?” Luna questioned, her curiosity staving off her tiredness for the moment; being a few hours after sunrise, it was also a few hours passed the time she usually retired to bed.
“Today just so happens to be Hearts and Hooves day,” Celestia answered Luna while still keeping her gaze fixed firmly on Cadance. “It’s a holiday that was created a few centuries ago to celebrate lovers and those special somponies in one’s life.”
“Ah,” Luna made a sound of understanding before regarding Cadance inquisitively. “Then, being the Princess of Love, should not you of all ponies be celebrating this day with your significant other?”
“I-well, yes, I suppose so. It’s hard not to notice the amount of love floating around on today of all days. And it would be really nice to spend today with my special somepony…” Cadance trailed off for a few heartbeats before backtracking nervously. “I mean, it would be nice if I actually had a special somepony.”
“Were you not dating that one guard captain – oh what was his name – the one who went with you to the Crystal Empire? Armour Shine, was it?” Luna questioned thoughtfully.
“Shining Armour,” Celestia corrected. “Yes, I thought so as well; the two of you have been practically inseparable for years. Don’t you two usually spend Hearts and Hooves day together?”
“What? No!” Cadance spluttered in disbelieving amusement. “Shiny and I as-? No, we’re just friends – close friends, but just friends. Sure we usually spend Hearts and Hooves together, but we don’t do anything special – just sit at home with a barrel of hard cider and wallow at the fact that we’re still single. That’s usually all we do, though last year we also apparently discussed the fact that I’m in love with T-”
Cadance’s eyes widened impossibly to the size of dinner plates as she realized just what she had nearly admitted, then widened even more as she caught the sharply teasing – and worryingly calculating – look that sprung into her aunt’s eyes. It would be too much for Cadance to hope that Celestia would drop the subject, not now when she had basically placed the answer in her aunt’s hoof.
“-T-Twinkies. I just love-love-love Twinkies.”
“Twinkies are those little cream filled pastries, are they not?” Luna interjected as Celestia’s eyes narrowed imperceptibly as she began running through a list of names in her head that started with the letter ‘T’. “We must admit to loving them as well, though I do not understand why this would be a prelude to imbibing…”
“Torque Tinker,” Celestia suddenly began listing off names of ponies she knew whose first names began with the letter ‘T’, her gaze intently studying Cadance’s reactions. To her disappointment, however, her niece was either a very good liar or she had yet to come even close to saying the right name. “Tumbler, Time Tear, Tiny Moat, Thimbles, Thorn Stem, Torrent…hmm, no. Ponies whose names start with ‘T’…”
“…Twilight Sparkle?” Luna chimed in, confused as to what exactly her sister was trying to do yet willing to help her anyways. She couldn’t help but find it odd that Twilight’s name wasn’t the first out of her sister’s lips, however.
“No Luna, I’m looking for…” Celestia trailed off as she registered the nearly imperceptible stiffening of her niece’s form at her sister’s words. Blinking in slight shock, Celestia’s mouth opened and closed a few times before a light ‘oh’ escaped her lips.
Cadance flushed and averted her gaze to look at anywhere except her aunts as Celestia correctly guessed a secret that she kept very close to her chest- in fact, before today, Shining Armor had been the only pony besides herself to know.
“You…” Celestia belatedly fixed her shocked expression once more into a facsimile of serenity as she absently brought her tea cup to her lips. Attempting to take a sip only to remember that she had already finished off the cup earlier, she inconspicuously set the tea cup back down on the table before clearing her throat awkwardly. All throughout this - as the minutes ticked by painfully slow - the white alicorn kept her eyes glued to the nervously shifting and excessively blushing pink pony in front of her, blinking only when she received a very slight nod. “I-I see…”
“See what?” Luna interjected in slight irritation – she had tried to piece together what the other two were talking about but it seemed to her that they were talking in code and half-sentences. Or her tiredness was impeding her mental faculties much more than she had first suspected. “Looking for what?”
Luna frowned as her only answer was a nervous glance from her niece and an absent hum from her sister. Brows twitching at being ignored, she opened her mouth to crankily demand an answer only to be pre-empted by the tip of a wing covering her mouth and muffling her words beyond comprehension. Throwing her elder sister a glare – which was altogether ineffective due to Celestia’s attention being focused solely on Cadance – Luna harrumphed and resigned herself to sulking silently for the moment.
She’d get her revenge later, preferably after a nice long nap.
“Cadance…” Celestia began slowly, her eyes narrowed slightly as she attempted to carefully choose each word so as to express herself clearly – ambiguity and misconception were two things she wanted to avoid at all costs, if only to spare the extremely nervous pony any added stresses. “When one gets to be as old as I, you quickly find yourself shying away from getting attached to the ponies in your life just as much as you crave the interaction and comfort. When you do allow yourself to become attached to another individual, those ponies become very… precious… to you.”
Celestia paused for a moment to gather her thoughts, noticing with a light frown that her words didn’t seem to be helping her niece calm down any. “You and Twilight both are such individuals to me, and I am very… protective when it comes to the two of you. I have come to know the two of you quite well over the years, and so I can’t help but want the very best for you two – happiness, long lives, safety, love…”
Cadance bit her lip as she shifted uncomfortably, her ears drooping in resignation with each carefully constructed word that left her aunt’s mouth. Though she felt warmth at the verbal confirmation that the older alicorn cared for her deeply – not that she needed it due to her powers, but it was still nice to hear on occasion – she couldn’t help but foresee an unfavorable outcome. She knew Twilight could find better than her as a marefriend – or coltfriend, if she indeed swung that way - but as she also knew very well, love was anything but logical.
“Considering those facts…” Celestia finally allowed a small smile to break her serene mask and curl around her lips, a twinkle perceivable in her eyes as she continued. “…I approve.”
“I know, Auntie,” Cadance mumbled despondently as she slumped into a seated position, her hoof poking dejectedly at the floor. “Believe me, I know. It’s not something that I haven’t thought to myself time and time again-”
“Cadance,” Celestia tried to interject to no avail as the mumbling pony’s monologue began to pick up steam, her words spilling out of her mouth faster and faster.
“-I-I-I don’t really know where these feelings came from, only that I have them and they’re pretty strong. I mean, I didn’t feel this way towards her when I was her foal sitter- I mean, of course I loved her, but I didn’t love-love her; not like I do now but-”
“Cadance.” Celestia spoke more firmly, yet the volume of her voice stayed the same. Using her magic, she gently lifted the younger pony’s head and made eye contact, an indulgent smile both visible on her face and in her voice. “It would seem that Twilight’s habit of nervous babbling has rubbed off on you.”
“I-I-...” Cadance blinked semi-confusedly before flushing slightly. She hadn’t realized that she had been stringing her words together so fast that they had become nigh inaudible. “It suppose it may have…”
“Now then dear, it seems that you misunderstood me earlier.” Celestia waited until she saw the curiosity enter her niece’s eyes - and steadfastly ignoring the light grumbling she could feel coming from her younger sister - before she continued. “I approve.”
Cadance froze. Staring at the alabaster alicorn with large, unblinking violet eyes, the pale pink pony slowly reached up with a hoof and rubbed first one ear then the other. Resting her hoof back onto the floor, she finally blinked and smiled. “I’m sorry Auntie, could you repeat that? I thought for a moment there that you said you approve of my feelings for Twilight.”
“I did.” Celestia smiled amusedly at the flabbergasted look that slowly appeared on the younger princess’s face at the confirmation of her easy acceptance, the pink pony’s mouth slowly opening and closing in shock. “Twice, in fact.”
Luna’s brows furrowed as she pushed away her tiredness for the moment and mulled over the information she had been able to piece together over the course of the confusing conversation. Celestia’s approval, Hearts and Hooves day, love, hidden feelings for Twilight Sparkle…
“Oh!” Luna’s eyes popped wide open as her groggy mind finally connected the dots. Springing to her hooves – and jostling the larger alicorn at her side in the process – she thrust a hoof out and pointed at the pink pony with a victorious grin. “Thou art in love with Twilight Sparkle!”
“I-” Cadance was startled out of her shocked stupor due to Luna’s rather loud yell, yet another blush blooming on her face much to her inner annoyance; she was usually the one making other ponies blush. “Yes…”
“Huzzah! How joyous!” Luna cheered, pumping her hoof into the air before she threw her sister a confused glare and began muttering under her breath. “Why you could not simply tell us this plainly, I do not know…”
Deciding to put off reminding her younger sister the importance of careful subtlety with certain topics for another day, Celestia instead responded with an innocently angelic smile, garnering a light snort and adorable pout from the lunar princess before she moved her attention back to her frazzled niece.
“You-you approve? Really?” Cadance questioned confusedly, her attention flicking back and forth from Luna’s sparkling grin to Celestia’s warm smile before resting completely on the white alicorn. “I-really?”
“Why are you so shocked by that fact?” Celestia tilted her head to the side, her voice tinged with curiosity. “Did you honestly think that I would disapprove of your interest in our Twilight?”
“Well- well yes of course!” Cadance spluttered as she blinked in confusion, not understanding why her aunts were being so accepting. Didn’t they understand?
Celestia and Luna exchanged a brief look, complete with raised eyebrows, before gazing once more at the smaller pony before them and speaking in unison. “Why?”
“Well…” Cadance scrambled to find reasons to back up her feelings, steadfastly ignoring the little voice in the back of her mind telling her she should just stop and not question the acceptance. “For one, she’s your prized pupil - your faithful student! You-you practically raised her. You don’t just let anypony date somepony you love dearly like that.”
“Did my sister not just finish saying that she cared dearly for you as well?” Luna questioned wryly as she watched the younger pony work herself up for nothing.
“Well-”
“Cadance,” Celestia’s voice was both warm and firm as she stood up from her lounging position on the large pillow and made her way to the smaller alicorn. Nuzzling the pale pink pony lightly, she drew her into a winged embrace as she continued resolutely. “You are not just anypony. You are family.”
“But-but I’m too old for her!” Cadance exclaimed as she allowed herself to be drawn into the embrace after a few moments of putting up a token resistance, soaking up the physical comfort despite herself. “I was her foalsitter!”
“And were you in love with her when she was a foal?” Celestia questioned as she drew the younger pony closer, an unseen smile flickering briefly across her face as Cadance gave up all pretenses and snuggled more firmly into her embrace. “Or have your affections since grown and evolved?”
“No…” Cadance admitted slowly. “They’ve changed…”
“Then we see nothing wrong with your current feelings towards dearest Twilight.” Luna drawled as she sprawled out on the large pillow she had previously been sharing with the larger alicorn. Propping her head up on a hoof, she wryly gazed at the other occupants and snorted. “Furthermore, should we concern ourselves with the age difference between partners, the only suitable mates for my sister and myself would be each other.”
Silence permeated the room for a long moment as Luna locked gazes with her elder sister, the words she just spoke only now registering in her mind. Eyes nearly tripling in size as her cheeks flushed a dark red, the lunar alicorn stumbled to correct herself as a white brow slowly rose on her sister’s face. “That is not what- we did not mean it like that!”
“Pray tell, Lulu,” Celestia’s voice held more than a pinch of amusement and mischief as she teased the now flustered blue alicorn. “Is there something you’ve neglected to tell me?”
“What? Tia! No!” Luna squeaked in embarrassment as Celestia’s smile only grew. “We would never- not that we do not find you physically appealing! However we are… we are….” Luna moaned lightly in resignation as both her sister and niece giggled at her frantic attempts to not stick her hoof in her mouth, her next words muffled as she buried her head in the pillow. “…we are in dire need of sleep.”
Turning her attention back to the lightly giggling pony in her embrace, Celestia lightly questioned her once more. “Are you certain that those are your real concerns?”
Cadance’s giggling abruptly stopped at her aunt’s soft words. Shifting uneasily, she finally sighed before burying her head in Celestia’s shoulder, her voice muffled. “…what if she doesn’t return my feelings? Or worse, what if she does and I’m not good enough for her?”
“Cadance…”
“No, Auntie,” Cadance pulled away slightly, her face serious. “I may be the alicorn of love, but that really only applies to the love between others. I’ve never been exactly… successful in my own love life. I’d hate to ruin love of all things for Twilight…”
“The two of you deserve love, and the happiness that follows,” Celestia soothed as she smoothed Cadance’s ruffled mane with a gentle hoof. “I can’t say how she would react, but wouldn’t knowing if she reciprocates be better than this uncertainty?”
“I-I guess…” Cadance bit her lip uncertainly. “But… what if she doesn’t? What if this ruins what we have? I couldn’t bear to lose her completely…”
“I believe the two of you are mature enough, and important enough to each other, to move past such a situation,” Celestia encouraged. “I won’t lie; it would hurt at first, and there would be some awkwardness in your interactions for some time to come, however I truly believe you would be able to move past all of that. As for not being good enough, those fears would never come to pass. You are a wonderful pony, Cadance, and no matter how Twilight feels about you she is also able to see that.”
“Now,” Celestia allowed a slight tone of teasing to enter her voice. “Where is the pony that is always telling others to fight for love? That it was worth risking everything for?”
“Here…” Cadance murmured softly, a slight smile breaking across her lips before she sighed in resignation. “I suppose… I suppose it would be nice to know how she feels…”
“Splendid!” Luna exclaimed from her sprawled position, being extremely careful not to make eye contact with her sister – she had just managed to gain control over her blush, and was not looking forward to whatever teasing the elder alicorn was waiting to assault her with. “From what you’ve explained of this holiday, this day seems like the perfect day to confess. What could possibly go wrong?”
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Author's Note
This will be a three-part story.
To those of you who have read any of my other stories and have been waiting for updates... please don't assault me with cake. This has been sitting on my HDD for a few months now, and I decided to post what I have done until waiting until it's finished, since 2/3 chapters are complete. This story, as well as my other ones, shall be updated in the very near future.
Also, wasn't 100% sure which other tags to tag this with...
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“Here you are, Your Majesty; one ticket to Canterlot.” The clerk at the Ponyville train station slid a single ticket through the hole at the bottom of the window, his voice oozing professionalism; due to Ponyville now having its own resident princess, seeing royalty at the station had become somewhat of a weekly occurrence for him. The clerk’s calm demeanor slowly began to break down, however, as the pink alicorn before him showed not one iota of having heard him and instead continued to seemingly stare straight through him. Professionalism all but gone, the clerk nervously pulled at his collar, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face as the royal stare bore into him, causing his voice to squeak. “Uh, P-Princess?”
Cadance blinked and came back to herself with a start. Drooped ears twitching slightly at the relieved sigh originating from in front of her, she half-heartedly attempted to pull herself together and actually managed a semi genuine half-smile. “Oh, I’m sorry. I have… a lot on my mind. Thank you for the ticket.”
Encasing the train ticket in her blue magic, she began a sedate walk over to an empty bench situated on the far corner of the platform. Having just enough presence of mind to be thankful that the station was nearly empty, Cadance sunk despondently onto the bench. Tearing her eyes away from the happy couples she could just make out in the distance, she instead gazed at the ground in front of her and once again became lost in her thoughts.
The day had started out so well…
After accidentally outing herself to her two nosy aunts, and allowing them to convince her to finally follow her heart, she had made a few preparations before leaving the city. A few acquisitions were made in the city bazaar as well as a short trip yet frustrating trip through the royal gardens. Needing the time to compose herself – and finish a surprise for Twilight – she had deigned to take the train to Ponyville instead of arriving under her own power.
After having arrived in Ponyville, she had quickly made preparations to surprise Twilight later on in the day before actually meeting up with the purple alicorn. The two of them had spent the early part of the day catching up in the library, before Cadance had convinced the younger pony to take a walk with her. That’s when Twilight began receiving the small gifts she had prepared beforehoof, all signed by ‘a secret admirer’.
To Cadance’s rising glee, Twilight had seemed to love each and every one of her gifts. Playing ignorant as to who exactly her secret admirer was, Cadance had basked in the younger pony’s poorly contained giddiness at the well-chosen gifts, each of them having a deeper meaning to the purple alicorn than one might expect. Favorite chocolates, favorite flowers, a plushy companion straight out of the history books and a heartfelt poem…
In fact, everything had been going splendidly – she had even begun gathering up the nerve to confess - when it all came crashing down during supper…
‘”Wow!” Twilight whispered as she gazed wide-eyed at the restaurant Cadance had insisted on visiting, taking in the elaborate decorations and cozy atmosphere. It was a setting she would have expected to see in Canterlot, not the smaller town of Ponyville. “I didn’t even know Ponyville had a restaurant like this.”
Cadance giggled as she used a wing to close Twilight’s lightly gaping mouth, her giggles turning into a soft coo at the resultant blush on the younger pony’s face. Stretching her wing, she draped it snugly across the smaller alicorn’s back. Feeling Twilight’s slight jump at her actions, and seeing the blush on her face grow as she opened her mouth, Cadance swiftly averted her attention by elaborating on the restaurant.
“This one has actually been here longer than you have, though it’s only known to a select group.” Pausing in her explanation, Cadance nimbly bypassed the waiter and pulled out Twilight’s seat, sending the confused yet grateful pony a winning smile in the process. Making her way to her own chair – which she allowed the huffy waiter to pull out – Cadance debated for a split second before ordering them an appetizer of bread sticks and rose wine while they waited for the meal that she had pre-ordered.
As the waiter left the two alone, Cadance returned her attention to Twilight to continue her explanation only to come up short at the vision before her. Alit in the soft glow of the candles, Twilight’s soft coat shone and her large violet orbs sparkled enticingly. And when she smiled, Cadance was caught - her heart and soul ached to be closer to the vision before her, to the pony who was unequivocally – inside and out –the most…
“Beautiful…”
“Did you say something?” Twilight’s attention jumped from scanning the well-dressed couples dotting the restaurant – and fretting over the fact that she wasn’t wearing anything at all – to focusing intently at her companion.
“I-” Cadance hesitated briefly, not having meant to speak her thoughts aloud, before exhaling deeply. Closing her eyes for a moment, she gathered her courage before opening them and fixing her gaze on the lightly confused alicorn before her, a warm smile on her lips. “I said that you were beautiful.”
“Wh-what?” Twilight’s cheeks flushed as Cadance’s smile grew. Studying the mare before her, Twilight was unable to find any hint of deceit or teasing on her face, causing the younger pony to avert her gaze shyly. “What are you taking about? I’m not even wearing anything…”
“You don’t have to wear anything, Twilight; you shine with an inner beauty, one that can be seen by all even without clothes,” Cadance earnestly contradicted the modest pony, her own reservations disappearing in the face of Twilight’s low view of herself. “Especially without clothes…”
Twilight wrung her hooves together and ducked her head, allowing her mane to cover her flaming cheeks. She had never found herself particularly beautiful- oh, she was aware that she wasn’t exactly homely, but she had never thought of herself as attractive. However, as she took in the words Cadance spoke and the tone she spoke them in, Twilight couldn’t help but feel… odd. It was – after a few moments of reflection - a good odd, but still odd all the same.
Cadance opened her mouth to continue, some unknown need to make sure that Twilight knew she was speaking the truth urging her on, only to be interrupted by a hesitant cough. Blinking, Cadance turned towards the disturbance with a start only to espy a nervously smiling couple. “Hello?”
“Ah, Princess…es.” The nervous stallion quickly smiled at the purple alicorn before turning his attention back to Cadance. “Good evening. My wife and I were just dining and we couldn’t help but notice the two of you here. We were wondering, if it wouldn’t be bothersome, if you would consider-”
“What my husband is trying to say, Your Majesties, is that we were hoping that the Princess of Love wouldn’t mind signing our wedding book.” The mare nudged her husband aside lightly as she smiled hopefully. “It would mean a lot to us.”
“Wedding book?” Cadance tilted her head lightly, a confused smile on her face.
“Er, ‘honeymoon book’ would be more correct, though it doesn’t roll off of the tongue like ‘wedding book’ does…” The husband added bashfully as he rubbed the back of his neck with one hoof, a medium sized book clutched under his wing becoming visible as he shifted. “We, um, got married last week. We’re on our honeymoon trip across Equestria.”
“Oh! How lovely,” Cadance grinned at the bashful couple, not needing her magic to tell her that the two made a lovely pair. “Of course I’ll sign. Do you have a quill?”
“Thank you!” The mare practically squealed as she fished a quill out from a hidden pocket within her dress.
Cadance took the quill and opened the book that had been set on the table onto a blank page. About to press the quill to paper, she paused as a thought came to her. “Who should I make it out to?”
“Kites and Lilly Bloom, Princess,” Lilly Bloom smiled cheerfully as her husband draped a wing across her back.
“Alright then; ‘To newlyweds, Kites and Lilly Bloom…’”
Unbeknownst to Cadance, Twilight had gotten curious and had peered at the page. Watching as Cadance’s flowing script appeared, the gears in her head began turning as her eyes narrowed. Leaning back in her seat, Twilight slowly pulled the poem she had received earlier out of her bag and covertly unfolded it on the table before her. Gazing at the writing, Twilight blinked slowly as her suspicions were confirmed.
Cadance finished up and gave the quill and book back to the happy couple before bidding them farewell. Turning back to her own companion, Cadance was about to continue where she had left off only to notice that Twilight seemed troubled. “Are you alright, Twilight?”
Not even receiving a blink or twitch in response, Cadance frowned lightly before trying again. “Twilight?”
Twilight slowly moved her gaze from the piece of parchment she had been staring blankly at to the pink alicorn across the small table, an odd look on her face.
“Are you feeling well, Twilight?” Cadance asked worriedly.
Twilight’s mouth worked with no sound before she lightly cleared her throat. Shifting uncomfortably, she hesitantly met her elder’s eyes before speaking. “Cadance… can I ask you a question?”
“Of course you can Twilight,” Cadance blinked in surprise. “You can ask me anything.”
Twilight nodded slowly. Silence reigned for a few long minutes before Cadance gently jostled the younger alicorn from her thoughts.
“Twilight?”
“I’m not sure if I should ask…” Twilight mumbled, a slightly helpless look in her eyes. This was not a situation that she had ever found herself in before, and so she was feeling uncomfortably out of her depth.
“It’s okay, Twilight,” Cadance reassured the pony before her softly with a smile. “Like I said, you can ask me absolutely anything.”
Twilight nodded again and stared at her hooves for a long moment to gather her nerve before glancing up at her companion. “…Are you my secret admirer?”
Cadance froze. Her mouth opened and closed soundlessly before she was finally able to force her words out in a croak after a few long moments. “Wh-why would you ask that?”
“I compared the penmanship on the poem I received earlier to what you just wrote in that couple’s book… they were identical,” Twilight hesitantly stated in a quiet voice, her gaze never wavering from Cadance’s face. At this point, she deduced that she didn’t even need verbal confirmation, due to the mounting evidence before her, however… “Are you?”
“I-I-yes.” Cadance forced out stumblingly with a slight wince. This was not how she had planned to confess at all.
A few minutes passed in silence. Then a few more. Cadance’s hoof jittered nervously underneath the table as she waited for Twilight to respond, however the awkward silence only stretched on as Twilight stubbornly evaded her gaze by focusing on the table. Her earlier concerns, those that were barely banished by her aunts, started to trickle back into the forefront of her mind as the time continued to pass. Finally, Cadance could take the silence no more and desperately pleaded for Twilight to say something.
“Twilight…?”
“I’m sorry,” Twilight murmured before lifting her gaze and meeting Cadance’s. “I’m sorry, I just… I just don’t-”
“It’s okay, Twilight,” Cadance interrupted the younger alicorn, a false smile adorning her face to go with her barely chipper voice. “I expected this; really. It’s… this was a bad idea. I really should- you should stay and enjoy the food; it’s already paid for, but I forgot that I have somewhere that I need to be. I should- I should go.”
Standing up abruptly, Cadance ducked her head down and quickly made her way out of the restaurant, leaving her heart lone at the table.’
A self-deprecating chuckle bubbled up unbidden from Cadance’s throat as she thought about Twilight’s last words.
‘I’m sorry, I just… I just don’t…’
Slumping further into her seat, Cadance glumly decided that her aunt’s would be supplying her with the many tubs of ice cream she would undoubtedly need to compliment her heartbroken wallowing before sighing. “What could go wrong indeed…”
-0-0-
“Twilight?” Spike questioned the purple alicorn as she walked by him without a word, her expression quite clearly troubled.
Not even hearing Spike over her own loud and jumbled thoughts, Twilight slowly dropped the take-out containers of food she had absentmindedly carried around with her for the past half-hour next to one of the book shelves, her troubled thoughts still churning around what had transpired earlier at the restaurant.
‘“Twilight…?”
“I’m sorry,” Twilight murmured before lifting her gaze and meeting Cadance’s. “I’m sorry, I just… I just don’t-”
“It’s okay, Twilight,” Cadance interrupted the younger alicorn, a false smile adorning her face to go with her barely chipper voice. “I expected this; really. It’s… this was a bad idea. I really should- you should stay and enjoy the food; it’s already paid for, but I forgot that I have somewhere that I need to be. I should- I should go.”
Twilight watched, conflicted, as Cadance stood up and made a hasty retreat not once looking back at the confused pony she had left behind.
“…I just don’t understand why you’d be interested in somepony like me…”’
Twilight slowly ambled forwards on autopilot, actually making it half-way up the stairs on the way to her bedroom before her steps faltered. Freezing with one hoof in the air, mere inches away from reaching the last step, she bit her lip and hesitated. Slowly, feeling that she owed at least this much to both herself and her former foalsitter, she allowed her mind to push past the slight awkwardness that had clung to her since finding out who her secret admirer was and looked at the past few hours objectively.
She was gifted throughout the day with some of the staple gifts of Hearts and Hooves; chocolates, flowers, a plushy, and a poem. On the surface, being gifted these things spoke of unoriginality on the part of the admirer; looking closer, however, showed a much different story.
The sweets she was given were white chocolates with bits of caramel toffee in them. The flower was of her favorite species, one which only bloomed in a specific, restricted, area of the Royal Gardens. The plushy was a lovingly hoofmade replica of Starswirl the Bearded’s underappreciated and widely unknown companion, Bamboo the Panda.
Her favorites. All of them her favorites.
And the poem… the poem was simply beautiful. Though it was a freestyle poem that followed no rhyme nor meter, it more than made up for that with the emotions it carried. It was a poem written from one heart to another, and Twilight felt a touched smile stretch her lips once more as she thought of the fact that somepony felt that way about her – plain old, slightly neurotic, egghead Twilight.
Taking in a deep breath, Twilight closed her eyes and let her mind drift to her not so secret admirer. Pushing any preconceptions she may have from her mind, she thought of Cadance – not as her old foalsitter or as a good friend, but as a mare who had romantic feelings for her. She pictured the slightly larger pink alicorn in her mind’s eye, and her breath caught in her throat.
She had always known that Cadance was beautiful, inside and out, but she had never really allowed herself to really dwell on that fact. Again, she stubbornly pushed away the awkwardness that began creeping up on her for mentally checking out one of her dearest friends. Objectively, Cadance was very attractive, in both personality and looks – and it also helped that Twilight already knew that they got on well and that they had a lot in common – but the real question was, could she be attracted to the older alicorn in that way?
Twilight took the plunge and conjured up a mental image of herself right next to Cadance. Anxiously, she watched as Cadance slowly walked up to the Twilight in her mind, her eyes and smile filled with a soft warmth, before she leaned in and-
“Uh, Twilight?” Spike spoke up again as he began slowly backing away, his snout scrunched up in a mild disgust. “You’re not going to get all mushy on me again, are you? You’ve got that same look on your face- like that time you all talked about how you got your cutie marks and you made me write that cheesy letter to the Princess.”
Twilight blinked as Spike’s words finally tore her from the mini fantasy playing in her mind. Turning her slightly dazed face towards him, she distractedly asked him to repeat himself as she attempted to straighten her suddenly ruffled feathers. She still wasn’t one-hundred-percent certain of which course of action she should take, or how exactly she should react to this unexpected bit of news, however there was one thing she knew for certain; she cared too deeply for Cadance to just let her run away. “What was that, Spike?”
“What’s going on with you Twi?” Spike questioned confusedly as he peered at her peculiar expression. “You’re acting all weird.”
“Nothing’s going on with-,” Twilight began only to freeze, her eyes widening to epic proportions as her wings puffed up in shock. “Going! I’ve got to go! I’ll be back later, Spike. Don’t wait up!”
Spike stared at the quickly retreating alicorn with a deadpanned expression before he threw his claws up into the air and muttered to himself in exasperation.
“Mares.”
-0-0-
Twilight half ran half flew out the library door and down the darkening street, her eyes flittering frantically from pony to pony in an attempt to spot her fellow princess. Wings flapping awkwardly in an attempt to give herself a speed boost, Twilight quickly and systematically passed by all of the town’s more popular haunts. Becoming more frantic as time slipped away from her and the street lights began turning on one by one, she came to a hovering halt in front of Sugarcube Corner.
Mane and tail frazzled and feathers ruffled uncomfortably, Twilight began muttering to herself as she tried to think of where else the pink alicorn could have gone. “I checked there, and there and there. She wasn’t there- though I have no idea why I thought she’d be there in the first place- and I haven’t seen her on the streets. Oooh! Where could she be? It’s only been an hour, she couldn’t have gotten that far…”
“Heya, Twilight!” Pinkie grinned cheerily from her upside-down position in front of the purple pony, a rope being held by her puffy pink tail leading to her second story window. “Whatch’ya doing?”
“Not now Pinkie, I’m busy at the moment. I’ve got to superimpose a grid over Ponyville in my mind, while also compensating for the fact that Cadance could switch into a zone I’ve already searched.” Twilight muttered distractedly as her eye began to twitch, numbers and equations chaotically zooming through her mind at high speeds. “My best bet would be to search the whole of Ponyville instantaneously, but for that I would need a foci the size of an average pony with less than zero impurities, a mirror the size of Ponyville itself, and enough chalk to fill the library three times over…”
“Ooooh, sounds like a super-duper-splendiferous fun time!” Pinkie giggled as her tail let go and she landed head-first on the ground, her mane cushioning her fall and making a slight boing sound as she bounced. “Way more fun than just going over to the train station to catch her before she leaves.”
“Pinkie!”
Pinkie blinked as she suddenly found herself enveloped in her friend’s pink magic and suspended inches from Twilight’s face, though her ear-splitting grin never faltered and actually seemed to grow impossibly wider. “That’s me!”
“How do you know- never mind, that’s not important,” Twilight cut herself off as she gazed intently at the smiling party pony before her. “This is really important Pinkie- did Cadance say she was taking the next train?”
Pinkie began explaining at high speeds. “Princess Cadance came in earlier all gloomy and down so I whipped her up a batch of my patented Gloom Be Goo Gone- get it? Because the goo in the middle is so yummy and sweet that it chases away even the most toughest of tough frowns- and she said that they were really good, but maybe I didn’t make them strong enough because she still seemed kind of-”
“Pinkie!” Twilight shook the pink pony lightly in her magic, her voice slightly strangled. “Cadance. Next. Train?”
“Yeppers!” Pinkie nodded cheerfully, accidentally whipping Twilight in the face with her dangling hair in the process. Looking at her foreleg, she hummed thoughtfully before showing Twilight the ticking watch that the alicorn would have sworn before Celestia wasn’t there before. “You’d better hurry up with your super-duper fun plan though - the next train boards in five minutes.”
Eyes widening in mounting dread at a deadline almost passed, Twilight unceremoniously dropped Pinkie Pie as the magic surrounding the pink pony fizzled out. “Thanks Pinkie, I owe you one!”
“No you don’t silly!” Pinkie called from her sprawled position on the ground. “Just let me throw the party!”
“Sure Pinkie,” Twilight called back distractedly as she gave up the idea of running or flying – or the odd mixture of both she had accomplished thus far - and decided to resort to a tried and true method. Not seeing the almost manic gleam that came into Pinkie’s eyes at her words, Twilight lit up her horn and teleported away in an audible crackle of pink magic.
Making a series of short jumps across the town to conserve her energy and minimize the chances of a miscalculation, Twilight finally blinked into existence just to the side of the embarking platform with mere seconds to spare, having been unfortunately delayed – by an angry couple and a pickle barrel of all things - between her teleports. Quickly scanning the dwindling crowd, she finally spotted her target about to board the train at the far end of the platform. Heart in her throat and panting lightly, Twilight rushed forward and lit her horn up once more.
Cadance sighed as the conductor yelled ‘all aboard’ for the fifth time, intent on giving the stragglers one last warning before closing the doors. Posture slumped, she slowly walked up to the quickly dwindling line and took her place at the back. Raising a hoof to enter the train car, Cadance let out a gasp of surprise as she was simultaneously blinded by a bright flash and bowled over by something solid yet soft and warm.
Rolling off of the edge of the platform and onto the springy lush green grass, Cadance rapidly blinked the bright spots out of her eyes before looking dazedly down at the pony clutching tightly to her chest. Squinting only slightly, her eyes widened as she recognized the bedraggled form. “Twilight…?”
Twilight, for her part, just lay there clutching the older pony as she panted for breath. Heart pounding at her mad dash across town, she scrunched her eyes shut and buried her face in Cadance’s neck and kept quiet. Though she had made it this far, she hadn’t planned on what to do next, and so was practically paralyzed by her nerves. She really wished that she would have had time to read Lockheart’s The Art of Emotions before actually confronting Cadance.
“Twilight?” Cadance tried again, this time softening her voice until it was more soothing than startled, steadfastly pushing away her own mixed feelings at their encounter so as to give Twilight her full attention. “What’s going on? Are you alright?”
Biting her lip as Twilight nuzzled closer and her breath lightly tickled the sensitive fur on her neck, Cadance raised a hoof and lovingly rubbed small circles on the purple alicorn’s back. Barely registering the sound of the train departing, Cadance winced slightly as she shifted her wings out from beneath her and gently wrapped them around the precious bundle atop her, her wince turning into a tender smile as the smaller pony reflexively melted more fully into her embrace. “Are you going to tell me what’s wrong, Love?”
Blushing at the term of endearment, Twilight squirmed embarrassedly for a moment before attempting to burrow deeper into Cadance’s neck in an effort to conceal her flaming cheeks. She nodded slowly in affirmative, before quickly shaking her head to the side. Huffing slightly, she finally gave a small noncommittal shrug of her shoulders in response. She wanted to tell Cadance – it was the sole reason she had chased the other pony across town after all – but she simply didn’t know how to.
Cadance hummed thoughtfully as she continued her soothing ministrations, not at all aware of her slip of the tongue nor Twilight’s pleased yet shy reaction to it. “Perhaps you’d like to continue this conversation elsewhere?”
Twilight bit her lip and nodded once more, this time clearing her throat before speaking shyly. “Come… um… Come back to the library with me?”
Heartstrings effectively tugged at the soft pleading voice that escaped her beloved, Cadance smiled and responded the only way she could. “Of course I will, Twilight.”
-0-0-
Author's Note
One chapter left...
Also, I have honestly no idea where this idea came from. None whatsoever. But it was already half written on my laptop, and so I shall endeavor to finish it.
