A Heavy Crown

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10

Chapter 1

Willow groggily opened his eyes and quickly turned his head away from the harsh fluorescent light bearing down on him. Adjusting to artificial glow granted him a view of a sparse, white room, empty save for a sink, a collection of cabinets, and the bed he’d awoken on. Glancing down revealed that thin sheets were draped over his body.

Why am I in the ho—

He remembered being at Aria’s side, grasping her hoof and shouting encouragement. The screaming and cries as the nurses had darted around the two of them still rang through his head. There had been a split second of silence after all the chaos, broken by his foal’s first cries. He remembered glimpsing its tiny from.

Then, nothing.

He rose up from the bed, only for a sickening wave of pain to slam into the left side of his head, blurring his vision as intense nausea bubbled up in his throat. Collapsing onto his back, he gasped for air as the room spun around him, slowly solidifying when he managed to gain control of his breathing. The pounding in his head receded to a dull ache, and he became aware of a chill on his left hindleg that drew his attention to an ice pack haphazardly resting atop it. Picking the pack up and placing it on his head further reduced the ache to almost nothing.

“Nurse?” he rasped. “Doctor? Somepony?”

Muffled voices could be heard from outside the room. Two stallions, from the sound of it. A third voice, deep and raspy, entered the discussion and silenced the other two, but the door prevented Willow from making out the specifics of the conversation.

The bronze door knob twisted, and a unicorn stepped into the room. Upright, Willow would have stood half a foot over his head, but would be level with his horn. His azure coat was so matted and ruffled in the areas where it stuck out of his medical jacket that it looked like dulled steel. The same could be said of his grey mane; a proper combing would make the unicorn appear far younger.

The unicorn slouched as if his jacket weighed him down. Deep bags rested under his eyes, and his lips flaked in multiple spots. Even his cutie mark had an aged feel with its depiction of a weather-worn stone covered in etchings.

“Hmmm,” he murmured.

“Doctor?” asked Willow. The unicorn’s eyes narrowed and slowly swept across Willow’s body, coming to a stop when both ponies were looking straight at each other. “What’s going on? Where’s Aria? Where’s my foal?”

The unicorn blinked before trotting over to Willow’s bed, summoning over a chair, and falling into it with a relieved sigh.

“Let's take things slowly.” The unicorn rubbed his left eye with a hoof. “I’m Doctor Pasture, and I ca—”

“I don’t care! Willow snapped. “Where’s my family?!”

With a heavy grunt, he slammed down his hooves into the bed in an attempt to get up, but his head exploded again, and a queasy feeling once more welled up in his stomach. Pasture shot out a leg and sharply jabbed it into Willow’s chest, pinning Willow down. His lips stretched into a harsh frown that matched his piercing eyes.

“You have my sympathies for the slipshod way the nurses restrained you when you had your incident.” Pasture pressed down harder. “But I won’t have you running amok here.”

Willow's eyes widened, his breath rasping harshly as he struggled uselessly against Pasture's hoof. However, soon enough, the exertion coupled with pain was too much, and he fell limply back onto the bed, Pasture snorting once before finally easing off the pressure a little bit.

“Where’s Aria?” Willow managed to groan when the room finally stopped heaving underneath him.

Pasture moved his lips soundlessly before closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

“Can you remain reasonable?” he asked.

Willow nodded. “Yes, but I need to see my family.”

“That’s part of the issue.” Pasture took another deep breath, dry lips vanishing into a tiny line as he leveled his gaze. “I’ve already explained this to your wife, but there were some complications in the birth.”

Willow's stomach churned. A chill spread across his body as he slowly curled into a ball and he buried his face in his pillow. Coughing into it, he shivered as cradled his head with his hooves. He remembered his foal crying. It was pink like Aria. He’d seen that much before he’d woken up in the bed. What was wrong? Its horn? Its wings? Its whole body? I don’t even know what type it is!

“No,” he sobbed. “No, no, no, no, no...”

“Mr. Reed, stay focused,” said Pasture, pressing his hoof a little further into Willow’s shoulder. “It’s not fatal, so we can give your foal all the help it needs, but you have to talk to me. Can you do that?”

Willow sucked in some air, getting more controlled with each breath. Cleaning his face up with a hoof, he sniffled, inhaled deeply, and slowly nodded. With a sigh, Pasture fell back into his chair, summoning a notepad, a quill, and an ink jar out of his jacket’s pockets and floating them close to his face. Poising the freshly wetted quill over the notepad, he looked over to Willow

“I need you to answer these questions,” Pasture explained. “They’ll help diagnose your foal and give it proper treatment. First off, did your wife ever drink while she was pregnant?”

Willow scowled.

Sighing, Pasture brought the quill down and quickly scribbled something. “Did either of you ingest Zap Apple Jam in the month prior to conceiving your foal?”

“No, but I don’t see what tha—”

“Any unicorn ancestry in your family before your marriage?” Pasture continued while his quill furiously moved across the paper.

“My great-grandmother, but we don’t keep a lot of records, so I don’t know much before her.”

“I see,” Pasture muttered. “Have either of you ever eaten rainbow concentrate?”

“Once... in flight school. The other colts dared me, but it was just once.”

“You haven’t done it recently?”

“No,” Willow replied with a bit of force in his voice.

“Have either of your ever been exposed to poison joke?”

“Um, do you mean poison ivy? Aria told me she fell into a some when she was a filly.”

“No,” Pasture said and jotted down some more notes. “While poison joke’s effects are contracted through touch, similar to poison ivy and oak, it contains magical properties that can severely impede ponies and, in this case, a developing fetus. However, your unfamiliarity with it eliminates it as a probable cause of defect. It does lead to my next question though: Have either you or your wife ever ventured into the Everfree forest?”

“The Everfree? No, I can’t think of a reason to even go close to there.” Willow gingerly leaned over to the notepad, but the writing only appeared as scribbles to him. “H-how many more questions are there?”

“We have to narrow down all the events that could have caused the defect.” Pasture flipped past page after page, revealing that each was covered in ink. “I can request some water.”

“I just want to get this over with!” Willow screamed. “What will it take for you to get that?!”

Gritting his teeth, he quickly pressed the ice pack against his pounding head, the returned pain ebbing into a numb throb. The relief also came with the awareness that Pasture was staring at him, a sharp frown creasing his lips.

“Are you done?” Pasture asked.

Loosening his muscles, Willow sunk back into the bed. His teeth disappeared back behind his lips, leaving him with a partially closed mouth that dangled open slightly.

“Maybe a drink would be good,” he mumbled after a moment.

Pasture called in a nurse, a gruff stallion with a mechanical walk and a coat that blended into his ill-fitting green scrubs, and made a few sharp orders. He gave Willow a short glance and disappeared as quickly as he’d entered the room, scrubs loosely rippling from his gallop.

After the nurse dropped off two hard-plastic glasses and a pitcher of ice water and left, the questions resumed, punctuated by an occasional pause when either pony had a sip. Family history, job history, and relationship history were all given their own collection of inquiries, and, by the time the water ran out, Willow had lost track of how many times he’d answered “yes” or “no.”

“No,” Willow repeated.

“Thank you, Mr. Reed. This information will be very helpful.” Pasture flipped through his notepad, pausing to re-read a page here and there, and then shoved it back into his jacket, along with his ink jar and quill. Standing up, he scratched at his mane. “There is one final matter.”

“What?” Willow croaked.

“You and your wife will be questioned by Social Services to ascertain your capabilities in raising an impaired pony. The medical and emotional toll is harsh for parents in your situation. Systems are in place to take care of such ca—”

“Stop.” Willow drew his face close to Pasture’s, allowing the doctor to feel the hot blasts of air coming off of him. “This is our foal you are talking about. It’s Aria’s choice too, and whatever I did before you knocked me out will be nothing compared to her if you even think we’d do that. Now, I answered your questions, so let me go.”

“Very well,” said Pasture. “Your foal is still in medical isolation, but your wife is down the hall in room twenty-three.”

Willow sat up from the bed. However, his head began to throb again, forcing him to tightly clench his jaw as he carefully swung his hindlegs over the bed and onto the ground. Pasture trotted over and offered his shoulder as a balance while Willow inched over to the edge, and, after a few seconds of precariously standing on only two legs, was finally on three hooves, a fourth holding the ice pack. Letting go of Pasture, he limped his way across the room, but fumbled his ice pack when he attempted the open the door. With a small burst of magic, Pasture opened it for him.

Mumbling a “thank you,” Willow reaffixed the ice pack to his head and shambled out into the hall. He went right before coming to a sudden halt, twisted his head to look at the numbers carved into his door, sighed, and then changed directions, huffing as he made his way left down the hall.

~~~

Pasture stood still and waited until he could no longer hear Willow’s labored trot. When the hallway grew silent, he turned his head in the opposite direction. “You can come out now.”

The nurse from earlier marched out from around a corner, scrubs done away with, allowing wings with a few missing feathers and scars running across them to freely move around his back. He rolled their joints as he made his way over to Pasture, never breaking eye contact with the doctor.

Another pegasus trotted directly behind him, his sunflower yellow coat standing out against the white walls. His wings were still pristine, save for a small knick across his left one. Like the nurse, he kept his eyes forward, but didn’t stare straight at Pasture, instead looking down at his many pockets.

The two stepped in tandem, eliciting a sigh from Pasture while he beckoned them into now-vacant room. Once they were inside, he silently closed the door and faced them.

“Do the words ‘act normal’ not register with you?” Pasture hissed. “You are off duty. Looking like civilians is the only thing that’s kept those two from becoming complete wrecks.”

“Sorry, old habit,” the yellow pegasus replied while his eyes drifted toward the empty bed. “I thought we were keeping them isolated though.”

“We are keeping the foal isolated,” Pasture corrected. “I interrogated them each for nearly two hours. Not to mention the head injury. He at least deserved to see his wife.”

“Did you find any leads?” the green pegasus asked.

Pasture scowled and gave his head a harsh shake, further disheveling his mane. “Nothing. He wasn’t very knowledgeable on his wife’s magic capabilities, but her answers gave no indication of abnormalities there either. No diseases or medications that could cause deformities, no exposure to undefined magic, and nothing remarkable in the gene pool.”

Puffing up his chest, the green pegasus stepped forward. “What are our orders then, Sir Mystic?”

“You can go report my findings back to the Princess, since you forgot I’m Pasture here.” Mystic dismissed the green pegasus with a slight twist of his head and focussed his attention on the yellow one. “Cumulus, come with me. I need some coffee, and then you’re on standby duty.”

The trio walked out to the hallway, where the green pegasus split away and disappeared down a corridor. Mystic and Cumulus went in the opposite direction at a brisk pace. They arrived at a small break room and sat at the single wide table in the middle of it. Mystic poured himself some lukewarm coffee, took a gulp of it, and sighed.

“Since questioning the parents proved ineffective, I’ll need to analyze the foal’s capabilities,” Mystic explained with his eyes locked on the brown beads of liquid that remained at the bottom of his cup. “There’s a risk I may trigger an involuntary use of magic. If magic levels are on par with the Princess and there’s a surge, I’ll stay back and try to minimize the damage as much as possible.”

Cumulus’s eyes widened and he choked out a few words. “Would that require harming the foal?”

Mystic kept his attention on his cup. The miniscule amount of coffee left caught the light and reflected a tiny, distorted version of the room. He was aware that Cumulus was still staring at him, waiting for an answer even though they both already knew it. He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, his reply having already played in his head countless times and now welling up at the back of his throat like bile.

“I pray it doesn’t come to that.” Mystic looked up at Cumulus. “But we can’t risk an uncontrollable alicorn.”

~~~

Willow stared at the black twenty-three etched into the wooden door before finally closing his eyes and knocking on it. The knock rang in his ears, echoing around him as he held his breath and waited. Silence greeted him.

He raised his hoof and prepared to knock again, when a wispy voice came from inside the room.

“Doctor? Is that you?”

Clenching his teeth together, Willow felt his eyes sting again as he bit back more tears. He stepped forward and entered the room, leaving a sweaty stain on the door.

She rested upon the room’s bed, her body sunken into the mattress and pillow. Parts of her pink fur that weren’t covered up were either matted to her skin or poked up in sharp curves. Behind strands of a messy blond mane, hazel eyes lazily traced their way over to the door. She paused for a moment to stare at the ice pack clutched in Willow’s hoof and then moved up to the purple bump above his bloodshot eyes.

A small shaky grin came to Aria’s face. “You’ve looked better.”

“You too.” Willow’s wings sagged as he made his way over to her bed, legs all moving at different times in a jumbled shamble. Placing the ice pack on a bedside stand, he reached out and gently caressed Aria’s foreleg. “How are you feeling?”

“Drained,” Aria sighed, melting further into the bed. “Nopony ever brought up how tired you are afterwards.”

“You did great,” Willow said with a weak smile.

“Willow.” Aria’s leg reached up and clasped Willow’s, pressing into his fur but lacking the power to dig any deeper than that. “The doctor told me about what happened.” A dry laugh flew out of her lips. “Asked me a billion questions too.”

Aria slightly eased her hold around Willow’s leg and raised her head, showing off that her eyes were a little raw and red. “I told him I didn’t care. I just wanted to see her.”

“Her?”

“I made sure he answered some questions too.” Aria gave a small chuckle before she pulled Willow into a hug. Some leftover condensation from his ice pack streaked in between the spot where Aria’s head nuzzled his neck. “We have a daughter.”

“A daughter...” Willow repeated. His legs tightened around Aria and his smile grew. “Guess we’re going with your name then.”

“Cadenza.” Aria sniffled, burying her head deeper into Willow’s chest. “I’m sure she’ll love it.”

Chapter 2

Mystic clenched his quill, dipped it, and brought it over to a green notepad. His brow furrowed when a blob of ink dripped onto the page, but he quickly added a second, neater dot, forming a slightly misshapen colon. His jaw ached while he scratched out new words.

Potential Alicorn Subject: Cadenza

A soft coo drew his attention to the simple crib next to the table that held his writing materials. It wasn’t a new sound to him, but every time it was made, both he and Cumulus froze and waited for silence to return to the medical cubicle.

Taking the quill out of his mouth, Mystic scooted closer to the crib and looked down at its inhabitant. The foal’s amethyst eyes drifted around, taking in the white ceiling and walls around her. Her infant wings twitched every few seconds; all other movement was restrained or hidden by swaddling cloths. Mystic watched them skim across the crib’s bedding until they folded and disappeared beneath the rest of the foal. Slowly, his attention moved upwards, past the foal’s wandering eyes and stopped at the nub resting in the center of her forehead.

Glancing down at the scribbles that filled the page, he beckoned Cumulus over. “Would you mind writing the notes? I’m going to recheck some vitals and her wings, but I want legible recordings this time.”

Cumulus nodded and took up the quill as Mystic backed away from the desk and carefully leaned over the crib. His hooves tenderly reached down and undid the pin that held the swaddling together, freeing foal’s legs and showing off her pink coat. Only two spots differed in color: a small tuft of yellow, purple and magenta hair above her horn and a white patch of gauze atop her stomach.

“Eight hours after birth and subject is exhibiting the same behaviour as a normal foal,” said Mystic. “Visual observation reveals that eyes are receptive and limbs, including wings, are mobile. Removal of umbilical cord is healing at a normal rate. Subject has not rejected its mother’s milk. Now moving on to the second test of pulmonary and cardiovascular functions.”

Allowing Cumulus a brief pause to finish jotting down the report, Mystic reached across the table and grabbed a stethoscope. He fumbled for a moment getting the buds in his ears, but eventually succeeded and gently placed the instrument onto the foal’s chest. Her eyes ceased moving around and locked onto the straight line of Mystic’s lips as she let out a small squeal.

Mystic perked up his ears and intently listened to the sounds resonating from the scope: the inflation of tiny lungs, followed by the gentle wheeze that came with their deflation, and the faint thump of a new heart steadily beating away in the background. Scooting the scope to the upper left of the foal’s chest shifted the background pulse to the forefront. The rhythmic beat rang through her ribs and up to the stethoscope's buds. Mystic’s world boiled down to the solitary noise as he mentally ticked off each bump that ran through his ears.

While this cycle continued, the foal’s lips trembled and she let out a tiny whimper. The tiny hairs on her chest stood up and goosebumps spread out from where the scope pressed into her skin. Her whole body shuddered with each breath, her eyes widening more and more with tears glistening in them.

Finally, Mystic removed the intrusive instrument, and, taking out the buds, said, “Heart rate and breathing slightly accelerated but otherwise normal.”

Then his hooves went down again and flipped her onto her stomach. He gently pinned her left wing to the crib, and she gave a shrill cry, tears tumbling onto the bedding while her legs uselessly flailed beneath her. Folding his ears down, he placed his head close to to the wing while running a hoof across the miniscule feathers she’d had since her birth. They brushed against it like unspun cotton, their texture raw and undefined.

“Feathers are now fully dry and resemble normal pegasus foal plumage,” he reported.

Mystic wiped away some of the sweat from his brow before stepping back, taking a sniff of the air around him. Alongside the faint smell of lemon sanitizer, he noted the fraction of sunlight that slipped in under the door, casting a faint glow on the blank walls. The artificial breeze of the air conditioning cooled the sweat that soaked into parts of his jacket, causing a shiver to run up his body. With a heavy sigh, he shifted out of the damp coat in silence, leaving it dangling over the edge of the table. Eyes drifting back down to the crib, he gestured over to the exit, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Cumulus, get over to the door. It’s time to check magic levels.”

“Sir, can’t this wait? The squad could transport her to a safer location.”

“I’m not a ‘sir’ here,” Mystic spat, his gaze not moving an inch from the crib. The veins beneath his temples pulsated while sweat collected around his horn. “Follow your orders, sergeant. Observe. Record. Report.”

Face draining of color, Cumulus clasped the writing materials before edging towards the exit, transfixed on the crib. He mechanically set them down on a spare chair when a drop of sweat spilled into his right eye, forcing him to blink. Rubbing his face, he glanced at Mystic.

Mystic ignited his horn and glanced at the room’s clock. “Time is now fourteen hundred and twenty-six hours. This is the first recorded test of a potential alicorn foal’s magic capabilities. A simple gauge spell will be applied to get a rough estimate. It is the only exposure the subject has had to unicorn magic.”

Bringing his legs down into the crib, Mystic flipped the foal back over. Every muscle in his body tightened, his limbs weighed down with an invisible pressure. Slicing through the thick air, his horn pushed down closer and closer to the foal’s head. Its cool blue glow drew her eyes up to it and filled them with a reflective light.

Mystic studied the way his magic shimmered in them, aware that the clock had either stopped ticking or that his ears simply refused to hear it. The foal lightly gurgled and blinked. Closing his eyes, Mystic lightly touched the tiny pink nub atop her head.

The teal glimmer vanished in an instant. A bolt of lightning sizzled out of the foal’s horn and arced past Mystic’s face and into the air, dissipating as quickly as it had appeared. Mane now fizzling with static, he jumped back from the crib with his heart caught in his throat and his breathing sped to a maddening pace.

“Cumulus!” he screamed. “Get out now!”

Cumulus spread his wings and darted out of the room. Mystic’s magic surged from his horn and enveloped the area around him and the crib in a transparent teal bubble. At the same time, a fuchsia sphere materialized around the crib, cloaking the foal in its luminous glow.

Mystic steadied his breathing, but his heart still pounded away. Clenching his jaw, he sent up barrier after barrier around the room until all he could see was blue. The magic in the center of all this expanded outward until it inevitably clashed with Mystic’s shield. More supernatural lightning ripped through the small space, but the sphere didn’t budge beyond the defensive spells.

Okay, it’s contained. Now I ne—

The psychic orb turned a blazing neon rose and exploded into a blinding flash. Mystic cursed as he ducked and the magic washed over him, turning everything white. Effectively blind, he groped around and felt the floor still beneath him. Slowly, the world came back to him and he looked around. Nothing was upturned and no glass was shattered. The only sign of disarray was a flipped over notebook and a dripping quill on the floor. A brief sniff revealed that the room even still contained the faint sanitizer scent.

A sniffle stiffened Mystic’s ears and dragged his gaze back to the crib. Creaking upright, he inched over to it, heartbeat drumming in his head. At the crib’s threshold, he dared to look down and was met with the foal lightly whimpering and her limbs squirming against the bedding.

“Oh, thank the sta—” His head jerked up. “Cumulus!”

Jolting away from the crib, Mystic galloped over to the door and flung it open. The hallway’s sunlight temporarily blinded him again, but he barreled forward. The next thing he felt was Cumulus’s body slamming into his own, and the two tumbled down in a mesh of limbs.

“S-sir!?” Cumulus gagged with a blue leg pressed against his neck. His right foreleg whipped around and swiftly freed his other foreleg before removing Mystic’s leg from his neck, easing his breathing. His attention moved down to the twisted mess his lower body formed with Mystic and he tried to scoot out of the tangle, but found his waist tied to two of Mystic's limbs.

“Here, let me try and help,” Mystic coughed.

He tried loosen himself, flexing up a hindleg and trying to uncoil it from one of Cumulus’s, which garnered him a sharp jab in the stomach. Retracting his leg back to it’s original position, he let the pain fade and loosened his muscles, allowing Cumulus to shift his body around, twisting joints back into place while trying to contain a few pained gasps.

Finally, Cumulus managed to pull himself off of Mystic and the two let out relieved sighs. Slowly rising up from the ground, Mystic ran a hoof through his mane and coat, futilely trying to smooth out the worst of their cowlicks and matted areas.

“Sir, is… is everything alright?” Cumulus huffed. “I saw it getting brighter an—”

“It was nothing,” said Mystic, taking a second to glance over his and Cumulus’s bodies. “She only managed to pull off a light spell, albeit a large one. You saw nothing other than the light, correct?”

“Nothing.”

Mystic’s eyes narrowed. In return, Cumulus turned his head down further, a faint tint of red rising to his cheeks. One of his hooves drew jittery circles against the ground, occasionally tapping against the hard surface. A small tremor went through his wings, unsettling a few of the smaller feathers.

“Cumulus, don’t make me order you. What is it?”

“I…” Cumulus rubbed his left temple, his blush deepening. “This is ridiculous, but now I can’t stop thinking about the dinner I was gonna have with Moonbeam tomorrow.”

“Moonbeam?” Mystic asked with a raised eyebrow.

“My, uh, marefriend. It wasn’t even anything special, just a nice dinner at her place with those good homemade rolls she makes, that amazing pasta she knows I love, and for dessert, so—”

“Alright, alright,” Mystic huffed, turning back into the room. “A possible newborn alicorn and we’re discussing your love life.”

Bending down, Mystic cleaned up his writing materials before pulling out two chairs for himself and Cumulus, heaving himself into one of them, and letting his body meld into the seat. Cumulus was quiet for a moment, settling into his chair and glancing at the crib.

“It doesn’t sound like that was a light spell anymore,” he whispered.

“I think we were actually hit with a disorientation spell. At least, I can hypothesize that from what you said.” Mystic pressed a hoof into his left cheek. “But spells of that type shouldn’t be possible for a foal.”

“Are you sure?” Cumulus scratched his neck and glanced at the crib. “Back in the academy, the unicorn cadets would always joke about what a pain they were as foals. Anti-gravity, full body levitation, intangibility... I didn’t believe it until I actually talked with their parents.”

“Notice how those things were physical feats though? All recorded foal magic only affects matter. To them, magic is just another muscle that is accommodating itself to the world. It’s the equivalent of a pegasus foal hovering.” Mystic clasped his chin and stared Cumulus straight in the face. “Anything that affects the mind needs a focus— a clear emotion or goal set in place. Even young mares and stallions can have a difficult time utilizing such spells. A foal can’t even grasp emotions, let alone manipulate them.”

“So…” Cumulus brought his hooves together and stared down at them. “What do we do then?”

“I wanted to conduct a few more tests, but not if it means risking another surge like that or worse.” A rolled up scroll floated over to the spot between himself and Cumulus. He glared at the piece of parchment for a few moments and then sunk deeper into his chair, his face sagging along with the rest of his body. “As much as it would have hurt her parents, I’d have rather sent the other letter. At least disabled ponies have a plethora of resources to cater to them.”

“You had both letters written already?”

The scroll burst blue flames, trailed out into the adjacent hallway, and slipped through a window. Mystic watched it vanish into the sky outside the hospital, his lips pulled into a tight line as he pushed off the chair and placed it back where he’d taken it from. Cumulus hastily did the same and straightened himself while Mystic tried once more to smooth out the wilder parts of his mane.

“I considered all the possibilities…” he said, face losing a bit a color. “Facing them in reality is a different matter.”

The two of them stood still and waited. It was quiet enough that the foal’s breathing provided a second clock to the room, each breath noting a few more seconds gone by. Mystic and Cumulus traded glances as time ticked away, the former rubbing away a slight ache in a knee and the later scratching at his neck again.

After two minutes, Cumulus’s mouth cracked open. “Should w—”

A scintillation of light from the hallway silenced him, drawing itself into a solid shape as he and Cumulus both quickly threw their gaze onto the floor and then listened to metal horseshoes lightly click against the ground, drawing closer and closer with every heartbeat. Mystic’s stomach clenched up, his heart thudding against his chest and shaking loose a few beads of sweat. Still, he kept his eyes to the floor; at the sight of hooves they widened and his breath came to a halt.

Only when his body pressed next to her marble chest did he realize that a majestic white wing, far softer than even the most delicate of clouds, had guided him into the mare’s embrace. Even with such a light push, his head sunk into into her pristine fur, warmth washing over his muzzle and spreading throughout his body as an ever-present lilac scent filled his nose. Gold, warm as the mare herself, touched Mystic’s chin and pulled his sight up to two dazzling magenta eyes.

“Oh, don’t look so nervous, my faithful student.”

~~~

Aria’s eyes narrowed at the pale blue muzzle that had entered her room. Disengaging herself from Willow, she crossed both forelegs over her chest and glared at its owner. “Doctor, I’m not in the mood for any mor—”

The beige carriage he pulled in left the rest of Aria’s complaint lodged in her throat. Her legs fell to her sides, lips quivering as the sheets covering her body rapidly rose and fell along with her chest. Willow shifted between staring at the carriage and the stone wall of Mystic’s face. His jaw flapped up and down, only managing to produce a few weak consonants intermixed with fluctuating breaths.

The squeak of the carriage’s tiny wheels echoed across the room, followed by the harsh stomp of the Mystic’s hooves, sending goosebumps up across Aria’s skin. He seemed to grow bigger with each step until he loomed over the bed like a great beast. In the pungent silence, his glassy eyes drifted down to the carriage’s inner bedding.

Trembling, Aria stretched over to the carriage, Willow so close to her side that she could feel his shallow breaths on her face. Cresting over the beige fabric, she found herself staring down at a soft blue bundle of cloth. Nestled within it was a slumbering foal, its pink head with its tiny nub of a horn the only part of it not hidden beneath a layer of swaddling.

Aria’s legs shot off the bed in a blur, but Mystic stepped in front of the carriage, raising up a foreleg in defense. He let out a small gasp as the force of the lunge pressed into him, but otherwise remained unphased. Grinding her hooves into his leg, Aria scowled at him and gave a sharp snort.

“Move,” she ordered.

“Not yet,” Mystic tried to say in as firm a tone as possible, though his voice peaked on the last syllable. Retracting his leg and coughing into it, he broke away from Aria’s gaze and straightened his posture. “There are some things that I must discuss with you first.”

“Anything,” said Willow as he craned his head over the bed to get closer to the carriage. “Just hurry, please. We can’t do this anymore.”

“First…” Mystic bent his head down with enough speed and force that he ruffled the nearby bedsheets. Mane now obscuring his face, words spilled out his mouth in quick succession. “I deeply apologize for the questioning I put you both through.”

Biting his lip, Willow dug his hooves into the bed’s sides, producing a few small creaks. “It was to help Cadenza.”

Keeping his head lowered, Mystic held a pause long enough for it to turn pungent. “That’s why I must make a second apology. I haven’t been honest in saying your daughter had a defect.”

“You mean she’s fine?” Willow seethed. His forehooves raced towards Mystic’s neck, but Aria grabbed him and forced them down. Huffing, he scowled and sank back over to his side of the bed. Aria patted Willow’s legs and then brought a hoof over to Mystic’s chin. A forceful yank up brought him face-to-face with her frigid glare.

“Everything,” she said. “Now.”

With a loud gulp, Mystic raised his legs up and rested them on the sides of the carriage. “Your daughter does not have anything medically wrong with her and shows all the signs of healthy newborn foal. But the issue is that she is subject to an incredibly rare condition only known to have occurred to one other pony in all reliable history.”

Without pause, he slipped the pin off of the swaddling and let it fall away. Stripped of the cloth, Cadenza awoke with a sharp cry, uselessly flapping her wings against the carriage’s bedding in an attempt to get off her back. Willow’s nostrils flared with a sharp intake of breath while Aria stared down, soundless mutters tumbling out of her mouth. Under the florescent light, her eyes remained locked on her child, until a blink forced them closed. When they opened again, she stopped muttering and craned her body closer to the carriage.

“I know you must have questions,” said Mystic, “but let me explain. Your daughter is the first known alic—”

“Can I take her now?” Aria asked.

“You… I…” Mystic sighed. “There are things we need to discu—”

“Later,” Aria replied, her voice taut. “Don’t block me this time.”

Sweat dampened Mystic’s face, sticking a few strands of his mane to his forehead. “B-but the impact of this…”

“Move.”

Mystic clamped his mouth shut and moved aside, allowing Aria to snap up Cadenza from the carriage and place her across her chest. Her speed evaporated as she slowly sunk back into the bed’s indents, cradling Cadenza and forth, lessing her cries. With wet eyes and a smile, she lowered her head, placing her forehead next to her daughter’s and allowing a few tears to fall onto the newborn’s face.

“Oh, Cadenza,” Aria lightly squeezed her child closer to her. I’m so glad you’re okay. “You’re okay.”

“Aria… we… I…” Willow stuttered.

A tiny whimper silenced him. Sniffling, he pulled himself across the bed, wrapping both her and Aria in a soft hug. His ears twitched and brushed against Aria’s mane at the cries, but he just bent down and placed himself closer to Cadenza. One of his hooves lightly went over her red cheeks and tousled her tiny mane.

After a moment, he managed to break his head away from the embrace. Wiping the moisture from his face, he looked to Mystic. “Doctor, what do we do now? This, I mean, wings and a horn… I… I can’t even talk.”

Mystic turned and faced the window, the late afternoon sun reflecting across his eyes. Tiny bits of dust, illuminated by the light, swirled around him, scattering with each breath that escaped his lips. Pulled into a frown that quivered at the corners of his mouth, they were unrecognizable from the stoic line he’d held when they’d first met.

“I can’t be sure,” he finally answered. “I have nothing outside of basic medical training for regular foals.”

“Then what do we do? Where do we go?” Aria asked, nibbling on her lip.

A slosh of liquid drew everypony’s attention to the door as a kettle floated in along with four cups. They heralded the entrance first of a luscious mane composed of multiple rich colors that drifted of its own accord, gracefully ignorant of gravity. Next came the mare herself, her coat a white so pure that the hospital walls appeared gray and faded next to her. Radiant wings, elegantly curved to match her slender frame, rested at her sides, reaching all the way from her bejeweled necklace to the immaculate glowing sun on her flanks.

“The castle does have quite a few empty rooms,” she suggested.

Willow swung his head down, slamming into the bed’s edge and sending a tremor through it. Stumbling backwards, he clasped his swelling nose while forcing back a pained cry. Aria twisted back and forth between her husband and the Princess until Cadenza gave a harsh wail, changing Aria’s face from pink to bright red. Feeling her face burning, she pulled Cadenza over her shoulder and gave her a gentle rub in between her wings.

“Oh, no, no,” said Aria. “I must look like a mess, and Willow needs ice, and Cadenza is a—”

“Calm yourselves.” Celestia’s words drifted across the room like a breeze, perking up everypony’s ears. Willow stopped stumbling around and Aria closed her mouth. The only sound left in the room was Cadenza's bawls.

“Princess!” Twisting away from the window, Mystic galloped over to the Celestia. Coat slick from perspiration, he looked up to her. “You promised you’d wait.”

“It didn’t feel right waiting when I could hear the crying all the way down the hall,” she replied before turning her attention to Willow and the rapidly reddening bump on his face. “That’s one of the more memorable bows I’ve seen.”

A flash from Celestia’s horn and a fresh ice pack floated over to Willow, who tepidly grabbed it and affixed it to his nose. She slipped into the room with the kettle and cups in tow and set them down on the small stand next to Aria’s bed. Another flash and three chairs appeared around the bed. Celestia gracefully took her seat while her magic filled up the cups with tea and sent them over to Willow, Mystic and herself, leaving the fourth cup on the stand for Aria.

“P-princess?” Willow stuttered before prostrating himself before her, legs quaking all the way to the ground. ”P-lease, it… it’s not my place to ask, but please help our daughter.”

“I wouldn’t be here if that wasn’t the case,” Celestia replied, pausing to blow on her tea before bringing the cup up to her lips. Silently taking a gulp, she smiled, warmth radiating off her and filling the room. “Ah, this is quite a delicious blend, and the emissaries said it was good for mothers as well. Although, sitting down makes it much easier to drink.”

Mystic filled his seat with a sigh, but Willow found himself caught between taking the tea still floating in above him first or getting up and into a seat. Something pressed into his hindlegs, a twist of his head revealing that a chair was slightly nudging him with the aid of a faint golden glimmer. Carefully descending down into it, he reached out and took the cup, spilling a few drops onto his coat.

Cadenza still hadn’t stopped crying, drawing Celestia’s gaze. Aria continually patted her back, but she refused to stop bawling, dampening Aria’s shoulder with hot tears.

“Perhaps I should make this quick. I think we’ve put you through enough today as it is.” Celestia took a sip from her tea before speaking again. “While your daughter’s magic is a concern, the far greater issue is with what will happen once other ponies find out about her. The media frenzy would be too much to deal with without barriers in place. I want to provide you all with such protection.”

“For how long?” asked Aria.

“Until her magic is controllable at least,” Celestia replied. “After that, things become much more manageable.”

Aria’s hold on Cadenza tightened. “If it will keep Cadenza safe. That’s all we want.”

“Excellent.” Celestia swallowed the rest of her tea and stood up. Her chair dissipated into the air, and she spun over to the door. “I will ensure that all of your belongings are moved to the castle. Do not worry, I shall have top ponies on the job to make sure it is a safe environment for a foal.” She lifted a leg to walk to the door, but paused. “By the way, you should probably have the tea before it gets cold.”

“I’m sorry, Princess. I’ve been trying, but...” Aria’s lips slightly drooped. A tiny spark fizzled out of her horn, vanishing as quickly as it appeared. “Nothing.”

“Hmm.” Celestia clasped her chin, eyes fogging up for an instant. “We’ll have to monitor that. It may be a side effect of the birth. For now though, you deserve some time with your foal.”

With that, Celestia gave Aria a slight nod and then trotted out of the room. Mystic slid out of his chair and followed, but came to a stop at the door and glanced back at Willow.

“And sorry about your head,” he mumbled. “One of the nurses had a lapse in judgement.”

Before Willow could respond, the door closed and the only sound now was Cadenza’s bawling. Alone, Aria and Willow stared at each other, looked down at Cadenza, and then locked eyes again. Almost on queue, Aria sunk deeper into her bed while Willow melted into his chair. Both of their ears flopped against the sides of their heads, and Willow’s wings similarly sagged to the ground.

He placed a free leg on his chest; it twitched slightly against the beat of his heart. “That really just happened, didn’t it?”

Aria listlessly gazed up to the ceiling through stray strands of mane, her hooves still caressing Cadenza while every other part of her melded into the bed. Her bones and muscles ached and she could barely keep her eyes open now.

“I think so…”, she said.

“Aria…” Willow’s leg tensed up around her shoulder. His muzzle pointed down to the ground as if there was a message scribbled on the floor. “This… this all seems too big. We have to move to the castle. The castle. Cadenza has magic we don’t understand, and a million other things that don’t make sense, a—”

Another sharp cry made him pause. Drifting down from Aria’s shoulder, his hoof gently swept over Cadenza’s tuft of a mane, which only made her shriek louder. He snapped his hoof back to his side liked he’d touched fire before he let it fall to his side. With a great heave, he slumped further into his chair, his sunken eyes meeting Aria’s. She reached out and clasped Willow’s shoulder the same way he’d held hers, managing to lift her lips into the smallest of smiles.

“Let's just deal with things we knew we’d have to do,” she said.

“Yes…” Bringing a hoof up to Aria’s leg, he gently caressed it as a weak smile came to his face as well. “Yes.”

Holding Cadenza softly against her chest, Aria slowed her breathing to a controlled pace that lightly nudged Cadenza back and forth. A tune, delicate and ethereal like the whispering a wind passed from Aria’s lips. Swaying her body along to her namesake, what she sang was more than notes but less than words, a mysterious yet comforting aura attached to each syllable.

Willow slipped back into his chair, a few more tears trickling down his face as he listened to the melody. He continued to tenderly stroke her leg while his head bent low, the shadows around his eyes growing deeper with each passing moment.

Hearing the soothing tune, Cadenza’s cries grew softer. Her wings ceased flailing and began to flutter against Aria’s coat, gently sweeping over the unkempt fur. Like Willow, her head, grew heavy with sleep, bumping against Aria’s chest, and she let out a small, content coo before nodding off to sleep.

However, Aria did not stop singing, even as fresh streaks of tears spilled down her cheeks, her voice retained an unwavering tone and her body only moved only in accordance to the lullaby’s rhythm. Her pitch crested and curved, calling forth vague images that could never be described and finally solidifying to a lingering lyric like the final toll of a bell that echoed across the room. As the last of the melody faded into silence, she turned to Willow, his eyes just barely open.

“I think she liked it,” she sniffled.

With a huff, Willow freed himself from the chair. He slowly stumbled over to the bed once more and brought Aria into a hug, careful not to disturb Cadenza. His nuzzle brushed against Aria’s, absorbing some of the moisture. In silence, the two of them looked down at their slumbering daughter, small smiles on their faces. Yet, they both felt each other’s heart pounding in their chests.

Author's Note

Finally, the new chapter 2 is out

Chapter 3

A cool breeze blew through the Canterlot streets up to one of the hospital’s many fire exits, ruffling Cadenza’s swaddling. She shivered and curled herself up as much as she could. Aria pulled her closer to her chest, using her hooves as a second barrier against the wind. Behind them, Willow pushed Aria’s wheelchair out of the hospital’s shadow and into the morning light.

Mystic waited a few feet ahead of them. Three guards flanked his sides, all four of their faces solid like stone. At their backs was a chariot made of expertly crafted wood that looked like it had just been shaved and fashioned into its current shape. It glowed like gold, yet it lacked the metallic luster of Celestia’s personal transport, as well as any royal insignia. A well-funded pony could probably afford to rent it for a day or two.

Mystic met Aria and Willow halfway to the chariot and graced them with a bow. Willow returned it while Aria gave him a nod, being careful to not shift Cadenza around too much. Her eyes went up to the glistening vessel and she scrunched her face at it. The guards exchanged looks while she scrutinized it from the reins to the wheels.

“This doesn’t look very secret,” she said.

“It will be.” Mystic tapped a hoof to his horn. “We need to get the three of you secure first though. Please, allow us to help you in.”

Willow nodded and pushed the wheelchair forward with Mystic at his side. He kept his head down towards the nape of Aria’s neck, but stole glances at Mystic. In place of a doctor’s coat, a flowing cloak a shade darker than his fur was draped over him, covering most of his body, save for his hooves. His mane was now combed back and pulled into a ponytail, revealing a forehead riddled with premature wrinkles. His eyes were the same as yesterday though: baggy and sunken, albeit not as bloodshot.

Something about the look sparked something at the back of Willow’s mind, but before he could ask about it, they reached the chariot. A familiar green pony stepped forward, looking far more natural in armor than in nurse’s scrubs. Willow tried not to stare too long at the countless scars running across his back, instead attempting to focus on the lone mark that marred the other guard’s yellow wings. When the two of them were close enough to lay hooves on Aria’s wheelchair, they looked directly at Mystic before bowing their heads.

Mystic pointed at the smaller of the pegasi, then the larger one, and finally the lone unicorn that remained at the foot of the chariot. “Sergeant Cumulus, Major Gale, and Lieutenant Shine will be providing assistance today.”

Gale raised up his head, but his height forced him to look down at Willow and Aria. “Would you like help getting in?”

“Yes,” Aria said, avoiding Gale’s hardened stare while she brought Cadenza closer to her chest.

She took a took a deep breath as the pegasi reached out and grabbed her. Feeling their strong grip, she gulped and lightly swayed Cadenza back and forth as they lifted both of them up to the chariot’s seating. Once they were in, she let out a deep sigh and placed Cadenza atop her lap, not noticing Cumulus’s eyes linger on the foal for a brief moment before he joined Gale back on the ground.

While all this was going on, Shine broke off and trotted over to the back of the chariot. Unlike the pegasi who kept their eyes on Aria and Cadenza, he continually glanced up at his horn until he was aligned a few feet away from the chariot. At the same time, Mystic moved to its head in front of the harnesses so that he and Shine formed a straight line with the chariot in the middle.

Atop the chariot, Aria shifted around, the plush seating bending around her like clouds. Bits of it glistened from where her damp coat had touched it. Her hold on Cadenza remained strong as she watched Mystic and the guards assume their positions. Cadenza cooed and she dropped her eyes down and brushed at her tiny mane while bending her head close.

“It’ll be okay, Cadenza,” she whispered. “The Princess will make sure everything is okay.”

Down below, Willow moved to grab the small plastic bag filled with various supplies from the hospital, but Cumulus got to it first, quickly loading it onto the seat next to Aria. Giving him a sheepish grin, Willow trotted over and climbed into the chariot with Cumulus and Gale floating at his sides. When he was fully inside, he quickly but quietly made his way over to Aria, who was still brushing Cadenza’s mane.

“Everything okay?” he asked. “You’re sweating a little.”

“It is our first time going out with Cadenza.” Aria looked up and smiled at him. “I just want to make sure she’s nice and calm. I didn’t think she’d be going on a ride with us so soon.”

While Aria and Willow talked, Cumulus and Gale silently backed away and moved to the front of the vehicle, strapping themselves to the harnesses. Ahead of them, Mystic scanned the streets while the pegasi lifted their heads up to the sky. A glance back revealed that Shine was looking in the squadron's blind spots, his horn very faintly glowing. After a moment, Gale and Cumulus stared over at Mystic, who gave them a nod before turning his head up to Aria and Willow.

“We’re going to move now,” he said, aura slowly enveloping his horn. “If you are uncomfortable at any time, alert one of us.”

Cadenza let out a gurgle. Aria gave her a small belly rub that made her smile in her sleep while Willow sat at her side with his hooves resting on his stomach.

“Let’s get going,” she said, keeping her eyes on Cadenza. “I don’t want her outside for long.”

“She won’t be,” Mystic replied.

He spun around and raised up a hoof, bringing it down in one swift movement. Gale and Cumulus tightened their reins and together took one step forward. The glow around Mystic’s horn flared up, summoning a wide shimmering sphere around the chariot. Outside of the spell, the world blurred as if it had turned into an oil painting. A few pigeons scattered around the fire exit flew away from the bubble, wings silently flapping as they let out mute coos.

“My stars.” Aria’s hold on Cadenza tightened a bit and her eyes widened. “I didn’t know you could make an anechoic spell of this size.”

“A what?” Willow asked.

“A sound silencer,” Aria explained. “Professors would use it on tests back in school. I never thought it could be used like this though.”

“The Guard employs a variety of spells before the general population knows about them,” Mystic said, keeping his body rigid and his sight forward while directing the chariot down the street. “You would be surprised how much magic comes from their research and development.”

The chariot sped along, rolling down one of Canterlot’s larger streets as the city woke up. Outside the bubble, lights turned on in stores, ponies shuffled out to work, and lines amassed in front of bakeries and coffee shops. Yet, not a single head turned in their direction.

“They can’t see us either,” Willow gasped, watching a pair of ponies edge around the sphere.

“A three layered spell of sight, sound, and mind,” Mystic explained. “It’s an essential operation for whenever the Princess or other high-ranking officials wish to travel in privacy. Nopony hears, sees, or gets close to you in here. You’re not having any issues with it, are you?”

“No, no. It’s just…” Willow paused and glanced down at Cadenza. Her eyes were shut and her head bobbed along to the jostling of the chariot. “It’s a bit overwhelming.”

“I agree.” Aria’s eyes narrowed. “A spell matrix of that kind isn’t possible for an average unicorn, even if the guard behind us is stabilizing the layering.”

“Very perceptive,” Mystic complemented, still keeping his head forward. “We normally have five of the Unicorn Corps performing this, but I wanted as little presence today as possible.”

“That…” Willow’s eyes widened. “Only one pony can wield magic like that.”

“I never gave you my name.” Mystic glanced back for the first time. “Forgive me, I will give you a proper introduction once you are secure and settled into the castle.”

“Mystic Rune,” Willow muttered sinking into the chariot’s plush seats.

He and Aria were silent for a long time after that. Canterlot moved past them, more and more stores opening up the further they traveled along the road. The shops grew in size and splendor, going from brick and wood constructions to larger buildings erected with marble pillars, elaborate signs, and other additions that spoke of extravagance. Gates appeared that led away to clusters of expansive mansions that rose up even higher than the shops, family crests proudly emblazoned on all of them.

Around this point, Cadenza stirred from her slumber and let out a cry. Aria gave her a pat on the back, but her wailing only grew louder. The guards looked back at them and slowed their trot. A harsh stomp from Mystic that echoed throughout the bubble brought their focus back to the road and they continued on while Cadenza bawled.

Aria produced a bottle of milk from the hospital bag and lifted it to Cadenza’s lips. The foal’s cries died down and her eyes locked onto the rubber tip. With a tiny coo, she brought her mouth around it and suckled some of the milk. Cumulus let out a held sigh and slackened his reins enough to draw a harsh snort from Gale. With a tint of red on his face, he tightened his reins and got back into step.

The nobles’ vast estates soon gave way, their end marked by towering hedges that flanked the sides of the road. Past the sculpted shrubbery was a grand field of flowers that stretched to the far off mountains beyond Canterlot, rippling like a prismatic ocean whenever a breeze glided through it. Titanic cedar trees rose up here and there in the colorful sea, guardians of the tiny plants below.

All of the botanical splendor rested in the castle’s great shadow, which reached all the way down to the nobles’ estates. Squads of pegasi circled around its spiraling towers that seemed to hold the morning sun in their golden grasp. Royal purple adorned the spires as well, making them look as if they cooled the closer they got to the ground. Dozens of unicorns and earth ponies marched across walkways that connected them together, looking like glittering yellow ants in their armor. Above everything else, even the pegasi, were numerous flags emblazoned with two alicorns flying around a sun and moon, and a sculpted sun that sat atop the centermost tower, smaller than its true form, but radiant nonetheless.

The only thing to dwarf the castle was the mountain that stood adjacent to it with a peak that soared into the sky, its snow-covered tip blending into the clouds. From atop its hidden apex, a great waterfall poured down the rocks, sending out a spray of rainbow mist. Cascading into a wide moat, the water split in two directions: into the castle and down the cliff upon which the royal house sat. A single bridge spanned across the rapids, thick iron chains connecting it back to the white walls.

A mixed platoon of guards stood on the townside end of the bridge, waiting along the sides of the road like statues. Approaching them, Mystic exhaled deeply and undid the spell, the magical bubble slowly peeling away and dispersing into the wind. The guards all turned their heads to the now-visible chariot, went to attention, and saluted it as it reached the foot of the castle.

The bridge’s wood lightly creaked under the chariot’s wheels. Cadenza gave a gurgle having finished her bottle and struggled to burp. Aria tucked her across a shoulder and patted her on the back until she belched. As she burped Cadenza, she glanced up at the walls that rose up above her, so close now that she could see the flawless stones they were made of. Each one was the size of a pony and was stacked so close to the others that she had to squint so see the divide. Willow peered upwards at the ramparts and walkways where the stones ended, a shiver running through him under the glare of stone phoenixes and other winged beasts that dotted the walls.

The chariot passed through an entrance arch large enough to let a full sized dragon through and rolled into the main courtyard. A tiny stream flowed through it, passing by plants the most vibrant shades of greens and temporarily disappearing under stylistically curved bridges that led to an outstretched strip of land, the water serving as a secondary moat more focused on scenery than defense. A grand fountain stood in the center of the cultivated splendor, water spilling off its marble foundation and into the stream below. Above the sculpted base, a golden sun and a silver moon rotated around a webbed ball of pristine copper, accompanied by smaller spheres made of pearls.

A booming groan from behind jolted Willow and Aria, Cadenza letting out a small hiccup at the latter’s movement. They turned and saw the drawbridge climbing upright, the view of Canterlot slowly being blocked off by the thick wood. With a great slam, the gate shut, and Cadenza started crying again.

Aria pulled her close to her chest, but the foal’s bawls weren’t so easily abated this time. Willow reached out to pat Cadenza, but she shrieked at his approaching hoof and he backed away. Aria felt some sweat accumulate on her forehead with all the guards’ eyes boring into her. Neither she nor Willow noticed that the chariot had come to a halt.

“Oh dear.”

Aria and Willow froze and quickly turned their heads up to balcony that overlooked the courtyard. Celestia stood at its edge, shimmering more radiantly than all the luster of the castle. Her warm glow clashed with the small frown on her face. With wide eyes watching her from all angles, she unfurled her wings and glided down to the chariot, bringing herself close to Aria and Cadenza.

“I was worried the drawbridge would be too loud,” she said. “Well, lets get you all insi—”

Cadenza belched once more, this time sending milky spitup right onto Celestia’s coat. A couple of the younger guards gasped and even a few of the seasoned members gave stiff coughs and turned their heads to the ground. Struggling to keep his breathing in check, Mystic stood with his legs quivering and frozen to the ground. Willow and Aria turned as white as the walls, the latter opening her mouth to say something but her jaw only flapped up and down while Cadenza let out a content coo and nestled her head back against Aria’s fur.

Celestia brushed a hoof against her fur, clearing away the worst of the mess. Silence fell upon the courtyard, and Aria instinctively clutched Cadenza. Celestia turned her head up from her soiled coat, but with a warm smile instead of the frown she’d worn earlier.

“Well,” she chuckled, “I’m glad that’s all that was wrong.”

A collective sigh went through the courtyard. Willow and Aria melted into their seats, their bodies turned to jello. With a gesture of her head, Celestia summoned over some guards who helped them out of the chariot while a third pushed over a fresh wheelchair. Aria and Willow’s eyes stayed wide with a foggy tint to them until a fourth guard reached out to take hold of Cadenza.

“Madame,” he asked, “do you need an—”

“I’m so sorry, Princess!” Willow shouted, bowing his head low.

Cadenza stared up at him for a moment before her eyes grew wet and her lips quivered. She cried again, bringing Aria and Willow’s attention down to her. With a gaping mouth, Aria twisted her head back and forth between Celestia and her daughter.

“Why don’t we show you your room?” Celestia suggested.

“I… uh…” Aria stuttered before nodding her head. “Yes, your highness, let’s… let’s do that.”

“Wonderful.” Celestia pointed at the wheelchair nearby. “Do you require any help getting around?”

“Yes,” Aria said over Cadenza’s bawling. “Just so I can have a good hold on Cadenza.” She glanced at Willow. “I’d prefer if you pushed though.”

“Of course,” Willow huffed.

The two of them quickly moved over to the wheelchair while Celestia and the guards watched. When Aria was situated and Willow had a hold of the chair’s handles, Celestia turned around and began trotting across one of the curved bridges. Mystic bounded over and walked a few paces behind her.

While Willow pushed after them, Aria slung Cadenza over her shoulder again, making sure their heads were close to each other. A quiet tune, no louder than a whisper, drifted out of her mouth. Hearing it, Cadenza’s eyes grew heavy and her cries died down. Before her eyes fully closed, Willow lifted a hoof off a handle and brushed it over her mane, the tip of her horn rubbing against his leg.

By the time they reached a pair of oaken doors only slightly smaller than the entrance arch, Cadenza was soundly asleep once again. A bit of drool had pooled onto Aria’s shoulder, but she just slowly stroked her foal’s back. With a smile, Celestia pushed open one of the massive doors just enough for the group to slip through. As Aria and Willow passed by, she floated an embroidered towelette over to them, dabbing at the growing puddle of saliva. With a blush, Aria lightly pulled it out of Celestia’s telekinetic hold, keeping it at the ready to clean up her fur.

Moving to the head of the group once more, Celestia led them across a vibrant red carpet that split off in three directions. One way led straight up a set of stainless granite stairs while the other two diverged through doors on opposite sides of the foyer and continued down corridors that stretched for yards upon yards. Celestia moved toward the left hall, trotting through the warm light of stained glass composed of countless numbers of panes. Willow gazed up at them, reflections of the sun, the moon, the stars, and angular ponies dancing across his body.

“I can’t recall the last time we had non-diplomats stay with us,” Celestia said. “I’ll be sure to give you all a proper tour of the facilities once you are more settled in.”

“No, no,” said Willow. “That’s quite alright, Princess. Everypony in Canterlot has toured the castle at least once.”

“Ah, yes, the official tours,” Celestia mused. “My student did a wonderful job of selecting what the public can and can’t see. A shame that’s hardly any of the entertainment facilities.”

“I felt the castle’s grandeur came before the bowling alley,” Mystic said.

His sight flicked over to the windows, watching the light gain a progressively bluer tint the further they walked. The sun lost its polygonal rays and gained black specks and sharp craters. Glass ponies still froliced below the heavenly sphere but many now carried lanterns and draped cloaks over their bodies. Mystic looked down to Celestia, watching her trot with a small grin on her face.

“Here we are.” Celestia placed a hoof on twin door engraved with a moon in such a way that when it swung open, one side was left with a crescent while the other retained an ovular carving. Celestia gestured to Willow and Aria with a hoof. “Please, come inside.”

Carefully inching past Celestia, the family entered into night. Stars glistened off of the ceiling, aligning to form countless constellations. Auroras trailed across the painted sky, filling the vastness of space with magenta and violet hues. In the center of the grand fresco stood the moon, intricately detailed with silver and flecks of white gold so that it was as radiant as the many suns scattered around the castle. Only a bronze braid that encircled the ceiling like an approaching dawn kept the night from spilling down lavender pillars evenly spaced between the towering windows, ocean blue walls, and the doors that led elsewhere. This time, Willow wasn’t able to stop his jaw from dropping.

“My stars…” Aria gasped.

“Well, actually everypony’s stars,” Celestia chuckled.

She trotted over to a grand canopied bed decked in lilac sheets that drank up the morning light. Boxes littered the area around it, stacking up to match the bed’s mahogany supports in height.

“I hope you don’t mind if we supplemented your supplies with some of our own,” she said, turning to look back at Willow and Aria.

“No,” they both replied at the same time before sharing a look at each other.

“Really, Princess,” Aria continued. “This is more than we could ever ask for. I just hope we’re not intruding.”

“Oh, not at all. My Guard is at your service for anything else you may need.” Celestia brought herself close to them and looked down at Cadenza. “Especially if you have any trouble with her magic.”

“Yes.” Willow looked down at Cadenza, still peacefully sleeping, and curled his lips into a tight line. “Of course.”

“Wonderful.” Celestia breezed past them and back over to the door. “I think it’s time I clean myself off. Mystic, please assist them with anything they’ll need help with. Feel free to ask some guards to help if you need it.”

“Yes, Princess,” Mystic said with a bow.

~~~

A knock at the door perked up Celestia’s ears. She floated a towel away from her now-dry mane, letting it freely wave in the air once more.

“Come in,” she said.

Mystic wobbled into the room and over towards Celestia. Once he was close to her, he sighed and planted his flanks on the ground. A few beads of sweat dripped off his muzzle and onto the carpet.

“I haven’t seen you this flustered since the Griffin Dialogues,” Celestia mused.

“I’m not used to using my legs this much,” he huffed.

“How goes the move-in?”

“It’s progressing.” Mystic wiped some sweat from his brow. “Limiting magic makes the work slow though.”

“And Cadenza?”

“Fine until one of the guards dropped a box,” he sighed. “She awoke and gave me a headache, but luckily no magical flare ups yet.”

“That’s good to hear… not the headache, I mean.” Celestia let out a small chuckle. “Shall we have some cake to celebrate?”

The smile on her face died down when she saw the way Mystic’s lips were pulled into a tight line. He looked at her with narrowed eyes that closed for a moment when he took a gulp of air. They were still as sharp when he opened them again.

“Princess,” he said with a hint of a tremor in his voice. “You have never admitted anypony into the Lunar Suite.”

“I know,” Celestia sighed. “The other rooms just seem to suit other guests better.”

Mystic’s brow furrowed as he glanced up. Light poured down from above through clear glass down onto a silken canopy in the center of the room. Golden drapes crested over towering windows at one of the room’s sides, obscuring a view that looked out over all of Canterlot. He glanced over to the door and the vibrant sun carved into its wood.

“A room fit only for the highest of ponies.” Mystic leveled his gaze back on Celestia. “And nearly identical to this one. Princess, I understand the urgency of secrecy in this matter, but I need to know the truth about this foal if I’m going to help her.”

His voice echoed through the room while Celestia stared at him, her lips slowly turning downwards. Bowing his head, he spun around to leave.

“Forgive me,” he said with his eyes cast to ground. “I’ve mispo—”

The familiar warmth of a wing across his back silenced him. Celestia stood at his side and pulled him close before guiding him down to the ground and retracting her wing. Mystic’s eyes widened when he saw that tiny bags rested under hers.

“I suppose I haven’t been entirely honest with you, my faithful student. I assure you, Cadenza’s birth was a surprise to me… but I have worked for the past bicentennial in preparation for the arrival of another alicorn.”

“What?” Mystic gasped. He teetered backwards, but Celestia’s wing shot out and kept him from falling to the ground. Regaining his balance, he repeatedly ran a hoof through his mane, disheveling it. “Why? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“In a way, I did.”

A book wedged its way out of one of the many shelves that rested over the massive fireplace and floated over to Celestia and Mystic. Two ponies graced its cover, identical to the pair emblazoned on the Equestrian flag. Mystic pursed his mouth reading the title and stared at Celestia in confusion for a moment. Then, his eyes widened and a shiver ran through his body.

“This…” He nervously tapped a hoof to the book. “This is a foal’s tale— something parents tell their children to get them to behave. Y-you can’t mean that Nigh—

Celestia gently draped a hoof on Mystic’s shoulder. “This is why I didn’t want to tell you. You always worry so much.”

“B-but the citizens,” he stuttered, “they need to be warned.”

Celestia pulled him back and looked his straight in the eye. Gone was her warm smile, replaced with stern lips and sharp eyes. Mystic felt the power coursing off her through the firm hold on his shoulder, forcing him to stop shaking. After a moment, she retracted her hoof and took a deep breath, softer features flowing back onto her face.

“That day is still far away,” Celestia said, glancing up at the sky. “In the time of my next student, or perhaps even the one after that. Definitely in your lifetime though. I just hope we can sort out Cadenza’s life by then.”

“I…” Mystic pressed a hoof against his forehead. “I’m starting to imagine how Mrs. Aria and Mr. Reed feel now.”

~~~

Aria stood over a freshly reconstructed crib, her head cresting over its beige bars and looking down at Cadenza. Her swaddling was gone now, replaced with a small fuzzy blanket that covered her up to her head. Punctuated by a few murmurs, she peacefully slumbered while Aria softly hummed her a lullaby.

Willow stood at Aria’s side, peering down at his daughter. He tried to smile watching her dream— a great reprieve from her migraine-inducing wailing earlier— but her blanket would occasionally shift, lifted up by her tiny wings. The movement always sent a frigid twinge through him and forced his eyes to latch onto Cadenza’s tiny horn, its tip now beginning to sharpen and fully extend out of her forehead.

“You can go sit down,” Aria whispered after completing the melody. “We need to get a routine going. Don’t want us both looking like zombies.”

“No.” Willow gave his head a light shake and placed a hoof on her shoulder. “I’m not that tired.”

She stared down at his hoof for a moment and then looked up. Sunken eyes with pinpricks for pupils attached to a pale face she barely recognized stared back at her. Willow took a shaky breath, just keeping his hold on her.

“Willow…”

“It’s fine, really. It’s…” He glanced down at the crib. “... fine.”

“We never said things would be fine.” Aria extended out a hoof and pressed it against Willow’s shoulder, mimicking his earlier gesture. “We knew things would be a mess for a while, that’d we’d barely be able to sleep, and that work would get a little harder.”

“But not like this,” Willow sighed, letting his hoof slump down Aria’s leg and then slowly fall to the ground. “Not in castle. Not with the Princess treating us like guests. Not with Cadenza like this.”

Aria tightened her grip around Willow’s shoulder. She furrowed her brow and gave him a scowl that sent a chill down his spine. He wanted to look away but her glare had a pull to it that forced him to look straight at her.

“I don’t want to hear that from you ever again, understand?”

Willow gave her a shaky nod.

“Good.” She relinquished her hold on him and sank closer to the crib’s bedding, a smile returning to her face. “You’d best find the talcum powder. You’re now on diaper duty for that comment.”

Willow paled a little. He took a step back, looking over to the collection of boxes, most of them still filled to the brim with various foal supplies. His eyes scanned over the various clusters, passing over mixed containers of food, dozens of empty nursing bottles, and tangles of foal toys tied up by jumbled mobiles. Yet, amidst all the supplies, he was unable to hone in on the one box he’d seen marked “Changing.”

“Where is it?” he sighed.

“Third box to your left,” said Mystic. “A bit of the comforter is draped over it.”

Aria and Willow jolted a little and spun around to see him close to the door. He tiptoed over to them with his head slightly lowered, offering them a small hint of a nervous smile.

“Sorry for sneaking in like that,” he whispered. “After last time, I didn’t want to wake your daughter up.”

“It’s fine,” Aria replied, waving a hoof back and forth.

“The Princess had some duties to attend to, so she sent me to come check back on you.” He glanced down at the crib and then at Aria. “We can have a maid assist in certain… matters.”

“No,” Willow answered, glancing at Aria. “That was something we were prepared for.”

“Making a few messes as well,” she said with a heavy voice. “We didn’t want to say anything earlier, but it, well, hasn’t made us the most gracious of guests. Guess even alicorns can be a hoof-full as foals, right?”

“The Princess and I understand completely.” Mystic trotted around them to the opposite side of crib, occasionally glancing up at the grand painted dome stretched out above them. “We’ve thrown a lot at you and perhaps have gotten caught up in the sway of things. I assure you, this rough patch will come to pass, but we’ll be there to assist in any way.”

“Then…” Willow turned his head to look straight at Mystic. “Can I ask one question for now?”

“Of course.”

“Does Cadenza have to be a princess?”

The question cut through the air, draping a thick veil on the room’s occupants. Goosebumps ran up Willow’s legs and he felt Aria’s glare on him. Mystic kept his lips in a straight line, but he couldn’t hide his pupils shrinking. Silence hung over the room for agonizing seconds, turning Cadenza’s soft breath into booming gasps.

“No,” Mystic finally answered. “As much as they are associated with her majesty, wings and a horn don’t make a pony royalty.”

He trotted back around the crib and gestured Aria and Willow over to a quartet of plush chairs the same hue as the bed. Willow guided Aria over, their steps both shaky. They clambered into two of the seats while Mystic occupied a third, all of them sinking into soft upholstery. He breathed deeply and looked up the cosmos above him. The stars shimmered in his eyes as he turned his head over to the moon in the center of the grand fresco. He felt some goosebumps creep up his legs looking at it, but diverted his attention down. Aria and Willow were staring at him.

“Nopony could ever be like the Princess,” he continued. “Few ponies outside the castle have any idea the work she does every day. I can barely recall the last time I saw her retire before midnight, only to awaken a few hours later to bring forth the day again. She just wants us to be happy, no matter what it takes.”

~~~

Alone in her room once more, Celestia sat by her fireplace gazing down at a massive unfurled scroll. Around her were stacks upon stacks of papers and memos, all doused in ink, some with just a signature, others covered end to end in black. Many of them had extensive titles with antiquated vocabularies that would have looked like gibberish to anypony but a bureaucrat. Paperwork like that was relegated to a few inches in front of Celestia and surrounded by a tiny army of quills, inkwells, and stamps.

Another collection of work was closer at her side, also coupled with a few inkwells and quills but lacking in stamps. The wording on these pieces was a bit less blocky and unobstructed by governmental lingo. Almost all of them had the word “Cadenza” written on them multiple times and were joined by a variety of lists and tables filled to brim with times and small notes legible only to Celestia at the moment.

The great scroll spread in front of her stood out from the clean and crisp notifications, treaties, and schedules gathered around her. Its paper was brown and flaky with age, with tears running down its dogeared edges. Two ponies sat in the center of it atop twin stone thrones, one adored with a sun and the other with a crescent moon. A familiar white alicorn sat in the former while a blue one with a mane like a swirling galaxy sat in the latter. Celestia reached out and lightly pressed a hoof against the blue pony’s painted face.

“Luna,” she said, voice slightly strained, “I won’t fail this time.”

Chapter 4

Aria slowly lifted one leg after another as she walked across the floor. The thick curtains over the soaring windows made it hard to tell what time it was outside, the only source of illumination coming from the faint luster of the ceiling’s massive fresco. Like the true night, its stars and moon glimmered just enough to outline the path in front of Aria.

The wails coming from the crib were a good guide as well, occasionally growing so loud that Aria was forced to stop while her ears rang. Willow resorted to pressing a hoof against one of his ears as he stood beside the bed, not daring to go any closer to Cadenza while she was in one of her crying fits. Instead, his sunken eyes watched Aria traverse the gap between their bed and the crib.

Upon reaching it, Aria drooped her head over the bars and peered down with equally tired eyes. Cadenza continued to cry, and Aria could now see she was flailing around— hooves, wings, and tail going in all directions. Her wings, while ruffled, weren’t bent oddly or sprained, and her legs and tail appeared unharmed too. A quick sniff revealed a still-clean diaper as well. Aria let out a sigh before lowering a hoof into the crib and gently pressing it against Cadenza’s forehead, right at the base of her elongated horn. Aria lightly hummed to try and quiet Cadenza while she checked her temperature, but her song was lost amidst Cadenza’s bawls.

After a moment, Aria pulled her hoof back from Cadenza’s head and brought another hoof into the crib, looping them around her back. Before picking her up, Aria glanced back at her bed. “Willow, I think she’s thirsty. Could you get somepony to fetch some formula while I try to quiet her down?”

“I’ll be right back.” Willow moved a few feet away from the bed before unfolding his wings and jumping off the floor into a low glide. He was almost at the door when Aria spoke up.

“Willow,” she said, her voice loud enough to carry over Cadenza’s cries and across the room, but shaking with each syllable. “Get the Princess.”

Willow fell to the ground and spun around to see a faint pink glow emanating from the crib. Aria still had her hooves stretched into the crib, but she didn’t move a single muscle. Sleep had vanished from her eyes, which were locked onto the tiny orb of light at tip of Cadenza’s horn that was slowly ballooning outwards.

“Willow!” Aria shouted. “Get Celestia now!”

Willow rocketed into a full gallop, throwing the door open and darting out into the hallway. Aria dipped her head a little lower, bringing it as close to the magical bubble as she dared. Her breath came heavily through her nose while sweat slicked down her face and neck.

“Cadenza,” she whispered, “please stop.”

More wailing came in response, and the glowing sphere expanded. Cadenza’s entire horn was now ablaze with magic. Aria was forced to pull away, gasping as her eyes darted around the room for something, anything, she could use to calm Cadenza down. Just as the magical sphere grew bigger than the crib, the doors opened and Willow flew in, carpet pilling up around his hooves when he landed. He gulped down air looking back and forth between Aria and the crib before a warmth entered the room, slowing his and Aria’s breathing a bit.

“Get back!” Celestia shouted as she galloped into the room.

Aria hesitated before Willow raced over to her and yanked her away from the crib as a golden aura erupted from the ground and engulfed it in a radiant sphere of magic. Celestia crossed the room in an instant, horn glowing bright like a miniature sun. Under her glare, Cadenza teared up and screamed louder, her magic surging out even faster and bringing both spheres dangerously close to each other. Ethereal lightning arced between the shrinking space and the entire sphere started emitting a harsh light. Celestia twisted her head back to Aria and Willow.

“Cover your eyes!” she ordered.

Cadenza’s cries reached a fevered pitch. And then everything went white.

~~~

Willow slowly opened his eyes to the blurry image of Aria still sound asleep in front of him. He blinked, not hearing the ring of his alarm, but instead feeling something press against his back. His ears picked up a new sound, partially muted by the thick silky comforter: a collection of sniffles and hiccups. His hooves sank into the thick mattress as he turned over.

Huddled on the edge of the bed was a small pink filly with her head buried in the covers. A pointed horn stuck out from where her face met the sheets, splitting her multicolored bangs apart. Her whole body shook as she cried into the sheets, her wings sporadically twitching when she hiccuped.

“Cadenza,” Willow said, trying to keep his voice as hushed as he could, but it still peaked a little. He brought a hoof across her back and the sheets near his chest grew damper as he rubbed his hoof in the space between her wings. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“I…” Cadenza lifted her head up, revealing raw puffy eyes and a red nose as more tears spilled down her cheeks. “I had the bad dream again.”

Willow paled for a brief moment before taking a deep breath and exhaling. He pulled Cadenza up to his face and brought her into a hug, her chest rapidly rising and fall against his. “It’s just a dream. That’s all it ever is.”

“A-aunt Celestia was angry,” she whimpered, her tears now falling onto Willow’s shoulder. “I-I wanted it to stop, b-but it wouldn’t.”

“It’s okay.” Willow gave Cadenza a few soft pats on the back. “It’s okay.”

He was about to say more when a tiny mumble came from behind him. Aria shifted around, burying her head in a pillow before snoring loudly. A small smile came to Willow’s lips.

“See?” he said to Cadenza. “Mommy and I are just fine, and you know the Princess could never be mad at you, right?”

“Y-yes.” Cadenza stared down and wiped a hoof across her runny nose. “I just wish that dream would go away.”

“Don’t think about it too hard.”

Willow kept his hold on Cadenza while he used his hind legs to quietly move the bedsheets off his lower body. Cadenza stopped shaking in his grasp and her breathing slowed. Once he was free of the sheets, he twisted his body so that his wings were facing upwards and free to move around. A few light flaps lifted him and Cadenza off the bed and close to the floor. Willow gently raised her off his shoulder and set her down on the ground before joining her there. At five years of age, Cadenza stood at about the height of Willow’s knees, so he had to lower his head so he could flash her a grin.

“Let’s get you cleaned up.” He glanced up at Aria for a brief second. “We’ll let mommy sleep a little more and then we can all head to breakfast. I think I heard a guard mention pancakes.”

Cadenza’s face brightened up a little. Willow smiled down at her and tousled her tangled mess of a mane. He extended a wing across her back and they walked over to the small door at the side of the room, their path illuminated by the bits of light that slipped through the thick drapes on the windows.

As they neared the bathroom door, toys began to collect around the floor. There were a few chairs as well, both normal and filly-sized— the latter adorned with plush animals of all shapes and sizes. A few storybooks filled a miniature dining table where a good majority of the toys were gathered like they were just sitting down for breakfast. There was a small open space past the toys, a clear path to both the bathroom, and a low-level bed with a mess of pink and white pillows and sheets that clashed with the rest of the room’s nocturnal coloring.

Willow pushed open the door when he reached it and led Cadenza off the thick lavender carpeting onto polished black marble that shone like a mirror, save for the thin white swirls in the stone. The sink directly in front of them held a similar sheen with its lustrous granite base and twin silver faucets and towel racks. The decadent fixtures were doubled by the wide mirror that covered the entire wall above the counter, and stretched to a massive porcelain tub the size of a small pool.

Arriving at the sink, Willow twisted the left lever of the faucet, which sent a steady stream of hot water into it. He went into a hover before he picked Cadenza off the floor and lifted her up to the sink. She watched the water pour out of the faucet for a moment and then turned to look up at Willow.

“Just get a little on your face,” he said.

Cadenza lowered her head until her chin was almost touching the granite counter. She then took a deep breath and plunged her hooves into the stream before pulling them back along with a wave of water. As their manes dripped onto the stone below, Willow gave a snort to dislodge some water that had gone up his nose.

“That’s a bit more than a little,” he chuckled.

Cadenza bowed her head. “Sorry, daddy.”

Willow gave her a small rub on the stomach. “Nothing a towel can’t fix.”

He brought Cadenza back to the ground, grabbed a towel from the nearby rack, ran it under the faucet, and gave his face a quick rub before bringing it down to Cadenza’s face. She jumped a little from the warm touch of the damp fabric, but soon relaxed and let Willow clean up her face. He dabbed at her eyes first, clearing away what remained of her tears, before he moved onto her nose. The towel quickly turned into an oversized tissue that Willow discarded into the linen bin once he was finished. Cadenza’s eyes were still red and slightly puffed up from crying, but her fur and nose were clean now.

“Now to get your mane,” said Willow.

He grabbed Cadenza and lifted her up to the counter again, this time onto the flat space between the sinks. He stretched out a wing to the left sink and grabbed the thick brush that rested amidst a small collection of earrings and perfumes.

While Willow brought the brush closer to her head, Cadenza stared at her reflection in the mirror. The towel had pushed back her bangs so that she could see the state her mane was in. Yellow strands curled upward, magenta strands twisted with lavender ones, and all of them formed tangles with each other. Her pupils shrank a little when she saw that the brush was only inches away from the knotted mess.

“I-is this going to hurt?” she asked.

Willow hovered the brush over Cadenza’s mane and looked over it again. He gave her a reassuring rub on the shoulder. “Don’t worry, I can do this quickly.”

Cadenza sucked in her breath and shut her eyes. She felt the brush tugging back at her mane and stiffened. Yet, the pull never got to the point of being painful and instead came to a halt from one harsh word.

“Willow!” Aria said, causing him to freeze. “What in Equestria are you doing?”

“Combing Cadenza’s mane?” Willow said with a shaky grin while he slowly turned his over to the doorway where Aria was standing.

Like Cadenza’s, Aria’s mane was a wild mess of knots and tangles, albeit being only strawberry-blond instead of the separate stripes of gold, magenta, and lavender that made up Cadenza’s mane. Her eyes were sharp and awake from behind the loose bundles of hair in front of them, and her nostrils were flared out. She marched over to the sink with an echo coming off her hooves hitting the marble floor. She glared at Willow for a brief moment before sighing and shaking her head.

“I know your mane doesn’t matter that much because of work, but spare Cadenza’s, please,” she said.

Willow raised an eyebrow. “What does that mean?”

“It means you comb your mane fine for somepony that’s going to be darting around the sky.” Aria brought her head closer to Willow’s and nuzzled him. “It’s just not the best look for a filly.”

Aria pulled back, but she now had the brush in her mouth as well as a victorious grin. Willow blinked, shot his eyes down to his now-empty wing, and then looked back at Aria. She ignored his befuddled state and moved over to Cadenza, who was staring at her with sealed lips, trying to contain giggles.

“Your mane looks even worse than mine, mommy!” she exclaimed.

Aria’s grin turned into a small smile. She set the brush with the flat side down so that it made a loud clack when it touched the counter. The sound made Cadenza jump, and it was now Aria’s turn to chuckle.

“It may look worse, but I know how to straighten it out quickly.” Her smile sharpened back into a grin. “I can take an extra long time with little fillies who make fun of their mommy’s mane. Then they miss all the super delicious pancakes I’m sure they’ll have for breakfast today.”

Cadenza paled a little and whipped her head back and forth. “No! I want pancakes!”

“Well then…” Aria balanced herself up on two legs while leaning over the counter. She sent her forelegs out and placed them on the sides of Cadenza’s head, forcing her to look right at her reflection. “It’s a good thing I know you’re the best little filly in the world, who will keep her head straight the whole time.”

“Then, pancakes?”

Aria smiled, pushing a few messy strands away from Cadenza’s eyes with a hoof. “Then pancakes,” she said before picking up the brush and going to work.

~~~

Steam poured out of the hot sugary dough as Aria sliced through the waffle in front of Cadenza. Warm syrup filled in the gap formed by the knife while Aria continued to cut out a small chunk of it. The waffle was so large that Aria only needed to get one of the many indented squares out of the dough before scooting it closer to Cadenza with the knife. She set the knife down and smiled, getting a good whiff of the sweet steam.

“Mmmm, I think the cooks have really outdone themselves today,” she said.

Cadenza glared at the piece of waffle in front of her with her hooves crossed over her mouth. “Daddy said there’d be pancakes.”

“Hmm?” Willow paused devouring the bit of waffle that remained on his own plate.

“Cadenza,” Aria said, her voice firm. “They make pancakes and waffles with the exact same ingredients.”

“But it doesn’t taste the same!”

Aria took a deep breath and looked over to other side of the table where a newspaper was floating over a large cup of coffee, obscuring the pony behind it. “Mystic, I think Cadenza would like a lecture on the chemical breakdown of pancakes and waffles.”

Mystic stacked the newspapers to the side of his cup and took a drink while color drained from Cadenza’s face. After taking a gulp, he asked, “Would you prefer here, your room, or my study?”

“Wherever you think a picky eater can learn best to appreciate all types of food.” Aria bent down and snatched up the waffle piece. “Especially the tasty kinds.”

“No, no!” Cadenza gasped. She reached out and pulled her plate closer before sticking her muzzle straight into waffle. She tore a chunk out of it before she pulled her head back, beads of syrup dripping off her face. With a full mouth, she said, “Sfee? Af luf woofles!”

Aria giggled while Mystic sighed. He hid himself behind the newspaper again, muttering, “Pastries. Always a mess with pastries.”

“Looks like somepony is gonna need to wash her face again,” Aria chuckled.

“Buf Ah dof haf t—” Cadenza was cut off by Aria dabbing a napkin at her face.

“Eat your food, then talk.” Aria wiped off most of the sticky mess for the left side of Cadenza’s face before moving onto her right side. “And no, Mr. Rune isn’t going to give you an extra lesson, just your regular one.” She finished cleaning off the worse of the mess and set the napkin aside before flashing Cadenza a devious grin. “If you can eat the rest of breakfast without making more of a mess.”

Cadenza swallowed her food with a big gulp and quickly nodded her head. “Sorry, mommy… the waffle is pretty tasty.”

“See? You just had to try it.” Aria turned her head away from Cadenza and over to her own plate, which contained a small bowl or various fruits. She lowered her muzzle and skillfully plucked a single grape out of the bowl.

Across the table, Willow had watched things unfold, but continued to work on his own breakfast as well. His plate was now empty, and one final gulp finished his cup of coffee. With a content sigh, he set the cup down and stood up from the table, his eyes tracing over the golden inlays of the head chair’s oak construction. The decadent design only held his attention for a brief moment as he walked by it and over to Aria and Cadenza. He brought his head close to Aria’s and lightly nuzzled her on the cheek.

“I should be back around four,” he said. “Just some cloud clearing and bringing in a nice breeze to the area.”

“Sounds like we’re going to have nice weather this weekend.” Aria’s eyelids drooped a little, and a frown momentarily came to her face. She brightened up seeing Cadenza hard at work on her breakfast. She sawed through the waffle with her knife grasped between her teeth, yet managed to not splatter syrup everywhere. Aria smiled and gave Willow a light kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you this afternoon.”

“Yeah.” Willow returned the kiss with his own before turning over to Cadenza. She paused eating when he tussled her mane. “Cadenza, daddy’s got to go off to work now.”

“Are you gonna make the sky pretty?” she asked.

“Super pretty.”

Cadenza grinned at him before wrapping two hooves around one of his legs. “Bye, daddy.”

“I’ll be back for dinner.” He gave her a quick hug and then left the private dining room.

~~~

The afternoon sun poured into the Lunar Suite, the walls drinking up the light. Aria sat near one of the room’s towering windows, a book laid out in front of her while she curled up in the chair’s plush confines. At its base was a hodgepodge stack of books, with many titles including “Musician”, and a few containing “Kindergarten.” One at the top had an illustration of a Saddle Arabian mare in the hooves of a stallion with a mane that could rival Celestia’s in the way it flowed.

A groan from one of the room’s two main doors perked up Aria’s ears. She quickly placed the book in front of her over the romance novel, causing the stack to teeter a little. Ignoring the imbalance, she got off her chair and made her way over to the door. At the same time, Cadenza slipped through the crack between the massive doors and shambled over to her, making it about halfway before falling to her knees. Aria picked up her pace and rushed over to Cadenza’s side. Cadenza looked up at Aria with tired eyes and let out a defeated huff.

“Mommy, I don’t want to learn about any more colors.” Cadenza then planted her head on the floor like it was a pillow.

The door opened up a little more and Mystic stepped through. He stared down at Cadenza and shook his head. “Enough of that; you’re going to frighten your mother with these dramatics.”

Cadenza regained enough energy to twist her head and shoot Mystic a glare. He gave a small sigh and lifted his eyes up to Aria, but was surprised to see her glaring at him too.

“What?” he asked. “I did nothing that isn’t outside the range of any of my students. Just some simple color and light manipulation spells.”

“She’s only five,” Aria growled. She wrapped a hoof around Cadenza brought her back to her hooves. A small shudder went through her as she felt Aria’s tight grip, but she relaxed when she saw Aria smiling at her. “Cadenza, Mr. Rune and I need to have a little talk, can you be a good filly for just a few minutes?”

“Can I take a nap?”

“Of course.” Aria gave Cadenza a nuzzle and then advanced on Mystic, her face growing rigid and harsh. Mystic met her glare with a furrowed brow. When she reached him, the two stepped in tandem over to the door, each eyeing the other. Cadenza, meanwhile, climbed up onto her bed, her eyes growing heavy as she tucked herself in for a nap.

“Bye, mommy,” she said with a weak wave of her hoof as she pulled the covers up to her head.

Aria paused and spun around, her features soft again and a smile on her face. “I’ll be right back. You can sleep as much as you want until daddy gets home.”

Cadenza yawned and buried her head in a pillow, instantly drifting off to sleep. Aria lingered on her for a brief moment before turning back to Mystic, who was already stepping through the gap in the doors. She took a deep breath and sharpened her features once more. Once she was outside, she walked away from the door until the reflections from the stained glass started to shine off her coat. Ahead of her, Mystic came to a stop and turned to face her, but before he could get a word out, she was in his face, giving him the full brunt of her glare.

“You are pushing her too hard again,” she said, her voice now on the edge of going into a yell. “She can’t even use levitation spells regularly yet.”

“All students in magical kindergarten ca—”

“Cadenza is not one of your prodigies!”

Aria’s yell echoed throughout the hall, but Mystic did not flinch, though his eyebrows furrowed deeply. “You’re right. She’s more than that. None of my students required the Princess to control their magic.”

Aria flared her nostrils. “None of your students have nightmares about things like she does!”

She felt a sting on her eyes and turned her head away from Mystic so he couldn’t see her brush away a few small tears. Steeling her gaze again, Aria looked back but was met with Mystic staring at the ground. His brow remained furrowed, but his eyes were now unfocused, as if the floor were some unfamiliar creature.

“That…” He paused and sighed, running a hoof through his mane. “That is why I want her in control as much as possible… but I suppose easing off her a little and just going over the essentials couldn’t hurt.”

Aria glared at him for a moment longer before walking away. “Thank you.”

“I just want what’s best for her,” Mystic called out as Aria reached the door to her room.

“I know,” she said before pushing the door open and slipping inside.

~~~

Cadenza opened her eyes when she felt a hoof lightly nudging her shoulder. She lifted her head from the pillow to see that Willow was standing at her bedside, his face outlined by the deep red and orange of sunset.

“Hey.” Willow reached out and helped her off the bed. “Sleep well?”

“What time is it?” she asked

“Dinner time.”

Willow led her out of the room and into the hallway. Dusk, combined with the stained glass, gave off a deep lavender hue that made the hall look as if it were underwater for a few feet. Then, like an ebbing tide, the hall slowly lightened until it was the vibrant orange of a beach at sunset. As they walked, Cadenza looked up at Willow.

“Daddy?” she asked. “I thought mommy was gonna wake me up when you got home.”

Willow bent her head down to Cadenza’s level and smiled at her. “Would you wake up somepony that was sleeping so soundly?”

“Hmmm.” Cadenza glanced up for a moment before smiling back at Willow. “I don’t think so. You’re not mad I was asleep?”

“No,” Willow chuckled as he lifted his head up. “I’m not mad that you do something everypony else does. Besides, it sounds like Mr. Rune gave you an extra hard lesson today.”

Cadenza puffed up her cheeks. “He’s a meanie. He turned a really pretty flower this gross color and wanted me to do the same thing. I told him I didn’t want to, but he made me try anyway.” She slowed down and dropped her head. “I made a flower wilt, and it hurt my head.”

“Yeah,” Willow said, staring off at the glistening twin doors at the end of hall that mirrored the ones he’d just left, only this pair had two guards at its sides. “Mommy said she talked with Mr. Rune about that. I think he’ll take extra care to make sure your lessons aren’t too hard now.”

“But he’s still a meanie,” Cadenza whined. “He talks in a slow voice that makes me sleepy and gives me lots and lots of homework. Why can’t mommy or Aunt Celestia teach me?”

“Mommy isn’t a teacher,” Willow replied, his voice getting a little more stiff. “As for Aunt Celestia, I’m sure she would be a great teacher, but you know she’s a very busy pony.”

“Yeah bu—”

“And Mr. Rune also has a lot of other students to teach at his school too. It’s hard, but he makes sure to come up with lessons for you as well.”

Cadenza pouted at Willow. “Why can’t I just go to class with the other ponies then?”

Willow’s eyes widened and he came to a stop. Ahead of him, the two guards straightened up and one took a step forward. Willow quickly waved his hoof, sending the guard back to his original post. Willow stared at the two of them for a moment, their eyes not on him but Cadenza. He took a breath before facing Cadenza again, an annoyed frown now still on her face. He gave her a nudge with a hoof to get her walking to the door, the guards pushing them open as they got close.

“Mr. Rune teaches a very advanced class, so it’d be even harder,” Willow said. Slipping through the gap, he added, “and the closest other school is a bit away.”

“Oh.” Cadenza slumped her head and shoulders, her trot slowing to a crawl. “Okay.”

“Aw, sweetie.” Willow bent down and draped a wing over Cadenza’s back. “Mommy and I know you try your hardest in your lessons. In fact, I think you worked so hard today that you deserve an express flight straight to dinner.”

Cadenza lifted her head and showed off a faint smile. “All the way to the dining hall?”

“All the way.”

Willow bent down low enough that he was practically lying on the thick ruby carpet. Cadenza’s smile widened and she jumped onto Willow’s back in between his wings. Her own twitched with excitement at her sides as Willow got back up. He looked back at her with an energetic gleam in his eyes.

“Are all passengers accounted for?” he asked.

Cadenza eagerly nodded.

“Do all passengers have a secure hold on daddy?”

Cadenza looped her front legs around Willow’s neck while she anchored her hind ones to his sides. Willow looked down at the hold she had on him and nodded, shooting his wings out fast enough that they created a swish and rustled the carpet under him. His wings flapped slowly at first, just getting him and Cadenza a few inches off the ground. When he was about a foot airborne, he glanced back at Cadenza one more time.

“Are the passengers ready?”

“Yes!” Cadenza screamed.

“Then let’s go!”

Willow stretched his wings forward and then brought them back in a blur of green. The intricate designs of the stained glass overhead turned into a kaleidoscopic swirl of colors. Willow raced over the ground so fast that it looked like a sea of red and grey. Cadenza giggled as her mane flowed backward, her cries of delight stopping only when Willow banked around a corner and she had to tighten her hold. They sped down the hallways, even putting out a few torches and zooming over some guards.

Before Cadenza knew it, Willow was back to hovering, this time in front of another twin door, albeit only half the size of the grand doors that led to the Lunar Suite. He quietly landed on the ground and went to his knees so that Cadenza could slide off. Once she had cleared his back, he took a few breaths and wiped away the tiny amount of sweat he’d acquired from the flight. At the same time, Cadenza raced around him like all the energy from the dash had transferred into her.

“Again! Again!” she shouted.

Willow wrapped a wing around her again, but now to hold her in place. “Maybe after dinner, but you have to make a promise.”

“Anything!” she said, jumping off the floor, but quickly returning to it due to Willow’s wing.

“Calm down a little.” Willow reached out and pressed on one of the doors. “You’re gonna make a mess at dinner if you’re all jumpy like that and I think you’ve gotten your face washed enough for one day.”

Cadenza stopped jittering under Willow’s wing and blushed. She nodded, hiding her eyes behind her mane. “I promise.”

“Glad to hear it.” Willow pushed harder on the door and it creaked open.

The last bit of daylight slipped through the room’s soaring windows, which looked out onto a wide balcony and the spanning valley beyond it. A tiny sliver of the sun cast the room in a rose hue as it slowly sank behind far-off mountains, its light shimmering the main table’s fine veneer. The table itself stood at the head of the room as it always did, while a multitude of other long tables lined the walls. Dozens upon dozens of chairs were stacked next to them, but it was impossible to get an exact number because of the thick tarps over them and the tables.

Aria sat at one of the three chairs placed along one of the long sides of the table. Smooth white fabric lined their sturdy maple frames; it was so soft and plush that it almost looked like clouds from afar. She drew circles across the porcelain plate in front of her, her eye on the single chair across the table. However, at the sound of Willow and Cadenza entering the room, she stood up and made her way over to them. Cadenza raced past Willow and pounced onto Aria’s leg, giving her a hug.

“Looks like somepony had a good nap,” Aria said, stroking Cadenza’s mane and smoothing out a few stray ends.

“Uh-huh!” Cadenza nuzzled Aria on the leg and then broke away. She jumped up and down in place, her wings spread out to keep her in the air a second longer. “Daddy woke me up and then we flew over here! Oh!” Cadenza blushed again and fell still, looking at her hooves before twirling one of them on the floor. “Daddy said to calm down though. Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Aria chuckled. She bent down and flashed Cadenza a grin. “Flying with daddy can have that effect on ponies.”

Cadenza gasped. “Daddy can carry grownups too?”

“Of course I can,” Willow said, rushing up to Aria and grabbing her before she could say anything. With a flap of his wings, both of them were off the ground. Willow spun her around and lifted her even higher up with his legs before bringing her into an embrace. “If anypony gets hurt while I’m working, I have to be able to carry them. It’s also a great way to impress mares.”

“Willow!” Aria called out, lightly pushing him away.

Willow gave a nervous chuckle and then descended, setting Aria down and giving her a nuzzle. “It’s true though.”

“You’re no better than a colt,” Aria playfully sighed and nuzzled him back. She then bent her head down to look at Cadenza, who was staring up at them. “How about we go sit down?”

“Okay!” Cadenza said. While the family walked over to the table, Cadenza looked up at Aria. “Mommy, why were you here early?”

“Mommy wanted to talk with Mr. Rune a little more before dinner.” Aria pulled out the middle chair and hoisted Cadenza into it. Once she was seated, Aria furrowed her brow at the empty chair across the table. “He’s usually here before us.”

“Maybe he took a nap,” said Cadenza. “His lessons probably make him tired too!”

Aria took her own seat and stared out through one of the massive windows. Night had fallen, and the mountains were now silhouettes over a sea of mist. The castle’s own shadow fell on the expansive valley, the early moonlight stretching its shape over the fog.

“Hopefully, that won’t be the case starting next week.”

Just as Willow sat down, a pair of doors, different from the ones Willow and Cadenza had used, opened. Two guards stepped in first and fanned out to door’s sides. Celestia’s mane flowed into the room while her shoes clinked against the strip of bare floor near the doors. Her legs moved gracefully and quickly across the ground, almost as if she were swimming through the air with each step. Mystic shuffled behind her, his legs hidden by his long cloak. When Celestia reached her personal chair, Willow, Aria, and Cadenza all bowed their heads. Celestia returned it with a nod. In the meantime, Mystic took the lone seat the sat opposite of Aria, Willow, and Cadenza.

“My apologies for missing breakfast today.” Celestia paused and yawned into a hoof. “Fridays are not usually this hectic.”

“Oh no, no, Princess,” Willow said while shaking a leg back and forth. “We know how busy your schedule can be.”

“I suppose.” Celestia sighed before smiling. “Although, I did get a chance to review the weekend weather plan. Seems like the weather squad has set up some wonderful temperatures and skies.”

“Daddy makes the best weather!” Cadenza excitedly raised her forelegs into the air, and Willow blushed a little. However, Cadenza’s legs suddenly flopped to her sides and she looked to Celestia with wide eyes. “Maybe I can go to the statue garden to better see what clouds he makes?”

Celestia took a deep breath. “Sorry, Cadenza, but the gardens are always quite crowded on the weekend. A filly your size wouldn’t even be able to see the base of the statues, let alone the sky. I wouldn’t want you to get lost in the crowd either. We’ve also had quite a few scares when young ponies separate from their parents and stumble into the hedge maze.” A small smile came to her face. “Which is why I think taking a stroll through town would be more enjoyable.”

“What?” Aria and Willow asked at the same time.

Celestia leaned over the table so that she was eye-to-eye with Cadenza. “You would like that, right?”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Cadenza nodded her head hard enough that her horn flicked against the table. She spun towards Aria, who was still staring over at Celestia with her lips pursed and one eyebrow raised. “Mommy! Mommy! We can go to that bakery! No, a toy store! Oh, what about th—”

Willow laid his hooves on Cadenza’s shoulders to keep her from exploding out of her seat before to Celestia. His lips moved a few times as if testing what words to use before he actually spoke. “You’re… you’re sure it’s fine to go outside? I mean, the city will be very crowded too.”

“I’m well aware of how the streets can be on the weekend.” Celestia glanced at the opposite end of the table where Mystic was sitting. She yawned again.“That’s why Mystic and I have a special gift to give Cadenza. Mystic, if you would.”

A glow formed around a section of Mystic’s cloak, floating out of whatever hidden pocket it had been in and up over the table towards Cadenza. Encased in a blue aura was a silver chain necklace adorned with a single opal gem about the size of a foal’s hoof. While the chain reflected the magic’s glow, the stone shimmered with a prismatic light. She gaped at the jewelry while its light glistened in her eyes.

“Pretty,” she said.

“I suppose that is a benefit.” Mystic looked up at Aria and Willow. “It’s something the Guard have been working on for the pegasi squads and earth pony patrols. It’s imbued with a twenty-four hour tracking spell that allows other officers to find anypony that gets lost. It might be commercially available in a few years if we can figure out how to mass-produce them.”

“It also makes a wonderful gift for a hard-working filly,” said Celestia. Her horn lit up, and a gold aura overtook Mystic’s. The necklace floated a little closer Cadenza. “Go ahead. Try it on.”

Cadenza stared at the necklace for a moment longer before she slowly raised a hoof up to its chain. When her hoof touched the metal, the golden aura faded away from it and the necklace draped itself over Cadenza’s hoof. She stuck another hoof through the chain and pulled the necklace over her head. Letting it rest on her neck, Cadenza looked down, entranced by the colorful glow that poured off the opal stone.

“Mommy? Daddy?” she asked turning her head back and forth at Willow and Aria. “Does it look pretty?”

Neither Aria nor Willow said anything. Not a single feather was visible on Cadenza’s back now, only soft pink fur. They both glanced up at each other, looked down again, and then to Celestia, who now wore a playful grin.

“Mommy? Daddy?” Cadenza asked again. “Is something wrong?”

“N-no,” Willow blurted out. “You just look so pretty, it’s breathtaking.”

“Really?” Cadenza gasped. With a wide grin, she jumped out of her seat and raced over to Celestia, giving one of her legs a hug. “Thank you, Aunt Celestia! Thank you!”

Celestia smiled at Cadenza, allowing the filly to hold the hug. She bent down and lightly stroked her mane, but stopped, the smile fading from her face for a brief moment. She raised Cadenza’s head and pointed over to Mystic

“Don’t forget to thank Mystic too,” she said. “He did most of the work.”

Cadenza took a deep breath and then turned to Mystic, giving him a small bow of the head. “Thank you, Mr. Rune.”

“You are welcome,” Mystic said, his expression masked by the shadows around his eyes and the premature wrinkles around his lips.

“We can go over the details about how everything works later.” Celestia glanced over at the doors she’d come through when they groaned. “For now, how about we have dinner?”

The doors fully opened and a tiny army of butlers marched in with platters and pitchers of water and juice floating by their heads. They moved in silence, save for the muffled sound of their hooves on the carpet until three of them were at each of the chairs. One set a platter down, another poured water or juice at their recipient's request, and the third one delicately laid a napkin over their laps.

While the butlers worked, Willow’s mind was racing. Places to go, restaurants to visit, and sights to take Cadenza to all rushed through his brain. It was the collective build-up of five years within the castle. His eyes constantly glanced down at Cadenza’s back while she chatted with Aria about plans for tomorrow. He was caught between smiling and gaping at the sight, which only added to the hectic state of his mind.

Something sparked in the reflection of his platter— a glint from up in the ceiling's rafters. He glanced up but saw only shadows. He turned his eyes down just as a butler lifted the covering up to reveal a luscious salad filled with vibrant greens and glistening with dressing. He was about take a bite out of it when he felt two small hooves pulling on his leg. Cadenza bounced beside him, her eyes wide in excitement.

“Daddy!” she exclaimed. “Mommy says we should go to breakfast first tomorrow, but what do you want to do?”

Thoughts of tomorrow came rushing back to Willow. He was speechless thinking up plans while his eyes lingered at Cadenza’s wingless back. He blinked, a small smile forming as he stared solely at Cadenza’s face.

“Whatever you want.”

Chapter 5

Mist wafted up from the crashing waterfall and into the cool morning air, catching the light and sending a colorful radiance across the churning waters below and onto the small field of trimmed grass nearby. Most of the mist found a resting place on one of Canterlot Castle’s great outer walls. Clinging to the massive white stones, the mist collected into a golden-hued dew that gave the entire wall a temporary sheen.

At the base of the wall was a stone identical to all the others save for being a quarter of their size. It shuddered and shook off the dew that had collected on its outer face. While it continued to rumble, its color darkened until it was a light grey. The stone stopped shaking after a moment and a silence fell upon the wall. After a moment, the stone pushed outward and glided over the ground as if it were no heavier than a small wooden door.

Mystic stepped out of the dim passageway hidden behind the stone, mist evaporating against the magical bubble that flowed around him. His spell extended backwards and shielded Cadenza, Willow, and Aria from the waterfall’s spray as they followed him outside, while a few flecks of water managed to make its way past them to the pair of guards at the rear of the group and beaded on their armor.

Cadenza wore a wide smile on her face as she marched ahead of her parents. At the same time, she kept some distance between herself and Mystic. The sun shimmered off her necklace as she walked out on the grass, the dew dampening her fetlocks. Her eyes quickly locked onto the wall’s shimmering face, but she continued walking until she bumped into Mystic’s leg.

Willow darted forward and scooped Cadenza up onto his back. “Always watch where you’re going, sweetie.”

“But the wall is so much cooler looking outside!” Cadenza held out her front legs to emphasize her point. “And the tunnel is fun too! Are there more like that in the castle?”

“For the third time, yes,” Mystic said with a small shake of his head. “The front entrance can get quite crowded, so the Princess has special exits for when she wants to go out by herself.”

Cadenza’s eyes widened. “Aunt Celestia thinks of everything.”

Mystic nodded while keeping his eyes forward. Beyond his spell was nothing but thick mist and raging water. The fall’s roar was still audible even within the spell’s barrier. Yet, inside the bubble, a narrow stone path just large enough for a small carriage to cross over was visible beneath their hooves. Behind the two rear guards, the path vanished back into the mist.

After a few minutes of walking, the stone path gave way to soft dirt. Flowers of all shapes and colors sprung up at the path’s sides. Cadenza’s eyes widened further at the vibrant display, and she clutched Willow’s back slightly tighter.

“Daddy! Look at all the flowers!”

Willow looked back at her with a smile. “Well, the Princess does want things to look pretty.”

Cadenza continued to gawk as the group made their way through the flower field. The waterfall’s crashing faded away and was replaced with gates opening, grand doors swinging, and wheels clattering against the ground. A large hedge that was split by a far wider path appeared ahead of them on the right and brought an end to the flower field.

The group’s path continued to the left of the hedge, which was now wedged between the thick hedge and the base of the towering mountains. Small towers and elongated roofs poked up above the shrubbery here and there, each varying in design save for the presence of the Equestrian flag, whether in stained glass, carved into the walls, or flying from a pole. Cadenza squinted as they passed a few houses, her gaze lingering on the symbol next to each flag or hanging below it on a pole. One was a unicorn horn with a star behind it, another a setting sun shimmering with crimson light. After they passed a house with blue pony engraved on its wall, Cadenza looked over to Aria and pointed at the house.

“Mommy, what are all those drawings next to the flag?”

“Oh, they’re crests,” said Aria.

Cadenza raised an eyebrow. “Crests?”

Aria glanced over to the next house they passed and the book etched into into its stone before looking back at Cadenza. “Special symbols very old families have had for a long time.”

“Oh!” Cadenza smiled. “So it’s like a cutie mark for a whole family!”

“That’s a good way of putting it!” Aria leaned closer to Cadenza and nuzzled her cheek.

Cadenza giggled, but quickly stopped and stared at Aria. “Wait, do we have a crest, mommy?”

“No,” Aria said with a shake of the head, “but we do have some paintings your great-grandad did. He went all the way up north to draw the mountains there.”

Cadenza glanced at the mountains to her left. “Couldn’t he just draw here?”

“Great-Grandpa Contrast lived near the northern border, sweetie,” Willow explained. “From what mommy and your grandma say, he was one of the toughest ponies around, going out in blizzards to paint the landscape.”

“Or the colors might have just run off over the years,” Aria chuckled.

“Great-grandpa sounds kinda weird,” said Cadenza.

The houses grew smaller further away from the castle. Eventually, the crests vanished from their walls, while flags remained here and there. The sounds from earlier grew closer and mixed with loud voices, their words unintelligible from afar. Cadenza’s mouth watered at the scent of freshly-cut fruit and warm bread wafting through the air.

“It smells so good!” she exclaimed.

Mystic turned down an alley and the rest of the group followed. Between the buildings’ shadows, his horn and barrier glowed with a pale light that slowly faded away. The sound from the street ahead magnified as did the smells. Cadenza shook her head at the swift change and Aria rubbed his ear with a hoof. At the alley’s mouth, Mystic stopped and turned to face the rest of the group.

“This is where we’ll leave you,” he said. “It’s right between Keen Eyes’ Jewelers and Vibrant’s Apparel, so it shouldn’t be too hard to find. Come back whenever you wish to return.” He paused to look up at the two rear guards who gave him stern nods. “We’ll be waiting.”

Willow smiled at Aria and then turned to Cadenza. “The streets are really busy, so you’ll have to stay up here for now, but you can walk inside the shops, okay? Just stay near me or mommy.”

“Uh-huh!” Cadenza said with a flurry of nods. Her whole body shook with anticipation, her hidden wings brushing against Willow’s back.

“Then let’s go!” Aria flung a hoof out and took long steps out into the street. Cadenza laughed and Willow chuckled at the display as they stepped out of the alley after her.

They were instantly consumed by the river of ponies flowing through the street. Small carts displayed succulent fruit, dazzling gems, and towering stacks of newspapers among countless other wonders. Each cart’s owner gestured with their hooves or levitated their wares overhead to try and entice customers.

Cadenza took it all in with wide eyes. Ahead of her and Willow, Aria muscled her way through the crowds with Willow following close behind. The smile on Cadenza’s face grew wider and wider as new sights popped up all around her and fresh smells swirled through the air.

“There’s so much stuff!” she said, pointing at a pony flipping a paper-thin crepe and filling it with whipped cream and honey. “Oh, I want that!” She then pointed to a mare holding up an apple as big as her head. “That too!”

Aria glanced back at Cadenza. “Sounds like somepony’s hungry.”

“Don’t worry, sweetie,” Willow said. He shifted a wing around to nuzzle her side. “Mommy knows the best place in all of Canterlot to get breakfast.”

“I’m gonna eat everything!” Cadenza yelled.

~~~

Back in the alley, Mystic and one of the guards looked up at the pegasus now perched atop of Vibrant’s. Her short black mane, free of its armor, ruffled in the morning breeze. Her pupils contracted within her deep green irises before she opened her mouth.

“They’re a proper distance away now,” she said while she kept her eyes focused on the streets.

“Stay at around this distance from the air,” Mystic called up to her. “Soft Step will keep ground visuals.”

Soft Step removed the last knee guard from his hind leg and levitated it over to Mystic. “I’ll be off then.”

“Keep all suspicious individuals at least fifty feet away from Cadenza.” Mystic tightened his jaw. “Go to Plan Theta in case a surge occurs. If you or Silent Gaze encounter anything the two of you can’t handle, tear off your pendants and stall until I can arrive.”

“Yes, sir!” Soft Step said while Silent Gaze gave Mystic a sharp nod before taking to the air.

~~~

The main street split up about a mile away from the castle. Like the houses before, the shops grew smaller and the crowds dwindled. Carts still lined the streets, but their owners didn’t move with the same energy as the earlier vendors. Their wares still glistened in Cadenza’s eyes and Aria or Willow had to reassure her at each food stand they passed that their destination was close by. After being denied a watermelon nearly as big as herself, Cadenza pouted.

“I thought we could do whatever I wanted today!” She clutched Willow’s back. “Daddy, I’m hungry! I want the melon!”

“Cadenza, we’re almost there,” Willow repeated. “They’ll have as much melon as you want.”

“But I want it no—”

“Here we are!” Aria said, pointing a hoof slightly to her right.

The road branched off to a side street just ahead of her. Near the corner was a small shop with a collection of tables adorned with sun-bleached umbrellas. Windows, clouded up with age, stood to the sides of the shop’s entrance while a sign with a burlap sack and the word “Flour’s” hung up above the door.

“Is this the breakfast place?” Cadenza asked.

“Yup,” Willow said. “Mommy and I used to go here all the ti—”

“Willow?” somepony called out.

Willow froze for an instant before sighing, his wings and back tightening a bit under Cadenza. In a flash, a violet-blue hoof was draped over Willow’s neck and shaking him hard enough that Cadenza had to hold on to Willow’s wings. She looked up from the hoof to the pegasus it was attached to. His massive grin was framed with a rainbow goatee that matched his mane. He stood half a head taller than Willow, making it easy to drag him closer.

“Aw, man,” the pegasus said. “It’s been forever since I’ve seen you, what with you getting all the easy work around Canterlot.”

“B-blaze, choking,” Willow coughed.

“Oh, sorry ab—” Blaze stopped, feeling something slapping at his leg. He looked down to see Cadenza striking at him with her hooves.

“Stop hurting daddy!”

Blaze let out a roar of laughter as he pulled away before she could hit him again. His golden eyes flew from Cadenza back to Willow and his grin grew wider. “That’s right! Forgot all about that medical stuff with your kid. Guess her being out like this means she’s all better now! Great! You must be getting bored of all the low maintenance stuff!”

Willow glanced at Aria then back at Blaze, giving him a small shake. “We’re still working on things, so it might be a bit before I can get back to the main branch.”

“Ah,” Blaze groaned. He then lowered his head to Cadenza. “Please tell me your dad is at least flying you and your mom around still?”

“How’d you know that?” Cadenza asked. She placed a hoof on one of Willow’s wings, ready to lift it up in defense. “And why are you so loud?”

Blaze laughed again. “Your dad asked me the same thing when we first met! We used to work together to make weather across Equestria. Betcha he’s told ya lots of stories about that.”

“You worked with daddy?” A smile came to Cadenza’s face and she let go of Willow’s wing. “Did you help him stop the tornado?”

“Eh…” Blaze glanced up at the sky. “I did assist him.”

“By making a second one,” Willow said with a snort.

“Hey, I got put on leave for that,” Blaze shot back before focusing back on Cadenza. “But great to see you out and about, kiddo. Sounds like things have been kinda boring what with being stuck in the hos—”

“Yes, things have been a little boring for Cadenza,” Aria interjected. “That’s why I’m glad we’ve got the weekend to go out and enjoy Canterlot. It’s a bit of a surprise seeing you though, Blaze.”

“Suppose it is.” Blaze lowered a wing into one of his saddlebags and pulled out a bag filled with the silhouettes of muffins and croissants. “But my mare was craving Flour’s so I made the trip. Gotta do something with this ‘nice weather’ we’re having.”

Blaze rolled his eyes at the last part before putting the food back in his bag. He scanned over the family, a grin still on his face. “Seems you had the same idea… minus the trip back to Cloudsdale.”

“Yeah, it’s Cadenza’s first time here,” said Willow.

Blaze leaned a little closer to Cadenza. “Your dad gonna go flying with you today?”

Cadenza’s eyes widened. “Can we, daddy?”

“The park would be good for that,” Willow said before he found Blaze’s hoof around him again.

“Great!” Blaze exclaimed. “Your kid’s gotta experience flying somehow!”

“Yup!” Cadenza glanced at her back for a moment and then smiled up at Blaze. “Daddy even says he’ll give me lessons when I’m older!”

Blaze laughed louder than ever. “You’re spoiling her, Willow. Better not call her princess too much either!” He shifted his hoof from Willow’s neck over to Cadenza’s. “Like your spirit though, kiddo. Can’t wait to see what cutie mark you—”

Blaze quickly retracted his hoof. Aria and Willow shared a glance while he rubbed his eyes.

“You okay, Blaze?” Willow asked.

“Yeah, yeah.” Blaze gave his head a shake. “Light just hit my eyes weird for a second. Might also be hunger too, the trip did take a bit out of me. Ah, whatever, good seeing ya again, but I don’t wanna keep my girl waiting.”

Blaze launched into the air, sending out a gust of wind that forced Cadenze to shut her eyes. When she opened them again, Blaze was already a dot in the sky.

“Daddy, your friends are weird.” Cadenza’s stomach grumbled and she rested a hoof on it. “Can we get breakfast now?”

“Right.” A smile returned to Willow’s face. “Breakfast.”

Willow trotted over to the door and held it open for Aria. A warm breeze carried the combined scent of cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar, citrus, and a dozen other spices out of the door. Cadenza licked her lips at the smell.

Small tables like the ones outside were situated along the red-brick walls, each one filled with ponies. A few more ponies stood around the counter, coin bags at the ready to exchange for either bags or plates of pastries. Cadenza’s eyes locked onto the clear glass display of cinnamon buns, danishes, bear claws, and dozens of other confections. She nudged Willow’s side with a hoof.

“Daddy! I wanna go see all the food! Can you put me down?”

“Sure thing, sweetie.” Willow bent down to let Cadenza off, but she leapt when he was only halfway to the floor.

It was only for a split-second, but Willow felt the slightest breeze brush against him— the kind only pegasi wings could produce. An instant later, Cadenza was on the ground, and she made a dash over to the display case, pressing her face against the glass. Her head darted from dish to dish.

“There’s so many things!” She turned her head to Aria. “Mommy, can we get one of everything?”

Aria smiled at Cadenza and her enthusiasm. “I don’t think a little filly’s stomach can hold that much. Why don’t you just pick out one for breakfast and another to save for a snack?”

“But they all look so good!” Cadenza threw her hooves to the ground and shook her head back and forth. “I can’t decide!”

“Maybe a few samples could help you out,” came a voice from behind the counter.

Cadenza looked up to see an aged pony’s head sticking out over the display case. A smile marked by two deep dimples stretched across his face as he looked down at Cadenza.

“Anything you want to try in particular?” he asked. “Peanut butter muffin? Lemon poppyseed?”

“Eewww, that’s daddy’s favorite flavor.” Cadenza stuck her tongue out, but quickly retracted it. She stared up at the orange pony and tilted her head at him. “How’d know mommy’s favorite flavor too?”

“‘Cause I’ve been serving the two of them since before you were even born.” The orange pony raised his deep-set eyes and smiled at Aria and Willow. “It’s never the same when regulars stop coming by, but it’s always great when they come back.”

“Oh, Flour, you’re still the same,” said Aria. “You haven’t even forgotten our orders.”

“Part of the trade,” Flour replied, eyeing Cadenza again. “Now I hope I can add a new regular.”

“That’s why we came here.” Willow stepped closer to Cadenza and gave her a pat on the back. “Go ahead, sweetie, you can try anything you want.”

Cadenza took a deep breath and pointed to the upper-left corner of the display case. “Can I try that brown muffin?”

“Oh-ho.” Flour reached behind the counter and pulled out a small tub filled with similarly colored bits of muffin. “Good eyes you’ve got there. Butterscotch has been a big seller for the past year. Kinda wished I’d kept Carrot around a bit longer so he could make more innovations. Ah, kids, they grow up so fast once they get their mark.”

“Oh! Congratulations, Flour!” Aria said. “He’d been having so much trouble with it before. So, where’s he now then?”

“Ponyville.” Flour pulled out a bit of muffin from the tub and extended it out for Cadenza to take. While Cadenza reach up to grab the sample, Flour’s eyes clouded up a bit. “I still can’t believe he’s already skilled enough for an apprenticeship. And the stories he writes back to me could be a bestseller… though he’d probably turn red as a beet if I told anypony about the arguments he’s had with this one filly. Seems he’s got a bit of a cooking rivalry going on, can you believe that?”

Aria raised an eyebrow. “Somepony that rivals your family’s skills? I’ll believe it when I eat it.”

“Me too.” Willow chucked and then looked down to see how Cadenza was doing. “Um, Flour, we may have a problem.”

Cadenza stood motionless, her eyes glazed over and her mouth dangling open. The sample had vanished but her eyes were now glued to the rest of the muffins in the case. Flour chuckled.

“Yeah, we see this a lot in fillies and colts who try the butterscotch for the first time.” Flour reached behind the counter and pulled up a greenish-brown muffin with orange bits speckled throughout it. “Carrot created the only solution too: a zucchini-carrot bran muffin.”

“Ewww!” Cadenza cried out as she shut her mouth and refocused her eyes.

Flour laughed at Cadenza’s expense and tucked the muffin back into the display case. “Ponies closer to my age love it though. Carrot really thought things through on that one. So, would you like to try anything else?”

“Uh-uh!” Cadenza shook her head and quickly pointed at the butterscotch muffins. “That one, that one!”

“Coming right up,” said Flour.

Aria moved over to the heavy-set iron register on the counter and pulled out her coin bag from the pouch on her side. “We’ll take our regulars as well, plus a croissant, cinnamon bun, and a peanut butter muffin for later.”

“Would you like some tea or juice with that?” Flour asked while he put the assorted pastries onto a plate or into a bag. “We’ve just got some cider in too.”

Willow’s eyes widened. “You do? But they don’t even have any at the c… corner markets by our house yet.”

“Heehee, I’ll take that as an order for three.” Flour set down the dish and bag by the register and quickly rushed to a swinging door at the back of the room. He stuck his head in and then galloped back over to the register. “Other great part of Carrot’s apprenticeship is that he’s made some good connections with the local farmers. Now, we’ve got the Old Faces Newcomer deal going on today, so that’ll only be eight bits.”

“Flour, no.” Aria took out sixteen bits and put them on the counter. “We can’t ask for that much off.”

“That much off?” Flour laughed loud enough for a few ponies to turn their heads at him. “You’ve given me another happy customer, that’ll cover more than a few little bits!”

“I suppose you’re right.” Aria scooped up half of the bits and deposited them into the glass jar opposite of the register on the counter. “You provide such good service though.”

Flour laughed even louder. “Ah, it’s good to have ya back, Aria! You too, Willow! And it’s great to have a new customer with…” Flour paused and stared down at Cadenza. “Well, look at me, being a rude old pony. I haven’t even asked the little princess here her name yet.”

A chill went down Willow’s spine and he found his jaw locked up tight. Aria felt a bit of color drain from her face and was silent for a moment too before she managed to speak.

“Cadenza,” she said.

“Ah, lovely name.” Flour grinned down at the still entranced Cadenza. “Well, Cadenza, I hope you enjoy every bit of your breakfast.”

“Uh-huh!” Cadenza said.

Flour retracted his head with a chuckle and pushed the plate and the bag closer to Willow and Aria, both of them recovered now. “Find a spot wherever you can and Joe will be right out with your drinks.”

Willow tilted his head a little. “Joe?”

“Can’t run the whole shop by myself.” Flour’s eyes drifted over to the white and green unicorns standing next to the display case. Both were tapping their hooves the ground and shooting glares at Aria and Willow. “And I can’t keep the other customers waiting, either.”

“Right, right.” Willow went into a hover and picked up the plate with his hooves and the bag with his mouth.

At the same time, Aria scanned the shop for a table, but gave up after a few seconds. She brought Cadenza closer to her side before leading her over to the door. Willow followed after them and quickly made his way outside when Aria held the door open for him and Cadenza. Cadenza came to a stop as soon as all her hooves were on the dirt again with Willow floating at her side.

There were far more empty tables outside and Aria swiftly led her family over to one of them. While Willow set the plate down on the table, Aria helped Cadenza up to her seat, making sure she was under the umbrella’s shadow. As soon as she was settled in, Cadenza made a grab for the butterscotch muffin. Aria whipped out a leg and blocked her.

“Mommy!” Cadenza whined. “I wanna eat.”

“Just wait for your father,” Aria replied. “And I know you want to eat it all in one bite, but I don’t want you to choke, okay?”

Cadenza lowered her head a little, but kept her legs outstretched towards her muffin. “Yes, mommy.”

Willow put the bag down beside the plate and floated down into his seat. He smiled at Aria and Cadenza and said, “Alrighty then, let’s eat!”

“Let’s eat!” Cadenza repeated with renewed zeal.

She quickly swiped her muffin off the plate and brought it closer to herself. She opened her mouth wide to take a huge bite, but paused when she noticed Aria eyeing her. Cheeks reddening, Cadenza closed her mouth a bit before taking a more portioned bite of her muffin. The effect was still the same as when she’d had the sample inside: with her eyes glazing over and her mouth dangling once the sweet and savory confection touched her tongue.

“Shoooo good,” she mumbled, mouth still full of muffin.

Willow and Aria were having similar if slightly less extreme reactions to their own muffins. Willow’s lips puckered a little from the tang of his lemon poppyseed muffin while Aria had to shift her jaw around to loosen up the peanut butter nuggets imbedded in hers. All three ponies wore smiles as they ate.

Before anypony had taken their second bite, a bulky yellow colt pushed the door to the restaurant open and levitated out a tray with two large mugs and a smaller third one. Froth tipped off the tops of all the mugs and a tiny bit of amber-hued juice dribbled down their sides. Once the tray had cleared the door, the colt made his way over to the table and set the drinks down beside the now-empty plate.

“Here are your three ciders,” he said while levitating the plate onto his tray. “Anything else I can get for you?”

Aria glanced at Cadenza, who had taken another bite of her muffin and was once more in a state of pure bliss. She looked back at the colt and shook her head. “No, I think we’re all good here… Joe, right?”

Joe smirked back at Aria. “Yes, ma’am. Enjoy the rest of your meal.”

Joe then headed back inside, leaving the family to themselves once again. Cadenza was about to take her third bite when Willow pushed the smallest of the mugs over to her. She set her muffin down and squinted at it.

“Daddy, I thought cider season isn’t till next month.”

“Mr. Flour now knows the ponies that make cider, so he can get it earlier,” Willow explained before taking a gulp from his own mug.

His eyes widened with the mug still raised to his mouth. He took another gulp, this one bigger than the last and then set the mug down. Licking his lips, he took a deep breath.

“Ah,” Willow sighed. “That’s gotta be one of the best ciders I’ve ever had.”

Aria took a sip from her mug and let out a contented sigh. “I think you’re right. I wonder who the supplier is.” She stole a glance at Cadenza. “And what to do you think?”

A bit of cider ran down the side of Cadenza’s mouth, and she leaned her head back in a daze. Aria pulled a napkin out of the dispenser on the table and dabbed away the cider while chuckling a little.

“Sweetie, if you keep spacing out like this, half your food is going to fall on the ground.”

After a few more bites, Cadenza managed to eat them normally. Soon, there were only droplets of cider left in her mug and only crumbs from her muffin. She swept the crumbs into her mouth before she gave a content sigh and leaned back. Willow extended out a wing and kept her from falling out of her seat.

“Careful there, sweetie,” he said. “Going to Flour’s for the first time can be a little overwhelming.”

“So gooood,” Cadenza said with a trance-like slur.

Aria scooted the bag of remaining pastries closer and put them inside her saddle bags. After strapping them onto her sides, she got up and went over to Willow.

“How about we show Cadenza some of the fun places around town before you go flying?” She bent her head to Cadenza’s eye level. “Don’t want an upset stomach while flying, right?”

Cadenza shook her head back and forth, her limp neck allowing it to bend back a few extra degrees. “Uh-uh.”

“A walk after Flour’s is always a good idea,” said Willow. “Did you have any place specific in mind?”

“Well, I thought maybe Maestro’s would be a good stop. Maybe Cadenza could find something she likes there.”

~~~

Cadenza heard the swelling of trumpets and the rhythmic beat of drums before her eyes located the store a few yards ahead of her family on the side street they found themselves on. Its sign curved like a rainbow, but it was composed of only black lines on a white background with bold letters spelling out: MAESTRO’S. Smaller musical notes adorned the sign as well while staying within the lines as if the sign were proper sheet music.

Aria walked a little faster toward the store and Willow sped up to catch up with her, jostling Cadenza a little. Reaching the front of the store, Aria glued her eyes to the windows with a wide grin on her face.

“Oh my stars! Cantabile has a new album out! He hasn’t released anything in ages!”

Cadenza reached up and tugged at Willow’s mane. “Daddy? Is mommy okay?”

“When it comes to music, mommy can get a little…” Willow glanced at where Aria had been, only to find the spot empty and the front door to the shop swinging wildly. “... excited.”

“Squillo and Mercury’s Collab Album!” Aria’s voice rang from the inside of the store.

“C’mon, sweetie.” Willow hitched Cadenza up and entered into the store.

The scent of vinyl records, both old and new, flooded Cadenza’s nose, sending her into a coughing fit. When she’d recovered from the strong scent, she looked around, having to squint a bit due the dim glow of candles and light spells illuminating the room. Rows of records lined the shop with signs of large and medium size hanging over sections either marking the genre or the alphabetical ordering.

Posters of all sizes were plastered on the walls. Some could’ve been mistaken for school yearbook photos while others depicted grand finales of stage plays with confetti and magical effects swirling around the actors. One poster displayed four ponies with their faces painted black and white and the stage behind them ablaze. Next to that one was a picture of a stallion in a suit with a viola pressed to his neck and his bow raised as if he were about to go into battle. Somewhere on each one were scribbled autographs, some still retaining a sheen while others had faded with age.

Cadenza stared at one poster and then jumped to another after quickly reading off the name attached to each one. While she kept her eyes upwards, Willow moved through the store and made a beeline for the classical section.

Aria was squatting near the floor with a filing box in front of her. Her hooves flicked through the box, eyes lingering on each record for only a second before moving onto the next. A giddy grin framed her face as she scanned through the box. Just as Willow reached her, she stopped and raised a record high above her head.

“Ha-ha! Found it!” she exclaimed, tilting her head back to look straight up at the record.

It also gave her a view of Willow staring down at her with small smirk on his face. “Some things never change.”

Aria blushed. “Oh… be quiet.”

Willow opened his mouth to tease a little more, but stopped when he felt a tug at his neck.

“Daddy?” Cadenza asked. “Did mommy just find treasure?”

“Yes, yes I did.” Aria placed the record on her back and got back on her hooves. “You’ll be proud to know I just found a Hoofdel’s Operas Part III!”

Aria let out a squeal of delight, making Willow check if anypony else was looking at them. Cadenza cocked her head to the side and gazed at Aria for a moment before looking up at Willow.

“Is the music like a muffin to mommy?” she asked.

“Well, given how much time she used to spend here, I wouldn’t be that surprised.”

“And who exactly was it that would come here with all his colt buddies and those monstrosities you called manes just to stare at pictures of Haydrix and Motley Colt?”

It was Willow’s turn to blush. “T-that was, uh… a phase.”

“Tell that to the shrine you have in the closet.”

“That is a fan memorabilia collection!” Willow said as he turned more and more red. “How’s it different from your album collection?”

“Some are my own for one,” Aria retorted.

“Daddy, mommy, you’re scaring me,” said Cadenza.

~~~

The grassy field before Cadenza seemed to stretch far beyond where she could see, its size only blocked at the sides by the occasional group of trees or the tops of weathered fences, their main bodies hidden in shadows and foliage. Light breezes swept across the grass, ruffling it and sending petals from scattered flower beds into the air. Ponies of all ages moved through the park, sticking to the well-kept paths, darting through the vast field, or gliding through the trees. Some napped under the shadow of ancient oaks while others enjoyed lunch at the base of bronze statues depicting various creatures and ponies. Cadenza perked up her ears at the nearby smack of a racquet slamming into a ball.

“Doesn’t look like the park has changed much,” said Willow.

Aria took a few steps closer to a collection of rocks amidst a thicket of trees, records lightly slapping against each other in her saddlebag. “I wonder if they still sell those awful sandwiches by the waterfall.”

“Are they that bad?” Cadenza asked, tilting her head.

Willow let out a dry laugh and raised up his right hoof. “Let’s just say getting sick shouldn’t cost you a leg.”

He swiped at the air over his left leg and retracted his hoof back as if it had been chopped off and plummeted to the ground. Cadenza gave a yelp and clutched at Willow’s neck, shutting her eyes just before they smacked into the grass.

The impact never came. After a long moment of holding onto Willow with all her strength, Cadenza opened her eyes to see that the ground was now a good foot below her and that Willow’s wings were out.

Cadenza pouted and gave his mane a yank. “That wasn’t funny, daddy!”

“Ah! Ah!” Willow playfully yelped before descending back to the ground where Aria was shaking her head but wore a small grin on her face. “Just wanted to make sure you were ready to fly.”

“Oh!” Cadenza immediately let go of Willow’s mane and shook with enough childish energy to remind Willow of thundercloud transport. “Let’s fly! Let’s fly!”

Aria drew closer to Willow, a mischievous smirk on her face. “Faster recovery time than me. I was ready to dump you the first time you tried that.”

Before Willow could respond, Aria gave him a quick kiss and then backed away to give him enough space. “Have fun, you two.”

“We will!” Cadenza exclaimed. She then gave Willow a tug at the neck. “Let’s go, daddy. Let’s go!”

“Okay, okay.” Willow turned his head back toward Cadenza and raised an eyebrow. “You remember all the flying instructions?”

“Uh-huh!” Cadenza gave a quick nod.

“First?”

“Front legs on you neck and back legs on your side,” Cadenza recited while she locked her legs around Willow’s neck and torso.

“Next?”

“Head down, body flat.” Cadenza pressed her head against the nape of Willow’s neck. At the same time, Willow felt the light tickle of invisible tiny wings spread over a small bit of his back.

“Alright.” Willow turned his head back around and lifted his eyes up to the sky. Clouds drifted a few hundred meters above the park and traveled at a leisurely pace so that their forms stayed relatively stable. “Final check, what do you do if you want to go down?”

Cadenza lifted her head off of Willow’s neck. “Why would I want to go down?”

“It can get cold and windy up in the sky. It’s not like flying inside the palace.” Willow pointed a hoof to his right shoulder. “If anything happens, tap me right there, got it?”

“Yep!” Cadenza nodded again.

“Then we’re ready for liftoff!”

Willow bent his knees beyond what he needed to get off the ground and went into a full crouch. He checked one last time to make sure Cadenza’s grip on him was firm and then whipped his wings out so that they slashed through the air. Ignoring Aria’s chuckle at the dramatic flair, he kept his eyes locked on low hanging cloud.

With a grand flap of his wings and a strong kick off the ground, he launched into the air right at the upper tips of the trees. Cadenza looked over Willow’s side with wide eyes and was greeted with Aria waving back up at her. She moved her left hoof to wave back, but Willow raised his own and pressed it back onto his neck.

“Remember the rules,” he said.

“Sorry, daddy!” Cadenza hastily replied.

“Just keep a good hold on me.” Willow waited a moment while Cadenza retightened her hold on him. When he felt she was secure again, he turned his eyes upward. “This isn’t going to be anything like the castle.”

Willow gave his wings a slow flap and continued flying upwards. He kept his eyes on the same cloud he’d spied from the ground, speeding up until the wind trailed around them. Below, the park grew less and less detailed, first with the ponies becoming smaller, and then vanishing as the trees and grass blended into two separate seas of green with tiny islands of rock and statue here and there.

It took a gust of wind to break Cadenza away from the shrinking ground. She shivered, and then looked around at her eye level. Her mouth dropped open at the vast expanse of blue before her. Clouds of all shapes and sizes dotted the sky, snow-capped mountains poking through the distant ones. Nearby, not a single cloud was obstructed though; not even the castle reached as high as the clouds. From up here, it could have passed for one of Cadenza’s toys.

“We’re so high!” Cadenza called out.

“We sure are,” said Willow. “Notice anything else?”

“It’s really pretty!”

“That too.” Willow chuckled a little and waved his right hoof. “Notice anything else?”

“Lots of stuff!” Cadenza pressed her hooves into Willow’s neck a little get him to turn, but he kept his eyes to his right. “Look, daddy! You can see the big street where all the food ponies were! And all the flowers around the castle! Come on, daddy! Look! Lo—”

When Willow didn’t respond, she opened her mouth to complain but as she turned her head, she saw Willow patting a cloud. Tiny bits of the area Willow touched dispersed into the wind, but most of it cushioned around his hoof.

“A cloud! A cloud!”

“Thought you’d like to see one up close.” Willow flew up a little higher so that they were hovering above parts of the cloud while the rest of it bunched up into a fluffy lump. “You wanna touch it?”

Cadenza sucked in her breath. “Can I?”

Willow nodded and drifted closer to the cloud’s tuft so that it was just inches from Cadenza. “Okay, sweetie. Now, keep holding onto me with your right hoof and just gently touch the cloud. They can be really fragile around the edges.”

Inhaling deeply, Cadenza slowly loosened her hold of Willow’s neck. A gust quickly tightened it again, to Willow's minor discomfort, but she eventually managed to lift her hoof off after a few seconds. Willow kept his eyes on her the entire time, the movement of her hoof slowed down to a near stop in his mind. Up in the sky, the sounds of Canterlot had faded away, and only wind accompanied the heartbeat that pounded in his ears.

As Cadenza’s hoof got closer and closer to the cloud, Willow locked onto her horn and thought back to Aria’s hoof phasing straight through the cloud the first time he’d flown her. His pupils shrank when Cadenza finally did reach the cloud. Nothing happened. He blinked.

Goosebumps spread up Cadenza’s leg and she shivered. “It’s cold, daddy!”

She retracted her hoof in shock for brief second, but quickly extended it out again. The tip of the tuft flew away from her and vanished into the air, but the cloud below it remained and pushed up under Cadenza’s hoof. She smiled and pushed her hoof deeper into the cloud, but it pushed it back up.

“It’s all springy!” She reached out further to feel more of the cloud. “Daddy, they sho—”

She’d loosened her hold on WIllow to get to the cloud, and slipped off his back in an instant. She let out a shriek and bounced onto the cloud. In a blur of wings, Willow had her in his forelegs , shielding her from falling over the side with his body. A few beads of sweat dripped from his face onto her. He felt her shiver against his chest and looked down.

“D-daddy? Is it safe?”

Willow let out a deep breath and felt the tightness leave his muscles, his wings drooping to his sides. He shifted onto his haunches feeling her wings twitching and the shivers that ran through her body as he held her close. He gave her small pat on the back. “It’s fine now. It’s fine.”

Then, he drew back slightly, and when she looked up into his eyes he saw her flinch. He didn’t bother readjusting his expression. “But what did I say about holding on?”

“I…” Cadenza lowered her gaze. “But the cloud felt so fluffy.”

“That’s no excuse,” Willow said, voice calm but stern. “You always have to be alert when flying, that’s the most important rule.”

Cadenza looked up at him and furrowed her brow. “Then couldn’t I have flown?”

Willow tensed up again, any reply he had was caught in his throat as Cadenza unfurled her now-visible wings. Willow’s eyes switched between her wings and the bare spot on her forehead. The only remaining sign of her horn was the small part in her mane.

“What are you looking at, daddy?” Cadenza asked.

“I…” Willow blinked and narrowed his eyes. “Cadenza, listen to me. You’re still just a filly, so you can’t fly this high yet. Your wings can only let you glide and maybe hover for a little. Do you understand?”

Cadenza lowered her head. Her voice came out only slightly louder than a whisper. “Yes, daddy.”

“Okay, I think we’ve had enough for today.”

Willow lifted her up and carefully placed her on his back. She draped her legs around his neck and held on, but he could feel a tiredness in her movements. He looked back to her frowning and staring blankly at the back of his neck. Summoning a small smile, he flexed his wings so that they brushed against her sides.

“We can always come back another day, okay?”

Cadenza gained a small smile of her own. “We can fly again?”

“Of course, sweetie.” Willow lifted off the cloud. “Just remember to always be careful. That’s all.”

Willow spun his head back around while giving his wings a flap to balance out his angle. Once he was adjusted, he kept his wings out and went into a glide. The plants and ponies regained their definition as Willow slowly descended, occasionally flapping his wings to decrease his speed. With a few well-placed shifts to his right or left, he eventually made a quiet landing back on the ground.

He didn’t bend down to let Cadenza off and instead made his way back to where he’d thought he’d left Aria. However, after scanning the open field, he only saw some ponies off in the distance.

Don’t tell me I landed in the wrong part of the park, he thought.

“Daddy?” Cadenza tugged at Willow’s neck.

He turned his head back to see that she was pointing a hoof at something lying in the grass. He trotted over, but came to a halt when something cracked under his hoof. His pupils shrank as he stared down at the shattered record that rested alongside a few more vinyl cases and a beige saddle bag.

“That’s mommy’s,” Cadenza whispered.

Chapter 6

“Aria?” Willow called out across the field.

His voice remained calm, but he could already feel his heart thudding as he stared at the spilled contents of Aria’s saddlebag. A few pieces of shattered vinyl still clung to his hoof while the rest of the records remained scattered on the ground. The food from Flour’s was still there, as well as her coin bag. Aside from falling over, nothing was disturbed or missing. He didn’t linger long on the bag before scanning the wide field.

We couldn’t have been up for that long, he thought. Aria, where are you?

“Daddy?” Cadenza pressed her hoof onto Willow’s neck. “Where’s Mommy?”

Willow’s felt sweat forming on his brow. “I… I’m sure she’s around here somewhere.”

“Oh!” Cadenza jumped to her hooves and stood atop Willow’s back. “Maybe she went to go use the potty!”

Willow blinked at Cadenza as sweat crawled down the side of his face. Then, taking a deep breath, he glanced back at Aria’s disheveled belongings. “Let’s clean this all up and then we can meet Mommy by the restrooms, okay?”

“Uh-huh! I bet Mommy drank too much cider.” Cadenza leapt off Willow’s back, using her wings to gently glide onto the grass. She shifted her hind legs around a bit and looked at the ground. “Can I go too, Daddy?”

“Of… of course, sweetie. Let me just get everything back together.”

Maybe that is where she went, Willow thought as he quickly stuffed the records and the food back into the bag and slung it onto his back. Cadenza’s fall just put me on edge is all. Why would she leave her bag though?

“Come on, Daddy!” Cadenza said, pulling him towards the restrooms. “I wanna find Mommy!”

“Sure, sweetie.”

They moved toward the forested section of the park, Willow drawing Cadenza close to his side despite her insistence on leading. When they were under the shade, Cadenza still pouting, they stepped off the grass and onto a dirt path. Ponies strolled up and down the path, many of them walking over to a small opening in the shade.

There was a collection of food carts and three brick buildings in the circular clearing. All of them were centered around an outcropping of rocks with an artificial waterfall bubbling up from its top and trickling into a tiny lake below.As Willow neared the brick buildings, his eyes locked onto the smallest of the three. Beneath its stained glass Equestria Flag were the letters: Canterlot Park Guard Station. A withered guard with bushy eyebrows and a thick beard that obscured his features sat behind the desk inside station.

Cadenza rushed ahead of Willow, darting for one of the building with a silhouette of a mare displayed beside its entrance.

“I’ll be right back, Daddy!” she said. “I’ll look for Mommy!”

“Cadenza! Wai—”

Cadenza disappeared into the bathroom, leaving Willow on his own. Some fresh sweat dripped into his right eye, but he refused to blink. Instead, he waited.

After a few minutes, his hair began standing on edge. Slowly, he crept closer to the restroom, eyes never wavering from the entrance. His eyes narrowed and his knees bent as if he was about to launch himself into a towering thundercloud. Just as he was about to call out Cadenza’s name, he felt a light tap on his back.

Willow’s jumped into the air and spun around. The elderly guard who’d snuck up behind him brushed a bit of kicked-up dust from his jacket and long, white beard with a jittery leg before slowly lowering it back to ground.

“Can you take a few steps back, sir?” he asked. “You’re disturbing a few of the folks here.”

“I…” Willow blinked.

Nearby mares had their lips puckered in disgust while the stallions either looked elsewhere or shot him harsh glares. Willow felt his cheeks burning. Then Cadenza rushed out of the bathroom and and jumped when she saw that she was right next to him. However, after a moment, she took a few steps closer to him and smiled, all while the park’s other patrons gave a few more disapproving glances before walking away.

“Daddy! I’m all good now!” Her smile dimmed and she turned her head down. “I didn’t see Mommy though… Daddy, where is she?”

“I’m sure she’s close by.” Willow glanced up at the guard. “You haven’t seen a mare with blue eyes, a blond mane, and an alto clef cutie mark, have you?”

“Hmm.” The guard stroked his beard. “Does she look like tha—”

“Willow!

Willow spun around to see Aria marching across the dirt path straight at him with a fire in her eyes. She raced over to him and drew close to his face, giving him the full brunt of her glare.

“I go off the bathroom and you up and vanish with all my things? I was scared half to death!”

“I-I…” Willow stuttered.

“Mommy!” Cadenza shouted before adhering herself to one of Aria’s legs. “We were looking for you!”

Aria blinked down at Cadenza before a grin came to her face. “I’m sure you were. I’m just glad I was able to find some help.”

She motioned to a pegasus that trotted over and came to a stop beside the group. Her height and the definition of her muscles gave off an intimidating appearance, but it was the way her eyes seemed to look right through everything that truly sent a chill through Willow. One that was somehow familiar, though he couldn’t place from where.

“I just made a quick trip over here and came back to the field as fast as I could,” Aria explained. “I must have looked like a madmare running all around looking for you two. Luckily, Ms. Bellows told me she’d seen you go off in this direction.”

“It was nothing,” Bellows said with a small bow.

Willow shook his head a little. “I just don’t understand why we didn’t run into each other.”

“I cut through the shrubbery,” Aria said with a sigh as she traded glances with both Willow and Cadenza. “You could have flown down in case something happened to my bag, but I still wanted to get back to it as fast as possible. Not fast enough it seems.”

Willow opened his mouth to apologize but stopped when he saw that Cadenza had moved away from Aria, shaking like a leaf and her fur on end. Crouching down, Willow held out a hoof to her.

“Sweetie, are you okay?” he asked.

“I-I just got really c-cold,” she said through chattering teeth.

Willow quickly draped a wing around her and pulled her closer to his torso. “Probably just a little after-effect from flying. It happens to a bunch of trainees. Let’s get you back in the sun.”

Reaching back with one leg, Willow pulled Aria’s bag off his back and paled at the crunch of broken record pieces smushing together. Aria turned her attention from Cadenza to her bag.

“Willow?” she asked, eyes narrowing. “What was that?”

Willow felt his chest seize up.

“Mommy,” Cadenza said, “Daddy was worried about you, so h—”

“So he what?” Aria glared at Willow, sending a chill down his spine. “What did you do?”

“I…” Willow bowed his head low, scraping his chin against the ground. “I’m sorry, Aria. I couldn’t see your bag when we landed, and I was on edge… But I promise I’ll get you a new record.”

“Oh,” Aria said in a flat tone Willow couldn’t read.

He dared to glance up and was met with Aria grinning down at him. Her eyes still retained a bit of hardness though, as if made of ice.

“That’s all?” she asked. “I thought something had happened to our little princess.”

“Uh-uh!” Cadenza poked her head out from behind Willow’s wing and shook it. “Flying was really fun, mommy! Did Daddy ever let you touch a cloud?”

“Plenty of times,” said Aria.

“Shame your hoof went right through them.” Willow said as he pulled his wing from Cadenza’s grip and placed her on his back.

“Mommy can’t touch clouds?” Cadenza asked.

“No, sweetie. Unicorns ca—” Willow paused, having noticed that Cadenza’s wings had vanished and her horn was visible again. “Uh, it’s really hard to explain. I can tell you while we go back to Maestro’s.”

Cadenza grinned before letting out a big yawn. “Okay.”

Willow began to turn around, but a tap on his shoulder stopped him. Aria leaned close to him and batted her eyes.

“Willow, perhaps we should head back. It’s getting a bit late, and all this running around has left me feeling a bit exhausted.” She glanced at Cadenza, who had her head loosely draped atop Willow’s neck. “Looks like I’m not the only one.”

“Guess it has been quite the day for all of us,” said Willow. “You’re sure you don’t want to stop by Maestro’s though? I’m sure they’ve got to have at least one other copy of Hoofdel.”

“No.” Aria kept her gaze on Cadenza. “You can go back some other time.”

“Okay then.” Willow turned and bowed his head to the guard and Bellows. “Thank you again for your help.”

“It was no problem, sir,” both said in eerie unison.

Willow’s ears perked up at their response. He also noticed that, for an old pony, the guard still had as rigid a stance as Bellows did. In fact, they both would have fit right in at the castle. However, before Willow could ask either of them about it, Aria was tugging him away.

“Don’t just stand there,” she said. “We’ve got a walk and I’m about ready to pass out.”

~~~

As “Bellows” and the guard watched the family walk away, the guard’s lips turned up into a grin.

“Mission complete,” he said.

“We could have done without your theatrics,” Silent Gaze said as she spread her wings. “Now take that stupid disguise off before the real guard comes back. I’m going back to reconnaissance.”

Without another word, Silent Gaze leapt upwards and skimmed over the treeline. Soft Step shook his head for a second as his lips drew back into a tight line.

“Last time I work with her,” he said. “I’ll petition her Highness about it.”

~~~

By the time Willow and Aria reached the park’s exit, Cadenza was sound asleep. Every few minutes, Willow would glance back to check on her, but every time he did, either her horn or her wings were visible. When he was sure Cadenza was completely out, he drew closer to Aria, who had been in the lead the entire way.

“Aria, I think you were right about going back,” he said.

“Well of course I am.” Aria opened her mouth wide and yawned. “I’m nearly dead on my hooves.”

“I’m worried about Cadenza’s charm too. I don’t think it’s working right anymore.”

Aria glanced back at Cadenza and a small grin lifted one corner of her lips as she scanned the sleeping filly. For the first time since she’d met back up with Willow, the glare faded completely from her eyes, leaving them the soft, clear-skies blue Willow was used to. She barely even noticed the charm.

“Hmm...” Aria turned to Willow with a raised eyebrow and a frown. “It seems fine to me.”

“Well…” Willow pressed closer to Aria as ponies walked alongside and around them. He lifted his muzzle until his lips brushed against her ear. “It keeps turning either her horn or her wings invisible. I’m worried somepony might notice.”

Aria blinked, corked her head at him and then took another glance at Cadenza, this time truly focusing on the charm itself. Her eyes suddenly widened.. “Oh, I see what you mean. All the more reason to the pick up the pace!”

Before Willow could say anything more on the matter, Aria took the lead again. It was all Willow could do to try and keep up without jostling Cadenza out of her slumber. The growing number of ponies in the street didn’t help much either.

~~~

Despite the brisk pace Aria and Willow had taken, the edge of the sun was touching the tips of the western mountains, bathing downtown Canterlot in a slight yellow tint by the time they made it to the alley between Keen Eyes’ Jewelers and Vibrant’s Apparel. Mystic stood in the same spot he’d been in when the family had left, sans the two guards that had accompanied him. However, the clank of steel drew their attention back to the street’s entrance, where the two guards seemed to have appeared out of thin air.

“It appears you’ve had quite a day,” Mystic said with a smile.

“Yeah,” Willow said. “You didn’t stay here the whole time, did you?”

“Of course not. There was quite the sale at Baba’s Books and Curios. I’ve been wanting a few of their pricier selections to add to my own collection. Alas, Dr. Presto seems have stopped by Canterlot just to swipe the Lex Ma—”

“Can we be on our way?” Aria said, stifling another yawn with her hoof.

“Right, right.” Mystic gave his mane a scratch. “Suppose I’m just a little sore is all.”

Lighting his horn, Mystic sent up a blue disk of aura over the group that quickly spread out and took the shape of a familiar bubble. Outside its thin film of magic, the alley blurred and the noise from the street faded away to a gentle murmur.

“For security, we’ll cut through the Statue Garden this time,” Mystic explained. “The last round of visitors will be leaving when we get there, so it should be fine.”

Before anypony could reply, Mystic spun around and began marching towards the backside of the buildings. The guards followed up as well, forcing Willow and Aria to proceed onto the obscured path.

As they walked by the nobility’s estates, Willow picked up his speed to get closer to Mystic.

“Did you test that charm before you gave it to us?” Willow asked.

Mystic nearly tripped over his own hooves. After regaining his balance, he stared at Willow and snorted.

“Of course we did,” he said. “It may be a test model, but it’s a very late stage one. We’ve spent the past four years ensuring that the charm’s magic wouldn’t adversely affect its wearer.

“Why?” Mystic brow crinkled. “Did something happen?”

“I’m just worried because it keeps making either Cadenza’s wings or her horn disappear.”

Mystic almost tripped again. “What?”

“I thought maybe it was something you’d know about.”

“No, no.” Mystic shook his head. “In all our tests, only the wings ever became invisible. Just like they are now.”

Mystic looked back towards Cadenza and then to Willow again. “What do you see right now?”

“Her wings.”

Mystic pursed his lips. “I’m going to need to record this. When we get back to the castle, I’d like to run a few tests. Is that fine?”

“Nothing that’ll hurt, right?”

“Of course not.”

“Good. Thank you.” Willow backed away from Mystic and began to move back towards Aria, but then suddenly trotted up to Mystic again. “Wait, if you said only the wings disappeared how could you tell if somepony still had a horn?”

“Well, you see, the Pri—”

A loud yawn silenced Mystic. Cadenza closed her mouth and stretched out her legs. With her eyes still half-closed, she stood up and then snapped to attention just as she lost her balance and fell towards the ground.

Willow’s eyes widened, as did the two guards’, when Aria pounced off the ground with enough force to leave dents in the hard dirt. She was still out of reach. The tip of her horn sparked as Cadenza raced towards the ground.

Instead of the hard dirt, Cadenza hit a soft, absorbent aura instead. Mystic looked down on her with a small frown before floating her back onto Willow’s shoulders. At the same time, Aria skidded to a stop, just barely keeping herself from falling over her own hooves.

“Always be careful waking up. You never know where you may find yourself,” Mystic said before turning to Aria. “Sorry to alarm you. Are you alright?”

“I am now,” Aria grunted.

“Just wanted to be sure,” said Mystic. “It’s been a while since you’ve tried magic and sudden usage of damaged and dormant horns has been known cause backlash.”

Aria’s eyes went up to her horn. “I… I forgot.”

She sighed and brushed some dirt off her hooves and then glared at Willow, who was helping Cadenza get resituated on his back. He paused, taken aback by the intensity in Aria’s eyes, as if the blue in them had darkened for the briefest moment. Then she blinked and took a deep breath just as Cadenza looked in her direction.

“Huh?” Cadenza stared around before centering on Willow. “Daddy? Where are we?”

“Close to the castle, sweetie,” said Willow. “You were really tired though, so I’ve been carrying you.”

“Barely,” Aria muttered.

“I don’t remember feeling tired.” Cadenza brought a hoof to her chin. “I just remember finding Mommy and then feeling really cold.”

“How do you feel now?” Willow asked as he pressed a hoof against her forehead.

“Fine!” Cadenza flashed him a smile. It dimmed a little as she caught sight of the castle from the corner of her eye. “Are we going home already?”

“Uh-huh.” Willow gave her a wide nod.

“Then perhaps we should get going,” Aria said with a glance in Mystic’s direction.

Mystic gave her a small nod and resumed walking.

Cadenza sagged into Willow’s back and lowered her eyes. “Do we really have to go home now?”

“Yes,” Aria said. “You’re tired and so is mommy. I think we’ve done enough for the day.”

“Don’t worry, sweetie.” Willow smiled back at her. “There’ll be plenty of other times to go explore the city.”

“As long as somepony keeps up with their schoolwork,” Mystic added.

Cadenza groaned and planted her face between Willow’s shoulder blades. Willow couldn’t help but chuckle a little.

Soon, the group arrived at the castle’s moat, but instead of going straight as they’d done that morning, they took a sharp turn to the left, toward the main entrance. Groups of ponies trotted across the drawbridge every couple of minutes, all of them led by a pony holding a small Equestrian flag and wearing a light yellow vest.

Nopony went into castle though, which made it easy for the group to make their way up the right side of the drawbridge. They came to a stop at a small wooden table at the end of the drawbridge where a guard was sorting brochures and maps into drawers. He perked up as the group stopped beside him and lit up his horn.

Mystic opened up a small window in his bubble, allowing the guard to see his face. “We’ll be taking Mi Amore and her family back through the Statue Garden.”

“Understood,” said the guard, returning to work as if Mystic were still invisible. “There’s a small school group in there though.”

Mystic raised an eyebrow. “I thought they were supposed to be done an hour ago.”

“Colt got lost looking for the restroom,” the guard replied. “Wound up in the kitchens.”

Mystic sighed and resealed the bubble. “We’ll have to be a little roundabout in our path. Can you manage?”

“Yeah.” Willow hitched Cadenza up, leading her to giggle.

“Piggyback! Piggyback!” she sang.

“It should only take an extra five minutes at most.” Mystic faced forward again and marched ahead.

The group moved into the inner courtyard of the castle and then trotted to the the left before passing underneath a grand stone arch. Once through, they found themselves flanked by thick hedges that glistened with the sun’s reddening glow. Mystic and the guards kept their heads forward, but Cadenza looked around with wide eyes. She’d always stared out at the intricate pattern cut into the foliage whenever she glimpsed it from the castle’s halls. On clear days, she could even make out the faces of the statues that were scattered throughout the Garden.

Now her head swiveled around, taking in every detail from the flowers that dotted the hedges to the massive statues of ponies that towered over her. She blinked when she spotted a guard at one corner of the Garden, then burst into fresh giggles.

“Mommy, Daddy, look.” Cadenza tapped on Willow’s neck and pointed at the guard. “He looks like a statue.”

Willow looked at the guard and smiled. “He sure does.”

Aria glanced in the guard’s direction but didn’t seem to care.

Occasionally, the group would pass through an intersection amongst the hedges. Through these, Cadenza could sometimes glimpse a pony or two that were only a few years older than herself. However, just as soon as they were spotted, they would disappear behind another hedge. After a few more minutes of walking, the group turned a corner and found themselves in the center of the Garden. The open space was filled with statues bearing scrolls, flags, or just striking a dramatic pose.

One statue in particular seemed to loom over the others. Its serpentine body stood above even the hedges on a dragon leg and a donkey’s hoof, while a tufted tail coiled around the statue’s base. It had its lion’s paw placed at its chest while its griffon talons were raised high with its mismatched wings. The statue almost appeared be in the midst of a bow to a standing ovation.Cadenza had never noticed that statue from afar, but up close it sent a chill down her spine despite the guffaw on its stony, malformed face.

The statue was quickly replaced in her thoughts by a group of fillies and colts swarming into the space. A breathless mare darted after them, followed by an equally out of breath guide.

“Class!” the mare called out. “It’s time to get back to the gate! Detentions for anypony not there in five minutes!”

“For Equestria’s sake,” Mystic grumbled as he picked up the pace. “I’m going to find out whichever school these foals are from and discipline them myself.”

Fillies and colts raced around the group, but most never even came close to the edges of their bubble. The few who brushed against it would quickly turn away to explore the Garden. Cadenza watched them all with wide eyes.

“Daddy, can I go down?” she asked.

“Not now, sweetie,” Willow said as he walked faster to keep up with Mystic.

Cadenza frowned deeply and bent her head closer to Willow’s just as they passed under the serpentine statue’s shadow. “But all the other fillies and colts and running around. It looks fun! I wanna play too!”

“Later, sweetie,” Willow said with an authoritative tone. “You ca—

A flurry of sparks cut Willow off shooting out from where Mystic’s bubble had somehow caught on the statue’s paw and now flooding the bubble with a cacophony of lights and sounds. Flowers suddenly sprouted from the guards’ armor and pieces of Mystic’s and Willow’s fur turned neon pink.

A spark landed on the clasp of Cadenza’s charm and propelled it off her neck like a stone from a sling to smack straight into Aria’s chest and explode like a firecracker. Aria screamed and fell to her knees, a spasm running through her body before she finally went limp.

“Aria!” Willow screamed.

“What in Tartarus?!” Mystic yelled.

The sparks flying off the charm smashed into Mystic’s bubble, tearing through the magic that wasn’t already disturbed by the previous sparks. The charm’s explosion left smoldering holes behind that continued growing larger.

Nearby fillies and colts jumped back and fled screaming as the spell unraveled. Some of the foals farther away from the bubble were pointing at Mystic, but many more had their eyes only on Cadenza. Even the teacher was stunned into silence where before she’d been trying to get her students away from the chaos.

Mystic’s horn flared, neck straining and veins popping, but the holes in the bubble refused to close. Instead, they grew even larger as cracks raced across what remained of the bubble. Mystic’s horn flared again.

“This is Archmage Rune,” He roared in a voice that was nearly deafening. “Code Psi! I need a squad in Sec—”

Willow could only register the sound that cut off Mystic as an amplified thunderclap. The flash that accompanied it blinded him while some giant’s hammer struck him in the chest and sent him tumbling to the dirt.

He gasped and immediately looked for Cadenza, his ears ringing and spots in his eyes, only to find her slumped over one of his wings with a scraped knee on her right foreleg. Mystic lay on his back a few feet away, smoke rising from his blackened horn, and all around them were fillies and colts splayed across the ground. The few that had somehow remained conscious staggered about, crosseyed and whimpering unintelligibly. Then they began looking at Cadenza too.

And saw a little filly with both wings and a horn.

An armored leg suddenly latched around Willow’s stomach and hefted him onto the back of the nearest guard. In the chaos, a squad of them had swooped in and split into two teams. One group formed a perimeter around Cadenza and the others while the second group chucked her, Aria, and Mystic onto their backs.

The guards carrying Mystic and the family sped out of the Garden and up the stone steps that led into the castle. They quickly reached the infirmary where a nurse was filling out paperwork. At the sight of the guards, she dropped her quill and rushed over to them.

“Sir Mystic has suffered magical backlash,” the guard carrying him said. “Princess Cadenza and her mother were injured as well.”

The guard carrying Willow looked back at him. “Can you stand?”

“Y-yes,” said Willow.

He slid off the bulky guard, wobbled a bit but managed to stay upright as the guards carrying Aria and Cadenza moved towards the infirmary. He moved to follow them, but the bulkiest guard blocked his way.

“Sir,” he said, “we need to check you too.”

“Move!” Willow snorted and tried to push the guard aside. “You can check me af—”

A veil of magic enclosed Willow’s head, silencing him, and he spun around to see that the nurse’s horn was aglow. Then darkness filled his eyes and the last thing he felt were two of his legs leaving the floor.

~~~

Willow’s eyes shot open. He sprang up, heard a loud clang and stared groggily in the general direction of the sound, ears twitching wildly.. When his head cleared, he found Cadenza balled up at the foot of the bed he was on. The only thing that had kept her from being launched onto the floor was the metal board used to hang up medical charts.

“Ow,” she groaned, holding the back of her head, revealing a small bandage on her leg.

“Cadenza!” Willow had her in his hooves in a second. “Oh, thank goodness you’re okay!

“D-daddy” Cadenza coughed. “Can’t… breath.”

Willow instantly loosened his hold on her and set her down beside him. “Sorry! Sorry!”

“I’m okay.” Cadenza hacked a little. “Okay, now I’m okay.”

“That’s good, that’s good.” Just before Willow laid back, he shot back up and looked around the room. In the bed next to his was Aria. His heart stopped for the brief moment it took him to notice her chest slowly rising and falling underneath the sheets.

“She’s been sleeping even longer than you were,” said Cadenza. “Is mommy going to be okay?”

“Yeah, I’m sure she’ll b—”

“She’ll be just fine,” a nurse said as she appeared from behind a partition that blocked off the beds from other parts of the infirmaries. “Aside from a tiny booboo, you’ll all be on your way soon.”

The nurse’s face fell a little. “I just wish I could say the same for Sir Mystic. Magic backlash isn’t pleasant.”

“Oh…” Willow looked over to Aria. “But she’ll be fine?”

“Yes,” said the nurse. “Whatever hit all of you seemed to have dispersed Sir Mystic’s magic into a number of different spells. Mostly minor transfiguration, though she had the bad luck to get hit by a tranq spell. She should be up in a couple of mi—”

A cough silenced her, and all three of them shot a look at Aria’s bed. Aria coughed again, smacked her lips a little and then opened her eyes and sat straight up. For a moment, her eyes had that sharp glare to them all over again.

“Mommy!” said Cadenza.

She jumped off of Willow’s bed and raced over to Aria’s. She tried to jump up into the bed, but couldn’t reach, even with her wings flapping at her sides. Aria’s gaze softened once more, and she reached over the side of the bed to pick Cadenza up and quickly found herself locked in a tight hug.

“I was scared!” Cadenza said, burying her face in Aria’s chest. “It was like one of the bad dreams!”

“It’s alright. Everything’s fine now. No need to cry.”

“R-really?” Cadenza sniffled and turned her teary eyes up to Aria.

“Yes,” Aria replied, tightening her grip on Cadenza a little more. “Really. I’ll always be here for you.”

Willow smiled and slid off his bed. He drew closer to Aria and Cadenza and wrapped his forelegs around them.

“I’m just glad you’re both okay,” he said. “I don’t know what I’d do if either of you got hurt.”

“Well, if today is anything to go by, get in trouble with the guards a bit more,” Aria chuckled as Willow turned a little red. She then pulled a little closer and gave him a kiss on the cheek. “It means a lot for you to to say that though.”

Willow let out a chuckle of his,until something poked him in the ribs. Cadenza had one of her legs around his chest in a hug, her nose on his chest, and a worried frown smeared across her face. The hairs on the back of his neck slowly stood on end.

“Sweetie?” he asked. “Is something wrong.”

“I… I think Mommy got hurt,” she mumbled.

“Don’t be silly.” Aria tightened her hold on Cadenza. “See? I’m just as good as ever.”

“B-but…” Cadenza slowly raised up a hoof and pointed it straight at Aria’s face. “Your eyes, mommy. They’re green.”

Chapter 7

Mystic opened his eyes and sat up. A sledgehammer slammed itself into the base of his horn, forcing him back onto the pillow. He sucked in a breath. His head felt ten times heavier than normal and his horn gave off rhythmic pulses that pounded in his skull like perfectly placed kicks. With his vision blurred by the pain, he closed his eyes and slowed his breathing. The ache ebbed a little.

“Sir Mystic,” came a voice beside him. “Can you speak?”

“Yes, but not for long.” Mystic turned his head just a bit in the voice’s direction. “Who am I addressing?”

“Master-Sergeant Sunny Days, Sir.”

“Days?” Mystic was silent for a moment before nodding. “Good, you have clearance. I need to focus on recovering my magic and attuning my horn, so I’ll make this quick. What is the status of Mi Amore and her parents?“

“Mr. Reed should be up by now, though I question the use of a sleep spell in the first place. Mrs. Aria was still unconscious last I checked, but didn’t show any signs of injury aside from some popped eardrums. As for Mi Amore, she suffered a small scrape and was a little shaken by the whole incident, but will hopefully be fine once her parents are awake again.”

“Good.” Another throb of pain went through his head, forcing Mystic to turn away from Days and inhale deeply. He held the air in for a moment before exhaling in a long and controlled breath. “I will find out what happened. My magic was perfectly attuned until we got to the middle of Garden; everything after that is a blur.

Mystic sighed and pressed his head deeper into the pillow. “I can at least fix one part of this mess though. Master-Sergeant, send out an order for an Earth Pony squad in Level Two Containment Gear to retrieve the necklace Mi Amore was wearing. It should be somewhere in the Statue Garden unless a guard picked it up. In that case, put anypony that’s touched it on quarantine until we get this all sorted out. Also tell R&D we’re putting that project on indefinite hold until we figure out what went wrong. Dismissed.”

“Yes, sir.”

Mystic turned his head upwards and focused on his breathing. A small glow wrapped around the tip of his horn and his muscles slackened. It made no sense. The princess herself had tested the necklace, and he’d personally overseen its development. Another shock of pain sent a torturous shiver down his spine. With a growl, he forced it down.

The creak of a door, the clink of finely-made horseshoes, and somepony giving a tired, patient sigh went unnoticed.

~~~

Celestia turned back to look at Mystic before she left. Tucked in bed and breathing softly, he looked much like he had the day he’d first come under her tutelage, albeit much cleaner looking. Poor colt was still so stubborn, though. Always pushing himself at the expense of his own health.

Quietly stepping out of the room, and shutting the door with equal care, she paused for a moment in the hall to cancel the spell altering her voice. Sunny Days had too much gravel in his tones and it made her throat hurt like crazy. When she felt the spell fade, she took a breath and the charm floated before her face. Aside from the undone chain, nothing appeared different about it— and her own swath of analysis spells had revealed nothing.

“Discord,” she muttered. “What did you do?”

Her face tightened for a moment before she teleported the charm off to her room. The harsh frown disappeared from her lips, but her eyes retained a seriousness to them. With a sigh, she began her trek to the infirmary.

The fading afternoon light gave a sepia tone to the halls as Celestia walked through them. The smell of the aged stone, polished metal, and fine carpet swirled around Celestia but the scents that dominated Celestia’s mind was that of stale cotton candy and rancid chocolate milk.

The smell was only a memory, but even now it roiled her stomach, as it had since she had been informed about the incident. For all she could tell, the only lingering effect on everypony was the color alteration spell, but that information did little to unclench her gut. Discord could draw out his machinations if he truly wanted to.

Celestia’s eyes hardened and her jaw clenched slightly as she imagined arriving at the infirmary. Everything was calm now, but that could change in an instant. Her steps quickened as prayed all was well with Mi Amore and her family.

~~~

Aria raised an eyebrow at Cadenza. “Green?”

“Yeah!” Cadenza pointed straight at Aria’s right eye. “Can a doctor fix it?”

“I…” Aria pulled her head back from Cadenza’s hoof. At the same time, she noticed Willow staring at her.

“Aria?” Willow asked. “Do you want me to go get somepony?”

“I, er…” Aria shifted her gaze back and forth between Willow and Cadenza. “No, I can go find somepony. I’m sure it’s just like whatever turned a bit of your coat pink.”

Willow blushed as Cadenza switched focus from Aria to the discolored parts of his coat. Before he could say anything, she poked one of the affected areas and giggled, watching the clumps of pink hair mesh with his regular blue.

“We match now, Daddy!”

“Maybe you should consider keeping it,” said Aria with a devious grin.

Pushing Cadenza off of her, Aria slid off the bed lowered her head to Cadenza’s eye level and flashed a smile. They shared a look for a moment before Aria trotted off to the front of the infirmary.

“I’ll be right back,” she said and vanished behind a partition. Her hooves echoed through the infirmary for what felt like years. When Aria’s steps grew quiet, then vanished behind the banging of a distant door, Cadenza turned to Willow.

“Daddy?” she asked. “Mommy will be okay, right?”

“I think she’s right.” Willow stared straight at Cadenza. “It’s probably just like what changed my coat. What about you? You’re sure nothing is hurting?”

“Uh-uh!” Cadenza gave her head two big shakes and extended her leg, showing off the bandage wrapped around it. “My ouchie doesn’t even hurt!”

Willow sighed and reclined against his pillow. “That’s good. That’s very good. Hopefully, we can just go back to our room soon. I think you deserve a good story time.”

Cadenza’s eyes widened. “Can we read the Tale of the Two Sisters?”

“Of course.” Willow gave a small smile. “You always want to read that one.”

“Aunt Celestia told me it’s her favorite!”

“It is quite a fun little read.”

Willow and Cadenza whipped their heads around as Celestia appeared from behind another partition, towards the back of the infirmary. With a smile on her face, she approached Willow and Cadenza and draped a wing over them.

“It’s good to see that you and your family are all okay.” Celestia turned to Willow. “Relatively speaking. I came as soon as I could. I just wanted to make sure Mystic was alright first.”

“Mr. Rune isn’t hurt bad, right?” asked Cadenza.

“Nothing some rest and relaxation can’t fix.” Celestia chuckled. “I don’t think he’s done that in a while anyway.”

Cadenza giggled but stopped when Celestia retracted her wing and looked around. She scanned the infirmary before getting a little closer to Willow. For a brief moment, a frown graced her face.

“Where is Aria?” she asked. “I assumed she’d be with you.”

“She was,” said Willow. “Her eyes had gone green though, so she went to go get somepony to check them out.”

“Hmmm, well it’s good to hear that she’s up at least.” Celestia placed a hoof to her chin. “Perhaps I should have come through the front way. I could have checked her quite quickly. Speaking of which…”

Celestia’s horn lit up and so did the pink patches of Willow’s coat. They brightened up to a neon pink before turning a blinding white like sun off fresh snow. The glare forced Willow to blink. When he opened his eyes again, the glow was gone and his coat was a singular oceanic blue again.

“Aw, I liked the pink,” Cadenza pouted.

“I’m sure I can find you a pink toy somewhere around here.” Celestia reached out and brushed a hoof over Cadenza’s mane. “You deserve it for being such a brave filly today.”

“Thank you, Aunt Celestia!” Cadenza said with a grin.

“You are most welcome.”

“Oh!”

Everypony’s head turned toward the front of the infirmary where Aria was standing. Her eyes, now back to their regular sky-blue hue, were glued onto Celestia. She stood still for a moment before dipping into a bow.

“Forgive me, Princess, I didn’t expect to see you here,” she said.

Celestia chuckled again. “Oh, Mrs. Aria, no need to be so formal. I tell your husband that enough as it is. Please, come sit with us. There are some things I’d like to talk about.”

“Yes, of course.” Aria raised her head and went over to the Celestia. Rather than climbing up onto the bed, she took her seat at the base of it, not quite within Celestia’s reach. “Sorry if I’m a little slow to answer, that color correction spell left me a little dizzy.”

“I’m quite aware. It’s easy to fix fur and hooves, but much harder with the face,” said Celestia. She then flashed Cadenza a smile. “You can ask Mr. Rune about the time he looked like a clown for a week once he’s better… though perhaps don’t tell him I’m the one who told you.”

Cadenza giggled.

“Anyway, I just wanted to check with all of you to hear about what you saw,” Celestia continued. “The guards are searching for what went wrong, but I wanted to ask in person. So, please, just tell me what happened whenever you are ready.”

Willow looked down at Cadenza and then turned to Aria. Her lips were tightly pressed together and her eyes occasionally twitched in the direction of the doors and windows and various partitions. When she noticed him noticing, she gave a tired grin and forced them to lock on the end of the bed, her tight lips drawing even thinner in concentration. As the silence grew longer and longer, Willow finally opened his mouth.

“Well, I didn’t see everything, but it looked like something disrupted Mr. Rune’s spell.” Willow reached out and pulled Cadenza a little closer. “Like something undid her necklace and threw it at Aria. Then the backlash hit. I didn’t pay much attention after that, I was too focused on Cadenza. Before I could even figure out what was happening, the guards brought us here and they knocked me out cold…” He frowned at Celestia. “I could have done without that.”

“I’ll be sure to look into that,” said Celestia. She then brought her gaze down on Aria. Aria did not meet it. “Was there anything else you could recall?”

“Willow probably remembers it better than I do.” Aria shook her head and brought a hoof to it. “All those foals and guards running around. Then absolute chaos. I’m just glad my little girl made it out okay.

Aria laid a foreleg over Willow’s and pulled Cadenza into a brief hug. “I’m sorry. I wish I could remember more but it’s all just a blur to me.”

“Completely understandable.”

Celestia was about to retract her wing from Willow and Cadenza, but paused when both of them shivered under her feathers. She channeled a spell through her wing and heat radiated out of it and onto their backs.

“Are you okay?” she asked.

“Sudden chill,” said Willow.

“Hmmm, the maintenance work on the castle has made temperatures a little uneven lately. I’m hoping to have it all sorted out by the Gala.” Celestia drew her wing to her side and took a step back. “Well, you all seem to be doing well, so you may leave whenever you’re ready. If anything comes up, please don’t hesitate to ask for assistance. I’ll be having dinner in the dining hall at seven if you wish to join me, but I understand if you want to have it in your room instead.”

Celestia shifted her gaze over to Aria once again. “And do be careful. That color correction spell can be quite taxing on ponies.”

“The nurse made that very clear,” said Aria.

Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Nurse Suture handled that by herself? My, she really has been hitting the books.”

Aria tensed up a little and shifted her gaze to the side. “I’m still a little concerned about the side effects but I’m feeling fine for now.”

For a moment, there was only silence. Then Celestia smiled, still warm and loving, but with an edge like a steel razor. It sent a chill down Willow’s spine.“Well,” “she said, “If you need anything else, the castle’s staff is always nearby and ready to help. I hope the rest of your afternoon is pleasant.”

Celestia turned toward the front of the infirmary. As she walked away, Cadenza rapidly waved her hoof back and forth. Willow mimicked her, but gave only a few waves. The last smile somehow made him even more nervous than the first one.

“Bye, Aunt Celestia!” said Cadenza. Aria’s focus remained rooted on the foot of the bed, even as the echoes from Celestia’s shoes faded.

Willow’s voice nearly made her jump.

“Well, I think it’d be best if we head back to our room.” Willow looked over Cadenza and Aria. “Are you two okay to move?”

“Uh-huh!” Cadenza eagerly nodded her head. “I wanna hear a story!”

Willow smiled and tousled her mane. “Of course, sweetie.”

“Yes, a little bit of reading before dinner sounds perfect.” Aria quickly moved away from the bed and closer to the nearest partition. “I’m going to rush off to the library to find something.”

“You don’t want one from the room?”

Aria’s head snapped back with a momentarily hardened expression that almost instantly softened. “I just want to check, okay?”

The glare still in Aria’s eyes made Willow lower his head. “Of course, dear.”

Without another word, Aria trotted off. Now it was just Willow and Cadenza. The latter lingered on the spot where Aria has stood, but was drawn away from it when Willow grabbed her and flipped her around so that she was facing him.

“Well,” he said with a growing grin, “while Mommy is looking for a book, how about we take the flying express back to our room?”

Cadenza’s face brightened as she jumped in place. “Yeah! Yeah!”

“Okay then!”

Willow stood so that his back was level with the bed. Cadenza quickly clambered on and locked her legs into place around his neck and sides. With a grin, Willow leapt off the ground and glided to the front of the infirmary.

A pair of lances shot up from behind the archway that led into the hallway and blocked Willow’s path. Two guards emerged, their horns aglow, and glared up at him. He quickly descended but the guards’ stares did not soften and they kept their lances crossed.

“Uh, Princess Celestia said we were fine to go,” said Willow.

“We understand, sir,” one of the guards replied. “But with Sir Mystic in serious medical condition, we’re in a Level Two Lockdown. All non-vital flight and magic is restricted until the Grand Archmage is competent again.”

“I wanna fly!” Cadenza shouted and puffed up her cheeks at the guards.

“Our apologies, Princess,” said the guard. “But we’re just following protocol.”

“It’s fine, it’s fine” Willow said. “Just remember what we’ve said about the ‘P’ word.” He turned around and nuzzled Cadenza. “I promise we’ll fly later, okay?

Cadenza loosened her hold on Willow’s neck and crossed her forelegs in front of her. “I want to fly now.”

“Sorry, sweetie.” With lowered eyes, Willow turned back to the guards. “Is there anything else?”

“No, sir. Just keep to the ground. Somepony will inform you when the lockdown is lifted.”

“Thanks.”

Willow shuffled down the hall towards his room. On his back, he knew Cadenza still had her legs crossed and could practically feel the glare drilling into the back of his head. He hoped a story would brighten her mood a little before dinner. If Aria didn’t get too absorbed in whatever book she found, perhaps she could sing Cadenza a song too.

~~~

Cadenza was too engrossed with retelling a few of her stuffed animals about the day and moving them around at key moments in her story to notice. Willow sat nearby in a chair for a pony twice his size. His half-open eyes glanced through a magazine with two lithe pegasi, one mare and one stallion, posing in their Wonderbolts uniforms under a cover that read: Cloudsdale Illustrated.

A knock drew their attention to the door. A guard slid in and gave them a salute.

“Lockdown has been decreased to Level One, so magic and flight may now be used,” he said.

“So is Mr. Rune doing better then?” Willow asked.

“Sir Rune’s status is now fair,” the guard replied. “A Level One lockdown doesn’t mean much once the castle is closed to visitors, just a few more guards, but I’d still be cautious in use of flight.”

“Right, wouldn’t want to run into any more lances.” Willow let out a forced chuckle.

The guard remained stone-faced. “Princess Celestia would also like to ask if you’ll be joining her for dinner.”

“Oh, I forgot.” Willow shook his head. “Aria, what do you thi—”

He paused and looked around the room before turning back to the guard.

“Sorry, today’s left me a little scatterbrained. Can I go check with my wife in the library on dinner plans and then get right back to you?”

“Yes, sir,” the guard curtly replied. He then marched over to the side of the door and fell still.

Willow slid off his chair and over to Cadenza.“Why don’t we go see how Mommy’s doing and then get dinner? Okay?”

Cadenza shifted her gaze to the ground. “We won’t have to be in the library long?”

“Not tonight,” Willow said with a grin. “It’s not that bad of a place though. All the stories Mommy and I read you come from there after all. Now, enough fretting, let’s get going.”

Willow pressed his body to the floor and waited until Cadenza was on his back. Standing up, he walked past the guard and out of the room. Outside the room, the silence that normally pervaded the halls was punctuated by the faint clang of armor from guards on their rounds.

Willow took a few more steps before he felt a grumble from Cadenza’s stomach on his back. She blushed a little when he turned around and flashed her a small smile. He then jumped into the air and went into a gentle glide, foregoing the dramatic flap of his wings in favor of staying quiet.

They kept low to the ground and slowed whenever they turned a corner, lest they run into guards or their lances. While the corners were fine, they would occasionally reveal guards lining the halls. Armored silhouettes were also visible through some of the windows.It made the wide halls feel compressed and led Willow to keep to a straight path rather than a curve or a serpentine that would have entertained Cadenza.

Cadenza was silent on Willow’s back. For the first few turns, she had had her head raised, but now she kept it pressed close to his neck. It gave Willow the sense that he was doing something wrong, as if he were sneaking around the castle.

When his attention wasn’t on spotting guards, Willow looked up at the torches that lined the halls. The flames stretched the hall’s shadows, merging them with the darkened ceiling, and the way they made the shadows waver, combined with the additional guards, caused a lump to form in Willow’s stomach.

As they grew further and further away from their room, the more the carpet and drapes brightened from a deep purple to a regal red. However, the colors soon shifted again to a soothing blue. Approaching an archway with a deep carving of Royal Library etched into its stone, Willow descended and softly landed on the carpet. He let out a small sigh of relief, but still felt the tension in the air, especially from the two guards that flanked the library's entrance. There was always a pair here, but their presence tonight was especially noticeable due to the addition of lances at their sides.

“Excuse me,” Willow asked. “Aria hasn’t come out of here has she?”

“No, sir,” said one of the guards.

“Okay, thank you.” Willow walked between them and into the library. “I’ll just ask inside.”

“Be mindful of your voice,” the other guard said with a glance at Cadenza, who pulled down one of her eyelids and stuck her tongue out at him while Willow wasn’t looking.

As they made their way to the large hourglass in the center of the library, Cadenza scrunched up her face and sniffed.

“I don’t like it here,” said Cadenza. “It smells boring.”

Willow turned and frowned slightly at Cadenza. “Something can’t smell boring, sweetie. Now, remember to watch your voice. You know how the librarians can be.”

Cadenza’s face scrunched up even more, as if she’d bitten into an extra-sour lemon. “They’re even worse than Mr. Rune!”

“Voice!” Willow said.

Cadenza blushed and hid her face behind her hooves. “Sorry.”

With a sigh, Willow continued over to the hourglass and the desk at its base. It was surrounded by a few filing shelves filled with unsorted books. The books were also stacked high on the desk, leaving only a tuft of grey hair and the tip of a horn visible.

Willow pushed aside some of the books, revealing more of the pony. An elderly mare sat with the left side of her face smushed against the desk. A tiny puddle of drool collected beside her as she snored softly.

“Eww,” said Cadenza.

“Hmmm.” Willow gave the mare a shake. “Mrs. Decimal? Mrs. Decim—"

Mrs. Decimal bolted up with a stifled shout, smacking Willow’s leg away. Her eyes were glassy, darting everywhere but seeing nothing, and her hooves skidded over the desk and sent papers flying to the floor. It took her hoof smacking into a thick book for her to come to a stop. Nursing it, she took a few breaths and settled softly back into her chair. She blinked at the sight of Cadenza staring at her and Willow rubbing a newly reddened blotch on his leg.

“Oh my goodness,” she said. “Mr. Reed, I’m terribly sorry!”

“It’s fine,” Willow said, putting his leg back on the ground with a small flinch. “I’ve dealt with worse on the job.”

“Oh, I don’t know what’s come over me.” Mrs. Decimal produced a handkerchief from a drawer and swabbed it over the mess on her desk. “I never fall asleep at the job. I suppose all the hubbub today just wore me out.”

“Right,” Willow dryly replied. “Um, anyway, I just wanted to come check with my wife about dinner.”

“Yes, yes.” Mrs. Decimal gave a few frantic nods. “I believe she came in and asked where the Archeology Section was. I hope she didn’t need to check out anything while I was asleep.”

Willow raised an eyebrow. “You’re sure that’s where she went? Not the Music or Fiction Sections?”

“I was surprised too.” Mr. Decimal paused and put a hoof to her chin. “Usually only Sir Mystic or dissertation students go there.”

“Huh, she’s probably just gotten a little too into her novellas.” Willow let out a slightly forced chuckle. “I just hope this doesn’t lead to another flea market on the opposite side of Equestria.”

“Daddy…” Cadenza pressed her face close to Willow’s. “What are you talking about?”

Willow glanced back at Cadenza before focusing on an interesting patch of the ceiling. “Uh, well… it’s a long story, I’ll tell you later.

“Thank you for the help,” he said with a smile to Mrs. Decimal before quickly turning and making his way toward an aisle. A few moments after disappearing behind the bookshelves, he reappeared and trotted back to Mrs. Decimal with a sheepish grin. “Uh, which way is the Archaeology Section?”

Mrs. Decimal extended a hoof toward one of the many aisles that branched out from hourglass. “Just head down that way until you hit a break in the shelves, then turn left and then right down another aisle and you should reach the Archeology section. If you see some Paleo-pony remains, you’re getting close.”

“Right.” Willow turned toward where Mrs. Decimal had pointed. “I’ll hopefully come back if I can’t find it.”

“Nothing wrong with getting lost in the library,” Mrs. Decimal said with a smile. “You never know what you may find.”

Cadenza rolled her eyes while Willow sped over to the aisle lest he listen to Mrs. Decimal go on. The smell of aged parchment grew stronger within the aisle, forcing Cadenza to hold her hooves over her nose. To her sides, the shelves reached far above even Willow’s head and partially obscured the lamps dangling from the ceiling. During the day, the streaks of glass that ran through the roof would have lit up the library, but at night, there was a permanent dimness near the ground.

The shadows faded a little once Willow made it to an open space dotted with shimmering chandeliers. They hung over long tables spaced equally apart throughout the area, marking the way the space curved around so that the break in the shelves circled the entire library. Willow walked over to the other side of the space where the aisles resumed. He stopped at the one closest to his left and peered down it. The dimness made it hard to see further down, so he took a breath and stepped into the aisle.

Cadenza screamed at the top of her lungs.

Willow jumped at the sudden noise and jumped again when he saw he was right beside a weathered skull and some leg bones. They were all displayed in a clear glass case on the shelf to the right. Willow stood locked into place for a moment and waited for his heart to settle before he turned back to Cadenza with a furrowed brow.

“What did I say about voices, Cadenza?” he said. “I could’ve bumped into a shelf and gotten both of us really hurt.”

Cadenza lowered her head. “S-sorry, daddy.”

“Well,” Willow sighed, “we’re going in the right direction at least.”

The books on the aisle’s shelves were now joined by the occasional glass display. Fossilized horns, rusted utensils, and other various relics sat next to placards that gave a brief summary of their history. Their scent, mixed with aged paper and binding glue, was strong enough the make even Willow’s nose twitch a bit. As Willow walked, Cadenza took in the various displays, sometimes with wide eyes but mostly with quick glances. Soon there was an abundance of locked shelf sections that had not been present in the previous aisle.

“Daddy?” she whispered, pressing close to Willow’s ear. “Why are there so many locks here?”

“There are some books that have a lot of very secret writing in them,” Willow said. “Only special ponies can read them. Although, I bet most of the books on these shelves are locked up because they’re so old and fragile, so they need to be treated extra carefully.”

“Can you read them, Daddy?”

“Not all of them.” Willow pressed his lips together and thought for a moment. “There are probably a few in the Weather Section that not all pegasi would be allowed to read.”

“Oooh! Oooh!” Cadenza rocked back and forth a bit on Willow’s back. “So can I read special books too? Like ones only Aunt Celestia can read?”

Willow came to a halt that sent Cadenza lurching forward and their heads collided. The strike was enough to momentarily fill his vision with a flash. He leaned against a shelf to keep his balance and gave his head a shake to clear away the last of the spots.

Despite the slight ache it caused, he looked back see that Cadenza had her hooves pressed against her head.

“Oh, sweetie, I’m sorry.” He brought up a wing and gently pressed it against her side. “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“Your head is hard, daddy,” Cadenza groaned.

“Mrs. Decimal can probably give you a quick healing spell.

Willow was about to turn around and head back for the front desk when he realized that he was near the end of the aisle. Beyond the dimly lit shelves, he could see what looked like part of an open square lined with more shelves and multiple pedestals holding various artifacts.

“Let’s just take a quick peek to see if Mommy is over there though.”

Willow trotted out of the aisle and into the center of the archeology section. Star and moonlight streamed down through the domed glass ceiling onto the large area. Stairs led downwards to additional levels filled with more shelves and artifacts, each floor growing smaller the further down you went, like an inverted pyramid.

Amongst all the aged browns, faded reds, and chipped greys, Cadenza’s gaze alighted upon a shock of yellow hair hidden amongst multiple piles of books on the second level down from where she was. She pulled herself closer to Willow’s head and tapped him with one hoof and pointed at the hair with another.

“I think I see Mommy!” she shouted.

Willow followed Cadenza’s hoof down and was on his way towards the piles without another word. Upon reaching them, he walked around the table to see Aria hunched over a thick dusty tome.

She kept her head down, but her eyes flicked over to Willow with an angry flare that made Willow want to take a step back. It robbed him of his thoughts and left him in silence.

“What do you want?” she asked coldly.

“Well, uh, it’s about dinner time and we were getting worried about you,” said Willow.

“Yeah!” Cadenza exclaimed. “We came to rescue you from the library!”

Aria chuckled and glanced upwards at the bit of moon already visible through the ceiling. “I suppose I got a little caught up in my reading. These are quite fascinating books.”

Willow raised an eyebrow. “Right. Aria, you remember how this went last time. I mean, it’s good you’re using the library instead of buying the books, but it looks like you’ve taken quite a few out already. Please don’t set your expectations too high on whatever it is you’re looking for.”

Aria furrowed her brow and flared her nostrils. “What I’m looking for is none of your business.”

“Okay, okay.” Willow shook a hoof back and forth and took a step back. “No need to argue. How about we take some of these books back to the room at least?”

“I’m quite fine here.”

It was Willow’s turn to flare his nostrils. “Well, can you at least join us for dinner?”

“I’m still a bit full from all the food we had today.” Aria turned her attention back down to the book. “Besides, I can get a meal whenever I feel like it.”

Willow took a step forward. “Aria…”

“That’s enough. I’m not hungry right now. I just want to read my books.”

“Mommy...” Cadenza murmured.

“I said enough!”

Willow’s mouth dangled open as the shout echoed amongst the shelves. Cadenza trembled as Willow’s back stiffened to the point of feeling like she was perched on stone and while Willow’ next words weren’t loud, they didn’t have to be. Yelling would have been less frightening.

“Fine, if that’s how you are going to be.” Willow spun around and slammed his hooves into the ground. “We’ll talk about this later.”

Cadenza did her best to be invisible while Willow made his silent ascent. Only when they made it back to the skeleton did he come to a stop and let out a very long breath. His body lost its rigidness, his knees bent a little, and Willow stared up at the skylight for a moment before turning to the quiet filly clinging tightly to his back.

“I’m sorry, sweetie,” he said. “I probably scared you back there.”

“Are… are you and mommy mad at each other?” she said with a feathery soft voice.

Willow closed his eyes and pressed a hoof against his face. “I think we’re both tired. It’s been a long day and your mother is probably upset about losing her record.”

Cadenza tilted her head slightly. “But she said it was okay back at the park.”

“I know,” Willow sighed. “Sometimes ponies say things when they actually mean something else. Your mother loves coming across rare and hard-to-find items. It’s mainly music, but she can take inspiration from whatever book she’s reading at the time too. Sometimes she just gets a little carried away.”

“Does that mean you’re going to stay mad?”

There was a moment of silence before Willow reached up and ran a hoof through Cadenza’s mane. “I could never stay mad at your mother. We probably just both need some sleep. Then we can talk about things in the morning.”

“Oh, okay.” A loud growling noise made Cadenza look down at her stomach. “Can we get dinner now though?”

“Sure thing. I’m sure Aunt Celestia is really looking forward to hearing about your day.” Willow then noticed the slightly reddened splotch above Cadenza’s horn. “Let’s also ask Mrs. Decimal to check your head.”

Cadenza smiled and her eyes brightened. “Oooh, I wonder if Aunt Celestia has been to all the places we went!”

“I’m sure she has.” Willow managed a small smile, but it quickly vanished as he turned around and looked down the dim aisle. “Although it might take a while finding our way out.”

“Nooooo!” Cadenza groaned before flopping onto Willow’s back. “I don’t wanna starve!”

“You’re not gonna starve. And remember to keep your voice down. We’re still in the library after all.”

The sharp clang of polished metals striking each other rang from down the aisle. A guard appeared out of the dim haze. Even in the weakened light, it was easy to make out her piercing eyes and harsh frown as she flew over to them, gliding through the narrow corridor without disturbing a single one of her steely feathers. For the third time that day, Willow got the most nagging sense of déjà vu.

“Miss…” Willow gave the guard a sheepish grin. “Uh, sorry, what was your name again?”

“I never gave it,” the guard curtly replied. “Sergeant Gaze will do while I’m on duty, sir.”

“Well, uh, quite a surprise running into you again,” Willow said, trying hard not to look Gaze directly in the eyes. They were too similar to Aria’s.

“Following protocol, sir,” said Gaze. “All Royal Tier Entities require at least two bodyguards within an immediate response zone should an emergency arise. Usually Sir Mystic helps the Captain of the Guard organize the shifts but, given his predicament, it was decided that I and my fellow guard from earlier would keep watch on your wife should your family separate at any point.”

“I see.” Willow nodded a few times. “I suppose that’s efficient, but shouldn’t you be a little closer to Aria then?”

“As I said, my fellow guard is also here in addition to the regular library security. However, Mrs. Aria requested some space. We obliged given the overall security the castle provides.” Gaze furrowed her brow. “It also allowed the librarian to contact me about a ruckus she’d heard.”

Gaze’s attention went to Cadenza, who hid behind Willow’s mane. Willow let out a forced chuckle and rubbed the back of head. He hissed when his hoof brushed the knot on the back of his skull. Gaze focused on him again.

“You do realize a library is meant to be quiet, correct?” she asked. The words sent a chill down Willow and Cadenza’s spines.

“Y-yes,” Willow muttered.

“Perhaps you should take the Princess elsewhere then.”

“I… I was planning to.” Willow glanced back at Cadenza who had buried her head in her hooves and his neck. When he turned back around, his voice came out soft, but his eyes were a bit sharper and managed to look straight at Gaze’s. “And I know it’s been a long day for everypony, but please don’t call my daughter that. You know it confuses her.”

Instead of replying, Gaze spun on her hooves and marched off towards the end of the aisle. When Willow didn’t immediately follow, she glared back at him. Her irises seemed aflame and a dread pushed down on Willow, coating him in sweat. Something switched in his brain and his muscles contracted, readying his body to go into a full-speed flight.

“Are you coming or do I have to drag you along?” Gaze hissed.

When she faced forward again, the pressure on Willow abated. He let out a gasp for air and slowly took some shaky steps forward, but kept a good distance from Gaze. He could feel Cadenza quivering on his back, but didn’t say a word. He was too focused on just keeping upright and moving forward. However, his mind wandered to unfortunate places.

It had been one of his earlier jobs, when he was still green and couldn’t even handle a full thundercloud discharge. The work for that day was moving some rainclouds from a forest to a nearby town. It was the kind of low-maintenance job newbies did countless times in their first few months.

One of Willow’s team members was untangling a cloud from one of the forest’s taller trees when he was suddenly sucked inside. They called it “getting floofed” during training. It wasn’t too out of the ordinary for even graduates to get sucked into clouds, especially if they were ones that had been allowed to mature outside of towns. Older clouds were thicker, harder to move, and far easier to apply too much pressure to and get sucked in compared to the relatively uniform clouds weather ponies trained with. So, the team had continued its work for some time until they noticed that one section still had a fair number of clouds remaining.

Willow and the others had gone into their teammate’s section— a few of them even cracking some “floof” jokes. They still knew the risks though if somepony got stuck in a cloud that was heavy with enough water, so they went about the clouds until they spotted a leg dangling outside of one of them. It was only when they had drawn close to the cloud that everypony else had heard the muffled screams.

It only took a few well placed gusts to push back the cloud. That was when Willow and the rest of his team had discovered their partner with half his body in the jaws of manticore. Without a moment’s hesitation from being spotted, the manticore dropped its prey and pounced. Willow’s vision had filled with teeth.

Then it was gone in a flash of blinding light. It had taken the ensuing thunderclap to bring Willow back to his senses. It was all he could do just to stay airborne before his supervisor had guided him over to a cloud, her hooves still sending out tiny shocks you got when you made a thundercloud too quickly.

He’d been lucky. In many ways, so had the pegasus the manticore had caught, though nowhere near as much. The pegasus the manticore had caught never flew again.Sometimes, when Willow handled higher risk jobs, the memory came back and the thought of how he could have ended up crippled, or worse, still sent a chill through him. But what truly scared him and what appeared in some of his worst nightmares was the terrifying hunger that had blazed in the manticore’s eyes right before it launched itself at him. Willow was nothing more than a piece of meat on that job and, under Gaze’s stare, that was what he had felt he was now.

Though, if he’d been given a choice at that moment, he would have taken the manticore.

~~~

Back in the Archeology Section, Aria read over the last page of the thick tome in front of her before slamming it shut with a hoof. A fair amount of dust poofed out of the old book, but Aria just gave a low growl as her horn lit up with a green aura and the book floated over to the pile on her left while a different book floated down from the pile on her right.

Rather than instantly open the book, she turned to her right where a stallion guard had silently appeared. Under her glare, he went into a low bow and kept his head down while he spoke.

“Your highness,” Soft Step said, “280 has taken care of the stallion and the Wellspring. They won’t be bothering you anymore.”

“But that’s not all, is it, 823?”

Soft Step’s head was yanked up. Aria’s irises danced with green flames so intense that bits Soft Step’s fur began to smoke and spark with emerald embers.

“I can feel your doubt,” Aria hissed. “Are you questioning me in that pitiful thing you call a brain?”

“P-please, your highness,” Soft Step whimpered. “I… I’m merely concerned about 280’s demeanor. Y-your plan is flawless and c-cannot fail.”

“Of course.” Aria turned away from Soft Step and went back to her chair. Soft Step fell to his knees and gasped for breath. “My apologies, that incident in the Garden has me a little on edge. You’ve only worked with 280 on raids before, correct?”

Soft Step kept his eyes on the carpet. “Y-yes. That is why I am confused as to why you would want her here.”

“She’s here mainly for the worst-case scenario, but her strength and intimidation go well with ordering others around and keeping attention off me.” A grin slithered across Aria’s face and her eyes glazed over. “She’d be fun to try and take the throne from.”

The grin vanished and was replaced with a deep scowl. “Better than that old fool back at the hive. I hope she enjoys the next few days of thinking I’m dead along with Pupa and Cocoon.”

Soft Step felt Aria’s gaze on him again.

“I don’t want any more disruptions tonight. Deal with that senile mare up front so that she tells them I’m in…” Aria paused and blinked, her eyes turning blue once again. “Music, yes. I believe that’s what those black saucer things the stallion was babbling about were.”

Soft Step stood and offered another bow. “Yes, your highness.”

“I’ll contact you and 280 once I find what we’re looking for. Then we’ll get the Wellspring and be on our way.”

With yet another bow, Soft Step backed away and vanished among the shelves. Aria looked back down to the book in front of her and opened it. While its cover was a dull brown with only a few glossy filaments remaining from a long-destroyed illustration, the picture on the inside, while faded, was still visible. It depicted five gems of varying cuts attached to a pedestal with what appeared to be long sticks. At the top of the pedestal was an orb with streams of what was probably light radiating out of it.

Aria licked her lips. She was close. She could feel it.

~~~

“And the cloud was all floophy!” Cadenza exclaimed while extending her forelegs over her head in the rough shape of a cloud.

“Really?” Celestia smiled and took a sip from her cup. “I’ve heard of many pegasi’s first time touching clouds, but I think you’ve given me the best description yet.”

“Was the first cloud you touched floophy, Aunt Celestia?”

“Hmmm.” Celestia flicked her eyes up. “It was a very long time ago so I don’t quite remember, but I do recall greatly enjoying flying through a clear blue sky with white clouds of all shapes and sizes around me.”

“Wow,” Cadenza said with wide eyes. “I can’t wait to fly like that.”

“I’m sure your father will love teaching you.”

They both looked at the end of the table. Willow, caught in the middle of slurping up some noodles, quickly shoveled them into his mouth and managed to keep them down with a few coughs and thumps on his chest. Celestia patiently waited for him to finish, chuckling alongside Cadenza.

“Uh, sorry,” he said.

“Oh, no worries.” Celestia waved a hoof back and forth. “I was just wondering how you felt about the flight?”

“It was good.” Willow pulled Cadenza over and rubbed her head. “My little girl really took to the air.”

“Yep!” said Cadenza. “I wanna go again! Again!”

“That said…” Willow let go of Cadenza. “The first real time in the air is pretty scary for us parents. I’m just glad Aria and I talked with other parents about those kinds of things beforehand…” Willow looked up to Celestia. “And had your help as well.”

“Anything to make Mi Amore happy.” Celestia smiled at Cadenza again. It didn’t last long. “It’s a shame the day had such a major road bump.”

“No need to feel bad, Princess,” said Willow. “I’m sure by tomorrow everything will be fine. We all just need our sleep. I think I’d be saying that no matter what had happened today.”

“Of course.” Celestia took another sip from her glass. “Speaking of which, you’ll be happy to know Mystic is doing much better now, though he’ll still need a few days to recover. I was planning on sending him on a small vacation anyway, so things work out.”

Cadenza swallowed the bite she was chewing on and then turned to Celestia with a beaming smile. “Does that mean I won’t have lessons?”

“Your lessons are very important,” said Celestia. “Magic can be very dangerous if you don’t learn to use it the right way.” Cadenza’s face fell, and she idly drew across the table with one hoof in disappointed little circles.

“Mr. Rune says that a lot too.”

“I’m sure he does. Anyhow, you still need to continue your lessons.” Celestia leaned forward when Cadenza frowned at her words. “Now, Mi Amore, I know you can be a good student, and I hope you learn a bunch of new things while I’m teaching you.”

Cadenza jolted upright and stared at Celestia with a slackened jaw. “You’re gonna teach me?”

“Yes,” Celestia said with a nod. “I’ve been planning my schedule so that Mystic could have a few days off while I wouldn’t have too much work.”

“This is gonna be cool!” Cadenza stood up in her seat to lean a little closer to Celestia. “Are we gonna learn ancient spells? Old magic? Secret Princess stuff?”

Celestia closed her eyes and a pressure fell upon the room with the last question. Willow coughed as Cadenza settled back down into her seat. There was a moment of silence that stretched the very air in the room before Celestia finally broke it with a chuckle.

“If you promise to work hard and do all your homework, I think I can tell you a few ‘ancient hidden secrets’ that I know about.”

Cadenza gasped and bounded out of her seat and into Celestia, who let out a rather undignified “oof”. The filly reached out and, even though she could only get her legs around a tiny part of Celestia’s body, hugged her tight as she could. Celestia smiled down and her and embraced her with a wing.

“Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!” Cadenza shouted.

“You are most welcome,” said Celestia. She glanced up from Cadenza toward the filly’s plate and saw that a sizable portion of the vegetable medley was still there. The noodles had completely vanished. “Now, for your first assignment, could you finish the rest of what’s on your plate?”

~~~

The moon settled high above the Archeology Section’s glass dome and found Aria still enmeshed in the ancient tomes. The stack to her left had grown exponentially while the stack on her right had dwindled down. Despite the extended hours of intense reading, her eyes were still clear and lacked bags. If not for her harsh frown and the steep bend in her back, it might have looked as if she had just woken up.

“Where are they?” she muttered.

“Looking for something?”

Aria nearly fell out of her chair. Slowly, her head swiveled in the direction of the voice and the color drained from her face at the sight of Celestia standing right beside her. Celestia had that razored smile again, and the only thing sharper than that was the deadly gleam in her eyes, hidden behind a veil of warm, loving concern.

“Y-your highness,” Aria stuttered as she got out of her chair and went into a deep bow. “You surprised me.”

“My apologies,” Celestia said. “I get a bit too into the whole ‘quiet in the library’ thing. I just wanted to check in on you since you hadn’t returned to your room yet. Willow and Mi Amore were worried about you when they left dinner.”

“Oh…” Aria glanced to the side. “I must have lost track of time.”

“That can happen a bit in here. Especially if one gets lost in the aisles or finds a good book.

Aria didn’t budge a muscle, falling still as the shelves all around them. Celestia’s smile didn’t let up. Aria could feel it biting into her neck, a flick away from cutting her to the bone, as Celestia drew closer to her and glanced over at the table, scanning over each of the books.

“You seem to have collected quite a few of the older selections. If you’d like, I can help you find what you’re looking for.”

A bit of sweat trickled down the side of Aria’s face. “That’s really not necessary, your highness.”

“I insist.” The smile suddenly vanished from Celestia’s face. The blade started drawing a line, torturously slow. “I make getting to the restricted selections much easier. It’s quite difficult to get past all the security spells.”

Aria became aware that it was getting hotter now. She also noticed that the wavelike motion of Celestia’s mane’s had ceased and now hung down like a regular pony’s.

“Don’t go doing something stupid,” Celestia said, her tone still calm but now carrying the gravity of a black hole. “Well, I suppose you’ve already done that, especially with that shoddy lie you told me earlier. I am the only pony aside from perhaps Mystic that could have fixed your eyes. I’ve met your mole as well and we came to a very clear understanding of what I will and what I will not allow to go wandering through my home. It takes quite a bit of skill to get into the castle undetected though, so I’m willing to be lenient if you’ll answer one little question.”

A tiny point of light appeared on the tip of Celestia’s horn and the temperature around her suddenly spiked. The air distorted and few bits of the nearby books crumbled to dust from the heat. Tiny streaks of flame raced the spectrum of different colors in Celestia’s mane and the purple in her eyes had turned into blazing red and gold embers.

“Or you can try my patience and see what happens.” The point of light grew a little brighter and the temperature spiked again. “Now where are Aria and Sergeant Gaze?”

Celestia glared straight at “Aria” as the heat made the latter fall to her knees. Amidst all the heat, Celestia suddenly felt a twinge of a chill run through her body. She still kept her spell ready and her stare strong as “Aria” shook her head and began to chuckle.

The creature flipped its head back and cackled with a fanged smile and smoldering green eyes. Her voice sounded as if a multitude of ponies, most of whom spoke in tones far deeper and more malevolent, had been hidden somewhere inside Aria’s lungs.

“Harm your subjects?” she asked with an unnerving tilt of her head. “We’ve done that for centuries and you’ve never even known. So congratulations: now you can spend the rest of your days looking over your shoulder.”

Celestia heard the air rip behind her. A golden aura sprouted up from the ground and encased her as she twisted to face her attacker. Green fire smashed into Celestia’s shield spell at head height and rebounded onto the carpet and shelves and, while the force of the hellfire combined with the surprise of the attack managed to push Celestia back a little, her defenses held strong.

Through the fresh fire and smoke, she could see the constant stream of magic fueling the spell, but not its caster. But that was enough for her and she knew a second attack from behind was imminent.

The point of light on her horn flew off and met the shield spell. In an instant, the golden sphere turned into a raging inferno. It no longer deflected the green flames, but absorbed them. The caster must have noticed as well because the green flames suddenly ceased.

“Your fire is nothing,” Celestia said, her voice causing the entire library to shake. “I am the sun, and you have made a grave mistake.”

The inferno erupted out from Celestia in two blinding beams that exploded upon impact with their targets. She then reformed the shield around her body.

Celestia leapt into the air and gazed down at the damage. Two darkened marks now adorned the library floor. However, at one point was an unmoving body. She swooped down and alighted gently on the floor, keeping her distance even though the creature before her appeared unconscious. She’d been careful to use a mixture of a stun and thunder spell, so she drew in her breath a little at the sight of the creature’s blackened skin. However, on closer inspection, she saw that instead of being burnt, the creature’s skin glinted like an insect’s carapace.

For good measure, she hit the creature with a more powerful sleep spell, teleported it off to the same cell she’d had “Gaze” sent to, and turned toward the table. All that was there was a smoldering mark on the carpet beside the table. Even Mystic would have been incapacitated from that, and the magical output for a proper shield would have needed to be intense. She hadn’t felt a such shield, and the spell’s speed was even swifter than General Firefly, so running or flying away was very unlikely.

Celestia lit up her horn once more. A glow surrounded her eyes and enchanted them to see in thaumatic. Traces of fresh spells laced the floor behind her as well as the desk “Aria” had been at, but their color was like nothing she’d ever seen.

She was used to the regular blues, yellows, and browns unicorns, pegasi, and earth ponies gave off in thaumic vision. Familiarity with the common shades of magic had helped her greatly in aiding Cadenza and other mixed ponies like her. Their blue and yellow entwined magics were rare and Cadenza’s was the clearest she had seen, which reflected her functional wings and horn, but they were far from Celestia’s own marble white magic.

She also knew of the far rarer shades too. She was the only one alive in Equestria to have seen the brilliant pink of an empowered crystal pony and the dark purple and crimson of an umbrum. The black void that was Tirek still haunted the darker corners of her mind, as did the dirtied white with onyx thorns running through it that was much like her own magic yet so foul and malignant. Celestia even knew of the prismatic aura that would drive most ponies mad if they could even comprehend the chaos they were looking at.

The remains of magic around her now were green, like the flames still smoldering on patches of carpet and clinging to the utterly destroyed books on the table, but they all had tiny little strands connecting them together as if part of one single spell. Looking down revealed that the strands were entangled about her hooves like a spider’s web. Her magic felt untouched and she wasn’t aware of any physical pain, but she burnt the magical strands away with a quick burst of fire, quickly doused along with the last of the green flames. A benefit of this strange magic at least was that its strands made spotting it easier. However, nothing was visible to her other than the magic she already saw.

What puzzled her was how thick the magic was around where “Aria” had been. Celestia knew she wasn’t there anymore, but there was enough residual magic in her place for an average unicorn to use over two or three days. It was too much magic for simply moving the books or for energy stimulants to keep a pony awake. It wasn’t even enough to account for the minor brainwashing spell Dewey Decimal had been hit with.

Celestia suddenly gasped. There was only one form of magic that accumulated so much residue in one spot. For the first time in countless decades, Celestia felt fear. True, deep, unquenchable fear.

She hadn’t accounted for the use of an illusion spell.

Chapter 8

Willow snapped awake. He sat up, squinting at the door to the Lunar Suite bedroom through the darkness. On the other side of the door, metal clanged and smashed against wood and stone. Muffled shouts could also be heard. It reminded him all too much of when Cadenza had been born.

Something screeched. Goosebumps prickled at Willow’s legs. Across the room, Cadenza shifted a little under her covers and a deep chill settled in Willow’s bones.

He quickly slipped out of bed, nerves sparking as he moved to get between Cadenza and the door. The trek usually took little more than a few seconds to reach either the doors or Cadenza. Now every step forward dragged and only a concentrated effort kept Willow moving. Furniture and toys distorted in the darkness; smiles looked too toothy, eyes glinted like steel marbles and legs turned spidery and sharp. The only things proving this wasn’t the middle of some nightmare were the solid floor below him and the rapid pounding in his chest.

Shadows flashed past the gap beneath the door. A high-pitched scrape followed by a heavy thud made Willow’s fur stand straight up. Cadenza let out a tiny murmur, but didn’t appear fully awake yet. Willow quickened his pace, stumbling over the horde of toys surrounding the bed on his way to the door.

Before he could reach them, the massive doors flew off their hinges, landing with enough force to make the floor shake.

Aria stood where they had been, silhouetted in the light of the outer hall’s torches. Her ragged breaths shook loose drops of the blue fluid dripping from her mouth onto the floor. Scrapes and gashes marred her legs and torso, also oozing blue. Two unconscious guards were on the ground beside her. Both of them were covered in burns.

Willow’s blood froze at the blazing green flames that had consumed Aria’s eyes and horn. Every instinct screamed for him to grab Cadenza and fly out the nearest window. Instead, he stayed put and unclenched his jaw.

“Aria?” he asked. “What are yo—”

He couldn’t even shout before green fire slammed into his stomach and launched him across the room and into a wall like a sack of wet laundry. There was a sharp crack and he tumbled to the ground, his entire underside singed of fur and smoking. Aria snorted as the glow around her eyes and horn dimmed and cast a glance back into the hall. There was a distant sound of panicked shouts and thudding booms that rumbled through the castle. Her lips curled into a grin to reveal a set of fangs.

“At least they managed to set up the distractions,” she said.

As the castle shook again, Aria turned her attention to the bed. “Now…”

Cadenza was staring at her. Her covers, pulled up to almost her chin, hid a bit of her quivering. Tears tumbled down her wide-eyed face and she had to move her trembling lips a few times before actual words came out.

“M-mommy.” She hiccupped. “W-what did you d-do?”

The green emanating from Aria’s horn and eyes vanished completely. She rushed over to Cadenza and covered her mouth with a hoof.

“The Princess,” Aria huffed, “she’s mad at you. Wants to do horrible things to you! Was going to make your father do horrible things to you! I had to stop him! Stop both of them! I’ll explain later, but we need to leave no—”

A spot of light appeared into Aria’s face and exploded in a ball of flames that sent her careening to the other side of the room. Celestia stood in the doorway, her horn a near blinding brightness and eyes ablaze like a pair of wildfires. Her mane and tail whipped through the air, no longer gentle hues but instead gold and crimson flames. She took a step forward, smoke curling around her hooves.

A black leg ridden with holes suddenly wrapped around Cadenza’s neck, one of the holes’ sharp edges drawing a few drops of blood. The pressure on Cadenza’s throat was the only thing that contained her scream.

One of the creature’s eyes was now glassy and translucent, the skin around it and her muzzle wrinkled like a thin piece of old leather. Her other eye was a sunken emerald flame surrounded by a black abyss. Bits of pink fur and flesh flapped around the void like maccabe ribbons.

Hot rancid breath washed over Cadenza’s face as the creature sucked in air through its slick fangs. It smelled like rotten wood and burning flesh. Cadenza didn’t try to scream anymore, she could only cry hysterically.

“You made this far more difficult than it had to be,” said the creature, its voice shaky and unnaturally deep for how feminine it was. “Now, unless you want to be the only Princess left, you’re going to lay down and stay down!”

“You think that threat is new to me?” Celestia’s hair stood up and her eyes and horn grew bright. The entire room shook when she spoke again. “Unless you want to know what an angered alicorn is capable of, you will put. Her. Down.”

“We’ve watched you,” the creature hissed. “You’re weak. You wouldn’t—”

The creature suddenly spasmed as white hot flames trailed down its horn to burn away even more of what remained of its false face. The smell of sulfur filled the air. Celestia vanished and reappeared beside Cadenza, pulling her away from the shrieking creature as it rolled about on the floor in an attempt to extinguish itself. A flap of her wings blew the bed and the creature off the ground into the wall with a loud crunching sound. Celestia remained in the air with Cadenza now on her back and enclosed in a thick shield of aura. She glared down at the creature from above as it struggled back to its hooves from under the wreckage. A mixture of Aria’s blond mane and web-like turquoise stands obscured its face.

“It’s over,” Celestia said. “Your magic is unique but far too easy to channel spells into. Surrender and I don’t get to find out what burning your entire thaumic system looks like.”

“Clever,” the creature huffed. “If only you knew so much about that thing on your back.”

When it looked up, it was wearing Aria’s face again. The eyes were still green though, reddened by the tears streaming down its cheeks.

“She’s going to kill me!” it sobbed. “Don’t let her kill me!”

“Stop it!” Celestia roared as her horn grew brighter. “How dare you toy with m—”

Shink.

Something buried itself into her left wing and Celestia gasped in pain. Both she and Cadenza plummeted to the ground. Twisting around to see what had struck her, she found Cadenza glaring at her with pure white eyes that crackled with energy.

Cadenza’s whole body shimmered, its edges angular. Her horn blazed neon pink and was encrusted with crystal that was also on the tiny hooves stabbing into Celestia’s back.

”Stop it...” Cadenza growled. “Stop hurting Mommy!

Crystal spears shot out of Cadenza’s horn and straight at Celestia’s head. They smacked into a shield and turned to dust. Before Celestia could recover though, they both slammed into the ground, separating them. Celestia struggled to her hooves, blood staining her coat and feathers.

“A crystal pony?” she gasped as the ground under Cadenza turned to glistening crystal. “How?!”

A concentrated stream of green fire slammed into her and sent her into the wall. The creature smirked at Celestia’s unmoving body and then turned her attention on Cadenza. Some of the gashes and scrapes on its body began to close.

“Incredible, that much power…” The creature shuddered and licked her lips before putting on a comforting smile. “Good job, sweetie, you beat the evil princess.” Her horn flared green. “Now, come to mommy and she’ll make everything better.”

“Mommy…” Cadenza muttered.

She lumbered closer to the creature, each step crystallizing the floor beneath her hooves. Just a few feet from the creature, she came to a stop and stared at it.

“Where’s Mommy?” she asked, her voice little more than a whisper.

“I’m right here,” the creature called out. “Come here. Come to Mo—”

A massive crystal spike shot up from the ground and slammed into its stomach. Blue ichor flew from its mouth and onto the floor. Tears streamed down Cadenza’s face past gritted teeth.

“You’re not mommy!” she roared as her eyes turned a deep shade of bruised purple. “Where’s Mommy!?”

The ground shook again, the castle groaning as its foundations twisted and writhed. Cadenza wailed as crystal spread out from under her. The creature coughed up more ichor and struggled to pull itself off the spike, despite the barbs slowly working her down towards the floor. All the while, Cadenza’s cries grew louder, crimson lightning arcing out from her to set the curtains ablaze in blue flames.

A burst of golden light suddenly filled the room. The floor went white and then red where the crystals melted. Everything else burned. Cadenza fell silent when she felt an immense heat push down on her from behind. She caught a glimpse of a bare hoof dripping molten gold.

A sharp crack rang through the suddenly silent room and Cadenza crumpled to the floor. Upon impact, her crystal armor blew to pieces, leaving her with fur again.

The room shuddered as the crystals on the walls and ceiling and windows and bed frame and everywhere else not attached to the floor shattered and disintegrated into dust. All the structures were gone in an instant, leaving Celestia standing silently amid the destruction. The right side of her body was dirtied with ash and her right eye had swollen shut. Blood still dripped down her back and left wing, but the injuries were already healing themselves.

Summoning a shield spell around herself and Cadenza, she looked through thaumic vision for the creature. Her eyes traced a green trail over to one of the windows. She turned the spell off to look at the shards of glass still dangling from the broken frame.

She took a step and felt all of her weight lurch forward. Her front knees smacked the now-bare stone floor. As she struggled to get back up, the sounds of hooves and clanking armor filled her ears. She glanced over to the room’s entrance to see that the guards had arrived. All of them remained silent, but many of them turned white at the sight of her.

Seeing them all standing there in a daze, Celestia wobbled to her hooves. Her balance was off and it took all her control to light up her horn while staying upright.

“This is a blackout warning. Code gamma omega epsilon,” she said, feeling over a thousand years of light weigh on her body as her words reverberated across the castle grounds. “Our defenses have been breached and I have been attacked. Two of the culprits are in cell two-eighteen. Captain Pick will lead the interrogation. You are authorized to use Level S magic. They have taken Sergeant Silent Gaze and possibly another guard.”

Utter silence filled the air as Celestia struggled with the last bit of her message. She looked over to Cadenza.

A glint caught her eye. Outside, she could hear more guards approaching, but they didn’t matter. Slowly, she reached down and pressed a hoof against the blue crystal heart etched into Cadenza’s flank. It bent under Celestia’s touch, being nothing more than fur. Letting out a breath, Celestia felt her lips tremble, but she closed her eyes and reapplied her spell so that all the castle could hear her.

“They have taken Mi Amore Cadenza’s mother as well.”

~~~

Years of rumors and an air of confidentiality had painted a rather grim and stereotypical picture of the Canterlot Dungeons. In times long past, there had indeed been dingy cells filled with mold, rotten barracks, and other unsavory aspects. When the dungeons had looked like that though, so had the average house.

The Modern Canterlot Dungeons were brightly lit and bereft of dust; grime and dimness would just fuel the prisoners’ negative behavior and probably get a nasty writeup from the health department. Like any jail, it was filled with a multitude of cells. Most had bars that dispelled the majority of spells. Inside these cells were the lot you would expect in any penitentiary: thieves, abusers, and similar unpleasant company. If the Dungeons were to give tours, these would be the criminals the guards would show off.

That was only the entrance level of the Dungeons. Past the area for common criminals picked off the streets of Canterlot was a door that led one floor down. Having the proper forms and identification plus going through a litany of security checks would get a pony past the first door. They would need to go through a similar procedure on each floor past that, each with increasing stringency. At first, this would just mean sealed doors instead of bars on the cells then to chains and padded rooms. The restraints and cells only grew heavier from there.

Reaching the deepest level a pony could go would take almost an entire day’s worth of security checks, a veritable tome of paperwork, and holding one of the highest ranks in government. Like the rest of the Dungeons, the bottom level was properly lit and spotless. Unlike the other levels, it had no cells, but instead a number of rooms filled with an array of apparati ranging from the scientific to the draconian.

Captain Pick sat in his office staring down at a cup of coffee he’d finished an hour ago. Despite the title of Captain, it was a mere remnant of his story about being assigned to the Frozen North. On good days, he would crack a joke with those that knew him about the reasons ponies gave for his so-called “reassignment.”

Today, freezing his flanks off in the North sounded like a trip to Las Pegasus. He’d worked with his two assistants through the night since the call had come in about a blackout order. According to the clocks, it was late afternoon now, but Pick was neither hungry nor sleepy. A long bath and a shave were near the forefront of his mind. The itch from his stubble was reaching intolerable levels. Yet, he kept his hooves at his sides while Celestia stared at him.

“I’m sorry, Pick, I don’t understand,” she said, her tone tense. “What do you mean ‘disconnected’?”

Pick kept his eyes on his cup. While the look on Celestia’s face was intimidating on its own, it was the unmarred nature of it that prevented Pick from directly facing her. Looking at her for more than a few seconds would reveal that her fur was too smooth or that her right eye was a fraction more dilated than her left. The uncanny nature of the illusion spell Celestia was using— and whatever injuries it was obscuring— made Pick shift slightly in his seat. At least she’d just gone with bandages on her back and wings.

“I mean that the two subjects were cut off from their magic and subsequently expired… if you could’ve even called them alive to begin with.” Pick couldn’t stop from shivering a little. “Sterling Shield lost her dinner when it happened and Fine Cut couldn’t hold anything steady afterwards. Honestly, Princess, whatever these things are and whatever’s leading them is something straight out of Tartarus.”

“I’m well aware of that.” Celestia glanced back to her right side. “Were you able to discern anything about their goal here?”

“All I could gather was that there’s some sort of funneling mechanism that connects all their thaumic systems in one vast web. With that information and what’s been given to me regarding the attack, the best I can guess is that finding that mechanism is what alerted their leader and it cut them off before anything more could be learned about them.”

“To just kill them like that…” Celestia felt her stomach tighten. She stared at Pick. “We’ll preserve what we can and have Mystic take a look, though I doubt it will do any good given your findings.”

“Mystic has always had a better grasp on thaumaturgy and biology than me.” Pick bowed his head, allowing some of his scruffy mane to tumble over his forehead. “If he’d been able to deal with these things first…”

“Don’t think like that.” Celestia shook her head and raised Pick’s up with a hoof. “Mystic may be my student but your medical and investigative skills are still some of the best in Equestria. It is the most I can hope for when facing an enemy such as this.”

In the artificial light, Pick saw Celestia’s face tighten. Where he had felt his stomach faintly roiling since the two subjects had expired, he now felt a pit as he saw the void in Celestia’s eyes.

“I wish it was only enemies we had to deal with today.”

Celestia’s horn glowed and conjured a small black folder into the air between her and Pick. It floated down and landed beside Pick’s cup. Pages of crisp paper pushed the folder upwards. The letters on the front of it glowed a dim blue: Memory Rehabilitation. For the first time since Celestia had arrived, Pick raised his head and stared at her.

“It’s this bad?” he asked.

“I think we can help Willow through this regular counseling. For Mi Amore…” Celestia lowered her head and shook it. “I pray that’s enough.”

~~~

Cadenza awoke not in her own room, but one similar to it. Instead of deep blues, lavenders, and maroons, there were vibrants golds, reds, and silvers. In place of the vast constellations that made up the ceiling of her room, this room’s roof was a clear dome that allowed the brilliant red and gold of dusk to flood into every crevice. Her eyes stung and she turned away from the window as her head throbbed. The sunset looked like fire.

Fire. There’d been a fire last night. A fight too. She remembered screaming. The sunlight, the fire, the screaming and the monsters all blended together in her mind as she clutched her head.

Daddy. Daddy had been hurt. He’d been in front of her bed for some reason. Then, something had thrown him across the room like one of her toys. Her stomach clenched, remembering seeing him slump down to the ground unmoving.

Her breathing grew ragged as more of the previous night came back to her. Tears were now staining the sheets beneath her. Mommy. Mommy had been hurt too.

“No! No!” Cadenza cried, remembering how half half mother’s face had been burnt off. “Get away! Get away!”

She began thrashing against the bed. A faint pink aura emanated around her body. Bits of crystals sprouted up sporadically when her hooves would smack into the sheets before exploding into dust.

A warmth suddenly wrapped itself around Cadenza. The magical glow surrounding her dimmed Looking up, she saw Celestia crouching near her. She’d extended out a wing and draped over her.

Cadenza remembered how Celestia had been ablaze. Raging flames had replaced her mane and tail and her eyes had become burning embers. She’d been something out of Tartarus. Cadenza screamed and whipped a hoof into Celestia’s side. A burst of magic exploded out of her leg and knocked Celestia a foot off the ground and away from the bed.

The magic vanished as quickly as it had appeared and Cadenza skittered backwards into the bed’s headboard. She gasped for air as she huddled under the bed, limbs twitching as her mind raced between running away and the sight of Celestia slumped across the floor.

She froze when she saw Celestia wobble upward. Crystals jabbed into Celestia’s left side and the fur around the spikes had been singed clean off. They’d also loosened some of the bandages stretched across one of Celestia’s wing and over her back. Bandages also obscured half her face. Even her mane could only limply flow at intermittent intervals.

“A-aunt Celestia!” Cadenza managed to choke out. “I-I di—”

“Sshhh,” Celestia said, her voice no different than as if she were saying good night. “I know, Cadenza, I know.”

“But you’re hurt!”

“I’ve faced far worse.”

Celestia glanced down at her newest injuries. Her horn flashed and the wounds were replaced with revitalized fur. She then turned her attention back to Cadenza.

“It’s you I’m concerned about.”

“W-what happened?” Cadenza whimpered. A slight glow circled around her eyes. “Daddy… Mommy. They were hurt too!”

“I know,” Celestia sighed. “I know. We’re doing everything we can.”

Cadenza’s body seemed to snap upright. She clenched her teeth and started sobbing. Below her, the sheets shifted back and forth between crystal and thread. She didn’t even notice Celestia draw near again and wrap a wing around her once more. This time, she wasn’t pushed away.

“I want to see Mommy and Daddy,” Cadenza muttered.

“I understand...” Celestia’s brow creased. “But I need to you calm down first. Look at what your magic has done. Your parents aren’t as strong as I am and I can’t risk uncontrollable magic hurting anypony. ”

“W-what should I do?” Cadenza asked as the glow around her faded and the crystal beneath her hooves receded.

Celestia reached out with a hoof and brushed Cadenza’s mane. “Would you like to hear a story?”

“A… a story?” Cadenza sniffled.

“Yes,” said Celestia. “Telling stories is a good way to calm down. I did it many times when I was a filly.”

“Then…” Cadenza wiped at her nose with a hoof. “Can I please see Mommy and Daddy after?”

Celestia let out a deep breath. “I promise. Thank you, Cadenza.”

While keep her wing wrapped around Cadenza, Celestia moved onto the bed. She slowly lowered herself onto her right side, making sure that Cadenza had ample room to move about as well while still being within reach of her workable wing. She smiled down on the young alicorn even while Cadenza still slightly shimmered with magic and her hooves pulsated with crystal.

“This story is an old one,” Celestia began, “so old that I may be the only pony in Equestria that remembers it. You see, long ago, when Equestria was still a young kingdom and I was just learning the ways of ruling, there existed five kinds of ponies.”

“Five?” Cadenza looked down at the bed and counted with a hoof into the sheets When the sheet turned to crystal she pulled back her hoof and raised it into the air instead. As she made the strokes, she murmured, “Earth, pegasus, unicorn, alicorn… what was the fifth?”

“From afar they looked just like Earth Ponies, but up close you could see that their coats glimmered like the brightest of diamonds and their bodies were shaped like finely cut gems. These were the Crystal Ponies.”

Cadenza stared down at her own glittering hooves. “Crystal Ponies.”

“They possessed an incredible power over emotional magic,” Celestia continued. “Even their colts and fillies could perform spells that would take a skilled unicorn years of study to do. They were powerful enough to create a self-sustaining spell that birthed a plethora of life where none should have existed. And with that power, they managed to create the Crystal Empire deep in the Frozen North, far away from any other pony.”

“Is that why I haven’t heard of them?” Cadenza asked.

Celestia gave a slow shake of her head. “No. A little over a thousand years ago, Equestria was entering a peaceful age. With that peace came chances at diplomacy that had never come before. Ponies became friends with the donkeys and the Saddle Arabian Horses and we had our first encounters with zebras and griffins. This was also the time we came across the Crystal Ponies.”

Celestia’s eyes grew a little clouded. “We were skeptical of each other at first: the Crystal Ponies for fear of having the secrets of their magic stolen or exploited and us for knowing nothing about them except that only an immense power could keep them alive in the Frozen North. Yet, slowly, we began to speak with each other. Trade was planned, treaties were drafted, and envoys were deployed more and more frequently. Our greatest success came when we organized an exchange of our most influential minds. We would have sent our chosen student to the Empire and the Crystal Pony’s leader would have sent theirs to Equestria.”

Celestia paused and turned away from Cadenza to stare out at the setting sun. “The Empire’s student, Radiant Dawn, came to us a month early on the brink of death. She’d crossed the Frozen North alone without equipment, food, or rest. All she could do when she reached us was say one word: Sombra.”

Goosebumps erupted across Cadenza’s skin. She shuddered and pulled the sheets around her closer. “W-what’s a Sombra?”

“A creature long ago banished into the darkness. We learned little about him, but what we saw was that he was everything the Crystal Ponies were not. Where Crystal Ponies gained magic from happiness, love, and kindness, Sombra drew strength from hatred and greed, turning the Crystal Empire into a living nightmare.”

“To us, he was just an evil pony. We had fought dragons, the lowest beasts of Tartarus, and monsters far worse than anything you could imagine. Sombra had to be stopped… but we had no idea what he would do when he lost.” Celestia lowered her head, the shadows deepening around her face as her mane limply waved down to the floor. “I still see what he did when I sleep some nights.”

Celestia glanced over at Cadenza. Her eyes were like black pits. Cadenza felt the need to run, but her legs were pinned to the bed.

“When Sombra was defeated, he channeled all his remaining power into a curse. As he sunk into the ice, the Crystal Empire sunk into shadow. An entire civilization—countless innocent lives—swallowed up in an instant and a final promise that he would return for his throne one day. So I have a contingent of guards stationed in the Frozen North just to keep watch of where the Empire once stood to this day.”

“W-why are you telling me this?” Cadenza asked.

Celestia’s smiled and her eyes regained some warmth. “Because Sombra also said that as long as the Crystal Heart— the great conduit for all the Crystal Ponies’ magic— was sealed away, he would be unstoppable. Yet, after a thousand years, the first ever clue to its whereabouts has been found.”

Celestia lifted her left foreleg off the bed and pointed it at Cadenza. “Even after a thousand years, I’ve never forgotten the brilliant sight of the Crystal Heart. It’s right there on your flank.”

“What?” Cadenza spun her head around and looked down at the glistening blue heart-shaped crystal emblazoned on her flanks. “My cutie mark?

“Yes. ” Celestia replied. “We’re still putting the pieces together, but I believe that is a major cause of why you and your family were attacked. The kidnappers most likely wanted to harness the magic that you carry for themselves. They managed to manipulate some of it and used it to injure me.”

“Were Mommy and Daddy hurt?” Cadenza’s headache came clamoring back as sweat beaded her brow. “Mommy… is Mommy okay?”

“As I said, I have the strongest ponies in Equestria taking care of them.” Celestia tensed up and her jaw clenched. “Your father is fine and your mother will be fine as soon a—.”

“‘W-will’?” Cadenza sat straight up. “What happened to Mommy?”

Celestia breathed deeply. “When we were attacked, they took your mother somewhere a—”

“No.” Cadenza gritted her teeth. Her hooves started to shake.

“Cadenza, I have the most skilled ponies in Eque—”

“No!” Cadenza screamed. The entire bed crystallized under her. “You lied! You said I could see Mommy! You said I cou—”

A bolt of magic slammed into Cadenza's head at the base of her horn. A few tiny sparks flew out as Cadenza’s eyes grew glassy and she slumped back onto her crackling sheets. Celestia kept her from falling off the bed with a wing. She stared down at Cadenza and felt her eyes growing damp.

“I’m sorry, Luna,” she whispered, “I’ve failed again.”

End Foalhood

Chapter 9

A cloud shaped like a pegasus wing drifted past the window. A lizard-shaped one blew beneath it. The window rattled. As the wind grew stronger, the clouds curved around each and the space between them darkened. A faint stench of smoke and rotten wood seeped into the air. Lightning flashed, filling the tempest with flares of emerald fire before thunder roared and shook the castle to its roots.

“Cadenza!”

Cadenza bolted upright and looked out the windows. There was only sunlight and a few small clouds in the sky now. She let out a light sigh and sunk into her chair. Mystic scowled down at her. Despite not being all too fit for his age, the rigidity of his body displayed what little musculature he had.

“Would you mind telling me who won the Battle of Trotsdale?” he asked.

“Um…” Cadenza stared at her desk. “Adams Pearmain?”

Mystic’s face didn’t change, but the rest of him relaxed to his usual formal stiffness. He let out a long sigh and shook his head. “Sir Pearmain wouldn’t be born for another two hundred years and was far too busy founding Manehattan to bother with time travel.”

Cadenza sunk lower into her seat. An aura raced over her, straightening her back until you could have used it for drawing graphs. Now even Mystic’s face had lost some of its edges. The frown remained but it served more to highlight the small wrinkles around his muzzle than slice at Cadenza’s conscience.

“You can’t keep daydreaming like this,” he said. “It’s not good for your health.”

“I just thought it was a nice day outside.” Cadenza managed to raise her head, but quickly lowered it again upon making eye contact with Mystic. “At least until the thunderclouds.”

Mystic’s forehead creased upwards. “You haven’t been having nightmares again, have you?”

“N-no, Mr. Rune. It… it was just some weird clouds. That’s all.” Cadenza grew a shade paler. “I really don’t wanna see Dr. Pick.”

“Cadenza,” Mystic said, his tone growing hard again, if not quite as hard as before. “I know Dr. Pick’s spells can hurt a little, but they help keep you healthy and get rid of your nightmares.”

“Do I have to? I haven’t had any really bad dreams for a long time now.”

“All the more reason to see Dr. Pick and deal with a small problem before it becomes a huge one.” Mystic stepped backwards and turned towards the blackboard. An eraser flew up and wiped away the first line of text.“Since you’ll be seeing Dr. Pick, we’ll postpone today’s magic lesson until next week. Depending on how long he takes, we’ll instead have a remedial lesson on Trotsdale in the Megarian Era this afternoon. If there’s not time though, we’ll make it a reading assignment for the weekend instead.”

Cadenza let out a groan and was about to bury her face in the desk but found herself stopped by Mystic’s magic and lifted onto her hooves.

“I’ll assume you were yawning.” He walked a little closer to her. “Do you need me to help you over to Dr. Pick’s office?”

“I can go by myself,” Cadenza grumbled.

“Very well,” Mystic sighed.

Mystic spun around and picked up the eraser again. The door creaked behind him and he shook his head as he wiped away the simple lines and uncomplicated numbers of the day. When the blackboard was clean, he turned to his desk and shuffled through his papers and books. After a moment, he glanced at the ajar door. His eyes closed as his horn lit up.

“Mi Amore’s had a slight relapse,” he said. “She should be on her way to you, Pick.”

The glow around Mystic’s horn shifted to a soft grey hue. “Crud,” Pick’s voice sounded in Mystic’s head. “I thought last time would stick longer than this.”

“I know. Her magical growth is throwing off our estimates.”

“You said it was a minor one though, right?”

“She was daydreaming, so it’s hard to say.” Mystic glanced up at the window Cadenza had been staring out of. “Treat it as you regularly would.”

“Understood.”

The glow around Mystic’s horn now took on a golden color.

“I’m just glad it happened today,” Celestia said. “If it had been tomorrow…”

Mystic sighed. “Well, it threw my lesson plans off slightly, but as long as tomorrow works out, it’s worth it. “

“If that’s all, I’m going to get back to preparations,” Celestia said. Despite being on the other side of the castle, Mystic could feel the soft grin Celestia normally wore fading from her face. “I’ll look over the full report of the treatment later.”

~~~

Cadenza fidgeted while a beam of bright light stabbed into one of her eyes. Pick loomed not an inch from her nose, watching his spell reflect off her aching pupils. Just as tears started to well up, he pulled back and the light went out. Cadenza shook her head and blinked while he scribbled down some notes.

When he turned his attention back to Cadenza, she’d lowered her head, hiding part of her face behind her mane. It helped obscure that small smile Pick was always wearing. The one that reminded her of the smiles plastered on dolls she’d had as a foal. She wondered what would happen if she jumped off the bed she was on and hit him square in the chest, spread her wings, and zoomed off into the sky. Maybe that would finally get rid of it.

“Well, I’m glad we caught this when we did,” Pick said. “You might have been here all day if we hadn’t.”

“Or else I’d miss Mr. Rune’s lessons,” Cadenza muttered.

Pick’s smile slipped a little. “Now, that doesn’t sound like a happy pony to me.”

“When is a pony ever happy to see a doctor?”

“You should talk to the Wonderbolts sometimes.” Pick let out a cough when Cadenza crossed her legs and pressed her chin down to her chest, pouting. “Er, look, I know this spell doesn’t have the most pleasant side effects, but it beats the alternatives. Grand Tantibus Memoriae is not something you want left unchecked.”

“Can we just get this over with?” Cadenza said flatly.

“Okay then.” Pick’s horn lit up and a bin marked with a biohazard symbol flew within hooves’ reach of Cadenza. “Just in case. Since this was just a daydream, it hopefully won’t be that bad. Now, close your eyes and take a deep breath.”

Cadenza did as she was told. The routine was nothing new. She took calm, measured breaths even as the glow from Pick’s horn grew bright enough for her to notice it through her shut eyelids. Her hair pricked up and goosebumps erupted across her body despite knowing what was coming. She could never control the reaction, no matter how many times they’d done it.

Something akin to a needle the size of a foal’s horn jabbed into the base of her own horn. She gritted her teeth as the pain was quickly replaced by the sensation of oil flooding into her skull and shuddered as the spell oozed through her head, invading every nook and cranny hidden within her brain. Bile clawed its way out of her stomach and up her throat.

The temperature suddenly spiked. It felt as if tongues of flame were dancing just inches away from her skin. She gasped when something constricted around her neck like a collar of thorns and always swore she felt a bit of blood dribble out of a cut she didn’t have. The scent from her daydream returned, only now in full force, like somepony had dredged something that had rotted to the core up from the bottom of some foul bog and set it alight. Her stomach roiled and she clenched her jaw tighter.

Then, she was back in the Pick’s office where she’d collapsed onto the bed and was gasping for air. The sheets were dampening with sweat while she struggled to not lose her breakfast. The faint scitter of Pick scribbling down notes sounded like booming thuds that pounded against her head alongside the heartbeat that shook her chest. Everything spun around her and she closed her eyes.

~~~

When Cadenza opened her eyes and managed to lift her head, she found it had been placed on a pillow. Sitting upright caused a sting of nausea, but it quickly faded as she shifted around. She shivered a little despite the blanket that was wrapped around her. A bitter taste remained in her mouth as she looked over at Pick who was finishing up whatever sentence he was on. She wished he’d kept writing— it helped hide that stupid grin.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Like somepony punched me in the stomach and laughed about it,” she muttered. “The usual.”

“Right…” Pick’s quill darted across the page. “Experience or see anything unusual?”

“No.”

“Do you taste rubies?”

“Never have, so I wouldn’t know.”

“Do you smell ozone?”

Cadenza furrowed her brow at him. “I’ve never flown high enough to smell it.”

“Okay, okay. I think you’re all clear to go whenever you’re ready.”

Pick’s horn lit up again and one of the many cabinets that lined the walls sprung open. She watched as a piece of chocolate wrapped in bright foil floated onto the sheets in front of her and glanced up at Pick for a moment before quickly unwrapping it with her own magic and shoving it into her mouth. Hazelnuts crunched between her teeth while milk chocolate melted on her tongue. Whatever unease was left in her stomach faded and her body felt a bit warmer. No matter what flavor the chocolate was, it always seemed to remove the lingering nausea in her gut and nasty flavors on her tongue.

Now that her hooves had stopped shaking, she threw off the blanket and leapt onto the floor. Her knees wobbled a bit, but she managed to stay on her hooves. Breathing a sigh of relief, she noticed that Pick had drawn near.

“I’m fine,” she said.

“Just want to be sure,” he replied. “I can have some guards help you back to your room if it’s still too hard to walk.”

“No. I think I actually feel like going on a walk. It’ll help me feel better.”

“Well…” Pick raised a hoof to get between Cadenza and the door, but stopped and lowered his leg. “You seem as okay as anypony who goes through this treatment can be, so just be careful, okay?”

“Uh-huh,” Cadenza muttered as she flung the door open and marched out into the hall.

A glance up at the windows showed that the sun was nearing its apex. A decent number of guards zipped through the halls, some adjusting their freshly donned armor while others removed their helmets and finally combatted itches and other minor annoyances. Yet, every single one of them took care to give Cadenza at least five feet worth of space around her. At least their distance made following the multiple twists and branches of the hallway easier. Cadenza stared down at the carpet while she walked, watching it slowly shift from red to blue.

Eventually, she reached the massive stone archway that served as the entrance to castle’s library and peered inside. Mrs. Decimal sat at her desk pulling book after book from the ever-present pile on her right, stamping them, and floating them over to several smaller stacks on her left. Cadenza remained concealed and watched her work until a guard appeared through some of the nearby shelves pushing an empty cart. Cadenza couldn’t hear what Mrs. Decimal and the guard said to each other, but the discussion was quick and ended with both of them filling up the cart with some of the sorted books.

Cadenza watched and waited until the cart was fully loaded and the guard vanished into the shelves. As soon as she saw Mrs. Decimal return to her sorting, she darted into the library and swerved right, ducking into the nearest aisle. Her heart caught in her throat as she pressed herself into the shelves and hid in their shadows, ready to bolt if she heard hooves approaching.

After a moment, the only things she could hear were her own breathing and heartbeat. She slowly stood back up and quietly made her way deeper into the aisle. When she reached a break in the shelves, she stuck her head out just enough to see if anypony else was there. The only things to her left and right were a few art pieces.She darted through the open space between the shelves and plunged into another aisle. Unlike the open corridors that broke up the aisles, the shelves had plenty of empty spaces where a filly could hide herself in a snap should a guard or a librarian draw near.

It took a few more minutes of sneaking around the library, but eventually Cadenza stopped in front of an aisle and grinned. The shelves around her were no longer packed with thick tomes but with thin vinyl records. Hanging from the ceiling was a large sign that read, “JAZZ”. Similar signs rested above nearby shelves, covering everything from classical orchestra to the latest radio singles.

She crept through the area, scanning the shelves while occasionally glancing over her shoulder until she would reach a certain shelf and trace over the decimals on it. Sometimes she would snort in frustration and either move up or down the aisle or switch to a completely different one. A tiny grin gleamed whenever she found the correct shelf and pulled out a record. This continued until she had a stack about half as tall as she was floating beside her. The aura around the stack flickered every couple of seconds and a bit of sweat dotted Cadenza’s forehead.

With her collection trailing behind her, she moved over to one of the library's walls where private rooms lined it like piano keys. Within each room was a desk, a pair of chairs, a chalkboard, and a record player with a big brass horn and a long iron handle. Cadenza grinned again.

She silently slipped into the room and floated the records over to the table; her jaw clenched and the base of her horn ached as she slowly lowered the records down. They landed without a thud. As soon as they touched the wood, the aura around them vanished and Cadenza gasped for air.

“Just a little more,” she whispered to herself.

Closing the door behind her, she advanced over to the desk and pulled one of the records out of its sleeve. It felt as if her horn was spiralling back into her head. The record wobbled a little as she levitated it onto the record player and set the needle. With everything in place, she fell back into a chair winded and glistening with sweat. She opted to turn the handle with her hooves.

The smooth opening tones of a clarinet sounded before rising to a siren-like pitch. When it returned to a level tempo, it gained accompaniment from oboes and saxophones and eventually the piano. As the full orchestra joined in, Cadenza leaned back and relaxed, closing her eyes while Gershwhinny’s magnum opus filled the room.

With the swell of the orchestra came the vision of a city in her mind. There, countless streets crisscrossed, fused, and split in all manner of directions. Shops and massive homes stretched as far as the eye could see. When all the other instruments gave way to a piano solo, the windows lit up one by one. With each note, ponies slowly filed out into the streets. Some wore the clothes she read about being the latest fashion, other just went out in nothing at all. The only two colors missing were white or gold; there wasn’t a scrap of armor to be seen anywhere.

Suddenly, the whole orchestra swelled again. As the horns trumped, the imaginary ponies congregated into a living river, which Cadenza flowed along with, feeling the cobblestones under her hooves.

Shops now displayed their wares, ponies hawked their goods on the streets, and the sweet steam of freshly baked pastries billowed onto the roads in mouth-watering mists. The fruits, cakes, and vegetables were all around her and far more delicious looking than anything in the castle. Ponies buzzed by her, a few even brushed against her due to the intensity of the traffic, but she didn’t mind. She breathed in deeply.The scent of aged paper and worn wood forced a sneeze.

The music was still going strong with the whole orchestra sounding off a bombastic tempo as if a burly stallion were lumbering down the street. Cadenza took another deep breath and followed in his wake, listening to the strains of woodwinds and strings singing the city to life.

~~~

The energetic duet of Glistening Stardust and Dazzling Mercury faded away, leaving only the rhythmic strum of the bass that had started off the song and a final little piece on the piano to escort the remaining music into white noise. Cadenza let out a contented sigh as if she had just eaten a large meal and lifted a hoof up to replace the record with another from the pile.

It wasn’t there. She opened her eyes to find Mystic staring at her from across the desk.

The force of her kick propelled her chair backwards while Cadenza herself launched into the air. Her wings flapped wildly to stay aloft and it was only thanks to a shimmering barrier that she didn’t collide with either a wall or the low hanging ceiling. She could feel the flow of the barrier’s magic brushing against the back of her head, like a cool fog charged with electricity. A similar feeling bubbled up in her stomach when Mystic turned his gaze up to her. To Cadenza’s dismay, she also saw that the door was encased in the same glow as the barrier slowly closing in on all sides.

“Good to see that you’re able to fly so soon after your session with Dr. Pick,” Mystic said. “I must admit, your takeoff time is getting quite impressive. Your father truly has been a skilled teacher. However, flying can wait for later. We still have a few lessons to cover and it’ll be much easier if you’re on the ground.”

Cadenza rose slightly and felt the barrier push against her. It squished and bent outwards, but only a fraction of an inch. She could feel it growing denser and firmer, pushing her back. With a sigh, she swirled down to the ground with her head to the floor.

“How’d you know what room I was in?” she muttered.

“Given how long you’ve been here, I could’ve have made quite a few guesses at where you were,” Mystic answered. “Luckily, Mrs. Decimal is always aware of anypony that goes in and out of the library. It saved a lot of time.”

Cadenza stiffened.

“Now, Mi Amore, don’t think you’re in trouble for coming to the library of all places.” The piles of records floated off the desk and coalesced into a single hovering stack by his side. “You actually seem to be developing quite the eclectic taste in music. Improve a little in your studies and I might add musical history to your curriculum as well.”

Cadenza grimaced. “Great.”

“I’m sorry, is that a problem?” Mystic asked.

For a moment, Cadenza was silent under Mystic’s glare. But, as she stood there, she felt a fire growing in her core. Her wings pressed flat against her back, her teeth ground together, and she raised her head to look Mystic right in the eye. Floating beside his head were the records—her records— and the sight of them encased in the dull glow of Mystic’s magic made the flame in her grow. She opened her mouth to answer him.

A loud grumble from her stomach beat her to the reply. The fire inside her chest turned into a flush of heat that reddened her cheeks. Her head went to the ground again.

“Ah, of course,” he said. “Anypony would be a little moody if they skipped lunch. I’m quite familiar with the experience actually.” The door opened with a tiny motion of his horn. “Let’s return these and get you a snack before we resume our lessons.” He flicked her a glance over one shoulder. “And, Mi Amore, you can come back here whenever you want, and without all that unneeded sneaking around.”

With a huff, Cadenza marched toward the door. Mystic led her out of the room, every now and then glancing back to make sure she was still following.

~~~

The descending sun glinted off the pegasi guards’ armor as they swooped above the castle in groups or two or four. Each patrol kept to a strict path, sometimes coming within inches of colliding with another group yet never speeding up nor slowing down. If their combined movements over an hour were compressed into a minute, they’d have formed a solid gold dome over the castle. At the top and the eastmost, westmost, southmost, and northmost edges of the protected airspace hovered five guards. Epaulettes rustled around their shoulders. Eyes like an owl’s dominated their faces. Every few minutes they would shift what direction they were looking in by a few degrees, but otherwise remained still, save for the slow, silent flap of their wings.

The guard at the top stared out at Equestria. His thick greying beard swirled around his muzzle as he saw the first star twinkle far off on the eastern sky. His sight shifted a few degrees to the left. Despite the large distance from Canterlot, Cloudsdale was still a bright beacon on the horizon. Its base glistened so strongly that even the senior guard had to blink while his eyes adjusted to it. Above the blinding base, the structures atop Cloudsdale shimmered with a dazzling prismatic light that few were able to behold from afar.

The view was nothing new to the senior guard, nor was his focus: a turquoise-blue dot that was steadily growing closer and more defined. He’d caught the glint of the daily signal from edge of Cloudsdale two hours ago and had occasionally glanced at it every now and then since to make sure its path hadn’t radically shifted. Soon, he could make out the wings and legs and even the crater-shaped scar that dominated the pony’s underbelly. To see a pegasus make the daily trek to Cloudsdale and back with such an injury always drew a bit of respect from him.

Eventually, the pegasus drew near and came to a hover in front of him.

“Sir Reed,” the guard said against the howl of the wind. “Papers, please.”

“Of course.” Willow flipped open the saddlebags on his left side and handed over a small stack of documents held together with a rather large and ornate clip shaped like a thunderbolt. The senior guard quickly scanned through the documents, the identification spells attached to each sheet calmly pulsating under his hooves. After a moment, he looked up at Willow and handed the documents back over. While he didn’t smile, there as an approving look in his eyes.

“All clear,” said the guard.

“Thanks.”

With another bow, Willow twisted and headed downwards through the path opening in the wall of flashing gold and white directly in front of him. He continued his descent down the virtual corridor until he landed on a small balcony on one of the castle’s many spires.

After two quick knocks and three hard ones, a pair of guards appeared behind the door and allowed Willow in, falling in beside him. Once fully inside the castle, he came to a stop with the guards flanking his sides. A third guard advanced with a small angular stone that looked like an onyx of some sort balanced on a gloved hoof.

“Just hold still, Sir Reed,” said the third guard.

“Always do,” Willow replied.

The guard drew close and pressed the stone into the space between Willow’s wings. An immense pressure forced Willow’s knees to bend slightly as he was pushed down. His wings felt like lead. Just as the room began spinning, the weight lifted and the smell of fresh air and the incoming rain for the night returned to Willow in a rush. He let out a deep breath and watched the guard step back and place the rock into a small, lead box. With the anti-magic charm safely contained, he turned his attention back to Willow.

“All clear.”

Willow gave one more bow and entered the castle proper through one of the many doors that led into a hallway. He stretched out his wings to shake off the last effects of the security check and then took to the air. In a few minutes he came to a stop and landed beside a door. He gave it a knock.

“You can come in, I’m just finishing up some paperwork.”

Willow pushed the door open and stepped into the office. Lock Pick sat at his desk writing away while the papers all around him shifted with each fresh line written down, threatening to spill over and swallow up the entire desk.

“Busy day?” Willow asked.

“The usual.” Pick continued to write for a moment before he reached the end of the page and propped it atop one of the paper piles. Then he looked up. “Oh, Cadenza also had a small relapse, but it was corrected.”

Willow paled and stepped closer to Pick. “Was her reaction bad?”

“Actually, it was relatively light,” Pick replied. “No vomiting and she was up and moving after a few minutes.”

“They’re getting more frequent.”

“Now, no need to panic. It’ll make training all the more difficult.”

Pick spun around and flung some of the papers on his desk off with a spell, keeping them floating in midair. Scanning over the various sheets, he soon locked onto a thick piece a paper that was folded in half. While Pick sent the rest of the papers back to his desk in a tittering tower, he unfolded the remaining sheet and floated it it front of Willow. An assortment of equations and medical language dominated the top half of the paper while the bottom was taken up by a large graph. Looking at the date and the large red dot scrawled where the axes of the graph met sent a chill down Willow’s spine.

A steep black line jolted out from the dot, peaked, and then sunk but still remained quite high on the chart. It rose and fell in quick succession, forming a range of narrow mountains. As the months progressed though, the spikes widened and decreased in height until they more resembled hills. The increment at the end of the graph glistened with fresh ink.

“See?” said Pick. “I know a relapse gets you worked up; it happens to all patients’ families in long term recoveries, but at this stage of treatment everyth—”

“She’s been talking in her sleep.” Willow’s throat constricted like a great rope had wrapped around it. Finally, he managed to gulp and thrusted his head to the floor. A deep sigh shuddered past his lips. “It only started recently and she wasn’t in pain or having trouble breathing.” Willow turned away. “Just little things, like talking about pastries or walking down a street. I thought she was only having normal dreams, but the past few nights have been different.” He took another breath past the knot in his neck. “They’re always about Aria. She murmurs about her for a few minutes and then goes quiet again.”

Pick’s brow cast deep shadows over his eyes. “Does she mention anything about her attackers?”

Willow gave a harsh shake of his head. “I’d have woken her up and sent her to you immediately if that were the case. Not with Aria though. I can’t do that to Cadenza.”

“Hmmm.” Pick pressed a hoof to his chin. “Willow, during these dreams, have you noticed any sort of magic coming from Cadenza?”

“Not that I’ve seen. I can’t catch every dream though. I don’t know if there’s something I’ve missed or something you or Mystic or Celestia might pick up that I can’t. I… I should’ve told you as soon as this started. I—”

A hoof pressed into Willow’s shoulder. He snapped his head up, launching a few beads of sweat off of his face. Pick was staring straight at him. “Willow, breathe.”

Pick’s nostrils flared as he inhaled deeply. Willow followed his example. Both of their lungs swelled and they held their breaths for a moment. Willow felt his heartbeat slow while his breath flowed outwards.

“Good good,” Pick said. “Now where are we?”

Willow’s jaw tightened. “Your office.”

“Yes, we’re in my office,” Pick said while setting Willow down in his chair. “Cadenza is just finishing up her lessons with Mystic. No guards have acted strange today. Everything is fine.”

“Everything is fine,” Willow repeated.

Despite that, he still shook. From his hooves to his mane, a small tremor kept him from sitting still. Sweat was forming into a lather on his coat. Yet, his breath still came in and out without pause or change.

“Everything is fine,” he said again.

Suddenly, he lunged forward, his forehooves slamming down on Pick’s shoulders.

“Tomorrow!” He pressed down hard. “What about tomorrow?!”

Pick didn’t move an inch. All of Willow’s jitters stopped upon contact with Pick’s body. In spite of his lanky frame, there was a rigidity to Pick that kept him unmoved, like rock or a stubborn thunderhead. A smile came to his lips.

“Everything is in order,” he said calmly. “Shall I give you my full debriefing?”

Willow stiffened. Just as suddenly as he’d sprung out of Pick’s chair, he fell back into it. A foreleg crossed over his scar as he stared down at the floor.

“Yes, please,” he said, voice little more than a whisper. “I think that’ll help.”

“I think so too. Definitely more than our regular lessons. And you should enjoy tomorrow too, you know.” In lieu of a chair, Pick planted his flanks on the ground, all the while ensuring that both his smile and eye contact remained unbroken. “Anyway, unlike the rest of you, I’ll be out of view in the Grand Hall…”

~~~

Cadenza let out a groan— the last in the line of many within the past hour— and glanced away from her homework towards the western windows of the Lunar Suite. The sky was a fiery red, rapidly cooling to blue with only the tip of the sun remaining above the horizon. Then she looked over at the door, almost pleadingly, and held her breath. When only silence greeted her, she grumbled and went back to reading about Commander Silver Bolt, wanting him to just finish his address and get on with the Battle of Pendulous Pass.

The creak of the door opening easily pulled her out of her studies. She spun around and was greeted with Willow sticking his head into the room.

“Hey, sweetie,” he said, his voice dry and scratchy.

“Dad!” Without waiting for him to fully enter the room, Cadenza flew out of her chair and wrapped her hooves around his neck in a hug, nuzzling him by the ear. “I missed you.”

Willow stroked her mane. “I heard you had a bit of a rough day. Are you feeling okay now?”

“I guess,” Cadenza murmured. “I hate going to Dr. Pick though… and Mr. Rune gave me extra lessons too. He wouldn’t even let me listen to all my records. ”

“He just wants to make sure you become a smart little pony.” Willow pulled away, smiling down at her. “You’ll need to know all those things he teaches you someday, and not just for tests.”

Cadenza tucked in her chin. “When am I ever gonna need to know that Old Oak and the Branches of Equus won the Battle of Trotsdale?”

“Well… there might have been some important weather tactics used.”

“Both sides were made of only Earth Ponies.”

“You know, we should probably head to dinner.” Willow patted his side with a wing. “Nothing gets my appetite up like the flight from Cloudsdale.”

Cadenza squinted at Willow suspiciously, but, after a moment, relented and let go of his neck with a sigh. “Can it just be us tonight?” she asked as her hooves hit the floor.

“Are you sure? Aunt Celestia probably wants to see how you’re doing.”

Her muzzle wrinkled. “Please, not tonight. I’m tired.”

“Oh…” Willow glanced out into the hallway. “Okay, we can go to the smaller dining hall then. You’re sure your treatment didn’t hurt too much?”

“No, Dad. It’s fine.”

“Cause if you’ve been having strange dreams or if something feels weird, you can always tell me.”

A draft from the hall drifted into the room. Willow partially shut the door, leaving only a hairline crack, but a chill still bit at Cadenza’s skin. When he brought her close and stroked her mane, it only made the knot in her stomach grow harder. She tried to focus on the floor, ears flattening against her skull until she finally lost the fight and closed her eyes to keep from getting dizzy. Luckily, the swaying motion was hidden by pressing harder into his chest as if harboring against the draftiness of the door.

“It… it’s nothing. It’s not like the nightmares, I promise.”

Willow said nothing and instead draped a wing about her shoulders. Her trembling rustled the feathers. Kneeling down, he brought his head close to hers.

“It’s okay, sweetie. What happens in the dreams?”

“It…” Cadenza gulped down some air. “It’s not just dreams. It’s sounds and smells too. If I do certain things, it’s like we’re down in Canterlot again. It has to be Canterlot. There’s so many ponies and so much food. There’s records I can listen to in the library and all these other things that I want to see and do, but I…”

She could feel Willow’s wings bristling against her back. She looked up and saw he was paling. Sliding closer to him, she pressed her head closer to his chest.

“I want to see mom.

She could now feel every muscle in his chest relax as he tightened his hold around her, a little color finding its way back into his face as a leg joined the wing on her shoulders, and glanced over at the stand by her bed where a lone picture frame rested. Willow stood in the picture with a jittery grin on his face. Beside him, Aria managed a much more even smile. In between the two of them was a sky blue crib with Cadenza bundled up in the center of it with a happy though utterly confuddled smile on her much smaller face.

“She’s standing right next to me,” she whispered, “like you are, but I never hear her voice or remember her smell. Nothing else happens though. Something always pulls me back here. Everything after that must be when the accident happened.

Goosebumps ran up Cadenza’s left foreleg as she reached for the back of her neck. A shudder went through her when her hoof connected with a cold bead of gold embedded in the spot where her shoulders met.

“I don’t want Mr. Rune or Dr. Pick to know.They can take away the rest of the day, but not those things.” Her muzzle brushed up against the the edge of his scar and she felt her eyes burning. “Please, dad.”

Willow felt his fur growing damp. With his leg firmly on Cadenza’s back, he whispered back, “Okay.”

~~~

Down in Canterlot, a handful of lights could be seen from inside the houses and shops as the evening’s rain dissolved before the coming dawn. In the Lunar Suite, the only sounds were Willow’s soft, wheezy snores.

The first rays of sunlight stretched into the room, illuminating two queen sized beds resting on one side of room near the master bathroom. A partition of cabinets containing toys, novellas, and records on one side and textbooks, various flight apparati, and writing implements on the other rested between them. Near the beds were a pair of lounge chairs that enclosed two sides of a low lying table with a record player resting atop it. The faint silhouettes of a blackboard and a desk could be glimpsed through a stockade of screens near the doors that led out to the balcony. A void filled the center of the room, emphasizing the Suite’s decadent dimensions, while overhead, the epic mural of the night sky slowly lost its luster just as the actual sky turned orange and gold. There were no shadows here, only rays of the sun which danced off the dust specks floating through the air.

A beam of sunlight finally managed to fall upon Willow’s face and he sat up, covers bunching around his middle. He slipped out of his bed with a smile and crept over to Cadenza’s. The covers here rose and fell as they had all night: quietly and without a single interruption. Only her head poked out of the sheets while she slept as if five years ago was simply yesterday. After a small stroke of her mane, he laid a hoof upon her shoulder and gave her a small shake.

“Cadenza?” He gave her shoulder another gentle shake. “Cadenza, it’s time to get up. It’s a very spe—”

Pain went screaming to his brain. He glanced down to see a crystallized hoof pressed against his leg, barbs growing out of it to burrow under his skin. He froze, the blood in his veins like ice when a pair of pupiless eyes turned beneath the covers to glare back at him.

“You lied!” she screamed.

“I-I…”

His hindlegs began to sink into the floor, forcing him to stare up at Cadenza while she stretched and grew until she almost filled the room, wings slicing through the melting walls like knives. Green flames erupted across her body, replacing fur with an oozing blue liquid as the stone worked its way up his body to his neck. Then its mouth opened, a serpent’s tongue drooling blue and green acids that dissolved the liquid stone beneath its hooves.

“You can’t help!” it said. The voice had taken Cadenza’s and smashed it into Aria’s until both were mangled almost beyond comprehension. Everything was wrong: the pitch, the volume, and even the cadence was completely alien. Then the stone closed over his head and the roar of blazing fire filled his ears.

“Dad!”

Willow shot up from his bed with a scream, sweat flying off his muzzle. Cadenza was at his side, face torn with worry. Slumping back into damp sheets, he reigned in his ragged breaths and forced his muscles to unclench. Cadenza continued to stare, lips quivering and legs shaking.

“Dad?” she whispered.

“Just a bad dream,” Willow huffed between breaths. “It’s nothing.”

“But what if you have Grand Tan… Grand Tanty…” Cadenza shook her head. “That thing I have!”

“I’d know.” Willow reached out and ran a hoof down the side of her face with a grin he only half felt. “Your condition only happens in young ponies though, so it’s nothing a big strong pony like me has to worry about.” He flexed a foreleg. Cadenza did not look convinced. “Really, Cadenza, I’m fine now.” He gave her mane a stroke. “Come on, that’s no way for the best little filly in the world to look on—”

The door creaked open. Willow’s grin widened and warmed while Cadenza scrunched her nose and grimaced.

“Well, so much for a surprise wakeup,” Celestia said as she walked into the room. Taking in the scene, the smile on her lips shrank. “Is everything alright?”

“It was,” Cadenza grumbled.

“Just had a small nightmare and Cadenza was worried about me is all,” Willow replied. “You really didn’t have to come all the way over here to say good morning though, Celestia.”

“On any other day, perhaps.” Celestia drew near the bed. The smile returned and Cadenza wished it hadn’t. “But it’s not often that I get to personally wish somepony a happy birthday.”

A burst of confetti exploded from behind Celestia and showered the bed. Cadenza snorted as she tried to scrape off a piece of paper that had gotten stuck on her nose.

“Yay.”

Author's Note

R.I.P David Bowie
See you, Major Tom

Chapter 10

Cadenza scowled at the stack of pancakes in front of her. She floated her fork up high and then slammed it down into the middle of them. The impact sent a bit of whipped cream flying onto the finely woven tablecloth. With a violent jerk, she tore out a chunk and crammed it into her mouth, gobbling it down. When she went in for another bite, a hoof stopped her mid-swing. Willow brought his head close to hers.

“Sweetie,” he whispered, “you’re making a bit of a mess. Maybe eat a little slower and take smaller bites?”

Across the table, Celestia continued to dine on her own breakfast: a rather humble bowl of oatmeal beside a colorful arrangement of fruit. She kept her eyes lowered while she ate, almost like she was still asleep. But Cadenza knew that Celestia was watching her.

With a small snort, she turned back to her breakfast and slowly brought her fork down into the stack of pancakes. She still forwent using a knife in favor of ripping a smaller bit of the pancakes off though.

After a few more bites, she set her fork down. A sizeable amount of the stack still remained on her plate, thick syrup dripping past the steaming cakes and pooling around their base. She raised her hooves and pushed her chair away from the table.

“I’m going back to my room,” she muttered.

Setting her utensils down, Celestia looked over to Cadenza. “Actually, Mi Amore,” she said with her usual smile, “I was hoping you’d accompany me on a stroll through the castle. As a birthday gift, I thought it’d be nice to teach you a few special spells.”

“Mr. Rune teaches me enough on weekdays.”

“You know, I remember how when you were barely more than a foal and always asked me so much about magic and ‘secret princess stuff.’”

Cadenza scrunched her nose. “Well, I’m a little more than a foal now.”

“Cadenza.” Willow shot her a stern look. “You know how busy Aunt Celestia is. She probably worked very hard to make time to spend with you.”

The fire smoldering in Cadenza’s core since Celestia had intruded into her room swelled. Flaring her nostrils, she glared across the table at Celestia. She glimpsed a frown but when she blinked, a smile was back on Celestia’s face. The fire sputtered for a moment. Celestia did not break eye-contact and that smile stayed unwavering and warm. With a great breath, Cadenza dropped her forelegs back to her sides. Her head drooped and she sunk back into her seat. She could sense Willow and Celestia staring at her, but kept her focus down on the remains of her breakfast.

“I’m going back to my room if there’s cake,” she muttered.

“Oh, don’t worry, Mi Amore,” said Celestia. “I still recall how that went last year. I’d hardly even call what I have planned a lesson. Think of it more as a chance for us to talk and enjoy each other’s company. We so rarely get the time to.”

“How…” Cadenza was cut short by a ‘harrumph’ from Willow. “... nice.”

~~~

Sunlight streamed through the stained glass that lined the castle’s hallways Celestia led Cadenza through, dyeing the walls and the carpet a variety of colorful shades. Through the aged depictions of ponies in them, Cadenza could make out a perfect balance of sky and clouds. Her wings bristled.

She thought of the clouds. Real clouds. The springiness to them that could only exist far off the ground. Many a time, Willow had brought her a piece of cloud back from work or even collected an early morning’s dew into a fresh cloud. Sometimes, if the weather was right and there was time to spare, Cadenza would sneak out into the castle’s courtyard and snatch the moisture from the air and condense it into one. It filled her with a small sense of pride that she could now make a cloud as big as her head.

Yet all these clouds felt off. The ones Willow brought back were stale and brittle and soon dispersed into flecks of water on Cadenza’s hooves and air that smelled of sweat. The clouds Willow formed on the ground were wispy and more akin to thick mist than a true cloud. As for the clouds Cadenza herself made, they were dense and dark and zapped her when she tried to touch them.

The primal feeling of a true cloud dangled on the edge of her mind. Pliant, yet able to hold a pegasus. Solid, though enough force could drive a hoof into it. Despite all the luxuries the palace provided, nothing could match that vague memory— if it could even be called that— of a true cloud.

“Mi Amore?”

Cadenza stopped, the sensation flickering away to the small corner of her mind with all her most precious secrets. A glance around revealed they were somewhere near the armory now. The dining hall was hidden behind a corner and a long stretch of hallway.

“What?” Cadenza asked.

“I was asking if there was anything I could do to make you a bit happier,” said Celestia.

The warm sunlight glistened off Cadenza’s back. “Going outside the castle would be nice.”

“Oh, Mi Amore.” Celestia knelt low and reached out to stroke her mane. Cadenza backed away and glared at her. Celestia retracted as if stung and lowered her head to Cadenza’s height. “I’m sorry, but your recovery comes first. There’s too much outside that might trigger a relapse in your condition or worse. Please just hold out a little longer.”

“Even on my birthday,” Cadenza spat.

With a sigh, Celestia got back to her hooves and beckoned Cadenza to follow her. “In my youth,” she said while they walked, “I can remember feeling a similar way on many of my own birthdays. There were so many things I wanted to see and places I wanted to go, but to do so would have been at great risk.”

Cadenza rolled her eyes. “Yeah, I’m sure it must have been really dangerous for a pony that controls the sun.”

“Oh my.” Celestia’s cheeks flushed too bright to be real. “Always having control of the sun? Could you imagine a foal with such an ability? The thought alone makes me glad I only attained my talents after years of harsh study so that I could handle such power.”

Celestia’s pace slowed. The change elicited Cadenza to look up and see that her glazed eyes were fixed on the stained glass windows above them.

“Before then, I had to make due with the few spells a pony could use back then,” Celestia continued. “I doubt Mystic has covered it, but Equestria was a vastly different place back when I was around your age. There were no magic schools and scholars were scarce. Even Starswirl was little more than a youthful stallion. He was certainly a skilled spellcaster, but far from the legendary sorcerer we know today.”

“Wow, life in the castle must have been really hard back then,” Cadenza said with a biting tone.

The haze cleared and Celestia chuckled. “It may surprise you, but I lived in probably the loosest definition of a house a pony could find. Oh, if the courts or the nobles could see it, they’d probably pass out from shock… or go commission an archaeological hunt to find some remains of it.”

Cadenza raised an eyebrow. “So you ruled Equestria from a little hut thing?”

Celestia chuckled again. “Oh, Mi Amore, there’s much I still have to tell you. Things most ponies don’t know of or take for granted.

They came to a halt before a grand set of doors that stretched high up into the darkened rafters. Celestia placed a hoof on one and smiled down at Cadenza. With a light shove, she pushed it open.

“For now, though, I just want you to have a happy birthday.”

Cadenza stood at an angle that, combined with Celestia’s body, blocked her off from seeing into the room. However, when Celestia entered, the great sound of over a dozen gasps went up and was followed by stifling silence.

Feeling nervous without knowing why, Cadenza only allowed half her head to poke out from behind the still-shut half of the doors. Just as she glimpsed into the Great Hall, a deafening roar of high-pitched applause made her jump back. However, the doorway she stood at led to the top of the Great Hall’s staircase, cloaking the cheers’ source from her.

Celestia was still visible though. One hoof was bent across her chest while her head was dipped low in a graceful bow. The applause continued until she stood tall once again and raised up a hoof, silencing the unseen crowd. Behind her, Cadenza kept herself partially hidden beside the door, her mind scrambling for answers.

“Thank you all for coming today,” Celestia said, her voice resonating throughout the Hall. “You are some of the best and brightest in all of Canterlot. You have all worked very hard to bring some of the greatest joy to Equestria.” Her smile sharpened into a mischievous grin. “That being said, as you can probably tell from the accommodations, I may have been a little disingenuous with my invitations. As much as I would love to teach you, I’ve invited all of you here for a much more special occasion.”

Her mane danced over the left side of her face, cloaking the eye she glanced back at Cadenza with and spread her wing out just enough to keep it hidden behind her mane and beckon her forward. Cadenza blinked. Celestia kept smiling both at her and the crowd.

Then, taking a deep breath, Cadenza took a step into the Great Hall, suddenly aware of the butterflies in her stomach. The draft flowing out of the door now at her back tugged at her, urging her back to her room While her heart pounded, her curiosity pulled her forward until she passed the obscuring ridge of the staircase.

Her breath left her.

A wave of gasps went up from the crowd below. In stunned silence that followed, Cadenza and the sea of fillies and colts stared back at each other. Every one of them was bedecked in either suits or dresses. Some were absolutely radiant in their finely sewn jackets or gowns endowed with rows upon rows of gems. Yet other fillies and colts, while still dressed for the occasion and sporting meticulously combed manes and fur, wore plain shirts and dresses with maybe one or two rather small gems placed at key spots to catch the most light. A few even showed some loose threads and missing buttons.

From her position atop the stairs, Cadenza could also make out streamers wrapping around the Hall’s marble pillars. They hung above tables filled to the brim with cookies, brownies, candies, bowls of colorful juices, and a veritable trove of other snacks and drinks dispersed between vibrant clusters of balloons and other party favors. Amidst all the lively decorations, the guards by the doors appeared almost comical with their stoney expressions and hefty armor. Likewise, from where he stood beside Celestia, Mystic stuck out with his mane pulled back and tied with a silver silk ribbon, fully revealing the permanent bags under his eyes and a prominent brow that cast the upper half of his face in shadow. The brown velvet cloak draped over his back looked even more ill-fitting than the guards’ armor.

Cadenza’s knees went soft. Combined with the lightheadedness clouding her mind, it was only by the saving grace of Celestia wrapping a wing around her that Cadenza didn’t fall to the floor.

“I’d like you all to give a big greeting and happy birthday to my niece, Mi Amore Cadenza!” Celestia shouted.

It was silent for a moment more before the crowd screamed, “Happy birthday, Mi A…”

The crowd’s jubilant cry faltered. Several young ponies’ tongues rolled and jaws shifted, but the name could not fully escape their mouths. A filly or colt poked their head up here and there and puffed up his or her chest to try and call out again, but seeing everypony else still murmuring to themselves, sunk back into the crowd.

“Oh,” Celestia said before her voice swelled to fill the room once more. “How about just a ‘happy birthday’ this time? You’ll have plenty time to get to know Mi Amore during the party! Okay, ready?”

Everypony down the stairs sucked in their breath. A second too late, Cadenza realized she should have covered her ears. “Happy birthday!” the crowd boomed before exploding into cheers and stomps.

Celestia pulled her wing back with a grand flourish; Cadenza remained rooted where she stood. From some unseen alcove below her, a band started up with an energetic jazz beat. All the fillies and colts’ attention was on her. A bit of sweat collected on her brow.

“W-what is this?” she stuttered.

“Why, a party of course,” Celestia chuckled. “It’s been long overdue for a smart filly like you to meet some ponies your own age and make some friends.”

“I couldn’t agree more.”

Cadenza managed to find strength in her legs again to whip around and spot Willow descending down another staircase that connected to the main one Cadenza and Celestia stood on. Picking up speed, Willow reached Cadenza and gave her a nuzzle.

“Was a bit worried there for a second,” he said to her. “I know how you can be on your birthday, but I’m glad you at least behaved enough to not ruin the surprise.”

“You knew?” Cadenza gasped.

“Knew?” Willow grinned widely. “I made sure to ask Celestia personally to help plan this. Becoming ten is a big milestone for a growing filly, and I wanted to make sure this birthday was a happy one for you.”

“Dad…”

Cadenza felt the tears bubbling up. All the fillies and colts and even Celestia and Mystic felt very far away now. Smiling as wide as her face would allow, she latched onto Willow and hugged him tightly.

“Thank you!”

“You’re welcome, sweetie.” With a single leg, he reached up and, hesitantly, pushed her away. “I think there’s something you still need to say to somepony though.”

Willow pointed behind her, and she spun around to see Celestia smiling down at them. Blushing deeply, Cadenza felt a weight drop in her stomach. She took a deep breath and then bowed slightly.“I’m sorry for not being very nice this morning, Princ— Aunt Celestia.”

“Apology accepted.” Celestia lifted a leg and waved it over the Great Hall. “Now, go enjoy your party!”

With a smile that stretched from ear to ear, Cadenza took the first step down the stairs. Then she paused. It was not unusual for attention to be on her. Save for the confines of her own room, at least one guard always had their eyes on her. Yet their vigilant gaze combined with their rigid manner had dulled over the years to a background event; there, yet not worthy of attention in return. The vibrant gleam that filled the crowd’s faces was different. Some of them openly gaped at her while other fidgeted in place. A few tugged at their shirt collars and their dresses. Yet, nopony dared look away from her. She felt a twitch creeping up from her hooves.

Drawing breath, Cadenza continued down the stairs as the twitching tried to grab at her knees. The band continued to play a tune, though it had shifted to a more subdued beat. She could feel every weave of carpet that pressed up against her with each step she took. It made a rim of goosebumps crop up around her ankles.

By the time she was near the ground, her smile had grown small and shaky. A bead of sweat trickled down from her left temple. More sweat glistened atop her forehead. Just a few more steps away, all the fillies and colts wore similar unsteady grins that outlined similar dampened faces. White shirts and dresses were slowly turning transparent in patches and streaks.

Cadenza’s next step was followed by a rush of shuffling and the light clink of horseshoes on marble. Tightening her jaw, Cadenza took another step which was followed by the exact same noise. The stairs appeared to have grown, with a fresh gap now separating her from the fillies and colts. A glance back revealed Celestia and Willow smiling down at her from up high. They appeared to be stretching further and further away the more she stared at them. Her gut seized up, allowing more room for her heart to pound around her stomach. Her walk got wobbly. It took great effort to lift her shaking legs up and down onto another step, as the twitch bit into her shoulders and chewed up and down her back. Like before, the crowd shifted , but this time Cadenza was able to see them all move. Away from her. She couldn’t feel herself breathing.

Cadenza’s final step onto the ground echoed through the hall. The floor squirmed underneath her, threatening to break apart completely. The pillars of the Hall appeared to reach up and enclose around her as a dryness unlike anything she had ever felt turned her tongue to sandpaper. Even in the worst relapses she could recall, where flames lapped at her hooves and the pressure on her throat stole her breath, there had never been so parched.

Nopony dared to break their smile.

Then a gust of cool air washed over her. The weight in her gut lightened and she managed to gulp down a thimbleful of air past the knot in her neck. Willow tucked one wing to his side while he brought the other one down over Cadenza.

“You were looking a little nervous there,” he said.

“I…” Cadenza tucked her chin, trying to hide from all the eyes boring holes in her head. “I don’t know what to say.”

“That’s easy, sweetie, here, I’ll help.”

“No, Dad, that’s o—”

“Hello, everypony!” he shouted.

Even the band had gone silent now. His smile diminished until was little more than a slight bend of his lips. He opened his mouth to say something else but a rustle in the crowd gave him pause.

A ruby mane with streaks of radiant yellow running through it poked through the fillies and colts at the front of the crowd. A horn parted the mane to the side but the thick crowd concealed the rest of its owner’s body save for a wiggling hoof. The ponies at the front tittered, trying to accommodate the new addition, sending ripples of bemused laughter through the packed crowd.

The amber filly attached to the mane suddenly tumbled forward through the thinning lines and landed at Cadenza’s hooves. Like all the other fillies, she wore a dress that ran the length of her body, though without a trace of the frills or gems of some of the other pony’s clothes. With its owner on the ground, the light grey fabric flowed out quite a bit amongst the scrambling legs of its owner. When the filly finally got back up to her hooves, the dress shifted, showing not only faded stains running throughout the fabric, particularly at the neckline and chest, but also bright patches of white here and there.

Almost as soon as the filly was fully upright again, she bent her knee in a bow, instead of the more usual curtsy. “It’s an honor to meet you, your highness,” she squeaked. Taking a breath she raised her head, showing off bright blue eyes and the tiniest of smiles. “Your wings are very pretty.”

Cadenza blushed and pressed her wings close to her side. “T-thank you–”

“Sunset Shimmer!” Another bow. “And thank you so much for inviting me to your party!”

Cadenza managed to smile.

“Thank you for coming,” she said in a low voice. She lifted up a leg ready to reach out to Sunset, who was still in a bow, but held back. “You, uh, can stop bowing now.”

Sunset practically jumped up straight. “Oh! I’m sorry, your highness, t-that’s what my caretaker said to do!”

A few snickers sounded from the crowd. Cadenza’s ears twitched hearing them, but her attention stayed on Sunset. She guessed that Sunset was perhaps two or three years younger than her, given that her nose was level with Sunset’s horn.

“They… they must have taught you well.” Cadenza rubbed one leg against the other. “You seem nice.”

Sunset blushed deeply. “W-would you like to get something to drink?”

Cadenza felt feather brush against her back. When she looked up, she saw Willow smiling down at her. He nudged her forward.

“Have a good time, sweetie,” he said.

Turning back to Sunset, a grin putting aches in her cheeks she hadn’t felt in quite a while, Cadenza said, “Yes, I’d like that.”

“Of course, princess!”

With a triumphant smirk, Sunset spun around and led Cadenza forward. The band started up again, the steady tune kept the smile on Cadenza’s face through the menagerie of ponies all fighting for a good look at her— she’d often heard it while tucked into a corner of the library. The crowd flowed away from the two like similar poles on a magnet. As they walked, Sunset kept glancing back at Cadenza despite only being separated by inches.

“I was worried I’d never get to say hello being all the way at the back,” Sunset practically sang. “All those upper class ponies are so much bigger than me, but I was just happy to see Princess Celestia up close. I never thought I’d get to talk with an actual princess!”

“Um, right…” Cadence cast a look at her wings and then her horn. “Can you just call me my name? I don’t really like being called a princess.”

Sunset came to such a sudden halt that Cadenza nearly bumped into her. “You don’t? But you get to live in the castle, have whatever food or clothes you want, and order anypony to do what you w—”She dropped into another bow. “S-sorry.”

Seeing Sunset prostrate herself again, Cadenza tried to yank her back up but she was surprisingly dense. “No, no it’s okay. I just really don’t like being called a princess, that’s all. Okay?”

“Yes, yes, of course.” Sunset shot back up, almost sending Cadenza to the ground, but kept her eyes on her hooves. “Sorry, pri- Mi Amore Cadenza.”

“Just Cadenza is fine.”

Together, they made their way over to the table. While Cadenza lit up her horn and poured some punch into a paper cup, Sunset waited by her side. Cadenza took a giant gulp, emptying the cup. A thought struck her and she summoned a second cup beside her now empty one and filled up both.

When she turned around, she saw that a faction of the crowd had broken off and surrounded them, particularly Sunset. The variety of gemstones studding their attire made them glint like polished brass, as did the exorbitant amount of product in their finely groomed manes. Yet all their styles were dwarfed by the large colt that stood directly opposite of Cadenza. Taking a big step forward, he went into a deep bow. Unlike with Sunset though, not a single strand of his brilliant blonde mane shifted when he lowered his head.

“Forgive me, princess, but I could sit by no longer.” He straightened his back with a smile as sharp as polished glass. “It would be a dishonor to only allow you time with… certain guests.”

“I fully concur, your highness,” an olive hued filly replied while leaning a little closer to him.

“Wait…” Cadenza narrowed her eyes. “You’re a prince?”

“Why yes.” The large colt drew a hoof to his chest. “Prince Blueblood to be precise. The latest in a line that can directly trace itself all the way back to the Founding Tribes. Though, even my distinguished lineage cannot equal yours.”

Blueblood tapped at his chin and narrowed his eyes. “I must admit, my fellows and I were in quite a stupor at your entrance. Unfortunately, you were absconded with in that brief moment of shock. But please, you must tell us more of yourself. We must know just how Princess Celestia kept you hidden away from even families of our rank for so long.”

“Uh… I don’t really wanna talk about that.” Cadenza grimaced. “It’s boring anyway.”

The shrill honk of a horn drew everypony’s attention to a corner of the Hall. There stood a pony garbed in a black and white checkered costume. It was hard to tell where the clothes ended and fur began on him though due to his own snowy coat and jet mane. He appeared to grappling with some invisible item floating before him. The way he stood on his hind legs and leaned to the side while he worked gave the illusion of steadying himself against a wall.

To his left was an array of booths and tables lined with a variety of stuffed animals and other small trinkets. The miniature carnival stretched to the opposite corner of the wall where a pony with a mustache that curled up almost past his ears sat in colorful overalls. A large pad of paper rested on an easel at his side with a guard drawn with disproportionate features gracing the first page.

A small burst of flame turned everypony’s head to the the center of the games. Perched atop a large tank of water on a small diving board was a dragon with its mouth wide open, showing off its rounded fangs and a bit of the pony manipulating the costume.

“That looks pretty pretty fun,” Cadenza mused.

Sunset gave Cadenza a tap on the shoulder. A few of the well-dressed ponies gasped. “Why don’t we play then?”

“Yeah!” Cadenza smiled.

A guttural hiss escaped Blueblood’s mouth as if he’d eaten an extra-sour lemon for a split second before his features smoothed out again. The smile that followed left a spoiled taste in Cadenza’s mouth. It made her think of Pick.

“Oh, of course,” he said icily. “What an excellent show of humility, your grace. Normally, I avoid such trivial pursuits, but, obviously, for the sake of certain guests, you and Princess Celestia have chosen perfect entertainment for the day. I suppose a good show of sportsmanship is in order.”

“Um, right…” said Cadenza. “Is that a yes to playing games?”

“But of course, your grace,” Blueblood replied, showing off more of that emetic grin. “I assure you, I can win you any prize you desire.”

“I don’t really care about those.” Cadenza managed to smile. “I really just like playing with other ponies.”

Blueblood deflated slightly, especially around his stomach. “I see.”

“I say,” a voice called out. “Shall we get on it then?”

Everypony’s head turned to see a dapper colt already beside the dunk tank. A few of the balls floated above a mane which resembled an azure flame. His simple yet elegantly tailored black suit contrasted well against his white fur.

Blueblood huffed in his direction. “Fancy…”

Before he could say more though, Cadenza was already walking over. She smiled at Fancy. Rather than bow, he extended a hoof and waited for Cadenza to clasp it. It took her a moment, but she eventually responded in kind and gave him a strong shake.

“Pleasure to meet you, Mi Amore Cadenza,” he said with a grin too warm to be fake. She liked it. “Fancy Pants at your service. My apologies for not saying so earlier. Your appearance caused me quite a loss of wits temporarily.”

Cadenza raised an eyebrow. “Are ponies supposed to know me?”

“Well I’d imagine another alicorn with such a close familial linkage to Princess Celestia would cause quite a commotion. Why, you should see how often Prince Blueblood alone is the talk of the town.”

“And some ponies should know when to hold their tongues,” Blueblood said as he came up to the pair with the the rest of his group.

“Oh, my apologies, I didn’t mean to offend.” Fancy gave Blueblood a curt nod before floating a ball over to Cadenza. “Now, what say we see who can douse this dragon’s fire?”

“Okay!” Cadenza took the ball with her own magic. She faced the tank and squinted at the circular target. “Here goes.”

She leveled the ball at the red dot in its center and pulled it and her aura backwards till she felt the spell was close to snapping. She delayed her throw when something like a mix of both heat and a chill fell on her. A quick glance around revealed that while some ponies had drawn near the other games, all the attention from the fillies and colts was still on her.

Closing her eyes, she visualized the target. The tension grew tighter. Then, in a blur, the ball rocketed forward. Halfway to the its goal though, its spin caused it to shift slightly left in its trajectory. With an echoing ding the ball skimmed across the rim of the target. From within the “dragon’s” mouth, its operator’s horn lit up and sent out a small jet of flame followed by a roar amplified and deepened with a spell.

Cadenza couldn’t help but giggle at the noise. To her, it came off more like a pony smashing a cello rather than what a dragon would actually sound like. Perhaps if it had sounded a bit more like Mystic she would be sweating like Blueblood was.

“What a ghastly noise,” he huffed while dabbing himself with a handkerchief. “I see the staff have done their research into odious wyrms. I’d be more than happy to silence it.”

Cadenza glanced at Blueblood and Fancy. “Should we form a line?”

“That seems reasonable.” Fancy waved a hoof and ceded the front of the line to Blueblood, but not without a sly grin. “Have at it.”

“Yes, yes of course.”

Blueblood stepped forward and hefted the ball back with his magic. Then it shot forward like a stone from a sling. He glanced over at Cadenza just as the ball flew out of his grip. And it zipped upwards and slammed into the wall far above the target. The costumed pony let out a deep bellow and shot another stream of flames. Blueblood blushed so deeply his white coat appeared pink as he gritted his teeth.

“What a noxious game,” he spat.

He suddenly shuddered feeling Cadenza’s gaze on him. Letting out a great sigh, the color drained from his body and the sickly smile returned to his face.

“My apologies, princess. This game doesn’t appear to suit me.”

“You can try again if you want.”

“No, no, that’s quite fine.” Blueblood looked to Fancy and sharpened his grin. “Why don’t you have a go at it?”

“Certainly,” Fancy said as he lined himself up with the target.

Closing one eye, he floated a ball to the side of his head and stared at the target. He stood in that position for a good few moments, occasionally shifting a few degrees to either side or adjusting the angle of the ball.

“Fancy,” Blueblood huffed, “do you intend to keep us… do you intend to keep the princess waiting all day?”

“Of course not,” Fancy replied while keeping his head forward. “My apologies though for the delay, it’s quite a bit harder to aim when you actually have to throw a ball.” With an impish grin, he stuck out his tongue as far as it would go and squinted until his eyes were practically closed, drawing a few laughs from the group. “Alright, here goes nothing.”

The ball zoomed forward and smacked the target a few inches to the right of the center. The gears and pulleys hidden behind it groaned and the board below the costumed pony shuddered but remained aloft. This time, the pony let out a smaller roar.

“Darn,” Fancy muttered. “Oh well, there’s always next time. Care to try again, Cadenza?”

“I’m okay.” Cadenza looked back. “How about you go, Sunset?”

Scanning over the ponies around her, she saw that it was just the group that had followed Blueblood.

“Sunset?” Cadenza called out.

With the music and crowds, her voice didn’t carry far nor could she pick out Sunset amidst all the ponies. Something clicked in Cadenza’s head and she spread her wings, making everypony around her gasp. With one good hop, she flew up into the air.

Dozens of heads followed her ascent but a few burly colts nearby remained with their backs to her. Cadenza’s stomach sank seeing them looming over Sunset. With one quick flap of her wings, she zoomed down.

Kicking up a small wind when she landed, she looked to Sunset. “Hey, what are you doing back here?”

Sunset’s lip quivered a little and she let out a small sniffle. “T-these colts aren’t letting me through.”

“Hmmm?” Cadenza glared up at the two colts. They might as well have encountered a cockatrice.

“W-we just wanted Prince B-blueblood to have a chance to play with y-you, your highness,” one of them managed to choke out.

Cadenza continued to eye them for a tense second before she broke her gaze and sighed. “C’mon, Sunset. I bet you can beat the dragon.”

For the first time in her life, Cadenza enjoyed the way the colts parted before her. Marching back to the game, she lifted a ball up and floated it over to Sunset.

Sunset’s eyes were as wide as dinner plates and glistened brightly. “T-thank you, pr— Cadenza.”

A pale blue aura slowly overtook Cadenza’s own pink magic and hefted the ball backwards. Going into a small crouch, Sunset gulped and let the ball fly. It wooshed through the air and clanged right on the center of the target, causing the board to violently shake. Her face sank as the ball rolled across the ground below the target with the costumed pony still high and dry.

“Guh…” she groaned.

“That’s been the closest one yet!” Cadenza exclaimed.

Sunset sniffled and managed to smile at Cadenza. She brought a ball up between the two of them. “I bet it just needs one more hit.”

“You think?” Cadenza smiled back at Sunset and took hold of the ball.

Tightening her muscles and her spell, she angled the ball and then sent it flying. Her heart seized up when the ball plowed straight into the target’s center. With a screech, the target flew backward and sent the costumed pony into the tank. With one last roar, he sank below the water, a cloud of steam marking his utter defeat.

A round of applause exploded around Cadence. The earlier recollection of what a cloud felt like flooded back to her. It truly felt like she were up high in the air. She wanted to smile more but her face could only stretch so far.

It took a grumble from her stomach to pull her back to the ground, though she still felt as if she were at least hovering. “Guess I should’ve eaten more for breakfast.”

“Would you like us to get you something?” a chorus of voices replied.

“I… I can get it myself.” Cadenza turned to Sunset. “Do you want anything?”

“Oh, I’m fine.” Sunset’s grin widened a little. “Would you like to play Pin the Pony next?”

“Sure! I’ll be right back!”

Cadenza practically skipped over to the snack table. A muffin caught her eye, so she plucked it from its tray and took a bite. The tiny pieces of butterscotch mixed into the fluffy dough tickled wonderfully on the way down and forced her to take another bite.

“Bet you think you’re real clever,” Blueblood’s voiced hissed over the crowd. “Well, do you, urchin?”

The muffin turned to lead in Cadenza’s stomach. Taking flight, she dashed back over to the dunk tank where Blueblood’s posse had encircled him and Sunset. Her breath caught at the sight of Sunset cowering on the ground. Her dress was torn from her left shoulder all the way down to her stomach. She looked like she could break into tears at any second.

Cadenza landed like a thunderbolt. There was an undignified scrambling of ponies to escape. Turning, she threw a smoldering glare at Blueblood, eyes sparking and spitting something that tinged the edges of her vision pink. He looked beyond terrified.

“What are you doing?”

“N-nothing, your highness,” he stuttered. “T-this heathen w-wa—”

“The only one here treating me like an actual pony!” Cadenza screamed.

Her horn flashed. A series of rips cut through the air followed by the clattering of jewels across the floor. Paling, Blueblood slowly looked down to see that the buttons lining his inner vest had been sliced clean off, allowing a rather generous paunch to ooze out into the open air. He yelped and fled from the room.

A thick silence fell upon the Hall. It made the rush of wind that accompanied Willow landing beside Cadenza sting all the more. Every part of her wanted to run in a different direction. All the impulses sparking in her brain caused her to stand frozen in place.

“Mi Amore Cadenza!” he said, tone so grave it shook her to her core. “What in Equestria did you do to that poor colt?”

“No, I just… Sunset, he…”

The room was spinning. Air. She needed air. Needed to get away from all the ponies looking at her. Her horn lit up. From atop the stairs, Celestia stiffened.

“Cadenza,” Willow called out, his voice much softer now. “I… I just want to talk. You don’t have t—”

“I’m sorry!” she cried.

A burst of light exploded around her and blinded everypony. The air churned with a flap of massive wings as Celestia swooped down to where Cadenza had been. With pupils still shrunken from the flash, she scanned over the spot in thaumic vision. The only thing remaining of Cadenza in the room was a deep concentration of pink energy and a bit of smoke.

~~~

A hurricane of forces pulled Cadenza limb from limb. Her ears popped. She struggled to breath. Then, just as suddenly as the chaos had consumed her, it stopped and she fell onto hard tile.

“Ow,” she moaned.

Opening one eye, a misshapen porcelain reflection looked back at her. She slowly drew her legs under her body and wobbled to her hooves. Lurching to her right, she went into a tumble but a marble wall managed to stop her mid-fall. Bracing herself against it, she tried to take a step, but only managed to send a wave of nausea up her throat. With a sickly belch, she sunk back to the floor and put her back to the wall. She recalled the advice Dr. Pick often gave her and tried taking slow, steady breaths while closing her eyes.

If that failed, at least there was a toilet beside her.

“Hello?”

Cadenza froze. Only through virtue of not being able to move her legs did she convince her stomach to not empty itself right then and there. From within the stall she was in, she couldn’t see anypony through its unlocked door.

Then hooves clinked against the tiled floor. Blueblood’s jewels had sounded the same. Sweat dripped down Cadenza’s face.

Oh no, she thought.

“Um, is somepony else here?” the other pony called out. “That sounded pretty bad. Do you want me to get a guard?”

“No!” Cadenza shrieked.

“Wait a minute…” the pony said, voice now low and questioning. “Are you a filly?”

“J-just go away!”

“Me? You’re the one in the wrong bathroom!”

Hooves raced across the floor. Cadenza scrunched into a corner and hugged her stomach. It roiled under her hooves. The door wooshed inwards, skimming past her nose. A pony’s shadow fell over her and she shuddered.

“Oh…” he said in a low voice. “Look if you’re upset or something, I—”

His breath caught in his throat. Cadenza dared to look up. Standing over her was a colt slightly taller than her. A mane of various shades of blue fell down his neck and a bit over his face. Both it and the gleaming shield on his flanks stood out amongst the white fur that covered the rest of his body save for his tail. His fur appeared to be growing whiter by the second.

“Holy Buck!” he shouted and then, “Don’t tell anypony I said that!”

Author's Note

The colt of the hour makes his appreance.