The sun hung low at the edge of the sky, dyeing the horizon in shades of violet and rose. It deepened the color of the stained windows into half-shadow. Cadence stood silently, her face upturned to the panel depicting six mares united in friendship as they faced down the Nightmare that had brought them together. Her eyes were drawn to one lavender unicorn in particular.
“Mi Amore Cadenza.”
Cadence jumped, her wings ruffled and half flared in surprise before she hastily refolded them in an attempt to regain her composure and turned to face the pony that had addressed her.
“Princess Celestia!” She almost spluttered. She moved to bow only to pause halfway through. She was meant to bow, wasn’t she? Did princesses bow to other princesses?
She covered her hesitance with a small cough and decided to launch into a conversation in an attempt to cover her awkwardness. “Forgive me, princess, I was not expecting you to be here.”
“You did not expect to find me within my own home?” Celestia said. Cadence cursed herself for the rude fumble and was about to launch into an apology when she realized that the princess was giggling. Had the Princess of the sun been teasing her? “Please Cadence, there is no need to be so formal. Feel free to call me Celestia.”
The monarch’s smile was polite as she walked over to Cadence. As the multicolored prisms of light fell over her, Cadence couldn’t help but cast an eye to the sun, which was clearly setting through the colored glass.
“I do not mean to intrude,” she began hesitantly, “but considering the sun I would have thought that perhaps you would have retired for the evening.”
Was that too personal? Or perhaps she was still being too formal. Exactly how formal were you supposed to be with the princess of the sun?
“Normally you would be correct; however my sister has yet to return to Canterlot.” Celestia said. Then she dropped Cadence a wink and lowered her voice into a conspiratorial whisper. “Personally, I think she may have overslept.”
Cadence had to press a hoof over her mouth to repress a giggle. She suddenly felt vaguely compelled to explain her own presence in the hall. “I came to see Shining Armor. We were going to spend the evening together, but his duties in the guard are taking longer than to complete than he expected.”
She ruffled her feathers uncomfortably. Shining Armor had been working so hard since their wedding. She’d been hoping that a quiet evening together would help him to relax, but unfortunately it was not to be. In the ensuing silence Cadence found her eyes drawn back to the windows. She’d heard it said that there was a window for every major event in Equestrian history. Perhaps there was one for her own wedding?
Although if there was, it would probably have more to do with the Changelings than the marriage.
“Um...Celestia, have you quite recovered?” She asked.
The sun princess’s voice was courteously puzzled. “Recovered?”
“At my wedding, when you fought the Changeling Queen, you seemed seriously hurt.”
“Thank you for your concern, Cadence, but I assure you that I am fine. We alicorns are most resistant to injuries.” Celestia’s tone was still polite, but something about the fading light that fell on them, tinted by Equestria’s history, warmed the monarch’s cool expression into real concern. “If I may ask, how is Shining Armor?”
“Well, after the whole fiasco with the Changelings and the wedding Twilight insisted on checking up on him, because apparently almost no-one in Equestria knows anything about Changeling magic and she thought it might have some kind of lingering effect, and I was so worried when I heard that but she said he was fine. And it’s been months and he still seems fine so she must be right, which is great!”
Celestia gave her a small knowing smile. “It is clear that you care for Shining Armor a great deal.”
“Of course!” Cadence burst out. “He’s charming and nice, polite and funny, and so terribly romantic when he wants to be. But it’s more than that. Maybe it’s because we basically grew up together when I spent all those years foal sitting Twilight but,” she hesitated, “I’m just Cadence to him. Not ‘alicorn Cadence’ or ‘Princess of love Cadence’. Just me.”
For a moment, the sun princess’s pale lilac eyes misted over with a look that was both deep and introspective. “Hmm. For us, it can be rare to find a pony who sees beyond the wings and magic to the mare underneath. Rare and precious. You are most fortunate, Cadence.”
Cadence pawed at the carpet with a front hoof. She had barely spoken of this to anyone. Even with Shining Armor she had glossed over the details and spoken in the loosest of terms. It wasn’t right to speak ill of her parents, but perhaps in another alicorn she might find a kindred spirit; someone who would truly understand, and she felt a sudden need to unburden the thoughts she had kept quite so long onto the princess.
“Prin - Celestia I... Growing up, everypony always treated me differently, even my parents. I don’t think that it was intentional; it was just... there was so much expectation, all the time. It was always ‘Our little filly Cadence, she’s an alicorn. She’s going to do great things, just you wait and see.’ But I could never live up to that, so when I was walking I heard Twilight’s parents asking around for a foal sitter and decided to take the job. I wanted to show my parents that I was normal, that I could just be a regular unicorn too. They didn’t understand. They never said it, but I could tell they felt that I had let them down. All those years and I had nothing to show for it but a job sitting foals.”
There was bitterness at the back of Cadence’s throat, like the silent stale disappointment of her parents. She half turned away from Celestia, her eyes downcast, and a little memory shifted to the forefront of her mind; two huge purple eyes and a sunshine sweet smile. She unconsciously matched it with a smile of her own. “It didn’t matter though, because Twilight was the sweetest little filly I had ever met, and to her I wasn’t the alicorn princess. I was just the Number One Foal Sitter In Equestria.”
When Cadence met Celestia’s eyes again she saw the sympathy and kindness there that she had hoped for but hadn’t quite been expecting.
“Such are the burdens of royalty. When I learned that one branch of the royal family had birthed a foal whose appearance expressed her ancient alicorn heritage I knew that, even without the true power and immortality that Luna and I posses, you would have expectations to rival ours placed at your hooves. But in not allowing them to define who you are, Cadence, you have, in your own way, more than met them.” Celestia said.
Cadence’s smile shrank to become small and bittersweet. “I doubt mother and father would say that.”
Celestia stood between Cadence and the darkening window, and she found her eyes drawn past the princess to the angular Twilight in the glass. A stray thought struck her. “My parents never wanted to meet Twilight, but I think they’d like her. She’s actually done all of the amazing things that they expected me to do. I haven’t heard from her since she went back to Ponyville, but I suppose she must be very busy.” Cadence felt the familiar pang of lonely separation that accompanied thoughts of ponies you were once close with but now rarely saw anymore. “She hasn’t even taken the time to write to her brother.”
“It has been quite some time since Twilight was in Canterlot.” Celestia reflected. Then with the air of one confiding a great secret she said; “which is why I have invited her to visit the place in the next few weeks while my own royal duties are not too overwhelming. Perhaps you would also care to grace the place more often when she is here?”
Cadence felt a beam of joy explode in her chest. To see Twilight again so soon? “That would be wonderful!”
Celestia smiled. “In truth, I actually came down here to tell you that specifically. Please inform Shining Armor that the invitation extends to him as well.”
“Thank you so much, Princess Celestia. I’m sure he must be finished by now. I’ll go tell him right away.”
Cadence hadn’t realized how much she had missed Twilight until the possibility of seeing her again had thrown the desire into sharp relief, and Shining Armor would be overjoyed to see his sister again. She almost bounced out of the hall, trotting off to go and tell him the good news.
~
Celestia spent a moment to watch Cadence prance out the door and out of sight. She turned to the far end of the hall, where the night-time shadows had gathered dark and thick.
“I am sure that it is safe to come out now, Luna.”
The midnight blue form of her younger sister emerged almost sheepishly.
“Forgive me fair sister. I had no wish to intrude.” Luna said as she descended the steps to join Celestia where she stood in the now strong moonlight. Luna tipped her head to the door by which Cadence had left. “You worry for her.”
Celestia sighed. “It has been a long time since the royal line produced a mortal alicorn. She may never find a place amongst ponies who have forgotten she could even exist. I simply hope to comfort her where I can.”
Luna made a sound that was almost a snort, causing Celestia to shoot her an incredulous glance. “I feel that between such a loving husband and a valiant sister young Cadence will find a place to belong as much as any other mare. She merely needs time to see this.”
Celestia had always looked to her sister for an alternate view on events, knowing that the difference in their natures meant that together they possessed a more balanced view of the world than alone. In this case Luna’s opinion was a comforting one to agree with, and it rang with more than a hint of truth.
Celestia nodded. “I suppose she will. With time.”
