Those two.
Really, them?
Yes.
You're positive?
...
Fiiiine.
Cadance's targets were on the opposite side of the cafeteria, meandering their way toward the staff lounge with a group of fellow teachers. The Unicorn stallion, Gentle Glow, taught remedial magic and frequently tutored students after hours—Cadance had spent quite a bit of time with him catching up on years of previously unnecessary instruction—and the Earth Pony mare a few paces behind him taught... Social Studies, maybe?
"Little nudges," she murmured to herself.
Her wings twitched as she called magic into her horn—a tic she found more annoying by the day, but would, she hoped, eventually grow out of—and set it to task. Across the room, Gentle Glow, face buried in a stack of levitating papers, failed to notice the leftover balloon from Nightmare Night find its way to the ground in front of him.
The pop made him shriek like a filly and jump backward, tossing his papers everywhere. The mare, fortunately, didn't seem to mind at all having him bump into her. Even from so far away and over the surprised yelps of other children, Cadance could hear her laughing as she helped him pick up his mess.
That's it?
The Threads of Fate are now tied.
I think I'm getting pretty good at this.
So it was written in the stars when Time was young.
Do you have to finish every conversation like that?
Cadance lingered at her locker after grabbing her "Intermediate Ethical Thaumaturgy" book and watched her classmates walk through the halls.
I thought there would be more Threads the closer we got to Hearts and Hooves day, but I don't see any more than normal.
Your perception requires further refinement.
"I'm doing my best out here, jerk."
"Uhh, I'm sure you are," came a voice from a few lockers down.
"Oh! Shining Armor, hey. I was just... talking out loud. Sorry." Cadance's eyes darted around searching for, and failing to find, any better followup excuse.
Shining Armor closed his locker and looked at her, his muzzle scrunched up in thought. "Isn't that how everypony talks?"
"...Yes?"
"Okay. Good talk." Shining Armor rubbed the back of his neck. "See you around," he said as he started off to class.
"Wait!" Cadance half yelled, maneuvering herself in front of him. "Do you have your eye on anypony special for Hearts and Hooves Day?"
"Heh, well... there is this one mare in my Maths class. She's pretty great, you probably don't know her, but she—"
Cadance half listened to him carry on about his crush while she concentrated on the thread protruding from Shining's chest. It came out directly toward her for a few inches before making a hairpin turn toward... Cadance didn't care who or where. It wasn't her, and that's all that mattered.
If Threads can be tied, doesn't that also mean...
No.
They can be cut? Re-tied?
Do not attempt this.
But I really like him. I've helped so many ponies find love, don't I deserve a shot, too?
You are a courier of Fate, not an Author.
What's the worst that could happen?
Cadenza—
Cadence called up her magic, heart racing and wings twitching for the first time in a few years, and grabbed at Shining's Thread. She closed her eyes, then, with surprisingly little effort, snapped it, and pulled the end close to herself.
"Whoa," Shining Armor said looking down and rubbing a hoof against his chest. "Did I have something on my coat?" When he looked up at Cadence again his cheeks flushed and his ears twitched.
"I got it," she replied. "Just a loose thread."
Cadance sat alone in the dark. The combination of the cold, jagged rock, her hunger, and the recurring nightmare of little un-ponies chittering in the dark made it difficult to sleep for very long.
This is my fault, isn't it? Cadance asked, not really expecting an answer. My punishment?
Your present circumstances are not punishment, no.
"Then what in the world is this? Just a stroke of bad luck?" she yelled, echoing 'bad luck' around her little cave over and over again.
Fate, nothing more. Not all things written are pleasant, but all things have a purpose.
Do you have any good news in that all-knowing voice of yours, or just more fortune cookie nonsense?
...
I thought as mu—
—You may not know what will be, but, if you desire, you may know what would have been. Though it may not be much comfort.
Cadance rolled herself to her back as her stomach growled weakly. Has to be better than listening to my heartbeat in my ears, right? Tell me a story.
Your assailant is Chryssalis, Queen of the Changelings. Their kind feed on love and leave only empty shells of the creatures they feast upon. As the Princess of Love, you were an obvious target for her to capture and replace. However, she did not count on Twilight Sparkle being so tenacious and astute. Few ever do.
Can't say I'm surprised Twilight saves the kingdom twice. She's growing up so well.
Incorrect. She saves you after discovering the imposter and being banished to these same caves, and Shining Armor saves Canterlot.
My Shiny saves the city?
He would have, yes. Defeating the Queen and shielding the city from her army would mark today as the day he became a national hero, like Twilight Sparkle, as well as a husband.
Cadance sat herself upright, nearly passing out from the sudden exertion. He'd be getting married today to... that other mare. I haven't thought about her in so long, I forgot she even existed. I forgot I robbed somepony of the love of their life.
No. I robbed two ponies.
...
I know you won't tell me the future, but can you tell me what's happening out there right now? she asked, face sinking toward her hooves.
Your wedding is set to begin soon.
"Oh that's rich," she said, rolling her eyes. I guess histories... or futures... presents, I guess, repeat?
No, but they often rhyme. Also, Cadenza... knock knock.
Cadance looked up, confused. Are... are you trying to tell a joke right now?
The wall in front of her exploded, revealing an angry Twilight Sparkle.
Cadance knocked on the door to Celestia's private room. A soft yellow glow pushed through the keyhole as the door opened from the inside. "Thanks for making time to see me on such short notice, Aunt Celestia."
Celestia motioned toward the pillows on the opposite side of the short table she liked to sit at while doing late night paperwork and eating entirely too many snacks. Tonight, at least, she grazed on an assortment of fruits, rather than her usual confectionary fare, which was a sore disappointment to Cadance as she desperately wanted to drown her worries in Death by Chocolate and fried pickles.
"It's not often you pull the 'auntie' card these days. It's a nice surprise, if we're being honest."
"I missed you, too," Cadance said, hugging Celestia before taking a seat at the table. "So, here's the thing. I, sort of-kind of, ehhhhh maybe a little bit..."
"You bucked up," Celestia finished, taking a sharp bite out of an apple slice.
"That, yes! Exactly. So, so badly. 'I think I might be a villain' level of bad."
"Here's what we do: I'll have Inkwell ghost write some smear articles—we can fill in names later—and have them published anonymously in the major population centers between here and the Crystal Empire. You and I will travel to the frozen Nothing beyond Yak Yakistan to hide the body, and then we'll pin the whole thing on Twilight."
"Hurricane's hauberk, I didn't murder anypony!"
"Oh." Celestia bit into a pear. "Then I'm sure we can work through whatever the problem is without resorting to criminal conspiracy and a propaganda campaign. I didn't want to go to Yak Yakistan anyway. Dreadfully dry this time of year, you know."
"That's part of the problem! I abused my power on an existential level and I feel guilty—I've felt guilty for years because seriously if you open one piece of mail that isn't yours the Post Office fires you forever, but manipulate the fabric of Fate to land a cute boyfriend as a teenager and poof!—everything keeps basically working out just fine for everypony."
Celestia pushed her fruit platter aside. "I almost wish you had committed a capital offense, Cadance. Disturbing destiny can have consequences that impossible to predict. Even if it looks like things are going well, there may yet be dangers or alterations waiting to surprise us."
Celestia sat quietly for a moment while Cadance shuffled in her seat. "Did you force Shining Armor to fall in love with you?"
"Worse than that. I stole his Thread and I... I can't tie it to mine, I was wrong about that, but I've been holding on to it all this time. Even when I was pouring everything I had into shielding the Crystal Empire years ago I kept a little magic tucked away, holding him close to me. I know I should have let him go years ago and—" Cadance started crying directly into her hooves "—I know it's the right thing to do, to let him be free to find the mare he was supposed to marry years ago, but I'm terrified of losing him, and then Twilight once she finds out what I did and now..." Cadance looked up from her tear soaked hooves, hoping in vain for something, anything, to interrupt her. "I'm pregnant."
"Clearly, my dear niece," Celestia said, wiping the tears and runny mascara off of Cadance's face with a napkin, "we have some catching up to do. Breathe for me, nice and slow, and then start at the beginning."
I never thought to ask before, but am I even allowed to tell anypony about you?
Your actions your own to chose, as always.
I was hoping for a straight yes or no, but you're right. If I can't trust Aunt Celestia then I'm in more trouble than I thought.
And so the niece told the aunt everything, about the guiding voice, about the red threads she saw that told her who was destined to be together, about helping ponies be in the right place to find their love, and about how she had selfishly taken one for herself in a fit of youthful impulsiveness.
Celestia, after being quite sure that Cadance was finished, pushed the fruit platter over to her niece. "I think you'll feel better on a full stomach."
Having exhausted her voice, tears, and emotional wellspring for the day, Cadance obliged without complaint before laying on her side with a contented sigh and dozing off.
Celestia moved Cadance over to the bed where she'd sleep more comfortably for the night, then retreated back to her work desk. She pulled out a fresh parchment from the top drawer, set quill to ink, then sat still to collect her thoughts before writing a note for Cadance to find in the morning. She paused after every sentence, having far less experience in matters of family than she would admit out loud.
Satisfied after a few minutes of quill work, she read the note to herself while the ink dried before rolling it up and tucking it just under Cadance's pillow.
"Luna keep you tonight, my dear."
Dearest Cadance,
I can not, nor would I if I could, absolve you of the guilt you feel for your actions. Not because I wish for you to suffer, far from it, but because the feelings and tears you shared with me tonight crystallized an important truth which you have forgotten.
You are not a bad pony.
Good ponies sometimes do bad things, for reasons which outnumber the stars and are often just as unknowable.
The magnitude of your mistakes is amplified by your power and position. That is a lesson I learned the hard way long ago, and one I should have taken greater care to teach you when I first took you under my tutelage. In neglecting to do so I have failed you not only as en elder princess, but also—dare I even write it now—as a mother figure, though you were already so grown when you came to me. The past can't be changed for either of us, so allow me instead to model the most valuable tool for correcting any mistake, no matter the gravity:
I'm sorry.
A sincere apology is necessary to begin mending any wounded heart, no matter which side of a wrongdoing one finds themselves upon.
You are a good pony, my dearest niece, and I have absolute faith that you know the right thing to do. No matter how the effects of your choice years ago ripple across the years, your home in my heart remains secure.
Love,
Celestia
"Mom!" Flurry Heart yelled as she and Twilight spotted Cadance sunning herself on her favorite balcony.
"Daughter!" she yelled back, pulling Flurry into a tight hug when she finally got close enough. "Did you have a good time with your aunt and grandparents in Canterlot?" Cadance ran her hoof through Flurry's mane, checking for bumps, bruises, detritus, or any other wayward signs of too much adventure.
"You bet I did! Grandma took me bungie jumping—it was scarier than I thought it would be since my wings were tied down—and snorkling, Grandpa and I spent a ton of time at the Observatory, and Aunt Twilight..." Flurry looked around before leaning up to whisper in her mother's ear, "took me to the Starswirl Archive in the Canterlot Library. Wouldn't let me look at any dangerous books though," she said, ears falling flat for a split second.
"We were just passing by, really." Twilight rolled her eyes. "Besides, I don't even use the spells we keep in there."
"Except for that one time," Cadance prodded.
Twilight's ears pinned down as she pointed her hoof at her accuser. "We don't talk about the Eyepatch Incident."
"I'll tell you later," Cadance whispered into Flurry's ear. "But speaking of ancient history, I need to talk to your aunt for a minute, so why don't you go find your father? He'll be happy to see you."
"Sure thing." Flurry hugged her mother and aunt goodbye before doing a running front flip off the edge of the balcony.
"Dash came to visit."
"I figured as much." The two mares laughed together for a brief and beautiful moment.
"So," Twilight offered, "you seem very calm, so I'm guessing we're not expecting the return of an ancient evil or anything that dramatic."
"Sort of the opposite, actually." Cadance sighed deeply. "A long time ago, before you and I met and when I barely knew Shining Armor, I did something I shouldn't have; something I had the power, but no right, to do. A lot of things happened, a lot of things changed—" her eyes darted to Twilight's wings for an instant "—because of what I did, and short of time travel I can't change that and no I'm not going to try time travel, calm down." She looked down at her hooves for a moment, then took a breath to bolster her courage. "One abuse of power doesn't fix another. All I can do now is rectify the mistake, ask for forgiveness, and take the consequences as they come."
Twilight draped a wing around her sister-in-law. "We're family. There's nothing we can't get through together. I'm sure of it."
Cadance's heart broke a little as her wing twitched. She gathered up enough magic to make her horn hurt and used it to enchant the nearest few inches of Shining Armor's Thread that she kept near her all these years so that Twilight could see it.
"Do you know what this is?" she asked, breathing heavily.
"It's a bit of... magic string? Yarn? Weird piece of magically resistant filament from a long-lost magical experiment?" Twilight rubbed her hoof under her chin trying to work out the puzzle.
"Hehe, never change, Twilight." Cadance stared at the bit of Fate she held in her hoof while she took several calming breaths until her heart slowed back to normal. She looked at Twilight, still lost in thought, one more time before taking a final deep breath. Her hoof moved to her mouth, her magic dissipated, and she blew slowly and gently.
"Just a loose thread."
Author's Note
Expanded from the Bronze medal winner of the 113th WriteOff, "Ship It"** In no small part from the ardent encouragement of No Raisin, so blame him.
