"Commander Tempest -- there you are!"
Tempest Shadow turned to look back up the palace corridor, and saw Captain Shining Armor hurrying towards her. Reaching her, the blue-maned unicorn skidded to a halt, glanced up and down the corridor's length, then lowered his voice.
"I need your help, Tempest. It's about Princess Cadance."
Tempest exchanged a discreet smile with Twilight Sparkle, whom she was escorting back from a late-afternoon delve into the Relic Room of the Canterlot Archives.
Then the maroon, black-armored unicorn put on her best lofty, austere poker-face, and gazed levelly at the agitated stallion.
"I'm sorry Captain, I haven't a clue what she'd like for your anniversary."
"Uh... our what?" Shining Armor stared at her.
"Why, the twelfth day since you proposed, of course." Tempest eyed him narrowly. "You hadn't forgotten, had you? You want her to think you're serious about this thing, right?"
"Yeah, but I... what's that have to... uhh..." He ran down, a worried look on his face. "It's that important?"
"Oh, absolutely," Tempest replied. "It's these little unexpected remembrances that really count in a relationship."
"Ah. Right. I'll... get right on that." Shining Armor thought frantically. "Er... you really have no idea what she'd like?"
Tempest eyed him sourly. "Do I look like a mare who gets chocolate and flowers from swooning suitors?" Then she tilted her head, smiling. "But just at a guess... something with lace might not go amiss. And frills, too."
"Lace and frills..." Shining Armor's horn flared, his magic pulled a notebook and quill from his armor pocket, and he began rapidly jotting notes. "Lace and frills. Got it..."
"And horseshoes. Iron, of course, not steel." Tempest shook her head warningly. "Alloys send entirely the wrong message."
"Horseshoes... iron not steel, check..."
"And a live chicken," Tempest said smoothly, smirking as he scribbled it down without even thinking about it. "Cage-free, of course."
"Cage-free, good point. Knowing Cadance, she might ask..."
Twilight couldn't help giggling at that.
"Tempest, will you quit yanking my brother please? You're going to force me to take his side here, and I'm having way too much fun listening to this!"
Shining Armor looked up, shocked, to see both of them grinning at him. "Very funny, you two." Frowning, he put away notebook and quill. "Now, if we can keep this serious for a bit? There's actually a Guard issue I need your help with, Commander."
"Of course." Tempest came to attention and eyed him impassively. "How may I be of help to you, soldier?"
Shining Armor stared at her, confused. Then he realized she was speaking from rank -- her rank, which technically at least, by royal fiat, did outstrip his own.
Sighing resignedly, Shining Armor went on.
"It's Cadance -- I think she's sleepwalking! The past few nights the Guard have come across her in various rooms of the palace, staring blankly at a bookcase or stretch of wall. When she's wakened, she has no idea where she is or how she got there. The last couple nights it's happened more than once. I'm worried about her."
"So?" Tempest shrugged. "Post a guard at her door. Problem solved."
"Did that," Shining Armor replied. "Plus another watching her balcony. This is an alicorn we're talking about. She must be teleporting, but it seems completely random, almost as if even she doesn't know where she's teleporting to. And I'm concerned she might accidentally teleport herself straight into a pillar or wall."
Twilight gasped. "Have you talked with her about it?"
"Of course!" Shining Armor frowned. "And she's certain she doesn't sleepwalk. She can't explain it, but she thinks it's just a temporary phase that'll pass, like magic surges. Nothing I say convinces her otherwise."
"Well, what am I supposed to do about it?" Tempest asked. "I'm a soldier -- and an honorary one at that. Not a mage-physic."
"I want to post a guard in her quarters," Shining Armor said. "So when this happens we'll have a clue why. Maybe she's having a bad dream, and trying to escape from it. Maybe it's something else. We won't know unless somepony's there at the time, watching her."
"Aha." Tempest nodded. "And it can't be you, because you're her intended." She snorted. "Twilight was right, Shiny. You are a prude."
Shining Armor stared at her, then Twilight, in shocked astonishment.
"Ahem..." Twilight said gently, "I'm pretty sure I said traditionalist?"
"I stand corrected." Tempest replied. "But seriously, it's the eleventh century, Shiny. You don't need a chaperone. No one would think any less of you for standing a watch over your own fiancé."
"I would!" Shining Armor grated. "But as it happens, I'm not the issue here, it's Cadance! She thinks I'm being silly about all this, and she won't hear of me setting a guard to watch over her. Not even Lieutenant Rose! I was hoping that, well... maybe you might talk with her, Tempest? Pony-to-pony? Get her to see reason?"
Tempest rolled her eyes. "Why does everypony assume just because I'm a mare, I somehow have the magic decoder key to the mare mind?" Then she shrugged. "I can talk to her, at least. Can't promise any more than that."
"At this point," Shining Armor replied, "anything would help."
Tempest glanced at Twilight, who quickly nodded agreement. Then the Commander led the three of them back up the corridor, then left and up the flight of stairs leading into the royal wing. Finally they trooped up several winding flights of stairs to the upper tower suite occupied by Princess Cadance.
The pink, particolor-maned alicorn was pacing back and forth across her study, her wings twitching unsettledly. Then she came to an abrupt halt and looked up, as Tempest rapped lightly on the open door.
Cadance glared. "Yes, Commander?" she asked sternly.
"Afternoon, Your Highness." Tempest strode casually into the room, with Twilight and Shining Armor following close behind her. "I've heard tell you've been having some difficulty sleeping lately. I have a suggestion to offer, which might help."
"Oh, really?" Cadance drew herself up proudly, clearly unwilling to be persuaded. "And what might that be?"
Tempest walked right up to her, stared levelly at her, eye-to-eye.
And then smirked.
"How would you feel about hosting a slumber party?"
Cadance went wide-eyed. "What?"
"I'm sure Twilight and the gang would be more than happy to assist in keeping you company for the evening."
"I'll say!" Twilight said, excitedly. "I don't think I've ever been to a slumber party! That's a great idea, Tempest!"
Tempest nodded. "And of course, I'd be happy to join in as well." She gave Cadance a look of utter innocence. "Assuming you have no objection to a member of the Guard being present? Just to be sure that nothing happens to Twilight and her friends?"
Cadance opened her mouth as if to object. Then she shut it, realizing she'd been expertly out-maneuvered. "That sounds like a great idea, Commander. And no, I don't object to you being present. Provided it's really Twilight and her friends you're keeping an eye on." She raised an eyebrow reprovingly... and totally destroyed the look by being unable to stop smiling at the same time.
Tempest nodded. "That sounds fine to me, Your Highness."
"Me too!" Twilight said eagerly. "We'll go round up the gang and be back, uh... want to say right after sundown?"
"Suits me," Cadance said. "I'll get everything ready here." She gently tugged a bell-rope with her magic. "I think I remember how these things go. And I'm looking forward to it, myself! I'll see all you then... and thank you, Tempest."
"My pleasure, Your Highness." Tempest bowed courteously.
The three ponies took their leave then, filing out of the room and heading back downstairs. And as they went, Tempest glanced at Shining Armor.
Smugly.
"That," she said, "is why you call in the professionals..."
On being told about the party, Cheese Sandwich immediately offered to help organize it. In record time he'd festooned Cadance's suite with streamers and balloons, as well as arranging for more practical supplies like snacks and drinks. He'd even somehow managed, at Cadance's request, to provide double-quilted sleeping bags for her guests -- and each sleeping bag had its pony's colors and cutie-mark on it. "Oh, I've had those on order for a while," Cheese said blithely, when asked. "The ol' cheesy sense told me they might be needed at some point!"
Then Cheese left them all to it, taking Spike, Grubber, and Shining Armor away with him, saying only that he'd arranged an appropriate "guys' night" entertainment for the four of them.
"Probably an all-night session of Ogres and Oubliettes," Twilight whispered, making the others laugh. "Ever since Shiny included Spike as a spear-carrier in an adventure, Spike just can't get enough of it."
The ponies all made themselves comfortable, with Cadance sitting on her own bed and Twilight's group arranged on their sleeping bags in a semicircle beside it. And then they all looked at each other, unsure where to start.
"I don't think I've ever been to something like this before," Starlight Glimmer said. "I mean, Sunburst and I would hold marathon sessions playing Dragon Pit, but that's not the same thing, is it?"
"I'm sure my friends from CHS would've invited me to a slumber party," Sunset said, a little regretfully. "If I'd only hung around with them a little while longer."
"And the crowd I used to hang out with," Tempest Shadow said somberly, "didn't exactly go in for warm and fluffy stuff like this... at all."
"Not to worry," Twilight said. "We've got all we need to know, right here." She held up a book with her magic.
"Slumber 101," Sunset read. "All You Ever Wanted to Know About Slumber Parties But Were Afraid to Ask."
Trixie snorted. "Only you would have a book on something like this, Twilight!"
"Actually, it's Moondancer's," Twilight said, flipping the book open and paging through it. "Though I do have my own copy."
"I came across it a while back, " Moondancer said sheepishly. "It sounded like so much fun. I always hoped I'd be able to use it one day. But I've never had the chance before."
Trixie sniffed. "The Great and Perpetually Busy Trixie has never really had time for such things," she said loftily, "what with being on the road with my magic show all the time, but, well..." She glanced around at them. "Trixie is kind of curious about how this is supposed to go, too."
"Not to worry," Cadance said brightly. "As I'm sure Cheese would tell us, a party is what you make of it, and it's as unique as the guest-list. And you're such a smart, creative bunch, I'm sure we'll get the hang of it in no time. So, Twilight, where does the book suggest we start?"
The page Twilight had flipped to happened to suggest doing makeovers, so they gave that a try, just for completeness' sake. However, since none of the six unicorns was of a particularly dressy turn of mind, it didn't get much further than hoof-polishing and mane-styling. And Tempest categorically refused to allow anyone near her mane or makeup. "Only Grubber can get my looks just the way I like them," she explained curtly.
Next they tried gossiping, but given how few other ponies they actually knew, this almost immediately drifted into a technical discussion of spell efficiency. Which, in turn, devolved into the inevitable religious debate over magic allocation and reclamation, and iterative versus tail-recursive spell construction.
Cadance, deftly sensing the mood of her guests, suggested an activity like making popcorn. Which went a little better, since it quickly turned into a free-for-all to see whose magic could send the popped kernels flying the farthest. Then they did magelight bubbles: small drifting spheres of enchanted soap that shimmered in all the colors of magic as they drifted about the darkened room. It took real skill and focus to include the entire magic spectra, including types that a pony's own horn wasn't naturally attuned to, so it was an interesting enough challenge to keep them occupied for quite a while.
Then they took a break and made s'mores, which were gooey, tasty, and incidentally a source of debate over the correct way to make them, hence another welcome diversion. And then, in lieu of friendship bracelets, Moondancer led the group in making hexahexaflexagons -- although really, it was only Cadance who hadn't done flexagons before. And that started the usual, never-settled debate over the most efficient way to make one, and how to find all the hidden faces the folded-paper toys actually had.
They briefly attempted a pillow-fight, which was fun for a few minutes but came to an abrupt end when Tempest, seeing Twilight unaware of a cushion heading right at her face, instinctively blasted it with her magic. This filled the room with smoke and charred feathers, which took quality time to clean up.
Seeing how quiet and embarrassed everyone looked after that, Trixie leapt into a small-scale rendition of her magic show. She read hooves, guessed cards, and pulled hoofkerchiefs from ears. And even though they'd seen many of the tricks before, Trixie's exuberant, over-the-top presentation -- and occasional hilarious fail -- made it a fun distraction. Even Cadance was laughing out loud by the end, prompting Trixie to take several deep, self-satisfied bows.
And then, as an encore, Trixie somehow managed to pull off an actual disappearing act, using neither smoke-bombs nor teleportation. And she smugly refused to tell a baffled Starlight Glimmer how she'd done it. "When you're ready, my Great and Powerful Assistant," she said mysteriously. "When you're ready..."
Sensing they needed something quiet and relaxing after that, Sunset unpacked a guitar she'd brought along and strummed a few popular folk tunes for them, including one mildly disreputable folksong about a distracted Star Swirl teaching the twelve basic forms of structured magic to his assistant Clover the Clever. This quickly had the group in stitches, and they giggled louder and louder as they sang along with each chorus.
After that there followed a lengthy session of conversation on random topics, punctuated by late-night snacks like pizza and fresh-baked cookies. So it was very late indeed when Cadance finally yawned and reluctantly suggested they call it a night -- or morning, as the case might be.
"Oh, wait!" Twilight objected, paging rapidly through the book, "we haven't even done ghost stories yet!"
Cadance looked doubtful at that. "I don't know, Twilight. If the goal was to get me worn out so I'd sleep better, it's worked! I'm feeling good and drowsy right now, and listening to spooky stories is liable to just get me all keyed up again."
"Well, then," Twilight offered, "maybe we should read you a story, to help you fall asleep? That always worked with me when you were foal-sitting me."
Cadance smiled at the memory. "I think I'm a little old for bedtime stories," she said gently. "But how about I tell you girls a story? It's even mildly spooky, so it probably counts..."
With the other ponies settled comfortably around the edges of her bed, Cadance doused the room lights with her magic, then glanced around ominously at them. "Our story begins in a dark, scary forest, even darker and scarier than the Everfree. In which there was a young pegasus filly, lost and all alone. She didn't have a clue where she was. She didn't know how she'd gotten there. Or even who she was. She couldn't remember anything!"
Twilight's eyes widened, and she settled in eagerly to listen. She'd been hoping to hear this story from Cadance for quite some time. And from the look on the Princess's face, Cadance knew it too and had been saving it for just such an occasion. The other ponies leaned closer as well, intrigued.
"The filly looked around, at the darkness and shadows," Cadance went on. "She heard sounds all around her, getting closer. They sounded like pony voices, but speaking in a strange, gutteral, almost unintelligible accent..."
She paused, lofting her hooves fearfully, dramatically...
And then went on in a sharp farm twang: "Awww, would'ja lookit that now, Hay Bale? The dear little mite looks plum spook'd! Wha's your name, honey-pot?"
The ponies all giggled. But Cadance just shrugged. "Well, what did you expect? It was deep in farm country on the northern plains. Anyways, the little filly looked around at the approaching ponies, and she tried to speak, but could only recall a single phrase, sounding vaguely like a name...
"... Mi Amore Cadenza."
"Wait!" Sunset interrupted. "You mean that little filly was you, Cadance?"
"Uh huh." Cadance nodded. "It's how I was found, when I was little. And I must have made quite the impression on that little village of onion farmers and lumberjacks, because they took me in, and took it in turns to look after me. I suppose they assumed by my speech and manners that I was a lost child of some noble family or other, who would eventually come looking for me. But nopony ever did."
Cadance smiled, thinking back on it. "They were such sweet, wonderful ponies, as hard-edged as they were, and how long and tiring their workday was. Very caring, very welcoming. It wasn't difficult at all to like them, and give back to them the love they evidently felt for me.
"They gave me the run of the village, so I could learn as much as I could while I was there. But there was one place they warned me never to go, one pony they warned me never to approach. For, hidden even deeper in that dark forest, in a cottage in the darkest shadows on the edge of the swamp, there lived a unicorn enchantress. Being earth-ponies themselves and unused to magic users, the villagers were afraid of her. They worried she might be working on some evil plot to cast a spell on them, and thus destroy them all."
"Oh, come on!" Moondancer scoffed. "Why are enchantresses in these stories always evil? She might have been a simple hedge witch, or potion-maker. Or just an elderly pony who preferred living by herself!"
"Right!" Trixie agreed sharply. "Somepony perfectly harmless. Not plotting evil spells, or in league with dark forces, or anything nasty like that."
"Not like a certain magician/showpony?" Tempest asked quietly. "Who spent most of her fillyhood learning to be the earthly agent of Nightmare Moon?"
Trixie fell silent at that, and slumped unhappily. "Yeah, well... point taken." She looked so miserable and embarrassed that Starlight reached over and gave her a reassuring hug.
"Well, I'm sorry to say," Cadance went on, "I listened to their warnings and believed them, because otherwise what happened next might have been avoided. For one morning I woke up, and it was as if I was in a totally different village altogether. Everypony was sour, on edge, and out of sorts. Even their coat and mane colors seemed dulled, washed out. Not sure what had happened to them I wandered through the village, talking to everypony I could find. I tried to figure out what had happened, see if I could help. I mean, by that point I really felt like the villagers were my family, and I couldn't stand to see them like that.
"Then I came to the town square, and saw a strange pony in a dark robe standing there, casting a spell over the last group of villagers. I tried to intervene and stop her, but it was too late. The spell seemed to leach all the love and light right out of them, leaving them dull-colored and cross. Then, spotting me, the enchantress turned that same spell on me. Or tried to, because for some reason it didn't work on me at all.
"That must have scared her, for she immediately turned and ran off into the forest. Frightened as I was, I was more afraid of losing track of her, so I ran after her, and somehow managed to track her back through the forest, to her home on the edge of the swamp."
"Let me guess," Moondancer asked, a little snidely. "It was a creepy, old ramshackle cabin? With moss and lichen growing all over it, and strands of garlic hanging by the door? That's usually how these stories go."
"Actually, it was a very warm, snug little cottage," Cadance said. "With a tightly-thatched roof, and a small scratch garden growing in the back. Really, a very homely, homey little place, clearly well cared-for. That made me pause for thought. I mean, a pony who looked after her home and garden like that didn't seem like the type of pony who would be so vengeful, going around casting harmful spells on local villagers."
"They rarely do," Tempest grumbled. "They usually look just like everypony else. But sorry, I interrupted. Go on, Cadance."
"I went up to the door, and knocked," Cadance said, "and when there was no answer, I walked in. And I found her there, huddled behind a work-table, staring back at me. Without the dark cloak you might have taken her for any of the villagers, except that she was a unicorn, with a lime coat and bright green mane, and her cutie-mark was three green leaves. The table was piled high with notebooks and cuttings from local plants, and even rudimentary glassware for experiments. She was clearly some kind of herbalist, which made even less sense. I mean, what kind of herbalist goes around using powerful dark magic like that?
"'Aha!' the unicorn called out, 'you have finally arrived! And it is I, Prismia, who have summoned you. This amulet --' Here she touched a small, dun-colored gemstone on a necklace at her throat. '-- has given me the power to take the love and light from these benighted villagers, and shape it into a servant who shall do my bidding.' She pointed a hoof. 'You, who are the embodiment and instrument of my will, I command thee!'"
Sunset Shimmer nodded at that. "Magic overdose," she said confidently. "They teach us about it in school. Absolute power can corrupt absolutely, unless the caster is very clear on their intentions, and their own personal limitations. Given too much power too fast, and lacking experience in controlling it, you start believing you can do anything. And if anything contradictory comes along, you just explain it away as a projection of your will, or else try to blame it on somepony you imagine is working against you."
Cadance nodded. "When I came to Celestia's School, that was Magic 101 for me, too. But remember, girls, neither Prismia nor I were experienced with this level of magic at the time."
"So? What happened?" Twilight almost shouted. "Um, sorry... go on. I just really want to know."
"Well," Cadance said, "I did want to help my village friends. But I also kind of wanted to help Prismia too. Even as inexperienced as I was, I could tell she was in over her head. So I needed to be careful. 'Please,' I said, 'my friends can't live like this. I need your help to change them back. There must be another way than this... let me help you find it.'
"'Never!' she replied. 'And if you will not obey me, I shall reclaim the love that formed you, and give it a different, more obedient shape!'
"She pointed a hoof at me then, and cast a dark-magic spell that powered up the gem. It was horrible to watch... like dark, bubbling oil dripping from her horn. The gem glowed, blazed, and then cast its spell on me, full blast."
"And?" Moondancer asked, eyes wide as dinner-plates. Then she glanced around at the others. "What? I'm really getting into this."
"The power hit me, and, well..." Cadance shrugged. "It kind of bounced back, as if it had struck a mirror. Except what went back was brilliant, clean, prismatic magic. It struck the gem, there was this huge flash, and then everything went dark... and then suddenly I was waking up and the room was on fire and Prismia was collapsed behind her worktable. I ran over and grabbed her, and struggled to drag her out of there before the thatch lit. And that was no small job, believe me! A little pegasus filly, dragging a near full-grown unicorn mare? More than once I almost gave up because it seemed hopeless. And all the time, I was terrified the cottage would simply collapse all around us, trapping us both inside."
Cadance shivered at the unpleasant memory.
"Eventually I got her outside, far enough away that we were safe. I took the gem from around her neck and, not wanting to just throw it away, and not sure what else to do with it, I cautiously put it on, since it didn't seem able to harm me. I was worried at first, but found that it did nothing, apart from shifting in color from dun-gray to a gentle rose hue." Cadance shook her head. "And then, having a moment to think about what had happened... let me tell you, girls, I just wanted to run away from there. All the way back to my village, to see whether my friends there were all right. But even with everything that Prismia had done to us, I didn't feel right just leaving her there, alone and helpless. So I waited, until she came around... and then I talked with her.
"And it turned out that Prismia wasn't actually her name. She was called Bright Leaves, and she'd chosen to live way out in the forest because it was close to the plants that she needed to collect and study for her potions. She'd tried trading with the local villagers but owing to their distrust of unicorns, and more than a few social flubs on both sides, she eventually took to living by herself, out in the forest, feeling alone, unloved, and unappreciated.
"And then one day, while hunting for hoof-balm flowers, she came across the gemstone necklace, just lying on the path as if somepony had dropped it there. Thinking it looked nice, she put it on. And then she found out too late that it was powerfully enchanted, so it reflected the feelings of its bearer, both good and bad, and brought them to life. In Bright Leaves' case, those were feelings of rejection and loneliness. The gem amplified that, recreating the persona of a previous owner of the gem, a sorceror from long ago who'd felt similarly abandoned and unloved, and who created a spell that drew love and light from everyone she cast it on, to use as a source of power for her own desires.
"Bright Leaves had never meant to hurt anypony. And she realized, while talking to me, that she hadn't anywhere near the experience to handle such a powerful artifact. She was amazed in fact that I could just wear it as I did, like it was nothing at all. And she looked so sad and regretful, it made me feel sad too -- overwhelmingly sad, on her behalf.
"I looked at her burning house, at the little garden which already had bits of burning thatch landing on it, shrivelling up the plants. I looked at everything she'd worked so hard on to build up, out here on her own -- all of it, going up in flames. And it just made me feel so unhappy. I looked at Bright Leaves, and I just couldn't feel anger at her at all. Nor pity, either. I only felt love and caring, both for her and for my friends from the village. I wished there was something I could do, anything I could do, to set it all right again..."
Cadance smiled. "And, in response to my wishes, magic poured out of the gemstone: brilliant, clear, powerful light magic, in a rainbow of hues. It put out the fire. It put the house and garden back to rights. And then it arced away, over the treetops, in the direction of the village. And I could just tell it had restored the ponies there to their old, lovable, welcoming selves -- because that was exactly what I wanted most for them.
"And then something even more amazing happened. I felt myself being lifted up, right off the ground, the magic building up all around me. I had only a moment to look down and see Bright Leaves staring up at me in amazement, her eyes filled with hope and gratitude, and then... WHAM, there was this huge explosion, though it felt like it went inward, rather than outward."
Cadance shrugged. "And then, I can't explain how, but I was in another place: a kind of sky-blue mist with stars scattered all through it. And a pony was walking towards me, even though there was nothing for her to walk upon. Tall and powerful and kindly, looking much like a goddess, even as much as Celestia dislikes being called one. For it was Princess Celestia who'd come seeking me, having sensed the power of what had just happened. And I was so astounded," Cadance said, "so amazed by the sight of her, that all I could get out was one word. A question, really:
"'Auntie?'
"She looked amused by that, but also patiently understanding, the way Celestia always is. 'I am not, I think, the pony you know by that name,' she said. 'Though I would be very honored to be called that, if it would bring you comfort. What is your name, my little pony?'
"'Mi Amore Cadenza', I told her. 'Though the ponies in my village usually just call me 'Cadance', because it's easier to say."
"'Do you know where you are, Cadance?'
"I had to admit that I didn't. So Celestia explained, or tried to. A lot of it went right over my head at the time. It was a place where a pony went to when they had done something truly great and wonderful with their magic, something truly deserving of a special role in pony culture: being made into an alicorn, and gifted with the powers of all three tribes of ponies, in order to protect and guide them.
"And that was when I noticed I had a horn now, along with the wings I'd always had as a pegasus. Plus I could sense the earth-pony magic in me, the strength of heart and will, the connection with the land, as well."
Cadance sighed. "It was marvelous, truly overwhelming -- yet at the same time totally terrifying for the young filly I was then. Celestia understood that, and she helped me find the way back to Equestria, back to my village. She promised she would come look for me there, and that if I wanted, she would be my teacher and mentor. And too, if I wished it, she would adopt me as her niece -- she would be the family that I seemed to need so much, deep down inside. And I think Celestia wanted that as much as I did, really: a fellow Princess she could look after and care for." Cadance looked a little sheepish. "I never asked, but sometimes I wonder if she saw in me a chance to atone for her mistakes with Luna. A chance to get right everything she'd gotten wrong with her dear, lost sister.
"The villagers were astounded, and more than a little scared, when I was returned to them in what must have seemed to them like a blaze of glory. I explained what had happened, that it wasn't really Bright Leaves' fault but the fault of the gemstone necklace she'd come across, which I'd been able to use to save both her and them. The village ponies seemed a little skeptical, but they willingly accepted my word, and promised they would treat Bright Leaves with kindness and understanding the next time she came by to trade with them.
"And then Celestia herself showed up, in her golden chariot with her Royal Guard escort. And there was a lot of bowing and scraping and speechifying, which I'll just skip over. Celestia told the villagers that I was her long-lost niece, and that she would bring me back to with her to Canterlot, to study at a School that she had established. That is, with my permission of course. For as Celestia always says, no one tells a Princess of Equestria her business. And that was what I was now, an alicorn Princess, having demonstrated my abilities and come into my own."
Cadance grinned. "And I'm telling you, I think the villagers would have said yes to Celestia if she'd ordered them to sprout wings and start herding clouds! But Celestia was very careful to make it clear it was in no way a command, but an offer, both to me and to them, in gratitude and recognition of all they had done for me, and for what I had done for them."
Cadance nodded proudly. "And the rest, as they say, is history. I came here. Celestia officially adopted me as her niece. And that caused more than a few catfights amongst the nobility, I found out later -- particularly among Blueblood's family! But Celestia smoothed it over somehow. And then I made lots of new friends here." She nodded in particular to Sunset Shimmer, and also to Twilight. "But I don't think I'll ever forget that tiny little village where I grew up. Split Wood, they called it. Those ponies took me in, showed me such kindness and love. I think it's because of them -- their virtues as well as their flaws -- that I was finally able to learn the true nature of my talents. In a way, I became the Princess of Love on their behalf, and I'm ever so grateful to them as a result."
Cadance dropped her hooves onto the bedcovers. "And that's it!" she said. "The whole story. The End."
"That was beautiful!" Moondancer said. Twilight nodded, as did the others.
Cadance nodded in return. And then she sighed. "And that," she said, "is where I think we really ought to call it a night and try to get some sleep. Just so we can say we tried, hmm?"
The others all agreed. Returning to their sleeping bags they tucked themselves in. All except Tempest, who simply lay down on hers, chin on her crossed forelegs, keeping an eye on them all.
"Promise me you're not going to stay awake all night, Tempest?" Cadance told her. "I'd feel so guilty!"
"Not to worry, Your Highness," Tempest replied. "I've turned the cat-nap into an art form."
Twilight felt like she'd only just managed to drop off to sleep herself, when she suddenly felt an armored hoof pressed to her snout, keeping her quiet, and another gently nudging her awake. It was Tempest, who nodded with her head towards Cadance's bed.
It was empty. Cadance herself was standing in the middle of the room, turning about as if seeking something. And the look in her eyes... it was faraway, unseeing, and frankly unnerving.
No wonder the Guards thought she was sleepwalking, Twilight thought. Though Twilight herself wasn't sure. There was something too purposeful about the way Cadance was staring into the distance as she swung about. It was as if she was searching for something, carefully and methodically.
By this point, Tempest had awakened Sunset, and together they roused the others, who gathered quietly around Twilight, rubbing their eyes and stifling yawns.
And then, as they watched, Cadance seemed to reach a decision. She turned back in a particular direction. Her horn blazed...
... and she vanished in a sudden blast of teleportation.
"Starlight!" Twilight gasped. "Did you get a fix on which way she was headed?"
"Uh huh!" Starlight said. "She's over in the east wing somewhere, down quite a ways, almost into the sub-basement."
Trixie reached out a hoof to grab hers, and pointed with the other. "Then follow that Princess, bestie!"
Starlight cast, and she and Trixie teleported away.
Leaving Twilight looking around sheepishly. "Uh, did anyone else get a fix?" she asked. "I'm afraid I was a little distracted wondering what was wrong with her."
"Don't worry, Twilight," Sunset said. "I've got them!"
"Me too," Moondancer said. "Though I'm not sure I'm powerful enough to take anyone along with me."
"You go with Twilight," Sunset said quickly. "She can remote-cast the power you need. And I'll let Tempest bring me along."
"If you trust me," Tempest warned. "Remember, I'm still working on accuracy over distance. Especially in the armor."
"It's not far," Sunset replied, gently punching Tempest's armored shoulder with a hoof... then wincing and shaking it. "We'll be fine."
Teaming up, the ponies teleported away...
...and found themselves standing in a dark stretch of basement corridor, lit only by a faint luminance spell from Starlight and Trixie's horns. In the ghost-light, they could see Cadance standing facing a wall. She was staring at it in a mixture of confusion and, it seemed, frustration.
"Now what?" Trixie hissed, though as softly as she could.
But apparently Cadance had heard her, because she turned to face the group of ponies, staring at them in astonishment.
Particularly at Tempest.
"Auntie!" Cadance shouted. She rushed forward and threw her forehooves around Tempest, trying vainly to hug her through her armor.
Twilight was about to speak, but Tempest held up a hoof sharply for silence. "Is there something I can do for you, Princess?" Tempest asked carefully.
"Auntie, I need your help! I know it's here somewhere, but I can't find it. I've tried and tried... but I can't see in there!"
"In where?" Trixie whispered impatiently, before Starlight could slap a hoof over her mouth.
"There's a wall around it," Cadance cried. "I know it's in there, Auntie. I'm sure of it! I just can't get through!"
"Wait a sec..." Sunset said. And suddenly she was turning about, scanning with her magic sensitivity, just as Cadance had done. "It's the Archives!" she finally whispered. "This part of the Palace is nearest to the Research Wing. And there's a magic-proof barrier around most of the lower levels, particularly around..."
"... the Restricted Section!" Moondancer finished for her, nodding excitedly.
"What?" Twilight had to fight to keep herself from shouting. "There's a Restricted Section in the Archives? And I didn't know about it?"
Sunset grinned. "Maybe Celestia was saving it as a graduation present for you."
"Cadance can't get in there," Starlight thought aloud. "And she can't 'see' in there either, because of the barrier. But then of course, neither can we!"
"We need Celestia," Twilight said. "We should wake her, she can let us in. Oh! If only Spike was here to send a message!"
Sunset and Moondancer exchanged a conspiratorial glance. "Maybe we don't need to do that," Sunset said craftily. "Some of us know a little trick for getting in there. Though it's kinda against the rules..."
"Ooooh! Late-night breaking and entering in the Archives?" Trixie squealed. "I didn't realize slumber parties were this much fun!"
"Quiet, Trix," Starlight said. "What do you think, uhh..." She caught herself quickly. "... Auntie?" she finished, looking at Tempest.
"I think I'm here to be of assistance to the Princess," Tempest replied calmly. "In whatever way I can. Sunset, if you and Moondancer will take point?"
With Sunset and Moondancer in the lead, Tempest and Cadance following right behind them, and Twilight and the others bringing up the rear, the group trooped up several flights of stairs, across a courtyard, and into the Research Wing of the Archives, which was open as it always was, even at this early hour.
And as they went, Cadance smiled at Tempest. "I'm so glad you're here, Auntie! Everything's going to be all right now. I just know it."
Tempest glanced back at her. "My pleasure, Your Highness. As always."
With the Princess and Commander Tempest as implicit credentials, the group simply walked straight past every Guard pony they met, acting as if nothing was out of the ordinary. And Sunset and Moondancer finally brought them to an otherwise nondescript section of bookshelves at the end of an unexceptional cul-de-sac at the back of the main reading hall. The two ponies fired up their horns, and cast the spell that they'd each reverse-engineered from the lock itself, granting them access.
The bookshelf rattled open and slid aside, revealing a flight of stone stairs leading down. And suddenly Cadance charged forward. "I can see it now, Auntie! Please, hurry!"
Tempest immediately pelted after her, and the others galloped in her wake once they'd overcome their surprise. After a brief hurried chase down stairwells and through dusty galleries, they wound up in a lower store-room, filled with relics on stands and in boxes.
And books, too... shelves of them, all around the room. Unread, unorganized books, full of who knew what secrets. Twilight felt like hyperventilating. It took all of her willpower to keep her hooves firmly nailed to the floor, her attention firmly on Cadance. The Princess was making her way hesitantly along the aisles that zig-zagged haphazardly between the dusty, cobwebbed artifacts. She finally came to a halt before a glass dome on a stand. Inside the dome was a tall, dun-colored crystal. Cadance put out a hoof, gently touching the glass.
"Here it is, at last... we can save them, Auntie..." She looked imploringly at Tempest. "With your help!"
Tempest eyed her noncommittally. "What makes you believe you need my help, Princess?"
Cadance looked startled. "But... you created the spell, Auntie! I'm sure you never meant it to be used like this. But you know how to unlock it." She looked back at the crystal. "And then we can save them... all of them... all we need to do is..."
"HALT!"
The ponies all turned, to find a phalanx of Royal Guard ponies advancing on them, their horns blazing, casting sharp-edged shadows everywhere. In the lead of the group was Lieutenant Rose.
She blinked in shock, seeing who it was facing her.
"Commander Tempest?" she asked. "I'm... I'm sorry, ma'am! The extra alert spells Princess Celestia requested were tripped... but I wasn't aware it was you down here..."
Tempest glanced at Cadance, who was shaking her head and gazing around herself in baffled surprise. Then Tempest turned back and advanced on Rose, her expression darkly furious.
"Lieutenant," she snarled, "how would you like being hung by your hind-hooves over the main drawbridge of the Palace, as a warning to the next six generations of Guard officers not to barge in unexpectedly when you're not wanted?"
Lieutenant Rose's eyes went wide. "I shouldn't like that, ma'am, not at at all!"
"Good." Tempest nodded. "Lucky for you, it's not my style any more." Sighing resignedly, she turned back to Cadance. "We found the cause of your restless sleep, Your Highness." She indicated the crystal with a hoof. "Or at least we think we have. Does it mean anything to you?"
Cadance stared at it, nonplussed. "No. I'm afraid not. I've never seen it before. I've never been in here before, either. In fact, I don't even know where here is!"
"We're in the Archives," Twilight explained. "In the Restricted Section."
"Really?" Cadance eyed her, then looked around at the others. "So... what are all of you doing down here, then?"
"We... followed you down, of course," Sunset said. "You led us all here, without realizing it."
"That's right." Moondancer put a companionable hoof around Sunset's shoulders. "After all, it's not like any of us mere students would know how to get in here, right?"
"I suppose not," Cadance said, eyeing them suspiciously... while smiling at the same time. "Well, at least this tells us what I was after, teleporting about the palace at night. But it still doesn't tell us why."
"Perhaps you should ask... Auntie?" Tempest hazarded.
"Celestia?" Cadance replied. "I suppose so," she acknowledged. "She knows more about the stuff stored down here than anypony. Even the Archive's staff." Then Cadance suddenly yawned, hugely. "But if it's all the same to you, can we ask her in the morning? Right now, I really want to go back to bed and get some sleep while it still counts. If that's all right?"
Tempest and Twilight exchanged a glance. "That probably makes sense, Your Highness," Tempest finally said.
Leaving Lieutenant Rose and the other guards to lock up, the group trooped back upstairs. And as they went, Tempest glanced back thoughtfully at the mysterious dun-colored crystal, sitting under its cobwebbed dome.
"Of course I know what it is," Celestia said, when they'd all gathered in the main Audience Hall the next morning. Princess Celestia was seated on the Sun Throne. Princess Cadance, Shining Armor, Twilight and her friends were all seated on comfortable cushions set before it. The guards had been cleared from the room, affording them privacy to discuss the event.
"It is all that remains to us," Celestia went on, "of the Crystal Empire."
"The Crystal Empire?" Twilight asked. "Sorry, should I know about that, Princess? I don't think there's anything about it in the history books I've read."
"There likely wouldn't be," Celestia replied. "Few ponies even remember it existed at all. Even my knowledge of the Empire is limited. It was at its height well before Luna and I were crowned Princesses of Equestria. What I do know of it, is that the Empire contains a powerful magic. A thousand years ago King Sombra, a unicorn whose heart was black as night, took over the Crystal Empire. He was ultimately overthrown, reduced to shadow, and banished to the Frozen North. But not before he was able to somehow put a curse upon the Empire, causing it to vanish, almost into thin air. The crystal that Cadance was drawn to is the only thing that remained of the Empire afterwards. I had it brought here for safekeeping, had it stored in the Archives, in hopes it might one day provide some clue as to how to break the curse, and restore the Empire. But so far, doing that has proved beyond even my abilities."
She looked to Cadance. "You don't recall anything else, Niece? Any reason why you felt drawn to it?"
Cadance shook her head. "Afraid not, Auntie. I slept like a bell after we all came upstairs. And looking at the crystal now, it doesn't prompt any memories. Although now I think about it, it does look like the crystal in the necklace that Prismia wore."
"You mean, that Bright Leaves wore?" Tempest asked, glancing at her.
"Of course I meant Bright Leaves. What did I say?" Cadance shook her head. "Sorry, it must have been me telling you all that story last night. I honestly hadn't thought about Bright Leaves in years."
Tempest looked thoughtful.
"You seemed quite certain that Princess Celestia might be able to restore the Empire."
"I did?"
"And you seemed to believe she had created the spell that imprisoned it in the first place." Tempest glanced at Celestia. "I'm only reporting what I heard, Your Highness."
"I understand," Celestia nodded. Then she looked enquiringly at Cadance.
Who shook her head. "If I did, Auntie, I'm not sure what was going through my head. It doesn't make any sense to me, hearing it now."
Celestia looked at her for a long moment, concernedly. Then she smiled warmly, and nodded. "I shouldn't worry about it, Cadance. This has been a mystery for well over a thousand years. It will keep."
"You're right, Auntie," Cadance said. "And I'm definitely glad you suggested the slumber party, Tempest," Cadance said. "Even if we haven't entirely figured this out, it was so much fun spending time with all of you. Especially you, Twilight!"
"Yeah!" Shining Armor nodded in agreement. "Thanks for the assist, Tempest. Although... you might want to come have a chat with Lieutenant Rose."
"Really? Why?"
"Because she came to me this morning and offered her resignation. She prides herself on being in the right place at the right time... and I don't think she's ever been chewed out like that before!"
"Ah. Right." Tempest looked abashed. "We should go do that together, Captain, just so she understands it wasn't her. I was just a little frustrated, that's all. And I do tend to fly off the handle. There was no call to take it out on her."
She glanced at Cadance. "If there's nothing else you need me for right now, Your Highness?"
"Not right now. Thanks so much, Tempest!"
"Hmm. Pity. Well, glad I could be of help." Tempest nodded courteously to her, then accompanied Shining Armor as the Captain got up and trotted out of the Audience Hall.
Later that evening, in the store-room, gleaming magic lifted the cover from the dun-colored gemstone.
And Princess Celestia stared at it, silently.
Charging her horn, she gently probed the crystal with her shimmering golden magic... and quickly halted and drew back when its surface bubbled with angry, ichorous dark magic in response. Just as it had done before.
"So," she whispered. "All is not entirely lost. There is a way. But what did you do, Sombra? What did you do? And why have I never been able to figure this out, not in a thousand years?"
Gently replacing the glass dome, the Princess left the room. And as she went, her frustration could be heard in the ringing of armored hooves, on every step...
... all the way up the long staircase, leading to the exit.
The End
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, its characters and indicia are the property of Hasbro.
No infringement is intended. This story is a work of fan fiction, written by fans for fans of the series.
