“I made a new friend, I made a new friend, I made a new friend!” Cadence chanted as she skipped into Celestia’s office, a wide smile plastered across her youthful pink face. Celestia looked up from her work, reviewing the latest law proposed by the Parliament, and smiled at her. It really was amazing how quickly the previously nervous and worried filly had turned into a ball of sunshine.

“Really? That’s very good news,” the elder alicorn said. “Who is it?”

“He’s a colt named Shining Armor!” Cadence replied, grinning. “He’s kind of a nerd but he’s really nice!”

“Shining Armor, Twilight Velvet's son. He’s a nice colt,” Celestia said, a smile on her face. He also happened to be one of Clover’s descendants, his mother was her current choice to be the one to bring her sister back from wherever she’d been sent.

“Yes, yes he is,” Cadence agreed, nodding her head and happy smile.

“Well it’s nice to know that you have such good taste in colts, dear,” Celestia told her, getting up from her seat before she walked over to the ecstatic filly and gave her a friendly nuzzle.

Cadence’s smile grew bigger at the touch, it was one of the thing she’d begun to love over the past few days since she came to live in the palace. The older alicorn just had so much love in her that any form of physical contact was enough to make her glow a little. Celestia withdrew her head and walked over to sit down on one of the large couches that littered the room upon which she quickly lay down. Cadence joined her, snuggling into her soft white fur.

“So, how did you come to meet young Shining?” Celestia asked her as she magicked a pair of glasses from the kitchen, one filled with water, and the other full of fruit juice. Cadence accepted the proffered glass and took a big sip of the sweet fruity liquid, her smile widening.

“Well you know how some of those mean fillies were making fun of my wings?” she asked Celestia, looking up at the Queen who nodded.

“Why yes, if it had continued much longer I believe I might have had a word with their parents,” Celestia said as her thoughts turned to the younger alicorn’s tales of being picked on by the class bullies. The elder alicorn had decided against intervening for the most part, after all, Cadence would have to suffer far worse than petty insults in her immortal life and would have to learn how to deal with it eventually.

“You won’t need too now,” Cadence replied confidently.

“Oh? Do tell,” Celestia insisted.

“Okay, so I was on the playground...”

“Well look who it is,” a snide voice said.

Cadence looked down from where she’d been sitting on the playground bench, quietly looking off into the distance, lost in thought. Standing in front of her was a trio of haughty unicorns. One was gold with a silver mane while the other two were a matching shade of bright blue with darker blue manes.

“Oh, hello again Burnished, Gleaming, Bronze,” Cadence said in a friendly voice, maybe today they’d decide to do something other then throw petty insults at her.

“Don’t talk unless we tell you too, skyfreak,” the leader, Gleaming, replied with a sneer. Cadence sighed internally, that hope had died rather quickly.

“Why not?” Cadence replied neutrally. “It’s not as if you can impress or intimidate me with your show of ‘force’.”

“Oh is that what you think?” Burnished asked before she looked over her shoulder at her friends. “Do you two think we can intimidate her?”

“Yeeaaahh,” the pair of sisters replied simultaneously in extremely annoying voices. If it wasn’t for the fact that Cadence had been picked on by much more intimidating bullies back in her home town then she might have been a little scared now.

“I still don’t think you can,” Cadence replied simply. “Please leave me alone.”

“We’re not going to leave you alone,” Burnished stated. “You’re a winged freak trying to make the rest of us unicorns look bad!”

“I am?” the pink alicorn asked, cocking her head to the side. “I thought I was just sitting here.”

Burnished ground her teeth together and her horn began to glow, as did those of her followers.

“Don’t play stupid with us skyrat,” she growled. “We know you think you’re the next Queen but you’re not!”

“Why would I be the next queen?” Cadence inquired, raising an eyebrow slightly. “That would mean that Celestia would be dead and I never want that to happen.”

This logical answer seemed to only make the other fillies more angry.

“You think you’re so superior!” Burnished shouted at her. “When in reality you’re just a stupid skyfreak who can’t even fly and-”

She was cut off as a purple aura suddenly clamped her jaws together. “Hey, leave her alone!” a surprisingly hard edged male voice shouted.

Cadence looked up to see a white colt with a dark royal blue mane which was stripped with neon blue highlights walking towards them, his horn glowing brightly as a rope of magic energy wrapped tightly around Burnished’s mouth.

Strangely, he wasn’t very large, still a bit on the small side of things to be honest, Cadence was pretty sure that she was taller than him. Still, his eyes were narrowed angrily at the three fillies bullying Cadence and the filly could tell that he was really angry. She frowned for a second before she remembered his name, Shining Armor.

“Muflemuflfemmule!” Burnished attempted to shout at him as she struggled within the magic leash. Meanwhile, Gleaming and Bronze backed sideways away from their captured ‘leader’.

“Sorry, I don’t speak muffle,” Shining told her before turning to Cadence. “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Cadence replied, smiling. “Thank you Shining Armor.”

“You know my name already?” Shining asked her as a surprised expression crossed his face.

“Well we’re in the same classes silly, I just listened to the role,” Cadence answered with a small chuckle. Meanwhile Burnished was still attempting to shake Shining’s belt off of her jaw.

“Oh... I hadn’t thought of that,” Shining replied, a slight blush touching his white furred cheeks, then his eyes turned serious again and he glared at the three fillies. “You all ought to be ashamed of yourselves! Get out of here before I get a teacher and report you!”

His magic lash dissipated and Burnished stared at him for a moment before she and her two lackies ran off in the other direction. Shining allowed a small smile of triumph to flash adorably across his face before he looked back up at Cadence who’d dismounted the bench.

“My hero,” she said with a giggle.

“I was just doing what anypony with a brain would,” Shining replied, blushing further at the compliment. “Those three are idiots. Twenty bits says that they’re de-nobled by the time they’re sixteen”

“I’ll take that bet,” Cadence said, smiling. “So... want to play?”

“I... sure,” Shining said with a wide grin. Cadence didn’t know why, but there was something she found intrinsically adorable about him

“Well that’s wonderful,” Celestia said, bending down to give the filly a motherly nuzzle. Cadence preened under the praise and the nuzzle before she replied.

“Yes, I’m so happy I met him,” she replied. “Turns out that he’s really into this ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ game and he’s going to introduce me to his ‘Gaming Group’,” Cadence continued with a grin.

“That sounds like a treat,” Celestia told her, smiling down at the filly who had already taken on a... daughterly role in her heart.

“Oh I bet it will be!” Cadence agreed enthusiastically. “Though he says that he probably won’t be able to let me play as an alicorn. Apparently the race is ‘broken’ or something,” she added, a frown forming on her face.

“Oh well, I’m sure there are some very good alternatives,” Celestia encouraged her. “And once you become more comfortable with them all you can invite them to the castle to game.”

“Really?!” Cadence asked, her eyes widening.

“But of course,” Celestia replied with a grin as a light chuckle escaped from her lips. “To be honest, I have heard several of my guards talk about this ‘Dungeons & Dragons’ game before and I am eager to learn of it. Mayhaps I could watch a game?”

“I don’t know,” Cadence answered with a small shrug. “Like I said, I haven’t had a chance to do anything yet.”

“Fair enough,” the eldest alicorn replied. “Just keep in mind that the option is always open alright?”

“Alright Mo-” Cadence cut herself off and looked up at Celestia who was looking at her with a look that was a cross between shock and surprise on her face. “I... sorry,” Cadence said, looking down at the couch. “I just...”

“Shhhh,” Celestia said as she brought one of her great white wings down to ensconce the filly in her embrace and pulled her closer to her side.

“I...” Cadence couldn’t speak clearly and the words poured out like water as a engorged river overtook a dam. “I-just-never-knew-my-mom-and-my-dad-never-talked-about-her-and-and-and-I-killed-her-and-you’re-just-so-”

She was cut off as Celestia bent her great white head down and gave the little filly a comforting nuzzle. “I don’t mind little one,” she said in a soft tone. “I don’t mind at all.”

“Re-really?” Cadence asked with widened eyes.

“Of course I don’t,” Celestia replied. “In fact, I’d be honored if you called me mother.”

Cadence stared at her for another moment before she wrapped her forelegs around Celestia’s side and hugged her. Celestia embraced the filly as well... it felt good to have someone small to hug once again.

“So... this is your house?” Cadence asked the slightly nervous colt who walked beside her.

“Yes, that’s right,” Shining answered with a small anxious smile as he looked up at the tall and lavishly decorated townhouse.

“It’s really pretty,” Cadence said, giving him an encouraging smile. “So, who else is going to be here?”

“Oh just a few guys from the class who you might know and Lyra,” Shining answered. “Now let’s go in, I think the others might have gotten here first.”

“Really?” she asked.

“Yeah, we went the slow way,” he replied.

“Oh?” Cadence asked with a raised eyebrow. “Why did we do that?”

“Because... um... it’s a nice day?” Shining replied uneasily with another nervous smile. Cadence looked up at the cloudless blue sky, the sun shining down brightly, and then looked back at Shining who was squirming slightly.

“You’re right, it is,” Cadence replied with a smile. Shining let out a relieved breath and then forged on ahead like a trooper.

“Right, well, let’s get inside alright?” he asked, gesturing at the doorway with a hoof.

“Alright,” Cadence said, stepping forward and walking up the steps beside him. The colt got in front of her and opened the door, allowing her to pass before he closed it.

“Mom, I’m home!” he shouted as Cadence took the time to look around the posh main hallway. It was decorated with all manner of interesting artifacts and pictures. Cadence frowned, they all looked very old.

“Your friends beat you here dear,” a feminine voice shouted down from the top of the staircase on the right. “They’re down in the basement and your snacks are already out.”

“Thanks mom,” Shining shouted back before gesturing for Cadence to follow him. She did and he lead her through the entrance hallway and into a kitchen. “Want anything before we go down?”

“Hmm, not really,” Cadence replied as she looked around the well appointed kitchen. “So, where did your family get all of that stuff hanging up in the front?” she added as the colt used his magic to open up the door in the side of the kitchen.

“Mom found them while she was out doing her job,” Shining answered. “She’s an adventure archaeologist.”

“Oooh, that sounds exciting!” Cadence said enthusiastically as they began to descend the stairs, her ears picking up the sound of happy banter and talking below them.

“It is,” Shining said proudly. “She’s writing a book series about it actually. Daring Do.”

“Your mother is the author of Daring Do?” Cadence asked incredulously, her eyes widening. “That’s my favorite series!”

“Really?” Shining asked her, sounding genuinely surprised.

“Yes! She’s amazing!” Cadence replied. “Do you think she’d mind signing my books?”

“I’m sure she’d be happy too,” Shining answered, smiling as he led her down the final step and into a large basement.

The hardwood floors had been covered in plush rugs and in the middle of the room was a large circular table with several wooden chairs set up around it. Sitting in the chairs were three ponies, a white unicorn colt with blue mane, a amber coated unicorn colt with an orange mane, and lastly a mint green maned aquamarine mare who was in the middle of talking.

“-and that’s why my bard should be the party leader,” she finished proudly.

“Na, sorry Lyra, but bards can’t be the party leader,” the amber coated colt replied.

“Indeed my dear, they are far too flighty,” the white stallion said. “To be the party leader you need class and distinction, bravery and honor.”

“And bards can’t be brave and honorable?” Lyra asked with a frown.

“In a word, no,” the amber coated colt replied with a small chuckle. Lyra hit him lightly and he looked like he was about to respond in kind when Shining cleared his throat.

“Ehhm,” he grunted. The three looked up from their banter and two out of three sets of eyes widened in surprise.

“Oh my gosh! He actually brought a filly!” the amber coated colt exclaimed with surprise.

“Hey!” Lyra protested. “I’m a mare too!”

“Yeah, but I mean she’s like an actual mare!” the amber colt replied.

Lyra glared at him, but Cadence spoke before anything else could happen.

“Hello, my name is Cadence,” she said with a smile. “Thank you for all for letting me join you.”

“Think nothing of it,” the white coated colt said with a small wave of his hoof. “I am Fancy Pants and this is Lyra and Joe,” he added gesturing at his companions.

“Hi there,” Lyra said with a smile of her own. “You’re in my music class I think.”

“Oh yes, I remember you now, you play the lyre right?” Cadence asked as she stepped forward and took one of the two remaining free seats which just so happened to be next to Lyra.

“Yep, that’s right,” Lyra answered with a smile.

“Hello,” Joe added with nod as he used his magic to pull out a complicated looking sheet of paper. “I hope you don’t mind, but the party needs a white mage so we made a sheet for you ahead of time.”

“Oh? Alright,” Cadence replied as she accepted the paper and began to inspect it. “Sorry if I don’t know what I’m doing at first... I’ve never really done this before.”

“It’s fine,” Shining said as he took the seat beside her. “We were all beginners once.”

“Now... where were we?” Fancy Pants asked as he used his magic to pull a large paper map out from under the table and unfurled it. “Ah yes that’s right. Shining had just charged that dragon and was about to get roasted,” the distinguished colt continued as he brought a group of miniatures out of a box.

“You charged a dragon?” Cadence asked him with a raised eyebrow.

“It’s not my fault I’m the only melee based character in the party,” Shining replied with a roll of his eyes.

“I’m a Ranger and Lyra’s a Bard,” Joe informed her as he looked down at his sheet. “So we have to stay out of melee range for the most part or else we’ll get killed really quick. Shining on the other hand is a Lawful Good Paladin so he’s the Tank of the Party.”

“Oh, I see,” Cadence said as she looked down at the sheet she’d been given. “And do I have to do that too?”

“Well, you’re a Cleric so... it depends on how you want to play,” Lyra replied. “They’re really powerful spell casters in certain situations but they’re mostly a healing class so staying out of melee combat is probably the best idea.”

“Alright,” the alicorn said as she continued to read her sheet, getting down to her spell list. “Okay... I think I can work with this.”

“Great! Let’s get started,” Shining said as he eagerly grabbed his minifigure.

“Wow, that was really fun,” Cadence said with a grin as she led Shining through the growing darkness of the city towards her ‘house’.

“Yeah, you caught on really fast,” Shining enthused, smiling as well. “That undead dragon didn’t know what hit him when you used your Major Heal spell on him, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Fancy lose his composure that badly.”

“Yes...” Cadence said as she remembered the look of pure shock and outrage on Fancy Pants’s face as his towering undead dragon was taken down by Cadence’ heal spell. “I must say, it was a beautiful image, one that I will have in my head for the rest of my life.”

“You and me both,” Shining agreed, chuckling lightly.

It was by that point that the colt noticed that Cadence had rubbed up beside him as they walked down the well cobbled street in a very friendly manner. He blushed but made no comment as they continued along. Suddenly, Shining realized what district they were walking through.

“Cadence... where exactly do you live?” he asked her slowly as they neared the fortress like gate of the Canterlot Castle.

“Oh you know, the Castle,” she answered with a mischievous grin.

“I-you-really?” he asked as they drew closer.

“Yep,” Cadence replied before she waved at the guard on duty. “Hi Flare Blitz! Would you mind opening the gate for me?”

“Sure thing kid,” came the reply a moment later. And just like that, the gates opened and Shining watched with an open mouth as Cadence simply walked through them, then he shook his head and followed her.

It didn’t take Cadence long to lead him to the main doors, two large barriers made of enchanted wood and layered with solid steel which was further covered with wards and enchantments.

“Well, this is where you let me go,” Cadence said with a small smirk. “Thank you for a wonderful night, Shining.”

“I um... you’re welcome,” Shining said, his former nervousness evaporating.

“See you tomorrow in school then,” the filly told him as the great siege doors opened and she walked through it. Shining stood there for a moment and then facehoofed.

“I forgot to tell her goodnight,” he muttered to himself.

“So, how did it go?” Celestia asked Cadence as the alicorn filly prepared for bed.

“Oh, it was great,” Cadence answered with a smile. “We had a lot of fun and I got to kill a dragon with my magic healing powers!”

“Is that so?” Celestia inquired with a raised eyebrow. “I was under the impression that healing spells were for healing, not killing.”

“Well normally they are but because it was an undead dragon my healing spell made it gain life which ended up hurting it because by making something undead gain life you’re making it feel it’s antitheses which in turn hurts it,” Cadence replied and then frowned. “Huh, I didn’t even know I knew that last word.”

“I’m just glad you had fun,” Celestia told her, coming over and giving the filly a nuzzle. “So, when are you going to ask Shining out on a date?”

Cadence blushed. “Moooom,” she whined. “We’re ten, you’re not allowed to date until we’re thirteen!”

“Oh, sorry little one,” Celestia replied. “I honestly don’t pay a great deal of attention to that sort of thing... I haven’t had the need to since Moonshadow was young...” she trailed off and a faraway look appeared on her face.

Cadence looked up at her with a confused look, though it faded as the ancient pony blinked and looked back down at her.

“I’m sorry little one,” she said with a small sigh. “I was just... remembering.”

“That’s fine,” Cadence replied, choosing to keep the questions bubbling in her mind to herself. “Goodnight mom.”

“Goodnight little one,” Celestia said, bending down and giving Cadence a kiss on the forehead.

The filly sighed and settled into her bed.

“How was it? How was it? How was it?” an insistent female voice asked from beside Shining as he finished packing away everything in his room. The voice was coming from his adorable little sister who was currently bouncing up and down beside him, voicing her question on every hop.

“It was good, brat,” the colt replied with a small smile as he looked down at her. She was a purple furred filly with a darker purple mane which had an inexplicable pink stripe running down the center. “I walked her home and said goodbye, it was easy.”

“Really? And she lives in the Castle? With the Queen? That’s what mom says anyways,” Twilight asked rapidly.

“Um yes she lives in the Castle,” Shining answered and then frowned. “And as for living with the Queen... I guess that would explain her being an alicorn and all. Wait, how did Mom know?”

“She learned it yesterday when she was visiting with the Queen in one of those meetings they have every once and a while,” Twilight answered. “OH! Speaking of that, do you remember what tomorrow is BBBFF?”

“Hmmm... your eighth birthday?” Shining asked with a small grin as he glanced down at her. “No, don’t tell me, it’s the day mom and dad take you to the circus right?”

“Shining!” Twilight whined. “You know that I’m eight already and I don’t want to go to the circus! It’s boring and dirty there!”

“And you’re scared of the clowns,” her older brother added on with a chuckle.

“I’m not scared of them, they’re just ponies with creepy white makeup and giant teeth that want to eat little fillies and-” Twilight was shivering slightly as Shining bent down and put a hoof on her mouth.

“It was just a book,” he told her with a comforting smile. “Remember Twi, it was just a book.”

“I... right, I knew that,” Twilight replied with a rapid nod. “Anyways... do you really now know what tomorrow is?”

Shining chuckled. “Of course I know sis, it’s your assessment test.”

“Yep! It is! I’m soooo excited!” Twilight exclaimed. “I bet I can impress all of the judges so much that they’ll make me Queen Celestia’s student!”

“Squirt... you still have problems with your basic levitation spells... if I were you I wouldn’t expect to be made the Queen’s student,” he cautioned her. “I mean, there’s like a thousand and one chance of that happening.”

Twilight frowned. “I don’t care!” she replied. “I’m going to be her student! She’s so big and wise and pretty and cool and powerful! I just know that I can prove that I deserve to be her student!”

The look of conviction on his sister’s small face was enough to make Shining smile despite himself. He bent down and kissed her forehead. “I’m sure you can sis... now it’s your bed time.”

“Buuut Shiiinninnnnggg I don’t wannnt tooooo!” Twilight whined.

“Mooom, Twilight won’t go to bed!” Shining shouted out the door of the room.

“Twilight!” their mother’s voice came from across the hallway where she was hard at work in her office.

“You fight dirty BBBFF,” Twilight said, giving him a low glare.

“It’s the only way to fight,” Shining shot back with a playful grin.

Twilight wrinkled her face up at him but rolled her eyes, leaned up and kissed him on the cheek before darting off towards her own room. Shining let out a small sigh as he walked over to his bed and thought about his day.

“All in all... I think things are changing...” he mused to himself as he glanced at the moon through the window. “Changing... for the better.”