There was only one thing Queen Chrysalis hated more than failure, and that was admitting her own failures. There was no other creature who could be more directly blamed for her losses than she, not even that infernal Twilight Sparkle. She had overplayed her hoof, let her arrogance and self-satisfaction get the better of her. All she should have done was play it cool until the little wretch left Canterlot, and she had blown it completely. It was infuriating.

Fortunately, she was not utterly without recourse to address that failure. Though the battle for Canterlot had not gone on for terribly long, it had been maintained long enough for her finest warriors to thoroughly despoil the Canterlot Library of some of it’s most valuable secrets. Amongst them were some of the personal notes and spell journals of Star Swirl the Bearded. Well, copies, anyway. The originals had been locked deep in vaults she hadn’t had the time to breach, but these would do just fine for her purposes.

In fact, if she wasn’t quite so desperate to wipe out her humiliating defeat, she might have been a touch more suspicious that this spell in particular had somehow been in the archive at all. It seemed an awfully dangerous sort of thing to just leave around, but perhaps the pathetic Equestrians simply considered it too difficult for most of those who would abuse it. In spite of the drastic loss in power she’d suffered though, all she had needed was a bit of love from a young couple to get her strength back to a working level.

The spell itself was quite complex, but Chrysalis was a natural with such things. Well, a natural enough that she could handle a difficult spell form like this. Travelling through time was likely to come with its own set of risks, but she was certain her former self would see the good sense in her words. No one knew herself better than she did, and once her past self knew how to deal with that annoying brat, there would be no stopping her on her mission to bring Equestria under her firm rule.

So she had prepared the appropriate spot to cast the spell and kept all of her drones far away from the chamber. The last thing she needed was some unexpected element throwing off the delicate nature of the casting, which she began with a cautious and thorough slowness. She intended to get every inch of the spell form correctly. Of course, pouring power into such a massively complex spell was actually kind of tiring, and…

Chrysalis realized, just a shade of a second too late, that she would not have enough magic to cast the spell as intended. She had other sources of power though, and pulled hard from the reserves she kept squirreled away in her precious drones’ bodies. She’d lose a few, true, but the results would be entirely worth it. The magic was more than enough and surged into the spell with a wild life… and the world went white around her.

This was Canterlot. This was the room she had been staying in while she was in Canterlot. Everything was right. Except… except she wasn’t here. Her past self was nowhere to be seen, and neither were any of the accoutrements of the Royal Wedding. In fact, the room was decidedly… pinker. A cautious push of her much depleted magic revealed the posters of popular pony bands plastered on the walls, a vanity full of a wild assortment of makeup, and shelves full of schoolbooks.

And a voice sprang to life outside of the doors. “Shiny! Wait, Shiny, I need to explain this to you!” It was that foolish little Princess Cadence, unquestionably. But… younger. Much younger, in fact. Almost juvenile, but not quite. Queen Chrysalis gently nosed the door open and peered out of it to look onto a scene with a rush of obscene joy.

A much younger Princess Cadence stood outside the door, her long mane done up in a stylish little ponytail and wearing a pleated skirt and blouse that had the look of a school uniform. And right next to her, lo’ and behold, was a similarly uniformed Shining Armor. Still a teenaged colt, with a ruffled mane and a gangly, unfinished look to him. “Cadence, I get that the princess has you on a pretty tight leash, but this is freakin’ embarrassing!” His voice was tense, and he was oh-so-clearly angry. “Foalsitting Twily was hard enough, but now you’re gonna be her tutor? This is not exactly going to help us get any private time together!”

Chrysalis could feel the idea forming even as the two bickered at one another. Forget her original plan, forget her original ideas, fate had given her a peerless chance to open the doors to Equestria’s domination even further! “Shiny, I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you. Auntie told me only yesterday that I was going to be doing this!” Even from here, Chrysalis could feel Cadence reaching out with that wretched love magic of hers, trying to bridge the gap between them. Oho… No you don’t, Chrysalis thought with glee, her own power flaring to life and sucking away the magic in midair.

It was a welcome meal, given the spell she’d just cast. Shining Armor’s look of hurt didn’t go away, and his frustration was more than evident. “Cadey… I can’t keep doing this. I can’t keep putting up with Princess Celestia trying to interfere with us like this!” His voice was beyond tense, his eyes shut tight. “I want to serve the crown, Cadence. Not have my entire life ruled by it.”

Cadence looked confused. She poured only a little more power into it, and Chrysalis gleefully sucked the power right out of the air. Come on now, little girl. Any more than that, and you’re going to overplay your hoof... The princess seemed to know it too. Her head darted around for a moment, taking her attention off of Shining Armor for only the briefest of seconds.

That was enough though for Chrysalis to turn all of that love magic around and twist it within her horn. She couldn’t fire an energy bolt, but she could send the poor colt over the edge with a little bit of magical suggestion. You need some space, she whispered into his mind, her subtle magic wrapping around the poor stallion’s unguarded thoughts. She had long experience manipulating this one’s mind, even if it was far younger and wilder.

“I… I need space, Cadence. Just-” He tripped over his words, then turned away from the frantic mare. “Please, go away.” He leaned his forehead against the wall, silently ending the conversation and severing the fragile bond there. Chrysalis might have applauded, if she hadn’t wanted to remain hidden. Now, all she had to do was slip in and replace that miserable Shining Armor and-

Without any warning, magical or mundane, the world twisted around her. Wild magics grasped at her body and hauled her back through the stream of time and space. She might have screamed, but it was silenced by the suddenness of the spell. All she could hear as she was ripped from the room was the sobs of the princess as she burst into her chamber and slammed the doors behind her. It was a sound as sweet as love itself.

“I don’t…” Sniffle. “I don’t know what happened, Auntie. Just… I tried to reach out to him, and it kept vanishing into nothing. It was… It was like my love was just sliding off of him like it was nothing to him.” Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, or Cadence to anypony who actually knew her, felt like her heart had shattered into thousands of tiny pieces. Her magic had utterly failed her, and she had no idea why.

She didn’t know, and that was worse than anything else that might have happened to her. So she wept her little heart out into Celestia’s shoulder as her little Twilight Sparkle pretended to study in the next room. Cadence knew she was pretending because Twilight never looked up from a book she was engrossed in, and she had been fidgeting in her seat and trying to look toward where Celestia and Cadence stood in the next room the whole time she’d been there.

Auntie’s gentle hoof stroked down her back as her tears flowed, and she said nothing. She didn’t have to, since right now all Cadence needed was the comforting familiarity of the only pony who truly understood. It took time, but the sobs eventually gave way to sniffles… and a tiny hoof tugged at one of her wings, startling her. She turned her head to see a somber looking Twilight holding onto her wingtip gently, her own eyes glistening with unshed tears. “Please don’t cry, Cadence,” she said quietly, then spread her hooves wide and hugged her leg. “I don’t like seeing you sad.”

In a single moment, all of the world refocused for her. She bit back her last sniffle and looked up briefly to a gently smiling Celestia. Her aunt nodded at her, again without words. She would be ready to talk later, but right now they both knew what was important. She turned back to the tearful little filly and gently tugged her away from her leg. “I’ll be alright, Twilight,” she murmured to the filly, hugging her and giving her beautiful mane a little rub. The filly instantly brightened up at the easy intimacy and giggled softly.

Her tiny hoof came up to wipe away her tears, and she piped up in a surprisingly mature voice. “I think we should go get ice cream! That always makes me feel extra better.” She tilted her head cutely, her smile wide. “An’ I heard Mr. Freezie’s got a new mint chip flavor!”

Cadence couldn’t help herself and giggled with Twilight at the innocent joy in the little filly. “Well, I think that calls for a sundae, don’t you?” Her sly suggestion sent the little filly into wide eyed happiness, her hooves coming up to her mouth. Her little gasp was inspiring, and Cadence felt her own smile twist into a grin as she plucked the filly off the ground, seating her on her back and trotting to the door. “We’ll be back soon, Auntie!” she called behind her, sliding the door shut. She could weep more later. There were more important things than tears anyway.

The tall white alicorn stalked down the hall, anger reverberating in her every muscle. She knew it was intimidating to the Guard commander, and she didn’t care. “He’s old enough to be sent in for more thorough training, yes?” she snapped at him. The commander nodded hesitantly in reply, and Celestia felt a fierce bolt of vindication. This incident had completely taken her by surprise. She had been so sure… But surety had now been replaced with a need to act. She could not risk destabilizing Princess Cadence at such a vital stage in her training.

“He is to be sent to the Academy at Stalliongrad immediately then. On the very first train north, if possible.” She frowned at the commander “No special treatment. If he has the makings of an officer, bring it out of him. I do not wish to see him back in Canterlot, save for holidays, unless he is a truly exceptional cadet, or he has progressed to the point of needing Royal Guard training.” Princess Celestia Solaris glared mightily at the Guard commander, her eyes narrowed. “And most importantly, he is to be allowed no contact with Princess Cadence from this moment forth. Any letters he sends are to be routed through me. I will not have him jeopardizing my hard work, or her confidence, with his bumbling. Am I understood, Commander?”

The unicorn swallowed nervously and nodded once. Celestia huffed out a breath and left the room. A true pity. Twilight was not going to react well to this, but her options were sharply limited if she hoped to minimize the damage. Everything had been going perfectly, and now she had to start all over again. Maddening. What could possibly have gone wrong between them? Had she been too precipitous in involving Twilight? A jealous rival, perhaps? Had she misjudged the stallion’s devotion to her or had some nefarious force sabotaged them? She did not know.

She was going to find out.

Cadence sat with the quietly sobbing Twilight cradled in her forelegs, sitting in the living room of the filly’s parents’ house off Unicornia Way. “When… Did they even give him a chance to say goodbye?” She was partially horrified that it had come to this, but perhaps she shouldn’t have been surprised. The Guard did not approve of drama within their ranks and especially not from a prime recruit such as Shining Armor.

Twilight Velvet nodded solemnly, a cup of tea cradled in her hooves though she hadn’t bothered to sip from it since Cadence had gotten back. “Just after you left, actually. They gave him new post orders this afternoon, and he was to be on the train immediately. Something about an opening in an elite training program.” She frowned a little and sighed. “I had hoped he could stay here in Canterlot, but the Princess informed us that given how certain situations had now changed…”

Cadence winced away from that, turning her head from the kindly unicorn mare to focus on the still crying filly. She gently soothed Twilight with her hoof, wiping away tears and letting Twilight blow her nose on the hanky whenever she needed to do it. Velvet’s voice was soft from behind her. “We’re not angry at you, Cadence. Celestia knows both Night Light and myself have had our own romantic issues. If our son couldn’t see how obviously you love him, then perhaps he truly does need some time to remember how blessed he was.”

A derisive, hard male snort came from across the room, and Night Light’s unmistakable thudding steps informed Cadence of his arrival. “Romantic issues my ass. If Celestia hadn’t shipped that boy off to Stalliongrad, I’d have had him sent to the doctors to check for insanity! As if Velvet and I couldn’t adjust our schedules to make sure you two had some quality time.” The big stallion stomped into view, wearing his guard armor and frowning mightily. “Whatever. You’re always welcome in our home, Cadence. We’re going to be counting on you to take care of our filly while her brother is away.”

She nodded faintly and curled the little purple filly in closer to her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Twilight,” she half whispered, trying to hold her own tears at bay. How had her life twisted around so very quickly? Auntie had always said that sometimes life threw things at you that you couldn’t anticipate, but this… since the academy dance, since that parade, it had felt like everything was going in exactly the right direction. And now it was just… gone. Poof. Just like that.

She hardly even noticed when the little filly legs grabbed around her neck and squeezed. “Dun be,” Twilight murmured into her ear, through sniffles and stifled tears. “It’s not your fault that… that Shiny had to go.” Cadence turned her head to look into those wide, sincere eyes. The gentle, tremulous smile, and that tough-girl look she always put on when trying to emulate her bigger brother. “J-j-just promise you won’t leave me too, Cadence,” she pleaded, almost begged, of her...

Cadence felt her heart soften a little, and gently nuzzled her cheek against Twilight’s. “I promise you, I’ll never leave you alone, little one,” she whispered back. It wasn’t a hard promise to give, not for her. Somehow, she knew Celestia had to have been part of why Shiny had been sent away. It was a discussion they would have to have later…. But right now. “And I’ll always be there when you need me. No matter what,” she finished and kissed Twilight’s forehead softly.

And as her reward, Twilight smiled up at her brilliantly.

Cadence carefully shut the door to the Sparkle house and locked it with a touch of magic. The hour was well and truly late, and the Mare in the Moon seemed to be hanging particularly low and intimidating tonight in the sky above her head. She gazed up at the silent pony face only for a moment before quickly trotting down the street. The night in Canterlot was quiet right now, though it would not remain so forever. Like most great cities in Equestria, all manner of ponies and lifestyles came out of the shadows after the sun set, and Canterlot had more than its share of uniqueness.

Fortunately, the two ponies she was seeking tonight would likely just be getting started with their evening. With even more fortune, they’d still be at home getting ready for the night, and she could catch them there instead of having to search through all of the nightclubs in the city. The streets of the ancient noble houses gave way to those of more recent vintage, built by the wealthy merchant and fashionable class who sought to keep up with modern taste and attitude. Each had its own delicately wrought iron gate, which was the fashionable thing to have ‘guarding’ the front of one’s house these days.

One such gate she had a key to, and the elegantly designed mansion that loomed above the lantern lit streets spoke of truly refined and specific taste in its designers. Her hoof came up hesitantly, but then she knocked firmly and rapidly. She could not go back to the palace right now. She was far, far too overwrought, and there was but one pony in all of the world she could trust with her in that state. The door swung open. “Allo? Who iz… Cadenza!” The slim, tall mare’s eyes lit up with an effervescent excitement that was impossible to resist. “Ma belle! It iz so very good to see...” Her voice fell off as she took in all of Cadence’s body language and comportment, and her eyes narrowed slightly.

“Hello, Fleur,” Cadence said softly, unable to keep a half smile off her face. “I don’t suppose you’ve got a little time for an old friend?” It took a lot to keep her voice light, but she was horrible at disguising her emotions, and she knew it. Fleur did not speak, she simply swept an elegant limb around Cadence’s neck and hauled her forcibly through the much filigreed door. “Ack! Fleur, I really don’t want to bother-” Cadence’s words were cut off with a firm hoof against her lips and a stern look from the long-limbed unicorn.

“Mon dieu, Cadenza. As if I would not have time for my closest friend.” She tsked softly, tapping a hoof on Cadence’s nose and making her go cross-eyed. “Mon Amour! We have a guest!” she sharply yelled as Cadence took in the furnishings in the foyer. Everything here was of the most expensive and fashionable make, even the decorative wine glasses adorning the shelves near the bottle rack. Then the words hit her. Amour? Her Prench was not what it once was but…

“Who is it, darling?” the smooth-as-silk, sexy-as-sin voice of Fancy Pants drifted down the stairs, followed by his coiffed mane and much manicured mustache, and his eyes brightened. “Princess Cadence! My goodness, why did you not say you were to be dropping by! I would have chilled a nice bottle of the ‘68 for you.” He winked at her, cleaning his monocle vigorously with a scrap of silk. “What brings you here?”

“She ‘az been forsaken by that foolish colt who thought he was a stallion,” Fleur sniffed derisively, and Cadence felt her heart lurch in her chest, startled by the deduction. “Oh, psh! Eet is as plain as the nose on your face, Cadenza,” Fleur gently admonished her, her eyes softening. “You ‘ave the look of one bereaved and bereft, and you would not ‘ave come in the dead of the night if your heart was not broken.”

Cadence opened her mouth to speak, but found that she could not. What words were there to say? Even Fancy Pants’ mouth was opened with demure shock, and Fleur’s naked scorn for Shining Armor was plain even to her. Yet while her every instinct was to lash out and defend him… she found she couldn’t do it. “Yes… She’s right,” she half muttered and threw herself into Fleur’s shoulder. Welcomed there by a delicate but firm embrace, she felt the tears come for the third time that day.

All around her, she heard the sounds of quiet industry as Fleur gently held her to her breast and murmured soft words of encouragement. There was the clinking of glasses and the sound of a popped cork, but Fleur was not letting her go so long as she continued to shed tears. Soon though, the tears ran dry, and she reveled in the soft feel of Fleur’s coat. She’d always wondered how the mare kept it so silky… “Better?” Fleur asked archly, and Cadence felt her cheeks burn a little as she nodded.

When she finally looked up, Fancy had produced a trio of glasses and a - Was that a bottle of Apple Family Brandy? “You looked like you could use the tipple, dear.” Fancy Pants grinned broadly, forcing her to grab the glass or let the precious liquor spill. “It might be a touch early in the evening for something this nice, but I think you could use it.”

Cadence absently nodded and sipped at the liquor, the feel of fiery apples searing down her throat enough to make her give off a little cough. “So. You two finally gave in to the inevitable, I see,” she dryly commented, getting sly smiles out of both of the ponies. She had known for a very long time the pair of them would end up together, though neither of them had ever seemed inclined to admit it.

Fleur sniffed delicately, sipping at her expensive liquor and looking dignified while doing it. Cadence had to figure out how she managed that. “Eet was never my problem, Cadenza. It was always this lout trying to remain an ‘eligible bachelor’.” She reached out with a hoof and smacked Fancy Pants upside the head gently, and he grinned fearlessly back at her. “I finally cornered him at a party and presented him with terms he could not refuse.” There was a naughty, wicked sparkle in her eye as she said that, and Cadence felt her cheeks burn.

Fancy sighed happily. “One of the best nights of my life.” He shook his head with a slow smile, then adjusted his monocle. “Still, my condolences, Cadence. I know you had a special place in your heart for him. But such is the ever shifting whims of love.” He gestured broadly with his glass, then pursed his lips speculatively. “Why don’t you join us for a night on the town, hm? The best cure for love lost is to spend your time in the company of those who still love you.”

Fleur clapped her hooves together excitedly, her eyes sparkling. “Mas oui! Oh, please Cadenza, say you shall join us?” Her voice was practically breathless with excitement, her smile bright enough to light up the room. “I think between mi amour and myself we can rid your thoughts of your heartbreak.”

Cadence took in a deep breath and sighed softly. Celestia probably wouldn’t approve but… she really did not care for once. “Yeah, that sounds wonderful. I haven’t a thing to wear though.” Admitting that was hard in front of Fleur, but the slender limbed pony simply smirked at her. Fancy Pants was grinning like a fool too, and Cadence had to wonder what was going through their minds. “What?” she finally asked, looking at the pair wide eyed.

“Oho, my dear,” Fancy mused, stroking his mustache speculatively. “I am certain we can find you something that will provide you hours of entertainment tonight in the closets. Why don’t you take her upstairs, Fleur, dear? I’ll send a message ahead to the club to expect us fashionably late tonight.” Fleur nodded, and before Cadence could say another word, she was being happily dragged along up the stairs, Fleur singing some strange but upbeat song in Prench.

Mere minutes later it seemed, she was done up in beautiful makeup and a slinky dress that was equal parts suggestive and scandalous. It was not the sort of thing a princess was supposed to wear, but she had to admit the thing made her feel so… desirable. Like the worst parts of the day had melted away and revealed a brand new world lain out before her. One door had closed, but so many others now opened. Romances unspoken of or undreamed of by herself or Celestia lay waiting out there in the night.

Fleur slipped a bold hoof around her flank and kissed her cheek daringly. “Ma belle amour. All of Canterlot is our playground. Where shall we start?” Her eyes sparkled, as they always had, at the merest suggestion of high adventure and parties to be attended.

Cadence adjusted her dress and felt her lips curve into a real smile for the first time today. “Let’s see what kind of trouble we can get into.”