For hours, the only sight outside the train window was endless sheets of snow.

I had gotten up sharp in the morning, having packed my things the night before, and headed straight for the train station to catch my ride on time. We departed at around 7 in the morning and the train made its way through the Northern regions until we finally crossed past the north pole and headed south into Equestria.

Across the journey from Moscolt, to Mareingrad and to Arkhayngelsk, the number of Arstrotzkans on the train dwindled until we finally crossed into the arctic where it was just me and a few dozen people. I normally enjoyed the outside view, but staring at white snow got boring after a while and it didn't help that there was barely anyone to talk to.

I remember reading old tales about an old arctic Equestrian city that vanished a thousand years ago. If so, I would imagine there would have been at least one stop in the bleak and freezing environment that wasn't a tiny military garrison whose sole purpose was to protect the trains.

When the train crossed the border and stopped in the Equestrian city of Vanhoover, a few Arstrotzkans finally disembarked after hours of waiting. They were probably hired technical experts to aid the local municipal government.

As the remnants got out the train, I got out my phone and opened up my photo gallery. I gazed at pictures of me and Cadance that were just reminders of friendship before, but now would probably mean something more. I looked at the photos fondly, with more than just nostalgia encompassing my thoughts. Cadance and I looked so happy in those photos, and in pictures where it was just me and her, I realized that there was something in our eyes and expressions conveying feelings we couldn't just get out.

Then another hour passed and the train finally arrived on time. I glimpsed outside the window and sure enough, we were in Canterlot's train station. I had to restrain myself from laughing upon seeing Equestria's ridiculously designed trains, because while I could forgive them for looking archaic due to their technology level, I didn't understand how anyone could justify the frilly colors and heart decorations. Those trains were just screaming "bomb me with artillery."

I got up and gathered my luggage from its compartment and headed out, giving a quick farewell to the workers on the train before I made it out.

I stepped out the train and took a good look around me. Sure enough, the familiar architecture of Canterlot laid before my eyes. Unlike other parts of Equestria where I could probably see a Pegasai or two flying around, the skies were rather clear, probably owing to Canterlot's predominantly unicorn population.

The weather was rather cold given that it was in the middle of winter, but it wasn't snowing heavily like in Arstrotzka. My uniform alone was decent enough to give me some needed warmth.

I looked back down and a sea of colored hair exploded before my face. Countless Equestrians were waiting to board their train to wherever they needed to head to, dropping odd looks at me and the other few Arstrotzkans disembarking. Our jet dull colored hair, eyes, pale skin and lack of magic always attracted stares, but I would be lying if I didn't say the opposite was true for the rainbow that was Equestria's populace.

Most of the citizens seemed to be clad in rather expensive looking coats, the kind you'd see on advertisements outside Arstrotzka. They looked rather impractical and silly from my perspective, just symbols of wealth rather than a suitable way of keeping warm. Their ridiculous outfits sure did compliment their posh accents and snobbish ways of speaking however.

Damn, I was only out in Canterlot for a few seconds and I felt like I already wanted to wage a class war on these parasites.

Suddenly a voice called out to me in Arstrotzkan. "Hey! Comrade Ulyanov!"

I turned around and saw another Arstrotzkan political officer approaching towards me.

I smiled wide and hugged my fellow Commissar close. "Ah, good to see you comrade Gelovani!"

Commissar Dmitri Gelovani was our ambassador to Equestria stationed in Canterlot. Like most men from Fillisi, he sported tousled black hair and a boxed beard to match.

He let go of me and looked at me with a proud expression. "So, dinner with the Princess huh? Doesn't take a genius to know why they invited you."

I laughed. "Oh it's not a big deal. If I get together with Cadance then it happened, and if it's just a casual outing, so be it."

Gelovani chuckled like I just told a big joke. "No big deal? This might be the first time an Arstrotzkan Commissar has gotten into a serious relationship with an Equestrian princess. And I don't just mean flirting, dates and casual sex comrade, but something fully committed."

We heard a scoff and turned to the direction of the Canterlot nobles waiting for their train to arrive. It didn't take a genius to know that they despised us as we did to them. In a way, we Arstrotzkans were an anathema to every Canterlot elite and it was easy to see why. We were non magical, favored technological supremacy and consisted solely of a working class that saw equality as a virtue. It certainly didn't help that we were talking in Arstrotzkan, but we were honestly didn't care for what they thought.

Gelovani motioned me to move forward and I tagged along.

"So how is it representing Arstrotzka in Equestria?" I asked.

"Eh, the pay is decent if that's what you mean." he smirked. "Celestia is also...really...really wonderful once you get to know her."

Based on his fawning, I could tell Gelovani had some rather intimate encounters with Celestia from time to time.

"I didn't think that Equestria would even need an Arstrotzkan embassy considering there are barely a few hundred of us in the entire country." I inferred.

"Well, all four great powers have an embassy in pretty much any country you can think of." noted Gelovani. "Trust me though, with the disputes Arstrotzkan professional workers get into every day, you feel like there's over a million of us in this place."

"Disputes huh?" I muttered. "I thought our expats refused to work for bourgeois private firms."

"Oh, but that doesn't stop some Canterlot manager or business owner from bursting into our embassy and demanding to know why some Arstrotzkan was trying to radicalize his workers." told Gelovani. "Just two days ago some noble who owned a fancy restaurant got mad at us because some Arstrotzkan who ate there almost helped the workers unionize and last week another comrade shut down a theater by leading the staff on a strike until their wages increased."

"Nice to see our comrades trying to spread class consciousness while they can." I chuckled.

"And that's nothing to say about all the accusations thrown at Arstrotzkans working in government firms." smiled Gelovani. "Every week or so, we get a complaint from a Canterlot governor claiming that some Arstrotzkan bureaucrat is secretly an ASVD spy plotting to launch a Collectivist revolution from within."

"Oh man." I laughed. "Why would we even need to send in an ASVD agent disguised as a worker when we can just send in an infiltrator?"

Gelovani shrugged. "I tell you though, if Celestia was asked to step down in a working class revolution, I'm afraid I as an ambassador wouldn't get to spend any special time with her."

"I'm pretty sure you and the other great power ambassadors and leaders have had some rather intimate escapades with her huh?" I replied.

"Well, it isn't too different from that week you got to spend with Cadance in the Marediterraenian." winked Gelovani.

I noticed that we were approaching Canterlot castle. Many nobles were looking at us with suspicion, as if we were about to line them up against the wall for their crimes against the working class any second.

"You sure we can move into Canterlot without protection?" I whispered.

Gelovani smirked like it was nothing. "Don't worry. If these bourgeois parasites know what's good for them, they won't lay a finger on us unless they want this nation overrun and razed in a night. That's why most Equestrian supremacists can't get too far when brewing racial hatred against the expatriates."

"I guess so, but I honestly don't feel safe with Equestria's failure of a royal guard being in charge of our security tonight." I muttered.

"Well, I'm afraid our treaty with Equestria prohibits us from having anything other than a platoon guarding our embassy." sighed Gelovani.

"Then how do we ensure safety for Arstrotzkans in the other Equestrian cities where the embassy isn't around?" I inquired.

"The ASVD is very persuasive and subtle." chuckled Gelovani.

The two of us finally stopped at the gates of the Canterlot castle, our entire conversation having distracted us from the sights of the city. It was at that point where I realized I never even stepped foot inside the castle, or even the entirety of Canterlot for that matter. Growing up, all of my encounters with Equestrians, namely Cadance, happened in the middle of the Mareopean continent or an Equestrian city that was rather "neutral" in culture like Manehatten.

A royal guard, wearing the usual primitive and ineffective golden armor while clutching a spear, walked towards us. I followed his teal eyes down to Gelovani, who I noticed had a pistol holstered on his waist. At least the royal guard knew where to watch out for, as it's been said that one man with a gun can control a hundred without one.

"State your business!" yelled the royal guard in a gruff tone, although with his ridiculous get up he couldn't even pretend to look intimidating.

I looked up on the castle walls and noticed that the guards had their spears and crossbows pointed towards us, with some pegasai guards flexing their bright angelic wings. I wondered if they were to repeat such gestures if I was an ethnic Equestrian, but then I'd be a hypocrite if I stated that guards ought not to always be weary of visitors and trespassers.

Gelovani smirked and spoke Equestrian with a heavy accent. "Whoa there bourgies, let's not get hasty here. I'd be able to draw my pistol faster than any of you could throw your spears at me and miss."

The guard in front of us tensed. "Ambassador Dmitri Gelovani....what is the purpose of your visit?"

Gelovani pointed towards me. "I, am just merely seeing off comrade Lev Vissarinovich Ulyanov who has been invited to dinner by your princesses Celestia and Cadance. We wouldn't want anything bad to happen to Commissar Ulyanov now do we?"

"If this is a trick to assassinate the Princesses or start a revolution, there will be consequences." warned the guard.

"Oh please." I muttered. "This country doesn't even have enough class consciousness for us to even start a moderate democratic liberal revolution here. There is literally zero incentive for us to act up right now."

"Well then," sighed the guard. "I must see to it that your belongings are searched and that you are disarmed."

I handed my suitcase to the guard and raised my hands. "I'm completely unarmed. It's probably for everyone's safety that no firearm is in your or your compatriots' possession either."

The guard ignored that comment and opened my luggage. After fumbling with it for a minute and casting what I presumed to be security spells, handed the luggage back to me.

"You're free to go wherever you must in the castle." nonchalantly uttered the guard.

Gelovani winked and extended his hand. "Well comrade Lev, I'm about to head back to my post."

I took his hand and asked a question that was itching on my mind. "Wait Gelovani, where am I even supposed to be sleeping? There was not a mention of living arrangements in my invitation."

Gelovani gave me a toothy grin. "Well Lev, that's because you're going to be sleeping right next to Cadance once you finally decide to go dating with her after dinner."

As Gelovani said that in Equestrian, the face of the royal guard next to us burned red and scowled.

I chuckled nervously. "Let's not get too ahead of ourselves now."

"Come now," encouraged Gelovani. "It's almost an unspoken tradition that the young foreign representatives from the great powers, sans Neighpon of course since they only date other Neighponese, shares Princess Celestia's bed during visits. So, the same ought to apply to you and Cadance."

The royal guard was fuming. "You dare speak of the Princesses with such a demeanor!"

"See, this prudish attitude is why none of Celestia's past lovers have ever been an Equestrian." retorted Gelovani. He faced me. "Oh, and since Cadance is an alicorn, keep sucking and rubbing on her tits, because let's just say you'll get a little treat."

"Oh I know." I replied with a grin. "I did sleep with her for a week after all."

Now the guard was clutching his spear tight as he boiled with anger.

Gelovani paid him no mind. "Well, I guess I will be seeing you around comrade Lev. Alert me if anything goes wrong."

"Eh, I'm feeling much better about this right now." I smiled.

Gelovani waved and began making his way, leaving me to enter the castle as enraged royal guards stared at me. I didn't pay them or any of the other bourgeois onlookers as I made way in. As far as I'm concerned, they weren't the ones I was trying to please.

Still, that didn't shake off the feeling that this place was utterly alien in many ways, as if I was in the middle of a fantasy land or 200 years down Arstrotzka's history. The sense of magic was captivating and I could feel a rather regal and classical atmosphere around me. This place was a far cry from my industrialized working class homeland.

I took a deep breath as I found myself inside the castle, already hearing the muttering among servants and dignitaries directed at me. A sea of Equestrians with multi colored hair and archaic outfits were going about on their business, all evidently done with a work day and heading back home. They all seemed to break into a rush the moment they glanced at me, like I was about to draw a pistol and force them to accept collectivist hegemony.

"Excuse me, Mr. Ulyanov?" whimpered a voice.

I turned to my left and saw a maid clad in a black uniform. She seemed to be in her late 40s and had curly hair that sported a stripped red and orange pattern. She looked incredibly nervous, which I didn't blame her for considering I seemed to be a full foot taller than her and came from a land utterly incomprehensible to her.

I raised my right to greet her. "Good to see you comrade...."

"Eeep!" The maid closed her eyes and faced the other direction, only to slowly turn around once she realized I wasn't about to beat her down.

She blushed nervously. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry. It's just that I get a little shy sometimes and that no one really greets me with a handshake."

"Well, in my land everyone is entitled to the same amount of dignity." I assured. "So what was your name?"

She nervously put on a smile. "Oh, um. My name is Straw Broom."

Of course she was named Straw Broom.

"Well, it's nice to meet you comrade Straw Broom." I greeted.

She placed a hand on her lip and twitched. "Comrade? Oh my. We don't use terms like that here when referring to maids Mr. Ulyanov."

I sighed. It seemed the tale of the servant being depraved of respect by an aristocratic society was all too true here.

"Okay, but then you just have to call me Lev heh heh." I chuckled.

Straw Broom gulped. "Oh no no no! I can not absolutely do that here Mr. Ulyanov. That would be most disrespectful."

I knitted my eyebrows. "Disrespectful? I have no right to claim dominance over you and treat you like something inferior, so we are going to refer to each other either with casual prepositions or formal ones. Which is it going to be?"

Straw Broom yelped and the voices in the entrance grew louder. At that point I panicked and realized that my efforts were utterly futile.

"I'm sorry!" I remarked to Straw Broom. "I'm not exactly used to how things work in Canterlot."

Straw Broom grinned and stopped shaking. "It's not a problem. We have similar incidents with all sorts of foreigners all the time. It takes a while to get used to someone else's culture."

I was a little ticked that trying to get Straw Broom to treat me as an equal was an 'incident', but I remembered my Commissar training and just accepted that Equestria wouldn't have the same social norms as Arstrotzka, for now.

"So what was the reason you wanted to see me Ms. Straw Broom?" I inquired.

"Why, to show you to Princess Cadance's room of course!" chirped Straw Broom.

"Then let's get going." I nodded.

Now the younger males in the entrance near us were growing mad, that one utterance being indicative of what was likely to go down tonight. It must have really pissed them off that a non royal, especially a foreign collectivist, would be bedding with their Princess tonight. I wondered how many of them were part of the failed suitors Cadance told me about.

I walked down the hall with Straw Broom, passing by the various onlookers that shot us glances either of suspicion or disgust. I couldn't really blame them to be quite honest, as the people of Canterlot believed in their norms while they were the target of our own government's propaganda that detailed the oppressiveness of the reactionary systems.

"So, it must be really nice to have dinner with the Princesses." said Straw Broom, trying to break the tension after a few minutes of silently trekking through the castle.

"It definitely is," I replied. "I've had dinner with her on multiple occasions, but those were during mass gatherings with friends and nowhere nearly as formal as this."

"Well, there's a first time for everything." mused Straw Broom.

I bit my lip. "I don't think too many people in Canterlot are excited about this are they?"

Straw Broom hesitated for a second. "I wouldn't worry too much about it. Foreign dignitaries are almost always treated with suspicion, especially if they're from a great power like Arstrotzka."

"As someone that works in a Commissariat that deals with our relations with the other great powers, I guess I can see why many wouldn't trust us at first glance." I acknowledged.

"Princess Celestia and Cadance do seem to enjoy company from the Great Powers though," encouraged Straw Broom, before her face fell. "Well, maybe a little too much."

"I guess you can see why I'm going to be rooming with Princess Cadance tonight." I joked as we began to climb a pile of stairs.

"Indeed. I've escorted multiple leaders and ambassadors from the Gemrane Reich, Arstrotzka and Haylexandria to Celestia's quarters." hinted Straw Broom.

"Of course you'd leave out Neighpon in there," I smirked. "I don't think any of their people are capable of seeking out a relationship with a foreigner."

Straw Broom nervously laughed only to quickly lighten up. "Oh my! We've reached her highness Cadance's room."

With the exception of a golden marking that bore Cadance's crystal heart cutie mark, the door to her room looked rather generic, if a little on the big side. I thought that this was it. That this was where I was going to greet Cadance and decide once and for all if I was going to kindle a loving relationship with her. My mind was racing at the thought of making a decision that would change my life, and possibly the Arstrotzkan foreign policy, forever.

"Is Princess Cadance going to be in her room?" I questioned.

"Uh, I'm afraid not," told Straw Broom. "She's currently overseeing preparations and discussing things with her aunt."

I closed my eyes and nodded. "Okay then. I can make my way inside right?"

"Definitely," said Straw Broom. "I can help unpack your things while you get dressed."

"Ah, no need," I insisted. "I can handle it."

"You sure Mr. Ulyanov?" checked Straw Broom.

"Yeah, I just need to take off this cap and put on a tie to get into 'dress mode'." I stated.

Straw Broom nodded. "Okay then. You should have around 10 minutes before you need to head to the dining hall. So, you get ready while I see off the remaining guests."

"Take care Ms. Straw Broom." I beamed as she made her way down the hall.

I took a moment to compose myself before opening the door to Cadance's room. I expected there to be some sort of magical charm or jinx that she placed to guard her room, but I walked in undeterred.

There was some sort of tense feeling twitching inside of me considering that I was walking into her room. I hadn't prepared training to raid people's homes unlike some other Commissars, so needless to say, I kinda avoided walking into a girl's quarters. Perhaps it was the little boy in me that had yet to see past divisions in gender.

To be quite honest though, Cadance's room was pretty well designed. It had the same flair of Canterlot luxury in its furniture and accommodations while not being too excessive with decorations or trinkets. The colors were dominantly white with lots of pink and purple objects in between. The walls were painted a blended shade of magenta and violet. Just being present in this room for a few seconds was already enough to fill me with passionate feelings, a clear sign that this place was the quarters of the alicorn of love.

Cadance had a large bed, clearly big enough to accommodate a few people. A small sitting area with books and a coffee table stood at my left and a desk perched on the wall was onto my right, the perfect place to depose a few of my things.

I walked on over to the desk and unzipped my suitcase, taking out a few papers I would probably work on when possible and my laptop. It was a good thing that device could be solar powered because Equestria most certainly did not have the electrical infrastructure needed to support charging it.

I finally reached for a pair of deodorant spray and cologne, the latter of which I never actually bothered using in my life until my dad suggested it for this occasion before I left. I eyed what appeared to be various Equestrian sprays on the table and decided to lay mine next to them.

While settling those two cans down, I couldn't help but glance at a series of pictures that Cadance had laid out on the table. Two of those photos I had recognized as her graduating from middle and high school. Then there were photos of her and her aunt Celestia together or with some of her friends from Canterlot. One photo depicted Cadance alongside a young girl with purple hair, probably the girl she mentioned babysitting to me.

Then there were three photos that really caught my attention. The first two were photos of me and Cadance holding hands that were taken during two dances that were held at two respective global youth summits. Those 'dates' didn't really mean anything to us back then, but in hindsight I guess they were early instances of our true feelings for each other surfacing. I remembered those two nights far more dearly now; how passionate the scene was, how beautiful Cadance looked, and how just how comfortable we felt in each others presence. Hell, I reckon we nearly kissed on both instances.

On the other hand, the third showed Cadance in what I assumed was a prom dress alongside another young man with electric blue hair. The guy next to Cadance seemed to be rather nerdy, but clearly from an upper class background. This must have been Shining Armor, the brother of the girl Cadance babysat. He really didn't look like someone that would be enlisting in the Equestrian royal guard, but given their poor performance in anything combat related, it wouldn't have made a difference.

I couldn't help but keep starring at that picture. So this was Shining Armor, Cadance's first kiss apparently. I pondered if they had sex in the six months after Cadance lost her virginity to me, not that it would have bothered me. It was just that Cadance had told me the last time I was with her, that Shining Armor was the one she had a true crush on and was probably going to see a full relationship with him.

I hastily sat down on Cadance's bed, feeling like an idiot. How could have I forgotten Shining Armor? The royal guard that was Cadance's first love and kiss, not to mention the brother of the girl she baby sat. It sounded like a match made in heaven. As far as I was concerned, all I was doing was getting my hopes up by assuming Cadance would take things steady with me. I thought I was foolish to think that an Arstrotzkan Commissar and Equestrian Princess could ever amount to anything.

But then...I stood up and brushed those thoughts away. Based on everyone's reaction this whole affair, this dinner really did seem like Cadance's attempt to tell me that she was in love with me and wanted to be my true girlfriend. Hell, it would explain why I'd be sleeping next to Cadance tonight. Of course, that would mean that Cadance and Shining Armor would have broken up in the 6 months that I last saw her, which I figured was entirely possible.

Then, that's where I saw it.

On Cadance's pillow was a plush teddy bear clad in an Arstrotzkan uniform. Suddenly a wave of flashbacks flooded through my mind when we were just children. I don't exactly remember the specific instance, but I had given this very specific plush bear to Cadance as a token of kindness while Cadance had given me a plush stallion in return.

The other guys teased me about it (we were kids after all), but I really appreciated the thought. I didn't really make much of the plushy itself however, so it filled me with immense guilt that Cadance had still kept that teddy bear around despite the remarks she would have received.

I smiled at that plush bear, as if I was meeting an old friend I hadn't seen in over 10 years. Not to mention, it was probably the luckiest teddy in the world if it got to cuddle next to Cadance every night.

Feeling much better, I hastily transformed my uniform into something a bit more suitable for formal dinners rather than representing the will of the Arstrotzkan Collectivist political party. Of course, all that meant was unbuttoning the top of my coat to reveal my white collar shirt to slap on a tie. It also meant getting rid of my beloved peaked cap for the moment.

Once I was confident, I sent a message to the Commissariat and parents via phone that I was prepared and headed to the doorway. Having already made a trip from the entrance to Cadance's room, I figured all I'd need to do was retrace my steps back from where I came. I took a deep breath, assured and ready.

I walked out and closed the door behind me. All I needed to do now was-

"Lev!?" cried out a voice I knew all to well.

I turned to my side and for the first time in 6 months, in front of me was Cadance, standing in all her beautiful glory.

To say she looked magnificent tonight was an understatement. The strapless dress she wore was a beautiful pink garment that flowed down her body majestically. I couldn't help but notice that dress was the perfect combination between revealing and elegant as well. It gave me a great look at Cadance's buxom breasts doing a good job holding the garment up while a slit that began at her thigh gave me a peak at her long, bare leg. The dress hugged her voluptuous body tight, perfectly outlining every curve that Cadance had.

The high heels she wore put her a few inches taller than me, making her beauty even more imposing. I simply didn't know what to say to say to Cadance right now as I aimlessly stared at her, herself with a similar expression of awe with a regal gloved finger at her lip.

I took a gulp and tried to focus. "Cadance, I uh..."

Cadance immediately cut me off by quickly walking towards me and placing her gloved hands on my elbows to pull me in for a deep, passionate kiss.

My brain immediately melted the second her lips met mine. I closed my eyes as a sea of emotions traveled down my brain, relishing at the comfort of Cadance's presence. I had kissed her multiple times before during that week we spent together in the hotel, but this time it was different. Now, the kiss actually meant something a whole lot more. If I still had doubts about Cadance's feelings towards me, they were gone at that instant.

Cadance lifted her leg up, free by the slit in her dress, and I instinctively grabbed her bare thigh and back to hold her in place. While my fingers delighted in touching Cadance's bare skin, it was a bit of a struggle to hold her up considering that she gained a few extra inches with her heels as she kissed me.

We held the embrace for what may have been a half minute, my hands sliding across her exposed back and thigh all the while, before Cadance unglued her lips from mine while balancing herself on me and her leg. She still kept her hands on my shoulders and I still kept mine on her thigh and back. She looked into my eyes with a warm smile and I returned the favor, knowing full well what this night was about.

"So," said Cadance, finally breaking the silence. "Glad to see that you could make it."

"Of course I did." I replied. "Why would I miss the chance to together with my favorite girl in the world?"

Cadance let out a giggle, only to be cut off by the sound of a young child.

"Hi Cadance!"

Cadance's eyes shot open and the two of us turned our head to the sound.

Looking up at us was a little girl who couldn't have been more than 10. Her hair was entirely purple save for a pink stripe down the line and I immediately recognized her as Twilight Sparkle. Other than a backpack, she wore a white shirt and blue trousers with a purple sweater vest. Unlike her brother whose skin was rather light, Twilight's skin tone was little bit more dusk shaded.

I glanced back at Cadance who had a massive blush on her face. I almost formed one myself considering that Twilight was innocently seeing Cadance in a revealing outfit with my hands suggestively holding her bare thigh and back after we embraced.

Cadance quickly stepped down on both feet and let me go. She glanced down at Twilight and formed a sheepish grin. Twilight was still smiling at us childishly, unaware of what just went on between me and Cadance. A part of me really hoped that Twilight wasn't feigning that smile, as I myself wasn't that oblivious to what teens and adults did as a kid.

"Twilight," nodded Cadance gleefully while trying to focus. "I would like you to meet my friend, Lev Ulyanov."

"Privyet." I nonchalantly greeted in Arstrotzkan, trying to hold down my embarrassment.

"Lev comes from Arstrotzka. It's a country not too far from here if you take the train across the arctic." explained Cadance while tugging down at her dress to cover a part of her exposed leg, hoping Twilight wouldn't notice.

Twilight shot me an inquisitorial look and placed a finger on her chin. "Hm, I know it's a really important place, but I haven't really heard of Ar...ty..trotka."

I almost winced at her butchering the pronunciation of the People's Republic's name, but I let it slide as she was a kid. Wouldn't surprise me that someone of an elite Canterlot background didn't received no education about Arstrotzka, especially if they were receiving state sponsored education.

"Isn't it really cold and scary where you come from?" asked Twilight.

"You get used to it." I muttered, deciding to toy with her. She seemed to be a smart kid, but I doubted even a prodigy would understand where I really came from if they were an Equestrian child.

Twilight placed both of her hands on her cheeks in disbelief. "Oh really? Life must be terrible! How do you all get by every day."

"Guns. Lots of guns." I deadpanned, causing Cadance to nearly giggle and break my facade.

Twilight raised an eyebrow. "What's a gun Mr. Lev?"

"I'll tell you when you're older." I replied, finally getting a chuckle out of Cadance.

Twilight pouted and slammed her foot on the ground. Even being a prodigy couldn't escape their childish instincts.

"That's not fair!" complained Twilight.

Cadance sighed and gave Twilight a motherly look. "Sometimes Twilight, life isn't as fair as we think it is."

"Da." I nodded in agreement. "That's why we in Arstrotzka like to grab life by the throat and shake it hard until it becomes fair."

Cadance bit hit her lip with a smile at my remark.

"Well, I hope I can make life better." said Twilight. "Princess Celestia says I'm destined for great things."

"You're named after a time of day which corresponds to Celestia being named after the sun. I would say that's an accurate assertion." I agreed.

"Really!" lit up Twilight with an adorable smile.

"Da." I assured.

"YAAY...Da!" cheered Twilight, probably figuring out what that translated to just now.

"Twilight is studying pretty hard under Celestia in the art of magic." said Cadance in a proud manner. "And she had the best babysitter a while back in the whole world!"

Twilight stopped jumping at gave me that quizzical look once more. "Hey, are you and Cadance having dinner together?"

"Yes we are." smiled Cadance.

"Oh my gosh! Are you two dating?" asked Twilight.

"Ideally." I replied. I glanced at Cadance and saw another blush on her face with a surprised look, but one of pleasant surprise than shock.

Twilight's face somewhat sank. So did mine. I knew where she was about to go with this.

"It's really weird," sighed Twilight. "I thought Cadance was going to be dating my big brother best friend forever Shining Armor."

Cadance said nothing and looked down. At that moment I could feel my body starting to tense up. I really hopped that whatever Twilight would say wasn't going to ruin this chance for me to get together with Cadance, the woman who I had truly loved all this time.

"I mean," continued Twilight. "We went over so many plans before Cadance's prom night just so we could set her up with Shining. Then for the next two years they started dating, but those boneheads in the royal guard assigned Shining Armor to Hoofington. I barely get to see him now and he and Cadance had to break up. I tried to beg Princess Celestia to intervene, but Shining decided to follow orders."

I looked at Twilight's sad expression and couldn't help but feel sorry for her. For starters, I knew that my family missed me when I had to start working in the capital city of Moscolt away from to start my job. I also couldn't help but feel that some perfect plans of her were ruined. I mean, why wouldn't she want her royal guard brother to start dating a princess that was also her babysitter? It was a perfect combination, and now I had to get my collectivist ass in the middle of this.

I glanced at Cadance, who seemed to be down for the second. I really hope she wasn't reconsidering this.

"Twilight," I stated, trying to sound as empathetic as possible. "I'm sorry that the circumstances couldn't work like you wanted."

"Oh no!" interrupted Twilight, suddenly cheering up. "It's great that Cadance found love again, so she can still be happy. You two crazy kids should go have fun!"

I actually let out a smile at that remark, and so did Cadance. "Well, just to be clear, we haven't really committed anything yet."

Suddenly a new voice called out.

"Twilight dear!"

Me and Candace looked up and saw two figures approach Twilight, one a man with brighter skin and bluish hair and a woman with darker skin and purple hair that carried a white streak. Given their resemblance, it didn't take a genius to know those were Twilight's and Shining Armor's parents.

Twilight squealed with delight and hugged her parents close, the two more than happy to see to their daughter. I glanced at Cadance trying to muster a grin, but only forming the 'How am I going to explain this?' look.

Mr. Sparkle held her daughter tight. "We've missed you a lot kiddo!"

"I miss you too daddy!" chirped back Twilight.

Mrs. Sparkle glanced up at Cadance. "How are you doing your self Ca...."

Upon noticing who Cadance was standing next to, Mrs. Sparkle's smile turned into a frown. Mr. Sparkle did the same the moment he eyed me, not paying attention to his daughter's remarks.

The two parents stood up and gave me an inquisitive look, the same kind I was used to receiving around here by now. I could definitely tell that there was a feeling of disappointment within them, upset at the fact that Princes Cadance was probably fancying me at the moment rather than dating their son Shining Armor. Had their son himself shown up here, I would have probably filled the entire Sparkle family with distraught within a few minutes.

"Oh hey guys!" cheered Cadance, trying to brighten the mood. "Twilight just came here to say goodbye for the weekend while me and my friend Lev Ulyanov go have dinner."

"Dinner with Mr. Ulyanov huh?" muttered Mr. Sparkle, noticing the Arstrotzkan in my name, as if my dull black hair and eyes weren't already a dead give away. He clearly was wondering what Cadance saw in me.

"Well," nonchalantly said Mrs. Sparkle, breaking the silence. "You guys can go have fun. We'll take care of little Twily for the weekend."

"Be careful, I heard her magic has gotten pretty powerful as of late." chuckled Cadance.

"Oh, we'll see." grinned Mrs. Sparkle.

Twilight let go of her had and waved to us. "By Cadance! Bye Lev! I'll see you once the weekend is done!"

"Take care." smiled Cadance.

Twilight's parents shot a final suspicious look at me and without me having ever said anything to them at all, headed off with their daughter on the opposite side of the hall.

Cadance watched the couple leave with their child, who was musing on and on about what she had learned that day. Cadance's expression was a little uneasy, considering that she basically showed off her new boyfriend from an entirely separate society to the parents and sister of her first love. I wasn't too concerned about winning them over, they were neither my family's nor Cadance's, so I figured that they'd just need to get over Shining Armor not being Cadance's lover anymore.

I bit my lip and decided to ease the tension. "I'd say Twilight is going to end up as someone pretty damn important in Equestria."

Cadance smiled and raised an eyebrow. "You think so?"

I scoffed jokingly. "I know so! I mean come on, her name refers to a time of day while Celestia's refers to the sun. It's a dead giveaway even if we don't factor in the fact that she's apparently a prodigy."

Cadance rolled her eyes. "Come on Levy, it's not that obvious."

"Seriously?" I replied. "Face it, you ethnic Equestrians almost always grow up to do something related to your names. The Germanes get around that by naming their kids something vague but intimidating in their language so they can ensure their destiny is more to their control while still being able to put up a fight."

"In my defense, my name is Cadance and I'm an alicorn of love, not singing." replied Cadance.

"Yeah, but you have such a beautiful singing voice as well." I complimented.

Cadance blushed and glanced at me appreciatively.

"Besides, your actual name is Mi Amore Cadenza, so that still relates to love." I noted.

"Touche." admitted Cadance.

"You know, the great powers have a contingency plan that should we occupy an Equestrian nation indefinitely, we'd force future children to take embarrassing and pathetic names to ensure that succeeding generations would grow up to become people ineffective at fighting back." I remarked.

"Let's hope it never comes to that day." Cadance formed a seductive look that made me catch my breath and moved towards me.

"Now forget about that," she whispered, right before she embraced me with a long and passionate kiss.

Once more my brain melted in ecstasy. I didn't care if it was a side effect of Cadance being the alicorn of love anymore, for now there was no other feeling in the world that could compare to her lips meeting mine. I placed both my hands on her bare back once more and hugged her close, feeling her busty chest squeezing against mine. It felt like her strapless dress would fall down and plop out her breasts as we kissed.

Cadance unglued her lips from mine and looked at me with those beautiful purple eyes I adored. "Come on, let's not keep the others waiting."

"Most definitely." I smiled as we affectionately grabbed hands and walked down the hallway.