“Aww,” Twilight moans, more than a little upset Cadance won’t trust her with whatever secret happenings are going on in the Crystal Empire. She’s a Princess, too! “Does it have to do with the upcoming Friendship Games? Lots of ponies have been talking about that!”

“Maybe it does,” Cadance evades with a sly smile, “and maybe it doesn’t.”

Twilight huffs at the evasion, especially because that’s the kind of response she should give when asked about matters that don’t concern the askee. She might have persisted with her guessing, and if it was Doug it would probably work. But she doesn’t want to draw Pinkie Pie’s ire; she’s not sure how the party planner would find out, only that she will. “What can you tell me?”

“Let’s see.” Cadance’s hoof beats an infuriatingly slow tune as she stares up at the ceiling. Tap. Tap. Tap. Her grin gradually widens as she cannot contain her glee at playing with the agitated alicorn’s curiosity. Tap. Tap. Tap.

Twilight growls, petulantly butting her ear against Cadance’s neck, just like she did when she was a foal. It didn’t work then, but maybe now that she’s bigger?

“Oh, fine,” Cadance concedes, snickering. She gently guides Twilight’s head away from hers, the younger alicorn putting up a token resistance before settling down. “You’ll want to be careful what behaviors you show around your foals. They’re little sponges, liable to copy anything and everything you’re doing.”

“Like you are right now?” Twilight grunts, dubiously peering at her former foalsitter. She’s evading, but pressing more won’t help. “Is that where I got my love of books?”

Cadance laughs, high and tinkling. “I don’t think any amount of discouragement could have kept you from your books. Do you remember our… heated discussions about bedtimes?”

Twilight snorts. “My presentations about later bedtimes did include a caveat about bedtimes not applying if I was pursuing school activities. I thought I was so clever when you said yes.”

“You fought so hard for an activity most parents have to… incentivize.” Cadance sighs happily; she reaches first for her own belly and then takes a long, loving stroke along Twilight’s side. “I can’t wait to see what our foals will accomplish.”

“Eeyup.” Twilight gladly returns the snuggle, their former fight forgotten. “You think I’ll do a good job?”

“Nope.”

Twilight’s breath catches in her throat, chilled from the ice-cold answer. “W-what?”

Cadance turns to plant a hoof on Twilight’s check, apple-eating grin touching both ears. “I know you will.”

Twilight stares at Cadance in disbelief before she bursts out laughing at the alicorn’s audacity. “You’re worse than Doug, you know that?”

“Thank you.” Cadance returns to ponyloaf next to Twilight, again full of warmth and life. Twilight gladly snuggles close. “You’ve done a marvelous job raising Spike. I’m amazed how readily he took to the rigors of governing. There’s not a pony in the Crystal Empire who has a negative word to say about him; he tirelessly works for their benefit, selflessly sacrificing his time and not taking advantage when he so easily could.”

“I don’t think it’s that sunny,” Twilight weakly protests, beaming, her heart soaring at the praise. “I wish he’d write more often.”

“You should tell him that the next time you see him,” Cadance suggests softly, her serious tone injecting a touch of melancholy at the reminder that it has been some time since Twilight has seen him. Longer than they’ve ever been apart, actually.

“...Yeah.” Twilight’s gaze meanders around the office, passing over snapshots and homey knick knacks that remind her of all her Friends to linger on the color-coded sticky notes detailing her various goings-on. So many things to do, to monitor, to take care of. “I’m just so busy here, I don’t know when I can spare the time to visit. Especially if it’s going to be some big production.”

“It might be sooner than you think,” Cadance hints, giggling at Twilight’s curious glance. She quickly covers her mouth with a hoof. “Oops! I might have said too much.”

Twilight huffs, then looks out the window, wondering if she can spot any circling Wonderbolts. All she can see are Dash’s chromatic contrails, but that could just be from her practicing. “Did you sneak out here or was it an official visit?”

“It’s not enough for me to come see my fellow Princess?” Cadance sighs when Twilight shakes her head. “Oh, very well. I must confess that I did have an… official reason for coming to Ponyville.”

“You mean,” Twilight snarks; she wants a full taste, not tantalizing hints! “You didn’t come all the way from Canterlot just to tease me?”

Cadance laughs with her. “There’ll be a lot more teasing should the Castle of the Two Sisters prove livable once again.”

“Wait, wait, wait.” At first, Twilight can scarcely believe it, an even bigger upset than when she thought Cadance didn’t believe in her earlier. Because this one might be real! “You mean the one in the Everfree?”

Cadance cocks her head to the side. “You know another one?”

Twilight rolls her eyes. “Rarity was talking about taking a trip there.” She rubs at her chin, lost in thought. “But I thought she would be getting it ready for Celestia and Luna and their foals. And, of course, brainstorming about an upcoming line of ancient fashions she could work on while restoring the decorations.” She again regards Cadance, grinning from ear to ear. “I didn’t think you’d be moving in!”

“Nothing’s set in stone yet, not like those drafty halls.” Cadance shudders. “I’m afraid it’s going to be lonely. And a lot of work; I don’t think the Everfree will appreciate us carving a path, much less an actual road.”

A knock comes at the door with a white head and purple mane following right behind. “Excuse me,” Rarity says as she barges in, a thin veneer of politeness over a twitching slab of giddiness, “I couldn’t help but overhear you mentioning a trip to the Castle of the Two Sisters?”

Twilight frowns. “Were you eavesdropping outside my door?” She tries to look past the unicorn and see if anypony else is huddling against the wall. She can’t see anypony, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t there.

“Oh, darling,” Rarity coyly laughs, dismissing Twilight’s question with a flippant dip of her hoof. “Let’s not focus on silly things like who is listening in on whom. Two Wonderbolts circling the school aren’t going to draw only Rainbow Dash’s attention, after all.”

“I knew it!” Twilight exclaims, quickly shushed by Rarity.

“Let us focus on more important things.” Rarity’s jaw twitches, the crazed look in her eyes barely contained. “Such as when we will make the trip, what sort of tools we might need, and whether I should pack for multiple days or if you will be providing transportation back and forth as required.”

“Mm,” Twilight says, chewing on her lip. Any excitement she might have felt dissipates as reality sinks in. The skies aren’t much safer, and teleporting isn’t an option for everypony else. “Applejack routinely complains about monitoring the forest alongside her farm to make sure it isn’t encroaching. Apparently, Chrysalis keeps it at bay by eating anything that comes near.”

Cadance’s bright expression turns dour at the mention of the changeling. “And how is my… herdmate doing?”

“She’s been good,” Twilight explains, immediately covering for her teacher. She doesn’t like the tension in the room; Trixie has a competitive streak, and her indolence often rubs her the wrong way, but that’s nothing compared to the intense animosity from Cadance. “Well, mostly good. She didn’t react to Spoiled Rich’s announcement, or have a word for Thorax, but when she heard about Ocellus she stalked Doug for an afternoon before withdrawing to her hive.”

“Mm,” Cadance grunts out, plainly unhappy at the changeling’s advances. “And at school?”

“Her class is one of the best behaved,” Twilight says, trying to stay upbeat even as she disagrees with the changeling’s methods. “But that’s because they don’t know her well enough to realize she won’t actually tear out their throats.”

“Are you so sure about that?” Cadance asks; no, demands, eyes narrowed and jaw set. “Do you know what she threatened to do to Shining Armor if I didn’t obey her every command? If I didn’t tell her everything she wanted to know?”

“Err,” Twilight mumbles, not wanting to meet those piercing purple eyes. “N-no, I don’t think you ever told us specifically.”

Cadance takes a deep breath, steeling herself. “She would have drained his love for me entirely, leaving him an empty husk. She would have made a mockery of our commitment to each other had she wormed her way into his mind, shattering the sacred bond we shared, in deed as well as in the eyes of everypony else. Or she might have gelded him.” Her brow narrows, and Twilight can barely meet her gaze. “Do you think she would have failed to follow through on any of those threats?”

Twilight’s withers sag, wanting nothing more than to curl into a little ball. Rarity, her white paler than usual, seems oddly invested in Shining Armor’s equipment, a downright dismay at anything potentially happening to him. “No. You’re right. She’s changed, but not so much that she’s as likely as you or I to do those things. Especially if one called her bluff; she’d follow through, consequences sent to Tartarus.”

“Maybe you should make her in charge of discipline,” Cadance suggests darkly.

Twilight can’t help but laugh. But then I won’t have any students left!”

Cadance joins her in chuckling, the gloom gone. “True, true. They can’t all be goody four-shoes like you.”

“Or have such an amazing foalsitter as you.” Twilight sighs, snuggling against Cadance’s side. It’s just like she remembers as a filly, soft and inviting and comfortable. Suddenly, she bolts upright. “You could join me!”

Cadance reacts only by tilting her head to the side, not at all surprised by Twilight’s outburst. “Oh?”

“You could join me as Vice Headmare!” Twilight grins as her breath quickens. “You’d live so close, you’re great with students, they could all learn so much from you! It’d be perfect!”

“Hmm,” Cadance muses, going deep into thought.

Twilight waits, fidgeting nervously, the silence stretching uncomfortably. She desperately wants to address any objections and assuage any fears her fellow Princess might have. “Bit for your thoughts,” she asks when she can’t stand it any longer, afraid she might burst.

“It would be a lot of work,” Cadance starts, muzzle pursing to a thin line as Twilight slowly nods. “Now, granted, I do have a fair amount of free time, as my Princess studies have more or less completed, as much as they ever will. I don’t know how much longer the Crystal Empire will need me freelancing.”

“We can wait until after that’s done,” Twilight offers, wanting nothing more than for Cadance to join her. From Rarity’s eager smile she wants the same, something Twilight is especially grateful for.

“On the other hoof,” Cadance continues, staring outside, avoiding their saccharine grins. A smile flickers across her muzzle as the brown yak tumbles over her long braids into and then on top of the light green pony, though it fades as the blue griffon points a claw and laughs, the dragon quickly joining him. Only once the pink hippogriff helps her off, the lethargic hedgehog reluctantly assisting, does her attention return to Twilight. “...They certainly could use some help.”

“...Yeah,” Twilight admits, having watched the exchange and berating herself for her student’s poor display of friendship. She wants to insist they are just having fun, but Gallus’s jabs are as pointed as his claws and Smolder rivals him as often as she can.

“I’ll think about it,” Cadance finally says. “After all, if the castle proves unworkable it’s a moot point. Not that I wouldn’t want to see you more often! The commute from Canterlot would be a lot to bear.”

“As somepony who grew up with an often absent sire,” Rarity shares, contrition written across her face. She ponders for a moment, stroking her chin, staring up at the ceiling. “It took a lot of effort from everypony. We understood that his hoofball career came first, that was his mark, but neither did we want to tear up our roots here in Ponyville.” She gives a dour shake of her head. “It made things difficult. But we loved him, we made it work.”

“I’ve seen him play a few times on the Miners,” Cadance says as Rarity sighs. “Though I dare say Shining Armor has taken more inspiration from ‘Big Daddy Magnum’ than I have. He aspires for every unicorn in the guard to match him in strength and endurance!”

“Your husband certainly tried to match my sire himself,” Rarity says with a wink at Cadance. “I dare say he succeeded.”

The alicorn, smirking, winks back. “He certainly has.” She pauses, suddenly pensive. “It’s been a while since you’ve seen him play, hasn’t it?”

Rarity gnaws at her lip. “Years.”

“Maybe you can return with me to Canterlot and run a few of your ideas about restoring the castle past my Aunts.” Cadance offers her an encouraging smile. “And you might make that simple business trip something more.”

“As long as they don’t try to push their own ideas,” Rarity gamely retorts. “And, speaking of business trips, are we bringing along the others? I wouldn’t mind a few extra hooves, and Doug does a marvelous job of taking notes.”

“I’ll go see what they’re up to,” Twilight agrees, not at all lamenting leaving her work behind - her Friends come first.

Next Chapter: Ch. 139 - Inspired Learning, Part Three Estimated time remaining: 10 Hours, 3 Minutes