Crystal Castle – Princess Cadance's Private Office
The sun had just begun to peek through the morning clouds when the delicate magical sound of a "pop" echoed in the air. A letter bearing the Canterlot seal appeared in front of Cadance, floating in a faint violet glow.
The princess, seated at her desk, paused her quill and blinked.
—"A letter from Twilight…?" —She tilted her head slightly— "On a Tuesday?"
She frowned with curiosity.
Twilight had a pattern. She always wrote on Mondays, Wednesdays, or Saturdays. Always.
A Tuesday was… unexpected.
Cadance turned the letter over in her magic. No urgent markings.
—"Not a mistake…" —she murmured— "Then… what happened?"
With quiet excitement, she broke the seal and unrolled the parchment. She began reading as she always did: fondly, but calmly... until something changed.
Her eyes stopped moving. Then went back.
She reread. And again.
Her ears perked up, and her magic let go of the letter.
Now she held it between her hooves. Firmly.
—"No way… Seriously…?" —she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion.
Her gaze intensified.
She lifted the letter, bringing it so close it almost touched her snout.
She read it a third time.
A ripple of joy traveled through her wings.
She looked up at the ceiling, her eyes shimmering—and after holding her breath for a second, let out a high-pitched squeal, sweet and long, rising like magical steam of pure happiness.
—"EEEEEEEE~EEE! I KNEEEWWW IT! IT'S REAL! FINALLY!!" —she did little excited hops in place, hugging the letter as if it were a plush toy.
The door burst open.
—"Cadance! What happened?! Are you okay? What was that scream?!" —Shining Armor rushed in, disheveled, his expression full of alarm.
Cadance turned toward him with a radiant smile.
—"Everything's fine! Everything's perfectly fine!" —she said without losing a hint of her joy— "It's just… I received very good news."
Before he could ask anything else, Shining was wrapped in a pink aura and, with a gentle but firm shove, was pushed out of the office. The door shut behind him without discussion.
Shining blinked in the hallway.
He sighed… then smiled.
—"Good news, huh…" —he murmured under his breath, scratching his head.
He didn't press it further.
On the other side of the door, Cadance's energy remained intact.
—"This calls for confetti! No… for a strategy! A guide! A plan! Oh Twilight, you're going to kill me with love!" —she sang, pulling out scrolls, seals, and a special quill she only used for sentimental occasions.
Cadance gently laid Twilight's letter back on her desk as if it were a priceless crystal. Her smile hadn't faded. In fact, it had only grown stronger.
—"It's time to fulfill my purpose."
Her wings flared briefly, trembling with excitement. A satisfied sigh escaped her chest.
And without wasting a second more, she wrapped her favorite quill in a bright pink aura and dipped it into ink. With a flick of the most elegant parchment from her collection, she began to write—with a blend of tenderness, mischief, and sisterly love.
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Dearest Twilight:
Finally!
I mean… what a delightful surprise to receive your letter on a Tuesday! You've broken your impeccable weekly order, and that can only mean one thing: something inside you stepped out of its routine.
That's good.
Very good.
You know how much I value your curiosity, so I won't give you answers. Not yet. Because if there's one thing I've learned from you, it's that the best lessons come from self-discovery. And now… you're standing right in front of one.
What you're feeling—that thing that has you confused, restless, so… reactive—isn't a spell, nor a logic puzzle to solve. It's something that beats, that hums, that hides just behind every thought you try to organize. And as a faithful student of magic… you know some things can only be understood by living them.
So…
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Cadance lifted the quill and smirked, tilting her head.
—"Let's give her a little challenge."
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Task #1:
Hug Wizbell.
Not like a friend.
Do it as you would if you didn't have to explain anything afterward.
Then… write what you felt. Just that. Nothing more.
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The princess read the letter aloud as she sealed it with rose-scented wax and her crystal insignia.
—"It's not much, but it'll be enough to keep her thinking all week," —she said, with the tone of a strategist in love with her game.
She held the letter to her chest for a moment.
—"Come on, little star… you're closer than you think."
With a soft pink flash, the letter vanished—on its way to Ponyville.