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Sunset paced the outside of the courtyard already hating the day because it’s cold and the ground is covered in snow she may not be effected by the cold due to her special talent being related to the sun’s warmth it still annoys her she was told by “princess” cadance to come out here for whatever celestia forsaken reason but she couldn’t refuse especially since it’s from a “princess” soon it will be heartwarming eve and I’ll spend it alone like always this new addition to the castle makes me even more sure that my stay here will be a lonely one but that suites me just fine
All of a sudden Sunset’s mind is quickly yanked of thinking as a snow ball hits her directly in the face startling her but it’s not painful due to the soft snow she swivels her head looking around when she sees “princess” cadance on a mountain of snow balls sporting a grin so wide it could split her muzzle with the mirth it radiates
Sunset scowls as she mocks “so this is what the “princess of love” wanted me out of my studying room to be witness to the utter stupidity that your doing how childish of you” her tone is scathing with barely suppressed anger at this situation she is now in
Cadance’s grin doesn’t diminish in the slightest as she playfully commands “we’re going to have a snowball fight now gather the snowballs and be prepared for a war so grand nothing can stop it” she’s full of love and happiness for the day and everything in it Sunset doesn’t understand why she’s so happy but can’t argue with the command even if she does just want to go back inside
And for the next few hours a massive snowball fight happened it was the most intense and war like display the castle had seen in many years as will later be written by kibitz as Sunset deployed old war strategies which were once used to fell even the most mighty of sirens while Cadance used newer softer tactics which were still effective as they countered the aggressive style perfectly
Eventually Cadance would win by gently trapping sunset under her wings in a full on wing hug and not let go until sunset finally smiled which was an achievement to cause as Sunset would rarely smile at anyone with the only exceptions being kibitz or Celestia
Sunset bluntly says while stamping down her own mirth “now that the snowball fight is over we can go inside and go back to our separate lives as we should be expected of that” suddenly sunset feels herself being lifted up
Cadance smiles impossibly wider as she puts sunset on her back and flies up pushing off the ground with sunset making sure to stay tightly secured to Cadance’s back lest she fall painfully to the ground
Cadance cheekily says “you need to learn to open your heart and let love flow freely from it after all we live together now so that technically makes us sisters so I’ll do whatever it takes to see you smile more” while her words may be childish Sunset can see the determination gleaming in her eyes so Sunset decides to humor Cadance and just forget their far removed roles if just for a little while
Cadance flies far above the castle with the snow glittering like diamonds below them as she swoops high up to where Sunset can even see the Pegasuses that are moving the clouds as well as feel the rushing air through her mane and for the first time in forever Sunset grows a taste for wanting to fly and always stay in the air because it’s the lightest she’s ever felt
Eventually Cadance flies them through one of the open windows landing them both softly in the castle’s massive but warm kitchen with her hooves clicking softly and her wings lowered so that Sunset can hop off which she does and both enjoy a mug of hot chocolate to warm up even if it’s not needed as both handle the cold much better than most would do eventually Cadance sets her mug down with a look of purpose in her eyes
Cadance with a bit of hesitant asks “can I touch your horn?” Her tone is innocent and curious but she still notices how everyone else in the kitchen just froze
Sunset’s hot chocolate gets temporarily lodged in her throat leading to a massive coughing fit from the sheer shock of what Cadance just said but eventually Sunset manages to get enough fresh air to gasp out “what the hay kind of question is that”
Cadance blushes embarrassed as she realizes she just likely committed a massive breach of privacy given how everyone just reacted to her question and she says “well I was the only Pegasus in my village and there weren’t that many unicorns but those who were there would always let me touch their horns but they always looked awkward about it and I wanted to know if it would feel the same for you”
Sunset just blankly stared at her before she too bluntly says “horns are the center point for all the magic that’s naturally inside a unicorn which means by genetic disposition they’re naturally very sensitive meaning they likely were very uncomfortable with you touching them because you likely weren’t being gentle enough with your touch” sunset realizes she might’ve been way too harsh when she sees tears forming in Cadance’s eyes
Cadance stutters out slightly “I’ve been hurting people that I care about?” She’s absolutely heart broken and sunset mentally scrambles for a way to keep her from bursting into tears as that would be bad if Celestia caught wind of what happened
So sunset quickly says “as long as your careful I’ll let you touch my horn as much as you want” now Sunset really didn’t want anyone to touch her horn but she can’t let Cadance cry or there will be Tartarus for her to pay
Cadance’s eyes quickly lights up as she finishes her hot chocolate getting up from their mini table and quickly walking around to the other side where sunset is still sitting and has temporarily stopped using her magic to float her hot chocolate mug as sunset sharply closes her eyes waiting for the almost certain intense pain to begin
Cadance ever so slowly brings her wings up and gently rubs the horn with them making careful and featherlight caresses so as to make sure she’s not causing any pain to sunset who internally is very stunned as she never expected horn touching to not hurt given the horror stories she’s heard from older unicorns and personally experienced due to the asshole that is prince Blueblood who she repaid in kind by tossing him into a fountain she’s lucky that Celestia found it amusing due to her own distaste for Blueblood’s very undeserved arrogance
Sunset slowly relaxes as Cadance continues to gently stroke Sunset’s horn with her wings and ever so slowly adds her front hooves but making sure to keep the touch as light as possible but everyone else in the kitchen watches in utter amazement at how gentle Cadance is being as normally it’s only other unicorns who are able to touch horns without causing pain as the others like earth ponies and Pegasus don’t understand just how sensitive horns are for unicorns
Eventually Cadance asks the most dreaded of all questions “Sunset if unicorn horns are so sensitive then how do you clean them of dirt grime or even sweat” she’s genuinely curious and concerned for sunset’s health
Sunset sighs before quietly saying “all unicorns have different ways to deal with it some let the grime build up others use unicorn servants to clean their horns but as for me I just let the rain take care of it” she can see cadance’s eye twitch so obviously she knows her answer wasn’t satisfactory at all for Cadance to hear her say
Cadance sternly says “that’s not safe at all or hygienic because your horn could get damaged or effected by what happens if you let grime stay on your horn because what if it doesn’t rain for a while?” Sunset can tell Cadance won’t let this go and is a bit afraid of what Cadance will offer up as a solution and oh she was right to be worried
Cadance continues on “I’ll clean your horn like a Pegasus wing as that’s the safest and most clean way oh it will also be a great way to bond because for Pegasus only family or exceptionally close friends are allowed to touch their wings” cadance eyes are full of stars and sunset can already tell that unfortunately there’s going to be no way to persuade Cadance to not attempt this so Sunset braces herself for what’s going to be an akward and uncomfortable situation
Sunset feels the slimy invader run along her horn licking it and it takes all of sunset’s inner calm to not scream at how utterly uncomfortable it is as horns aren’t made for cleaning like that especially not because she can feel cadance’s own magical force through her tongue which just adds to how uncomfortable and board line painful this actually is all the while Cadance remains oblivious to how much discomfort she’s causing Sunset in her noble if extremely misguided attempt to help
Suddenly both her an authoritative cough and both look up to see Celestia standing there it’s only sunset who can see how fake it is and how angered Celestia actually is which sunset knows won’t bode well for her at all Celestia walks over and uses her wing to gently move Cadance away from Sunset
Celestia softly says “Cadance I left some of your favorite chocolates in your chambers go enjoy them while I have a chat with my personal student” her tone sounds soft and caring which it is but Sunset knows it won’t stay that way
Cadance happily grins and giggles slightly as she gets up saying “thank you auntie I’ll see you tomorrow sunset then we can play more outside”
Cadance happily runs off with her hooves echoing with both sunset and Celestia standing there unmoving for a few minutes until Celestia starts walking and Sunset knows by this point to follow so she does all the way to Celestia’s private chamber Sunset knows whatever’s about to happen is going to stick with her for the rest of her life
As the door closes Celestia finally turns to look at Sunset and Celestia’s eyes are so cold they could freeze Tartarus over Sunset imagines this is the look she gave the mare on the moon before sending her there which makes Sunset want to be as far away as possible
Celestia coldly says “so you’ve finally left your study chamber and yet the first thing you do is make a fool out of yourself by playing around in the snow and letting your horn get licked” her words are colder than ice and their meaning as deep as the old waves sirens had once inhabited
Sunset kneels as she quickly says “princess I didn’t mean to offend you with my displays of childishness I was simply following orders given to me by princess Cadance” as soon as sunset’s done speaking she knows she’s messed up as she feels a sharp pain go through her head as intense pressure is applied directly to her horn
Celestia presses her hoof directly onto sunset’s horn as she firmly says “and now your blaming your actions on Cadance another princess who’s rule over you is absolute remember your just a student and not royalty” her words are cold as she presses hard but not enough to break the horn
Sunset can’t take it anymore and let’s out a loud cry of pain from the punishment and she knows she’s made a very stupid mistake as Celestia will never tolerate such weakness being shown by Sunset and Sunset dreads what’s to come next
Celestia angrily says “you’ve grown weaker today and now you have the audacity to cry out when being given your rightly punishment you think I’ve gone soft haven’t you well now I’ll show you what true justice looks like” though her fury is palpable it maintains a cold detached feeling that is chilling because her face gives away nothing
Sunset closes her eyes tightly clenching them as she wonders what horrors are to befall her that’s when she feels it something cutting straight through her hooves and all she can do it clench her teeth hard and bite her tongue so hard she can taste the blood coming from it she knows not to open her eyes or she’ll be getting an eye worse punishment
Minutes feel like hours until finally it stops not the pain no that lasts for weeks onward but Celestia’s wing hits sunset’s back hard it’s a firm nonverbal telling that Sunset’s punishment is now over and Sunset quickly bows again and leaves once she’s out of the princess’s sight does she finally open her eyes to see what mess her hooves were left in and she almost cries out in horror
Her normally pristine soft teal hooves are now carved in a very painful fashion with some parts actually exposing the raw nerves underneath making every step feel like fire and the blood is getting everywhere thankfully the servants are quick cleaners making short work of the blood as they don’t judge and most don’t even blink at the sight as they know it’s not going to end
Sunset finally makes her way back to her chamber and sees a small bag of chocolates sitting on her pillow with a tiny note under it and she lifts up the card on it is a little stick figure drawing of a pink Alicorn patting a tinier unicorn which it wouldn’t take a genius to understand who left the delicious chocolates for Sunset who eats them as she wraps her hooves in thick layers of bandages before she covers them in thick winter socks which will stay on for the next several weeks as she heals as the gold rule is she’s not allowed to let Cadance know what truly happens inside Celestia’s chambers
Sunset lays on her back in bed still in pain but is feeling a bit better due to the chocolates and now a thought fully cements in her mind the dream of gaining power and also becoming a royal soaring high in the sky nobody being able to hurt her anymore and with those comforting thoughts she dreams of clouds passing