That afternoon, Dusk Glow walked alone through the bustling streets of Canterlot.
According to the plan, he was supposed to meet Princess Cadance somewhere around here.
He had arrived in the commercial district, one of the busiest parts of Canterlot.
With its excellent transportation network and central location in Equestria, the city naturally attracted merchants, nobles, wealthy families, and other influential ponies.
Dusk Glow looked around at the endless stream of ponies and the lavish storefronts.
Tall Gothic buildings displayed the banners and crests of various noble families.
Well dressed aristocratic ponies came and went from expensive jewelry shops, while golden pocket watches and other fine accessories glittered beneath the sunlight.
This place is seriously fancy.
“Heart toffee! Three bits a pack!”
The cry of a street vendor caught Dusk Glow’s attention.
Just as he reached for his coin purse, an elegant figure stopped beside the stall.
“Two, please. And add a little extra mint frosting.”
The voice was as clear as crystal chimes.
Dusk Glow turned his head.
A pink mare wearing a fashionable coat and a wide brimmed hat stood before him.
Her mane flowed in a beautiful gradient of yellow, purple, and pink.
She smiled warmly at him.
Beneath the shadow of her hat, her violet eyes sparkled with kindness.
Dusk Glow noticed something beneath her coat.
The faint outline of wings.
And there was also a horn.
There was no doubt about it.
She was an alicorn princess.
“Would you like to try one?”
The mare smiled and offered him one of the heart shaped toffees.
Dusk Glow’s pupils widened slightly.
“You are…”
“Shh.”
Princess Cadance playfully winked at him.
“Right now, I’m just an ordinary unicorn out buying some candy.”
“My name is Mi Amore Cadenza.”
“You’re Dusk Glow, right?”
“Mi Amore Cadenza?”
Dusk Glow froze.
Wait…
wasn’t she supposed to be Princess Cadance?
Then he thought about the name again.
Mi Amore Cadenza…
Mi Amore…
Cadenza…
“Cadenza…”
Mi Amore Cadenza.
Princess Cadance.
That’s why!
Thankfully, Dusk Glow had studied enough Spanish and Italian to recognize the connection.
“Forgive me, Princess Cadance.”
Dusk Glow gave a slight bow and lowered his voice.
“There’s no need for that, Mr. Dusk Glow.”
Cadance smiled.
“Today I’m simply here to learn more about how ordinary ponies are doing.”
“So please treat me as just another citizen.”
She lowered her voice further.
“And just call me Cadance.”
“Understood, Miss Cadance.”
Dusk Glow nodded.
“Then you can simply call me Dusk.”
Cadance blinked.
Dusk Glow was the young pony her aunt Celestia had introduced to her.
Apparently, he was temporarily taking the place of a servant who had taken sick with the flu, allowing Cadance to continue her visit among the citizens without drawing attention.
Cadance had heard about Dusk Glow from her aunt long before today.
According to Celestia, he was reliable, kind, and always willing to help others.
As someone who wielded the magic of love, Cadance could sense that those words were true.
There was also another secret about him.
Celestia had specifically instructed her to keep it confidential.
“Come on,” Cadance said cheerfully.
“Let’s walk while we talk.”
The two of them blended into the busy crowd.
“Um, Cadance,” Dusk Glow said as they walked side by side.
“I heard from Twilight that you used to take care of her when she was little.”
“She told me she really misses you, so she specifically asked me to say hello.”
Cadance’s eyes immediately brightened.
“You know Twilight?”
“That’s wonderful!”
She smiled nostalgically.
“I remember those days.”
“She was the sweetest little filly.”
“Thank you for passing that message along, Dusk.”
She leaned closer to his ear and quietly whispered something.
Dusk Glow nodded.
“I understand. I’ll tell her.”
“Then…”
Cadance suddenly smiled brightly.
“Let’s begin today’s survey of the citizens!”
She happily trotted ahead.
Not long afterward, a gentle melody drifted through the streets.
Cadance began to sing.
Her voice was as graceful as crystal bells.
“A robin brings the morning sun, Come dance with me, my dear Canterlot…”
Her hooves lightly brushed against a rose bush still covered in morning dew, sending tiny sparks of pink magic drifting through the air.
“This violet had a nightmare last night, So let the magic of love place upon it A crown of dewdrops…”
The two eventually reached a flower shop.
A married couple stood nearby, arguing over which flowers were prettier.
Cadance gracefully spun between them.
Several rose petals fluttered through the air.
“The lady loves the purity of white roses, The gentleman adores the passion of red. Why not try this rainbow rose? Let every color join together And bloom in harmony with love.”
Pink magic formed a heart in the air.
The petals automatically twisted together, weaving themselves into a two colored heart shaped wreath.
Cadance gently placed it over the couple’s heads.
The husband and wife looked at each other.
Then they both smiled.
Their argument disappeared as quickly as it had begun.
The two ponies soon came upon two dessert stalls.
The owners of the two shops glared at one another.
Neither could stand seeing the other earn more money.
Cadance stopped between them and gently held them apart.
“These macarons have lost their happy tune, While tiramisu sings a song of doubt.”
Cadance used her magic to combine treats from both stalls into a brand new dessert.
The two shopkeepers stared at the result.
Slowly, they realized that working together might actually be far better for both of their businesses.
“Why not share your secret recipes, And turn them into one sweet song? At tomorrow’s tea party, Let sweetness become a bridge of love.”
Dusk Glow accompanied Cadance to a nearby park.
There, they found several young foals arguing over a toy.
Cadance immediately approached them.
She gently calmed the upset children.
“This rose is for a wounded heart, This olive branch is for a promise of peace.”
Her magic sent flower petals dancing through the air.
The anger and frustration between the foals quickly gave way to excitement.
Soon they were playing together again.
“Look, the butterflies are dancing for you, In this beautiful morning light.”
Finally, they reached the edge of central Canterlot.
From there, they could look out across the land.
Far below them, countless ponies went about their lives, living happily beneath the warm sunlight.
“Today’s harmony has become a beautiful song, More brilliant than any jewel could ever shine.”
Cadance used her magic to control a quill.
A musical staff appeared on the parchment as she recorded the beautiful moments of the day.
“When the bells caress the moonlight, The whole city rests in love.”
The final note faded.
Cadance’s horn suddenly burst with a beautiful wave of love magic.
Above Canterlot Castle, an enormous cloud shaped like a heart appeared in the sky.
Ponies throughout the city looked up.
Smiles spread across their faces.
Dusk Glow stared at the spectacle.
I feel like I’m living inside some huge Disney world.
…
The survey of the citizens eventually ended amid laughter and smiles.
Dusk Glow could not help feeling amazed.
It seemed as though, in this world, whenever somepony started singing, every problem, whether large or small, could somehow be solved.
Is this really the power of magic?
Seriously…
is this what life in Equestria is like?
I learned something new again.
It felt almost too convenient.
Yet Dusk Glow looked at the ponies Cadance had helped.
Their smiles were genuine.
There was no sign that their happiness was fake.
They looked as though they were living inside a perfect utopia.
Beautiful as freshly shaken snow inside a crystal globe.
Like the golden words at the end of a fairy tale:
“And they lived happily ever after.”
For a moment, Dusk Glow felt lost.
Is this really reality?
“Is this the magic of love?”
Dusk Glow spoke quietly to himself.
Cadance appeared beside him with a gentle smile.
“The magic of love is pretty amazing, isn’t it?”
“It really is.”
Dusk Glow let out a quiet breath.
“I was just thinking…”
“Can something this beautiful really last?”
“Or will it disappear as quickly as a rainbow?”
As someone who had come from a modern human world, Dusk Glow understood that humanity had no magic capable of instantly erasing hatred or pain.
People depended on time, communication, compromise, and sometimes even laws and rules to resolve conflicts.
So he could not help wondering whether the beauty of Equestria was fragile.
Desire, greed, arrogance, and countless other negative emotions still existed.
They could cause real harm.
Cadance’s eyes showed a flicker of surprise.
She elegantly raised one hoof.
A dry leaf drifted between them.
Just before it touched the ground, Cadance’s horn glowed with soft pink light.
The leaf unfolded in midair.
Its dry surface slowly regained its color.
Green spread across it.
In the end, it became a tiny emerald green sprout.
“The magic of love isn’t an eraser that simply wipes away every scar, sweetheart.”
Cadance’s voice was as soft as the morning mist.
“It’s the soil where flowers can grow from those wounds.”
“It’s the courage to keep believing in the dawn, even after spending a long night in darkness.”
Dusk Glow’s pupils contracted slightly.
The light of the setting sun rippled across his eyes.
Then he suddenly saw something.
He saw himself at twelve years old.
A storm raged outside.
He was curled up alone in his room, clutching the last worn out storybook he had left.
Tears had soaked through the pages.
The words “And they lived happily ever after” had blurred beneath his tears.
This was one of his deepest memories.
Something he had never wanted to tell anypony.
Back in the present, Dusk Glow’s hoof unconsciously tightened.
“Are you all right, Dusk?”
Cadance noticed the heaviness in his expression.
Dusk Glow suddenly shook his head, as though he could physically throw those memories out of his mind.
He gave an exaggerated cough.
“I’m… I’m fine.”
“I just remembered something from the past.”
“Haha…”
Cadance narrowed her eyes slightly.
She was suspicious, but she did not press him.
Instead, she gently placed a hoof against Dusk Glow’s chest.
“I don’t know what kind of world you came from.”
“But please remember this.”
“No matter how heavy or painful a pony’s past may be, it can still become nourishment for the future.”
“Because the strongest flowers…”
She smiled softly.
“Often bloom from the deepest scars.”
Dusk Glow froze.
He stared at Cadance in disbelief.
The setting sun cast a golden outline around her.
“I understand.”
Dusk Glow nodded firmly.
His hoof relaxed.
“Princess Cadance…”
“You really are just as kind and gentle as everypony says.”
Cadance smiled.
Then she removed her coat.
Her enormous wings spread behind her.
“All right, sweetheart.”
She rose into the air with a powerful flap.
“Thank you for your help today.”
“I need to get back to the palace.”
“Until next time!”
“Oh, and don’t forget to say hello to Twilight for me.”
Cadance pointed toward a nearby cart.
It was piled high with gifts.
“And please give her all of these.”
Dusk Glow stared.
There were a lot of them.
…
“So Princess Cadance really does remember me!”
Twilight Sparkle jumped excitedly inside the tower.
She bounced around the pile of gifts like a whirlwind, her eyes curved into delighted crescents.
“She really does.”
Dusk Glow was sprawled across the sofa.
After spending the entire day out, he desperately needed to rest.
“She wouldn’t forget the ‘sweetest little filly in all of Equestria.'”
Spike walked past carrying a precarious stack of scrolls.
“Looks like all that time following the princess around wasn’t wasted after all.”
Dusk Glow struggled to lift his head.
“Speaking of that…”
“What did Princess Celestia give you to study?”
Twilight’s horn suddenly lit up.
A heavy ancient book floated out from the pile of books around her.
Its cover was decorated with golden lettering that shimmered in the moonlight.
The Secrets of Star Swirl the Bearded: The God of Stories.
Twilight lowered her voice.
Her hoof carefully turned the yellowed parchment pages.
“It’s a forbidden book by Star Swirl the Bearded.”
“It contains records of the legend of the ‘God of Stories.'”
“According to the book…”
“That being can rewrite the narrative of reality itself.”
“Turning ‘possibility’ into ‘inevitability’…”