Brushie Brushie

>Taking hold of the door with your free hand, you open it and step into Princess Celestia's chambers.
>For the past four... Five? Years of your life, the castle has been your home and place of employment.
>When you were discovered out wherever you were, you were immediately dragged before the princesses of the castle.
"And now, I'm their royal assistant."
>"What was that Anonymous?" Celestia asks, turning to you.
"Nothing Princess." You reply, before setting her lunch tray beside her. "Is there anything else you need?"
>"No, but I believe Cadence wished to see you. And I told you Anonymous, you can call me Celestia when in private."
"Yes Celly." You say with a groan.
>She shoots you a glare, before giving a faint chuckle.
>"I don't see why you dislike helping her so much."
>Thinking back on the past week of "helping" Cadence, you groan.
>"I know your past was... Difficult, but you should at least try and accept her help."
>'Difficult doesn't even begin to describe it.'
>'All my life, any time I get close to anyone I end up hurt.'
>Taking your leave, you step out into the hallway.
>Down the hall, you reach the vivid pink door of the Princess of Love.
>Knocking on the door, you hear her call "Come in!"
>In her favorite chair, Cadence spins around to face you.
>"Anonymous, I'm glad you came. I wanted to know if you are open tonight?"
>With a sigh, you pull out your scheduler, and flip to todays date.
"After Dinner, I have nothing till Luna Raises the moon. Why?"
>"Oh, nothing, I was just curious as to wether or not you wanted to join me for a walk later."
"I don't realy have a choice, do I?"
>With an annoying giggle, she says "Nope. See you then."
>Leaving her room, you shake your head.
>'Another one of her annoying schemes to get me to open up. You'd think she would have given up by now.'
>Time and again, Cadence has tried hooking you up with friends, sending you on dates.
>Of course, nothing comes of it, except for Cadence's mane getting a little frizzy.
>Which she makes you brush smooth.
>Making your way down to the kitchens, you spend your short break grabbing dinner.
>One of the benefits of working in the castle is access to meat in this primarely vegitarian country.
>It took the cooks a while to get it right, but you have shown them how to make a decent burger, and you order one for yourself.
>Taking your meal to a balcony, you hop up on the ledge and dig in.
>"Anonymous, how are thou doing?"
>Trotting up beside you, Luna takes a seat.
"Meh, Cadence is setting me up on a date again I bet."
>Luna shrugs "We don't comprehend why you dislike her offers so much, are they not a good chance to make friends?"
>Giving another sigh, you finish off your dinner and head off.
>Finishing the remainder of your day chores, You get dressed for your imminent date.
>Headed to Cadence's room, you pass Celestia.
>"Anonymous, it's good to see you taking my advice and trying to get along with Cadence." She says, and you let out a barely audible snort
"It's not like I had a choice, since its part of my job."
>Knocking on Cadences door, she opens it, revealing herself in a sun hat.
>"Ready to go Anonymous? We're headed to the park down by the museum."
"Whatever."
>"Who knows, you might even meet somep0ny you like" She says, bumping her flank against you.
"More like somep0ny you want me to like" You mutter under your breath.
>"What did you say?" Cadence asks, turning her sickly sweet smile on you.
>Shaking your head, you turn to the stairs.
"After you princess."
>Sauntering down the steps, Cadence gives her flank a wiggle every couple steps, and you roll your eyes.
>Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she gives a final wiggle, before looking over her shoulder at you.
>Seeing your disinterested look, she quirks an eyebrow and her tail waves a little too high.
"Look princess, I don't want to see your little black hole, or anything else of yours for that matter."
>She huffs indignantly "Well I never."
>Storming towards the door, her tail swishes angrily, giving you more opportunitys to see, but your eyes wander everywhere but her.
>Stepping out the door, a pair of guards form up beside you but Cadence shoos them away.
>"Do not worry, we aren't going far, and besides its his job to protect me as well."
>The two guards eye you up, and one of them snorts.
>"This spindly monkey couldn't protect you from a foal, let alone a trained assassin."
>Letting out a sigh, your hand slips into your shirt.
>Both of their spears are raised instantly, and you slowly pull out your hand.
>In your grip, there is a gleaming silver and gold badge.
>"Hey, isn't that..."
>"Yeah..."
"Thats right, this is the mark of a royal knight. That means I'm completely capable of killing anyp0ny without fear of repurcusion, so long as there is an acceptable reason, and I believe a threat to Cadence's life qualifies."
>The two guards bit their tongues, and you and Cadence leave.
>As you make your way through the streets, Cadence giggles and bumps up against you again.
>"You know, if I didn't know any better, I would think you cared for me back there."
"I'm glad you understand me then. I wouldn't want you thinking I cared beyond the fact you are one of my bosses."
>She opens her mouth, before shutting it and giving a huff.
>The rest of the walk to the park is in silence, a rare reprieve when you are stuck in Cadence's presence.
>As you arrive, a pony up ahead waves at you two, and walks over.
>The mare, a pegasus with a light blue mane, stops and hugs the princess.
>"Hey Misty, I'd like you to meet Anonymous, our local Human and Royal assistant. Anonymous, this is Misty, the youngest wonderbolt and one of my friends."
>"Its nice to meet you Anonymous." She says, holding up a hoof.
>Without so much as a grunt, you shake it and rise.
>"Oh come on Anon, don't be like that." Cadence says with only a hint of a whine.
>With a sigh, you give Misty a bow.
"Its a pleasure to meet you, miss Misty, I hope we can get along."
>She lets out a giggle, and turns to Cadence.
>"Lets get going, okay." She says, and Cadence gasps.
>"Oh my gosh, I forgot something, I'll be right back."
>With a crack of magic, she teleports away, leaving you and Misty alone.
"Bye."
>Turning, you walk away and leave Misty with a confused look on her face.
>In some bushes not far away, Cadence creeps forward and peers out to see Misty, alone.
>"Aaaaaahh! Dang it Anonymous, where did you go?" She calls out, jumping from the bush, her mane starting to get frizzy.
"Right here Princess." You say, stepping out behind her.
>"Grrrrr, Anonymous you're impossible."
"I have no idea what you are talking about, I am just doing my job."
>More loose strands pop from her mane and she grits her teeth.
>"You know what, go ahead, do your job. I'm going home."
>Her horn glows, before a pink heart shoots from it into you.
"Cadence, you already tried that before, remember. It only works where there is something to work with."
>With a bright flash, she teleports away, and you start the walk back to the castle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>The moment you arrive back at the castle, you are ordered to the throne room, where Celestia and Luna await.
>"Anonymous, we have news most dire to inform you of." Luna says as you bow.
>"It seems Cadence has fallen ill, as she now refuses to leave her room."
>Celestia turns to you "You wouldn't have anything to do with this, would you?"
"I probably do, but I think it's just her overreacting again."
>"Well, if thats the case why don't you go and see if you can do anything. Consider it a job from me."
"Yes princess Celestia." You say with a bow, before leaving towards Cadence's room.
Knocking on Cadence's door, you dont get a response so you quietly open it and step inside.
>Slowly entering her room, you find clothes strewn about, as if a tornado ripped through her closet.
>One of the piles quivers, and lets out faint sobbing noises.
>Digging through the pile, you eventualy find Cadence, curled into a fetal ball.
"Princess, are you alright?" You ask, gently nudging her.
>Getting no discernable response, you pick her up and set her on her bed.
"Come on Cadence, there's nothing wrong with you."
>"Lie... its all... Nothing but..."
>Slowly rubbing her back, she starts becoming more inteligible
>"All a lie... Nothing but... Fake..."
>Laying her out proper, you put her blanket over her and extinguish the lights.
"I will see you in the morning Princess, please, rest."
>Stepping back out into the hall, you come face to face with Celestia and Luna.
>"So, Anonymous did you fix the problem?" Celestia asks, and you shrug.
"I hope so. We'll have to wait till morning to see though, so If you don't mind."
>Bowing, you pass by the princesses and head to your personal chambers.
>Several hours later, your alarm goes off, Rousing you for your nighttime work with Luna.
>As much as Luna may deny the pony's liking her night, there are still a great number who are out and about at this hour.
>"Anonymous, We request thine presence!" Luna's voice booms out, and you sigh.
>Strolling swiftly through the halls, you soon find yourself in the throne room, and Luna is sitting on her throne with a VERY disheveled mane.
>Without a word, you take your customary seat and she moves onto your lap.
>While your brush runs through her hair, she lets out a sigh.
>"We have discovered what plagues Cadence, and it is not good. It seems that as a result of repeated failures to get love into your heart, she has lost confidence in herself."
>"She feels that her talent is a lie, and everyp0ny she has influenced were faking it."
"That seems rather petty and groundless if you ask me." You say, straightening out the last of her mane. "There, all done."
>Rising and reclaiming her spot, she shakes her head "It may seem groundless to you, but being the princess of love, it has slowly worn down her belief in herself."
"Well, what can we do? I don't plan of faking love just to make her feel good about herself."
>"First, wake out sister so we may share our plan with her, then we shall decide what to do."
"Yes Princess." You say, before heading to Celestia's room.
>Instead of knocking, you enter her room and gently nudge her awake.
"Celestia, Luna wishes to see you in regards to Cadence."
>Rolling over, she murmurs "I don't wanna."
"Then it looks like I have no choice."
>Stepping into the bathroom, you take and fill a glass with water as cold as you can make it.
>Setting the cup on her nightstand, you reach down and start lifting the matress.
>Soon, she rolls off and hits the ground with a thud, and you pick up the glass again.
"Luna requested your presence immediately, and mine as well."
>"Ugh, fine." She groans before downing the profered cup.
>With a crack, the two of you are teleported down to the throne room, where Luna sits patiently on her throne.
>"Ah, Sister, we have discovered what ails Cadence, and we need your assistance to cure it."
>"Please, do tell." Celestia says, sitting in her throne.
>"As you know, I often spend nights drifting around in dream form, and I happened upon Cadences dream."
>"It appears all the failed attempts to get Anonymous in love with somep0ny have caused her to loose faith in her own abilitys."
>"And so, to cure her, I need your assistance in projecting Anonymous into her dream, so he may convince her otherwise."
"You're going to do what with me?" You ask, shocked.
>"We are simply going to take your physical body and mind and put it into Cadence's conciousness."
"Yeah, no. This wasn't in the job description."
>Celestia's magic locks you in place before you can move away.
>"In actuality, it is. To care for the princesses and aid them though any sickness or mental issues, that is what it says, and this is a mental issue."
>Before you can say anything, their magic weaves around you, before pulling you through the walls and into Cadence's mind."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Sitting up, everything around you is dark, hardly what you expected from the mind of the Princess of Love.
>In the distance, you can see a faint speck of light, so you move towards it.
>As you get closer, the light expands and you can make out a figure in front of the light.
>The figure turns out to be Cadence, and she is angrily attacking a physical version of her cutie mark.
"Princess? Are you alright?" You ask, stepping closer.
>She immediately turns and stares at you.
>"YOU!" She screeches, before lunging at you. "Its all your fault."
>Her mane sticks out in every direction, eyes puffy and red.
>She gets hold of your shoulders and starts shaking you. "Because of you."
>"Because of you my powers are gone! My job, my life, its all a lie."
>"All because of you!"
>She trows you against the ground, making your head swim.
>"Go away go away go away" She screams, bashing her hooves against your face.
>"If you never came here, I'd... I could still..."
>Slowly, the blows reduce in number, before stopping altogether.
>They are replaced by tears, dripping onto your bruised and battered face.
>"Why... Why did it have to happen to me?"
>Reaching up, you rest a hand on her head.
"Princess, no. Cadence, you never failed, it's just that your magic never started."
>Blinking away some of the tears, she looks at you "What do you mean?"
"Not everyp0ny, or everyhuman is looking for love at every point in their life. Just because it doesn't work now, doesn't mean that it wont start working later."
"Sometimes, the best way to make love bloom is to let things happen.
"And besides, who could fall in love with a face like this?" You say, motioning to your battered face.
>She gives a small laugh, before wiping away her tears.
>"You know, your right Anon. I guess I never considered that you wanted to be alone right now, or that what I was doing might just be turning you away."
>Sitting dow, she floats you to a sitting position, and everything around you starts to change.
>The darkness lightens, slowly changing into a faint ambient rose color.
>Objects begin appearing out of no-where, all heart shaped.
>Finaly, a large, heart shaped bed pops into existence, and you immediately turn away.
>"Awww, even in my dreams you are like this..." Cadence says, and you sigh.
>Turning back, you sit down on her bed and she hops into your lap.
>The next half hour is filled with you petting her and straightening her mane, until she falls asleep in her dream.
>As soon as she lets out the first, soft snore, you get pulled from her dream and you wind up back on the throne room floor.
>"Anonymous, what happened to thine face?" Luna asks as you sit up.
"Remind me to never ever get Cadence mad again." You say, rubbing a sore cheekbone.
>With a burst of magic from Celestia, your face is back to normal.
>"So, are we to assume your mission was successful?" Celestia asks, before letting out a yawn.
"Yeah, I hope so. I do NOT want to go back in there."
>"Go back where?" Cadence says with a yawn as she enters the room.
>"We sent Anonymous into your dreams so he may help ease your concerns." Luna says with a hint of pride.
>"Is that so..." Cadence says with a hint of guile.
"I'm headed to my room." You say and you turn to leave.
>"Wait Anon, I have a little job for you." Cadence interrupts. "You never did finish what you started back there."
"Yes Princess..." You say with a sigh, and follow her back to her room.
>"Those two get along so well, don't they" Celestia says, and Luna nods in agreement.
>In Cadence's room, you are immediately moved onto the bed and she sits on your lap.
>Your entire night is spent petting her and brushing her mane.
*Sigh*"Fucking dream therapy."