EQD Writer's Training Ground
Princess Cadance jolted awake and opened her eyes. “What? How?”
A silvery giggle drifted from her left. Cadance looked, her tired eyes fixing on a smiling, dark blue alicorn.
“You must be quite tired to drowse like that. Shall I ask the guards to fly more gently?”
Cadance took a few seconds to understand what was being said, then looked around. She was in Princess Luna’s personal chariot, pulled by two pegasi of the day shift of the Royal Guard. Canterlot’s mountain was already behind them; in the distance… yes, it was hard to see at this distance, but it was Neighagra Falls.
She would be soon home, and not a minute too early. Cadance could already imagine her nice, cozy bed, herself snuggling under the blanket…
He broke up with his marefriend.
Cadance shook her head. Where did that…
“Princess Cadance, are you well?”
She looked to the side; the smile on Luna’s face was diminished, her eyebrows lowered in concern.
“Oh, don’t worry, I’m just tired. But I will be fine, I’ve been through far worse.” Cadance winked at Luna. “I think I shouldn’t have told Twilight that my life was too relaxing. I certainly wasn’t expecting to be called to contain the damage caused by a dark magic controlled Rarity.”
“Ha! Twilight Sparkle’s life is rarely relaxing. From the tales of the previous captain of the Royal Guard —”
“You mean my husband?” said Cadance with a smirk.
“Why, yes. His tales about Twilight Sparkle are quite amusing, and more than a few end with the guard intervening.” Luna glanced back at the retreating Canterlot, a smile back in her face. ”Even my sister had to take matters into her hooves a few times.”
“I know. I was her foalsitter.” Cadance looked at Luna and shook her head; for whichever reason, she couldn’t shake from her head the image of Shining Armor, gleaming in his captain uniform, talking and laughing with Luna.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to slow the chariot so you can sleep until we arrive?”
Cadance nodded, yawning. “Sorry about that. You must have better things to do than foalsit a grown up princess that can’t even stay awake.”
“It’s no matter. But you might want to thank Celestia; it is she who has agreed to handle my royal duties until I return, so I might as well enjoy the vistas.”
Cadance lay down on the floor, cradling her head in her forehooves, the lull of the chariot’s flight inviting her to sleep. The last thing she saw before closing her eyes was Luna’s gentle smile.
The same smile Luna shared with Shining Armor in her vision.
Princess Cadance jolted awake and opened her eyes. She was still in Luna’s chariot, just outside the crystal towers of her own palace, but neither the princess of the night nor her guards were anywhere to be seen.
The streets of the Crystal Empire, in fact, were empty.
Cadance tested her wings; her tiredness was gone, and she found that she could easily keep herself aloft. She quickly rose above her palace, its beauty lost to her as she looked for any sign of life.
She didn’t see any movement, didn’t hear anything apart from the wind on her wings. The city was still like a graveyard.
They abandoned you. Nopony cares about you or your love.
Cadance shook her head, her heart racing. She glided down, looking more closely at the houses; every door and window was closed A glimmer of hope raising in her heart, Cadance flew towards the nearest house, knocking gently.
“Please, somepony. It’s me, Princess Cadance. Where is everypony?”
There was no answer. Cadance attempted to knock twice more, each time louder, but still no answer. She left went to another house, raising her hoof to knock.
Love is dead inside. The mare broke with her husband; they don’t even talk anymore.
Cadance felt the desperation rising inside her; her heart was about to leap through her throat, her hoof falling to her side. She let her gaze fall to the ground; what use was there in trying, if everywhere she looked, love was absent?
No; she wouldn’t allow it.
You can make them love.
Yes, she could make them love. Cadance took to the air and lowered her horn, pointing at the same house. Her horn sparked.
And she stopped. It wasn’t right. She couldn’t force other ponies to love.
Is allowing love to die better?
A green bolt shot from her horn, piercing the house. It started to change in front of her eyes; the bluish, clear crystal of the house took a deep pink, opaque shade.
It’s done.
It was done. The ponies inside would love again, and that was all that mattered. Cadance remembered another pony she could fix; the guard that brought her here.
Let me guide you.
Cadance let her instincts guide her; she flew close to the palace and, floating, pointed her horn at the empty space besides the carriage. It felt… proper, as she let out another green magical bolt. She could feel love taking hold of a heart, even if she couldn’t see it.
A cold smile grew in her face like an ice crystal. She would make her kingdom perfect, the place where love —
A dome engulfed the castle, trapping her inside. A pink magical dome she knew very well.
“Shining Armor!” Cadance yelled at the skies. “Are you trying to challenge me?”
The fool can keep you, but he can’t keep your power contained.
Cadance closed her eyes, lowered her horn, and sent another magic bolt. It went unimpeded.
A smile returned to Cadance’s face. She could still do her task; Shining Armor would have no choice but to release her when all her subjects, down to the last one, was in the domain of love.
She looked at the houses closest to the palace, choosing a pale green house. Cadance fired another magical bolt; the house went through the same transformation she saw earlier, becoming pink and opaque. She could do it, even with Shining Armor trying to prevent her.
The light suddenly seemed to become weaker, a coldness enveloping Cadance. She looked up; the light pink dome was now turning darker, blue. Cadance fired a bolt at the shield, experimentally; it was stopped.
“Princess Cadance, what manner of madness is that?”
Cadance looked at the newcomer. Floating majestically from the sky Princess Luna looked down, her eyes gleaming, her horn glowing with the same color as the magic shield.
Shining Armor is helping her. Luna is attempting to steal your husband.
Cadance narrowed her eyes. “You! What are you doing with my husband? Why did you turn him against me?”
Luna blinked, then slowly shook her head. “Please, listen to reason. Shining Armor is just trying to keep you from harming yourself.”
“Lies!” Cadance’s horn flashed green, a long whip appearing besides her, floating in her magical aura.
Luna’s eyes went wide. “You need help. Please, Princess Cadance, let me —”
The whip unrolled like a serpent striking, catching Luna’s hind leg. She yelped, as she was dragged out of the sky and thrust, strongly enough to shatter crystal, into the ground.
“Princess —”
“Be silent! I will not hear your lies anymore.”
The whip started to rain blows on Luna, but now she was ready. She conjured a thin saber, parrying the strikes as she slowly flew backwards, towards the magical dome. Luna’s body glowed one last time as she touched the dome, vanishing in the middle of the attack.
“Coward! You flee from the truth!”
Cadance turned her gaze to the shield, hatred in her eyes. She would bring down anything that stood in her way, and then she would take back Shining Armor.
Still thinking about Shining Armor Cadance started throwing magical bolts into the shield. It would not stand in her way, nothing could stand in her way!
Keeping the attack was becoming tiring, but Cadance could see cracks, bright pink cracks, appearing in the hated dome created by Luna. It would soon fall, and then —
Cadance looked away from the dome; it was glowing with a warm, blinding light, humming with power; it felt somehow… right.
Your enemies are trying to deny you.
Cadance looked back after a few seconds, when the bright light reduced, only to find all the cracks done; the hated dome was fixed, reversing her progress. She went back to blasting the barrier.
“Cadance, what is happening? Talk to me!”
Cadance looked towards the castle, where three ponies now stood; the hated Luna, Twilight Sparkle, and…
“Shining Armor! How dare you come here with Luna, that…”
“Cadance, calm down! We are here to help you!”
Cadance looked down at Shining Armor, hatred in her eyes. “Calm down? Calm down? You come here with my enemy to mock me and ask me to calm down?”
Cadance’s horn started to glow, the sickly green glow slithering down to cover Cadance’s whole body.
“Cadance!” yelled Twilight, jumping into the air. She stopped cold in her tracks, having gone just half the way towards Cadance, when an arrow parted the air in front of her muzzle.
A bow now floated in Cadance’s green magic, paired with the already floating whip, but that wasn’t the only change; Cadance was now covered in armor, dark pink armor with black and crimson details.
Cadance looked back at her opponents. “So you want to fight. Come one by one or all together, it won’t make a difference.”
“No!” said Twilight, her voice cracking.
“Take heart, Twilight Sparkle.” Luna projected a shield in front of Twilight, catching another arrow. “That is not a true nightmare; there is still hope.”
“Who are you calling a nightmare, your hag?”
The whip came again against Luna, dazzlingly fast, forcing her to retreat.
Twilight and Shining Armor nodded at each other and advanced simultaneously, each maintaining a shield to counter Cadance’s arrows. They circled around, each on opposite sides of Cadance; Cadance was forced to back off in order to keep all opponents in her field of view, her distraction making the whip slower.
“Cadance, listen to me. I don’t know what is happening, but I love you! Please come back!”
“Lies!” yelled Cadance at Shining Armor.
“It’s not a lie, Princess Cadance.” Luna slowly glided forward. “Something dark took hold of you. You have to fight it”
“There is nothing wrong with me!” Cadance quickly flew up, trying for a better tactical position, and rained arrows on the other ponies while keeping the whip attack on Luna.
“Princess Luna!”
Luna was desperately parrying the whip, but in the heat of battle she left her shield out of place to block the new wave of arrows. Twilight threw her own shield in front of Luna, attempting to dodge the arrows aimed at her instead.
“Twily!”
Twilight managed to dodge the first arrow, but was not agile enough to dodge the rest. As Shining Armor observed in horror, Twilight fell to the ground with arrows stuck to one wing and one foreleg. Luna barely had time to throw a grateful glance at Twilight before being forced to concentrate on her defense again.
“Cadance, stop! That is not you”
“How would you know that, your liar? The little captain of the guard that runs to his princess of the night, hoping to impress her with stories of his bratty sister. And now you fight side by side with her!”
Shining Armor shook his head and threw a pained glance at Cadance, lowering his shield. “Then I won’t fight anymore. I love you, Cadance, please come back.”
The next seconds seemed to pass in slow motion to Cadance. She saw an opening, instinctively shooting half a dozen arrows in quick succession at shining Armor. she could hear Luna and Twilight screaming, but Twilight couldn’t move or concentrate anymore, and Luna was tied down defending herself from the whip.
Then Cadance realized that Shining Armor had spoken the truth; he was not going to defend himself anymore. The first arrow seemed to sear its way through him, the following arrows making his form collapse. Even as he fell, his lips formed the words, “I love you.”
When Shining Armor closed his eyes, Cadance felt an intense pain in her chest. Looking down, she saw the armor she had formed breaking apart. Something that looked like a dark mist was flowing from her, fleeing. Cadance was losing consciousness fast, but she still saw it slithering through the barrier.
Then the world turned white.
Cadance’s eyes flew open. She lay on a bed, too weak to even lift her head, but not too weak to frown; the room around her looked like her bedroom in the Crystal Palace — every piece of furniture was where it should be, the shape of the room was right — but everything was made of dark crystals.
No, not everything; there was a spherical shield around her bed and most of her room, shifting between rose and dark blue. Most what was outside the shield was still the clear, beautiful crystal she remembered, though there were some strange dark streaks, as if something had shot from outside at her, turning all the crystal dark on it’s path.
Or shot from her; Cadance shivered.
Before her eyes the shield started to change, becoming just blue, shards of rose-colored magical energy falling…
“Shining!”
Feeling returning to her body, she felt a weight atop her. Cadance struggled to lift her head, and her heart fell; sprawled across her lay Shining Armor, unmoving.
“Oh, what have I done?”
“Be at peace, Princess Cadance. It was merely a dream; Shining Armor is not harmed.”
Cadance bent over the fallen form, touching her muzzle to his, and felt his shallow breathing. Her eyes moistening with tears of joy, she turned towards the unsteady voice; Luna was at the doorway, her horn aglow with the same magical aura of the shield in the bedroom.
Luna let go of the doorway and took a step inside the room, the magical globe parting before her as she gingerly stepped around a profusion of objects strew across the floor. As the globe closed she stumble and nearly fell over; her every movement brought a small wince to her face. Luna’s body was covered with painful looking welts and bruises, making Cadance herself wince.
“Did I…”
Luna looked into Cadance’s eyes, pain in her eyes — but it seemed like physical pain, appearing when Luna moved and gone when she stood still. There was also something else in her eyes, a glimmer that drained away some of the dread Cadance felt, despite Luna’s failed attempts at hiding her pain. “What do you remember?”
Cadance buried her face in the bed covers. “Not much. I was flying over the city. I remember fighting you and Twilight. I remember Shining. I…” Tears started streaming down her face. “ I struck him down with an arrow. He was saying how he loves me even as he closed his eyes. Then something dark left my chest, and I woke up.”
“That was the same dark magic that took hold of Rarity. It should be finally gone, vanquished by the power of the Crystal Heart, though there is still dark magic to undo. Are you well enough to do it alone?”
Cadance stood, gently lifting Shining Armor in her blue magic and laying him in the bed. Her mind freed from the most pressing concerns she allowed herself to notice all the objects haphazardly scattered; flowers, rings, chocolate, heart shaped versions of everything imaginable, besides a plethora of objects Cadance really didn’t want to know what they were for.
“What happened here?” asked Cadance, her horn already busy unmaking the offending objects.
“I brought you inside and laid you down on your bed, but before I could leave one of my guards started making improper advances on me, his eyes shaped like hearts.” Luna sat down and lifted a hoof, examining her sabaton. “I need to ask him forgiveness for chipping his tooth.”
“I’m sorry about that,” said Cadance, moving to the piles of chocolate.
“I rushed back to your room and found Shining Armor, barking orders to his guards, insisting on trying to bring you back before the Crystal Heart was used while trying to keep a barrier around you, but the dark bolts shooting from your horn were going through. I added my magic to his and then entered your dreams. Fortunately Twilight was already asleep, allowing me to readily enlist her; Shining Armor found his way into unconsciousness, allowing me to pull him into your dream, by pouring so much of his magic into the shield that he passed out.”
Cadance took a break from turning the dark crystal clear again. “What of the other ponies affected?”
“Already safely contained and waiting for you to undo the magic. Shining Armor trains his guards very well.”
“And…” Cadance’s face lit up. “Did those things…”
All the crystal inside the shield turned clear again, Luna allowed it to fade, collapsing to the floor. She lifted her face towards Cadance. “The city is covered in Hearts and Hooves greeting cards, with some chocolate mixed in. The only place where other things appeared was this room, and the only ones to see it were myself and Shining Armor.” Luna grinned mischievously. “If I know my previous captain of the Guard, I would expect teasing.”
“Oh,” Cadance affectionately nuzzled Shining Armor, “he earned that right.”
Author's Note
Feel free to point flaws, errors, or to make suggestions; I'm here to learn.