A Crystal Facadeby bahatumayChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4EpilogueChapter 1My name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, and I am a terrible pony. I don't mean to be, of course. I never meant to be. But I am. I can almost hear the protests now. Twilight Sparkle, for example. She would have been the staunchest defender of my character. I spread love everywhere I go. That's what I do, isn't it? Yes; but that's not what my cutie mark actually means. I have emotional magic. I can change ponies’ feelings; and by that, I mean I can manipulate them. I can drudge up the love that has been buried away under the stress of daily life and bring it to the surface; that's what I'm most known for. I can find the happiness under the layers and layers of life experience and the sadness and disappointment that brings, and pull it to the surface. I can suppress the crushing fear that wells up in a colt trying to ask out a cute filly for the first time. I can bring out the joy of motherhood that can be squelched under the curse that is postpartum depression. I can quench happiness. I can raise up sadness and depression so powerful I can sap a pony of the will to live right before my very eyes. I can suppress exhilaration; I can make that first wedding night's consummation feel like a burdensome chore. I can force a stallion to lust after another stallion, with his wife and foals standing nearby. And I can do it without my victims even noticing my influence. Celestia understood my power. She took me quite literally under her wing. She taught me what was right and wrong, the importance of feelings and how important it was that each pony discover those feelings for themselves. They had to know the bitter to know the sweet, she said, and I would be doing them a grave disfavor by forcing them to feel only one or the other. She provided a safe haven for me. And, all things considered, she succeeded. I grew up a well-adjusted mare. I worked as a foalsitter and learned responsibility and bits management, as well as how to lead and guide. I learned decorum, but also how and when to loosen up; learned how to present myself as a princess of Equestria; and, most importantly, I learned how to win a cake-eating contest (the secret is to start with a dry cake with not much frosting or sugar, so as to not get your taste buds overloaded or gummed up, so to speak. After a slice or two of pound cake and bundt cake, you can go for the heavier cakes without worry). Perhaps best of all, I married a fine stallion. That's a personal point of pride for me (if I can still claim any pride, that is). I've never used my emotion magic on Shining Armor. His sister, yes, I’ll confess to that; but never him. Everything he's felt for me and about me has been completely, one hundred percent real. It's too bad he fell in love with the mask. The good Cadence. The pure Cadence. The kind Cadence. For a long time, I thought I really was that Cadence. Honestly, I did. But then something happened that none of us could expect. The Crystal Empire returned. * * * Cadence stepped lightly off the train. Her shoed hooves clinked against the crystal with a distinctly familiar sound. She cracked a smile and glanced around. “So this is the Crystal Empire,” she murmured. “It's pretty.” Shining Armor, levitating their bags behind him, chuckled as he approached. “It's certainly shiny,” he said. “Very crystally.” He poked at one of the many crystal growths jutting out of the ground and grinned at her. The bustle seemed to slow down. Cadence looked forward and realized that the crystal ponies were looking at her. They seemed to be getting darker progressively as she stared. Their expressions looked familiar. They looked at her with nervous apprehension. Fear. Hints of terror. No. Cadence shook her head. She knew she needed to make a good first impression if she were going to rule this empire. She stepped forward. “Citizens of the Crystal Empire,” she started. “I am Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, and this is my husband, Prince Shining Armor. We come not as tyrants, but deliverers and guides. I have seen the former glory of the Crystal Empire, and I know you too want to see those glorious times return, when the Crystal Empire was the jewel of all of Equestria.” Cadence nodded as she finished, clearly thinking she was doing a good job; but the crystal ponies certainly didn't think so. They seemed to be darkening and shaking with fear; but strangely enough, they seemed to be looking at something behind her. “Uh, Cadence?” Cadence glanced back at her husband and where he was looking, and gasped. A thick, black cloud billowed out across the snowy plains, and a cold chill ran up my back. Black crystals, dark crystals, cropped up, shooting out of the ground. The crystal ponies turned and ran, screaming. Shining Armor stepped up, just as he always did. He raised his head and lifted his horn, and a shimmering shield formed around the Empire. The clouds neared… and bumped against it. Sparks flew as it tried and failed to breach his powerful shield. The cloud seemed to pull back and scowl at the shield. It tried to ram the shield again, sending more sparks flying, but Shining Armor's spell held firm. It growled—Cadence would swear that it growled—and it sank back into the ground, leaving behind only a few black, spiky crystals standing at odd angles to show it had ever been there. Cadence looked at Shining Armor, and he looked back triumphantly at her. Her confidence buoyed, she glanced back at the crystal ponies who had not fled, and they looked back at her with even greater fear in their eyes. Clearly, there was more going on here than just an odd cloud. “Sombra,” Shining Armor murmured darkly by way of explanation. “Former tyrant king Celestia warned me about. Looks like he's not as dead as we'd hoped.” Cadence looked up at the crystal ponies and she could swear she could taste their fear. She knew what she had to do. She stepped forward once more and lit her horn. “Citizens of the Crystal Empire,” she repeated, now in the Royal Canterlot Voice. It looked as though she were using a voice amplification spell, but she was actually disguising her emotion magic. Slowly, gently, she suppressed their fear, so gently they wouldn’t have noticed her influence. She was disturbed to find that there was no joy for her to pull up, so she redoubled her suppression efforts. “We come as deliverers,” she repeated, “but we want to be considered your friends. I swear by my horn and my wings, we come in peace.” * * * That wasn't entirely wrong, I don't think. I mean, I use that same technique on foals, too. Luna has a picture album full of pictures of her holding crying foals and various looks of discomfort on their parents' faces. No. Wait. It's Celestia. Celestia maintains that album. Apparently, her first speech as a Diarch of Equestria was answered not with stomps and cheers and praises, but an awkward silence… broken only by a single foal crying. Luna teased her about that, and it… well… how should I put it? somewhat went on from there. I, however, have never had that happen. Every picture of me has been with a smiling, giggling, happy foal. I've also never had a crying foal interrupt my plays or music performances. And if I can suppress the discomfort of a foal who has filled his diaper to capacity, I can do anything. I wonder if that was my fatal flaw. Pride. But I digress. It was harmless. I mean, I just suppressed a bit of fear; and let’s be honest, isn’t that something every mother does? Comfort their foals and shush their fears? My subjects were just like foals to me. When we first started holding court, at times the crystal ponies would be too afraid to even enter, or they'd come crawling along the ground, grovelling as if afraid I'd act like Sombra and kill them for tiny mistakes, or even just for looking at me wrong. I hate grovelling. I figured out an easy solution: keep suppressing the fear. Everywhere I went, I suppressed the fear the crystal ponies had. Suddenly, they could have a normal conversation with me. And, of course, rumors spread like wildfire. It was said that just being in the presence of the new princess was calming, and I had ponies coming to court for no other reason than to see me and maybe get a kind word, which I was always happy to give. I loved the crystal ponies. That emotion was real. Shining Armor, of course, disagreed. He said that my presence was more arousing than anything else. But that's neither here nor there. The problem with my solution was it became a habit. Suppression became a daily thing for me; and, like any exercise, I grew stronger daily without even realizing it. Like with any magic spell, less effort was needed for the same effect; but I kept the same amount of effort into the spell. I was busy! It slipped my mind. There was a lot going on and a lot to keep track of as we rebuilt a new empire from rubble. I mean, a lot had changed technology-wise in a thousand years. To be honest, I just never gave it a second thought. Pretty soon, new things started cropping up in the Empire. Guard recruitment jumped to record high levels. Skydiving became a thing. Spelunking in ancient, unsafe crystal caves became popular. Ponies even started to attempt to tame the polaris that lived nearby into giant, story-and-a-half tall pets. I didn't really notice any of that, though. I did notice, however, when they had ignored the threat of attack until nearly the day of. I only heard about it on an off-hoofed comment by the head of castle security. Pretty sure he took a spear to the kidney that day. They say that the more pure something is, the more satisfying it is to corrupt; and I believe that to be true. The Crystal Empire, supposed to be the epicenter of happiness and peace, was the focus of many attacks. Most were deterred by a show of power (turns out most other races don’t have an equivalent to an alicorn princess); but one army managed to penetrate our defenses. And this time, we weren't prepared. Nopony was. Because who wants to train for war when you can climb Mount Neverest without extra oxygen? * * * Shining Armor grunted as he blocked the swing of a spear with the hilt of his own, then spun it around to deliver a punishing retaliatory blow to the attacking griffon’s head with the point. His helmet absorbed most of it, but it dented under his attack, disorienting the griffon. He swung the point around once more, and grimaced as blood spurted out from the griffon’s neck. No matter how much training he had, that was a sight he would never quite get used to. “I thought griffons weren’t the vengeful type?” he joked--joking! In the middle of the battlefield!--as he brought his spear back up into a defensive stance. “I guess you get a few brittle crystals in every formation,” Cadence cracked right back. Her mirth faded somewhat as she realized that their army was getting routed. Crystal ponies charged fearlessly in, leaving themselves wide open to body strikes that left them dead and dying on the ground, their oddly crystalline blood splattering everywhere. This wasn’t right. Something was wrong. Cadence dropped her shield, but kept her horn lit. She pulled up righteous indignation, with a hint of anger. “You’re fighting for your families!” she shouted. “They’re fighting for power and for a king; but you’re fighting for your lives! Your foals’ lives! They need you! Stand!” It didn’t seem to work; the crystal ponies still fearlessly charged. Cadence grimaced as one particularly brave one threw down his weapon to use the weapons nature had given him, his teeth and his hooves, and took a claw to his jugular for his stupidity. Any way she looked at it, they were losing. What else could go wrong? she thought as she parried a set of claws herself. This was, of course, a very wrong thing to say. Cadence’s ears pinned as she heard a familiar cry. Her heart stopped. ‘Shining...’ She looked over, and sure enough, Shining Armor was on the ground. Blood shone brightly against his white coat. More blood than she had ever before seen. “Shining!” Cadence screamed. She teleported over and cast a little shield around both of them, sending the griffon flying backwards from the impact as the shield grew. Angry thoughts swirled in her head as she saw the blood pooling and she tried to press a hoof against his wound to staunch the bleeding. Why hadn’t I done that before? How could I have failed to take care of him? It wasn’t in his nature to accept it, though. Deep down, she knew that. She had always known that. Princess or no, he had always treated her with the highest respect and had never tried to coast along using her station for his advantage. He had always been one to defend others, regardless of his own safety. He had never hid behind her, even if she did have the greater raw attacking power. It just wasn’t his nature. Never before had she hated him for it. Shining Armor looked at her and gave her a weak smile, but it was more pained than reassuring. He knew it then, but Cadence wordlessly shook her head, refusing to accept it. Gritting her teeth, she leaned down and lit her horn, and cast a healing spell. His wounds sealed themselves together, the muscles reformed, his fur even regrew before her very eyes, so powerful was the healing magic she was channelling. But he had lost too much blood. He raised a shaky hoof, blindly, awkwardly reaching for her face. He managed to brush it against her cheek once, and the ghost of a real smile flickered across his face before his eyes fluttered closed for the last time. * * * I screamed. Loudly. I remember that. I shrieked until my vocal chords ached. I howled my pain to the skies and soaked his motionless chest in my tears as I chanted a desperate but futile mantra, begging it to not be so. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course. Denial is a very valid way to start the grieving process. The only problem with denial is that soon afterwards comes anger. And there’s nothing so fearsome as an angry alicorn. I don’t recall how long it took, or how many of my crystal ponies died while I grieved. Eventually, I grit my teeth; my eyes ached but try as I might I had no more tears to cry. Power swelled up inside of me. Power that felt awfully, terribly familiar. And there I made my fatal mistake. I mean, I guess it was a mistake. I mean… I did it, and I willingly chose to do it, so it must have always been a part of me. I just… my facade finally shattered; but so easily. I was not the mask I thought I was. Maybe, somewhere, deep down inside, I’d just always wanted to be a tyrant. * * * Griffons let out triumphant war cries as the princess of the Crystal Empire lowered her shield. Cadence stood up, eyes downcast, but her breathing was heavy and unsteady. Even the most fearless of crystal ponies felt their hearts skip a beat at her expression as she lifted her head and spread her wings in challenge. And then the crystal ponies felt primal fear as dark purple and green magic exploded into existence around Cadence’s horn. For now, she was no longer suppressing fear. She was welcoming it. Cadence reached out indiscriminately and pulled up fear in both the crystal ponies and the griffons; on anyone with the misfortune of being in her range. She pulled up terror. She pulled up feelings of inadequacy, remembered from when she was a young filly that had suddenly had the role of ‘princess’ thrust upon her. She pulled up the distrust of magic, making the ponies shy away and put the griffons on edge. And she pulled up anger, just enough to make them desperate. One griffon charged, just as Cadence had expected. A black crystal shot up from the ground, impaling him right through the stomach, before retreating back into the ground. He tried to scream, but the crystal had perforated his diaphragm, and though he struggled for breath, he could do nothing but suffocate as Cadence watched impassively. Another charged. With casual indifference, Cadence raised another crystal, this one hitting him under the chin and snapping his neck backwards. For the third griffon she raised two crystals in an X-formation, barely skimming the griffon’s feathers, and then she brought them down, encasing him entirely in purple and black crystals. He scratched, then hammered desperately at his crystal prison, but to no effect; and he quickly ran out of air. Cadence strode forward, not caring at all that her web of fear had caused her army to darken and flee. There was only one thought on her mind, which was solidified as she encased a griffon’s hind paws in black crystal, held him up with her magic, and then lifted his own spear with a hoof so she could personally and physically run it through his body. Revenge. * * * We… I routed them, once I embraced my destiny and accepted the dark magic. Oh, they fled. Many fled; but I followed. None could escape me. Their frozen bodies are still there, I think. I just left them there, like little trophies or momentos. All but one, that is. I erected a nice little memorial for their leader. I don’t even remember his name now; the only words I inscribed on the stand were 'take heed, all ye who would conquer this land', in my best calligraphy, of course. I made a pink stand that looked a little bit like a giant picture frame, and encased each of his paws in one corner, holding him up. I encased his heart (still beating when I removed it; isn’t the body fascinating?) in a small crystal belljar there on the bottom, perched atop a little crystal spike, standing in the air between his lion paws. I even sucked all the air out of it so his heart would remain there, pristine, untouched by time. And underneath, as a signature to my warning, I engraved my cutie mark, so all would know who had done it. That's when it all started. Once you taste it, once you feel the dark magic's power, you crave more. And, like I said, I couldn’t help it. It was my destiny. It just took a little time for it to truly take hold. Chapter 2The entire Crystal Empire was in mourning. Cadence didn't even have to influence their emotions. Everypony who had known Shining Armor had loved and trusted him. But none had loved him so deeply or trusted so fully as Cadence. He had trusted her back. And now he was dead. She looked down at the crumpled papers, discarded attempts to convey the horrible message, and she laid her head down. How could she tell Twilight that her brother was dead? Worse, how could she tell her that it was her fault? A sudden explosion of purple made her look up. She shot to her hooves and lit her horn, expecting an attack. She wasn’t expecting Twilight Sparkle. Twilight rushed up, apparently unaffected by the magical drain of the teleport. “Cadence, I had…” Her voice trailed off as she saw Cadence’s expression. “I had a terrible nightmare…” she finished quietly. She sat next to Cadence. “It was a vision, wasn’t it? Luna said it could be.” She took a shaky breath. “So… Shining Armor; he’s…” Cadence wrapped her forelegs around Twilight’s shoulders, and finally, for the first time, the dam cracked. She slumped to the floor, despondently sobbing. Shining Armor was dead. Dead. It was all her fault. She couldn’t save him. She had failed. Twilight buried her head in Cadence’s shoulder, unable to hold back her own tears, trying to show comfort that she didn’t feel herself. Within the hour, the rest of Twilight’s friends had arrived, with Celestia and Luna following soon after. Twilight had taken them aside to tell them all. Nopony seemed to be taking it well. Without Twilight, Cadence wandered the halls, not paying attention to where she was going. She squinted as she noticed that her breathing seemed to be a bit louder. She looked over to see that Celestia had silently joined her. “Are you sure you’re fine?” “I’m sure, Auntie,” Cadence said firmly. Celestia continued walking, but didn’t seem entirely convinced. “Twilight has expressed desires to stay after the funeral, just to make sure you’re fine.” “And what did you say?” Cadence asked. “Do you think I could stop her?” Celestia asked gently. Cadence chuckled. Twilight had always been headstrong. If she wanted to do something, she usually did. “Then I guess I’ll order a guest room made up,” she said. * * * Twilight tried to help me. Really, she did. She must have been grieving so much, too; but she managed to organize her friends and set up his funeral and everything. I, however, never quite managed to do anything. It’s a good thing ponies usually don’t wear clothes, because sometimes I didn’t even remember to put my ponyshoes on; I would have had a terrible time trying to get outfits coordinated. I’m fairly certain that I would have starved myself to death without Twilight’s constant efforts. Eventually, I had to pull my mask back on and convince her that I was going to be ok. She couldn’t hold my hoof forever, after all; she had her own life to get back to, and I’m certain staying in a place with constant reminders of her brother wasn’t healthy for her. I wasn't going to be ok, though. I would never be. It just wasn't my destiny. I’ll freely admit, Shining’s death really messed me up. It took all my energy to keep that facade up for Twilight, and as soon as the train she was on was out of sight, I broke down again. I even had to be carried back to my room. I think it took nearly a month before I could at least pretend to be normal. During that time, I’m fairly certain I nearly drove out all the castle workers, and the ones that did stay stayed out of fear of me more than loyalty to me. But I didn’t really care. * * * There came a gentle rapping on the door. “Your highness?” a crystal pony attendant started. “What do you want?” Cadence demanded, not raising her head from her forelegs. “You… you haven’t held court in almost two weeks, your highness. The ponies are-” Now she looked up, with anger blazing in her eyes. “Leave me alone!” Cadence roared as her horn blazed with dark magic. She pulled up terror, and was oddly calmed by the sight of the crystal pony’s coat darkening, her ears pinning, her eyes widening as her pupils shrank, and the uncontrollable trembling that seemed to overtake her body. She managed a weak bow before stepping backwards into the hallway, and as soon as she thought she was out of sight, she turned and sprinted, her ponyshoes clacking and echoing through the empty corridor. Cadence dropped her head back down. It didn’t matter. She was just one pony. She’d be back. And even if she didn’t come back, there were plenty more just like her. * * * In total, it took me about six months, but I did manage to pull myself together and I did my best to help my crystal ponies again. Economic growth remained stable, at least. But something inside me had cracked, and it wasn’t healing. Celestia can resist it, the pull of the dark magic. She's been alive long enough that she's pretty much immune to anything that could influence her for evil. Luna, less so... but still powerful in her own right. Now, Twilight... Twilight could resist it. She's just inherently that good, that pure. The first time she came to the Crystal Empire, I didn’t even worry about her falling prey to it; I knew she would be able to overcome its influence through her sheer goodness. And then there's me. My family situation doesn’t come up often. Most ponies just accept that I’m Celestia’s niece and leave it at that. That, of course, isn’t entirely true. To be completely honest, though, I don’t know everything about where I came from. I used to be a pegasus, I remember that. My earth pony parents found me alone in the woods, and they adopted me and raised me as their own. Being a daring filly, I went out, I befriended a witch and Celestia recognized my power, and the next thing I knew, behold, behold, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza cometh. Did she know, I wonder? Could she sense it? My power? My heritage? Did she know that I was directly descended from King Sombra? And did she know that I had inherited his madness? Chapter 3For a while I dabbled in necromancy. Necromancy is, of course, impossible; but that didn’t stop me from trying. Sombra had hidden secret passageways throughout the castle, and invoking the dark magic made them easy to find. I found all kinds of secret things, including books with spells that probably should have remained hidden. As it turns out, many spells and potions of questionable ethical quality require many, many crystals. Magical crystals that are hard to produce… but grow plentifully under the ground. It started out as a volunteer program, with generous benefits, of course. Participants would be compensated based on the crystals recovered. I paid good bits for rare and powerful crystals, and a smaller fee by weight of less valuable crystals. Many young ponies just starting out in life and needing a little cash to start their careers signed up right away. After all, I’d suppressed most of their fear, and nopony seemed to mind the risks. I guess fear takes a while to build back up. I later put a higher reward on crystals said to have healing properties because I found that I could not control my emotions and I could not stop eating. I desired the strangest of foods, and nearly drove the castle cooks mad with my requests and returning food for correction after two bites or so. Of course, this program somewhat ground to a halt when I realized why my dresses no longer fit. A cowering chambermaid stammered the answer as I tearfully and angrily demanded why she had sewn them so small. It was enough to briefly shock me into sanity again. I was pregnant. * * * “Say that again,” Cadence breathed. “You- you’re with foal, your highness,” she stammered, still cowering behind her hooves. “You’re likely in your seventh month.” Cadence looked up at the sky and slowly sank to her haunches. Pregnant. She was pregnant. How was that possible? She thought back to the last time she and Shining Armor had- Shining…! She slowly lowered herself to the ground. He’d always wanted foals. She gently, hesitantly, brought a hoof up and touched the side of her stomach. There was a foal in there. His foal. Cadence laid her head down and wept; but for the first time in a long time, these were tears of joy. Shining had left her a parting gift, and she would take care of it. * * * I think… no, I’m certain, that my foals helped keep me sane. I couldn’t care only about myself; I had two others to live for. Not the thousands of crystal ponies that looked up to me; my foals. Madness, I tell you. Oh, yes. Foals. I know it’s the mare’s doing and not the stallion’s when multiple foals are born, but I can’t help but think that Shining Armor would have strutted proudly through the castle when he discovered that I was bearing twins. Of course, due to my natural magics messing with the crystals used for medical instruments, I only learned this during the foaling. But I digress. They were beautiful. I named them Garnet and Ruby, after their coat colors. I think most evil starts from good ideas. I mean, I loved my foals. They had saved me, kept me sane. All I wanted was a secure, safe place to raise them. That wasn’t too much to ask, was it? * * * Cadence walked down the hallway, looking at the clipboard. She scowled. “Zirconia?” “Y- yes, your highness?” the little pink crystal pony squeaked. “It looks like crystal production is down three percent. Why?” “W- w- well, your highness, it’s…” “Unforgivable?” Cadence suggested. “I- I mean-” “Unexplainable,” Cadence supplied. Zirconia clenched her eyes shut. “We’ve had a string of deaths and morale is down,” she blurted quickly. “I see,” Cadence said coldly. “If, perhaps, the workers could be given a break…” Cadence stopped. “A what?” Zirconia fearfully stepped backwards, but Cadence matched her step for step, not breaking eye contact. “I’m certain I didn’t hear what I just thought I heard, right, Zirconia?” Zirconia couldn’t even squeak. “Care to remember what happened to your predecessor? You know how dangerous those caves are, Zirconia. I’d hate for there to be… another accident.” Zirconia sank to the ground and nodded, too bound by Cadence’s glare to be even able to look away. “Your highness?” The spell was broken as Cadence looked up, and Zirconia scampered away as fast as her crystal hooves would take her. “Amber Waves.” The light blue stallion took a shaky breath. “Y- you wished to see me?” “Yes, I did.” Cadence hefted the clipboard again and flipped to the second page. “Food production is up one point five percent. Good work.” A small smile crossed Cadence’s face. “Keep it up, and your wife’s nightmares might stop soon.” Amber Waves dropped to a knee. “Thank you, your highness,” he breathed. Cadence nodded and continued walking. She lit her horn and pushed open a door, and the sound of chinks quickly intensified. “Iron Chisel!” she called. The pony in the front who had been hunched over his work jumped, falling backwards onto the stone floor. He quickly scrambled to his hooves and sprinted to Cadence, falling into a deep bow. Cadence looked at the clipboard again. “Your production seems to have plateaued,” she observed airily. “I- it’s harder, Princess--not that we’re complaining, of course--but being required to find our own marble as well as carve it is proving difficul-” “Or maybe,” Cadence cut him off, “you’re just being lazy. All of you!” she shouted, the last sentence reaching Royal Canterlot Voice levels. “No, Princess Cadenza-” “Mi Amore Cadenza,” Cadence corrected coldly. “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza-” “If the next words out of your mouth are not ‘we will increase output by at least two percent’, you’ll find yourself out of a job,” Cadence whispered. Iron Chisel gulped. He knew exactly what those words meant. “T- two percent, your highness,” he whispered even more quietly. Cadence nodded firmly and left the room, slamming the door behind her. She continued walking down the hallway and arrived at her treasury. The mare outside at the desk seemed focused on her work; but the way her quill quivered showed that she was keenly aware of the presence of the princess. “Silver Chain,” Cadence observed. “Y- your highness,” she whispered. “Your counts have a discrepancy of twenty five bits and three cents,” Cadence said. “This is the third time you’ve had such an error.” Silver Chain trembled. “Princess, I-” Cadence lit her horn and physically threw her out a nearby window, sending glass shards flying everywhere. As if on cue, castle maids emerged from the shadows, brooms and dustpans at the ready. Cadence watched for a while, then pointed at the maid that seemed to be working the fastest. “You.” The maid dropped her broom. “M- me?” she asked, raising a shaky hoof and pointing at herself. “Can you count?” “Y- yes, of course; but-” “You’ve been promoted.” She pressed the badge that had fallen to the ground when she’d defenestrated Silver Chain onto her chest. “Congratulations.” The maid squeaked. “Oh, chin up,” Cadence said. “You’ve just received a pay raise. And you... you have foals, don't you? A little filly, as I remember?” “Y- yes, your highness,” she whispered. “See? Good things happen when you do your job.” With a little smile, Cadence continued down the hall, flipping the pages on her clipboard further. She had other ponies to visit. * * * In short, I became Sombra. I think I became worse. I mean, I never took first night privileges or anything, but that’s no comfort. I controlled everything, I ran everything, I basically removed free will from the Empire and quite literally terrorized anypony who tried to stand against me. They were too young to know, Ruby and Garnet. They never knew. They hadn’t even learned to talk yet before that day arrived. That fateful day that deliverance came to the Empire in the form of a purple alicorn princess. * * * A purple alicorn entered the Crystal Empire. The trains had had their coal rationed, so she had arrived by chariot. As she entered, she stopped. She looked around. Ponies in shackles, chains. Depressed. Dark. She had seen this all before. I saw the growing horror in her eyes even from my window. She looked up at the castle and frowned. Her mouth formed a half-asked question, before shaking her head. It had to be a mistake. It had to be. She couldn’t wrap her head around it any other way. I did feel bad that I had to be the one to break it to her. She looked up at my window and teleported in. She saw me and lit her horn. “What have you done with Cadence?” she demanded, pawing the ground. “It’s me, Twilight,” I said, turning to look at her. “It’s me.” “You’re lying,” Twilight accused. “Cadence wouldn’t do something like this. Cadence wouldn’t defeat a tyrant king only to take his place! Cadence is better than that!” “I’m really not,” I confessed quietly. “I’m only going to ask you one more time. Where is she?” I exhaled, and dropped into a playful position, one that I hadn’t been in in a long time. “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake…” The light around Twilight’s horn faded. “Cadence?” she whispered. “What’s…? What’s going on?” “I wish you didn't have to see me like this; but at the same time, I'm so happy to see you.” “Huh?” “I know why you’re here. You're here to free me. Free my subjects. Free the crystal ponies. They've certainly been through enough.” As I spoke, I reached out and felt for her anger, trying to raise it up. Unbridled anger always had such nasty consequences. To my surprise, though, I felt my grip slide right off. She had been shielded somehow. My emotion magic couldn't affect her. Oddly fitting, I suppose. “I’ve had foals, Twilight,” I said. “Twins. A little colt named Garnet and a little filly named Ruby.” “That’s… great?” Twilight said, cocking her head. “It’s not. Well, it is now. They’ll have you to teach them.” “Me?” Twilight’s eyes widened in horror as the implications hit her. “No…” “Teach them, Twilight,” I pleaded. “Teach Ruby and Garnet about the darkness inside them. Teach them how to overcome it. I know you'll figure out how. You’ve always been good at finding the good in ponies. Teach them what I never could learn to do.” “You will teach them-” Twilight tried. “I can't teach them!” I howled. “I couldn't even control myself!” “But-” “Look what I've done!” I shrieked. “I've become Sombra! No! I've become worse!” Twilight's breath came in steadily more raggedly. “Cadence, if we try, really try, together I’m sure we can-” “It’s too late for me, Twilight,” I said bitterly. “I know my fate. I couldn’t escape it. This is how it must be.” “Cadence, please…” “I'm sorry, Twilight.” “Cadence…” Twilight pleaded. “My name-” I said forcefully, lighting my horn and bringing my rear hoof back and spreading my wings to stabilize myself, “-is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.” Tears streamed down Twilight's face. “Please don’t make me do this,” she whispered. “This is how it must be,” I repeated in a whisper of my own. “Take care of Ruby and Garnet, please.” And with that, I fired. Twilight teleported out of the way, appearing a couple paces to the side of my blast. It continued, splintering the stone door. “Wha-?” “It’s for real, Twilight,” I said, firing another blast. She teleported out of the way again, and I exploded my own throne into crystal splinters. “I’m going to kill you if you don’t kill me first.” “But-!” “Do what you must, Twilight!” I fired again, destroying one of the pillars. “Cadence, no!” “Mi Amore Cadenza!” I corrected her, firing once more. She sidestepped. I was in despair. I wasn’t thinking straight. But she was calm. That's why she wasn't getting hit. I needed to switch those emotions. I fired again and again, rapid fire. Dust exploded from the impacts, and my whole throne room became a smoky, blinding mess. But when it faded, Twilight still stood strong, protected behind a shield, just like the ones her brother used to make. I switched tactics. I summoned crystals. Black crystals jutted up from the floor, but Twilight flapped her wings and took flight. She blasted them all down as quickly as I could raise them; and when I tried to raise as many as I could at once, she merely cast a shield and the crystals ground themselves to dust when they tried to breach it. She was too good. But I knew one way to force her to act: endanger innocents. I spread my wings and burst through the balcony door, sending wood fragments everywhere. I felt one piece get stuck in my mane, but I ignored it. I landed on the street. I looked over towards the nearest house. I looked up at Twilight, back at the house, and lit my horn. She knew what I was going to do. She cast a shield around me, and it formed just a split second before the blast would have turned the house into rubble. She flew out and landed. We stood a good fifty paces apart. And then the look in her eyes. It was hauntingly familiar. It wasn't defeat. Was it betrayal? No. It was anguish. Tears welled up in her eyes. This would hurt her just as much as it would hurt me. She closed her eyes and lit her horn, and I took a shaky, steadying breath. I’d accepted my fate. I saw the burst of light leave her horn. And then I knew no more. Chapter 4All these thoughts came rushing back as I collapsed to the ground. I groaned and lifted my head. My whole body tingled. I had… I had been turned to stone. Twilight had turned me to stone. Why, then, was I free? Had she set me free? Had I served a thousand years of penance and she had finally decided to let me go? Perhaps she thought I could be reformed, as was Discord. Even as my lungs ached for air, I couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. It came out as more of a raspy gargle, but chuckle I did. The blackness on my soul would not be purged so easily, I was certain of that. I blinked a few times, letting my vision refocus. I ran a hoof through my mane, and knocked out the little piece of wood from my fight with Twilight. I cracked a smile, finding it odd that it had been petrified with me. Though it was dark out, I could soon make out a hoof in the grass directly front of me. The coat color, though… so familiar... I looked up, and I couldn't help but smile in recognition. He was much taller than I remembered, but I knew him. After all, a mother never forgets the fruit of her womb. “Garnet,” I whispered, struggling to my hooves. The destoning process made me feel tingly all over, but I was surprisingly not much worse for the wear. “My son. Look at you.” My smile turned into shaky laughter as I leaned in close to nuzzle him. I pulled back and glanced over him once more, pressing my hooves against his cheeks. “You've grown so big.” He nodded, but even in the dim moonlight, I could see lines chiseled into his face that should not have been there. Stress lines. Something had happened. Something terrible. Something had happened to my son. I looked over to my left and reached out, expecting to see my daughter there as well; but I saw nopony. I blinked and set my hoof down. “Where's Ruby?” I asked. Garnet looked down, and the corners of his mouth tightened downwards. “She… she was captured,” he answered. “By whom?” I demanded. Who would hurt my daughter? Who had the death wish, and how soon could I oblige them? “Changelings.” Changelings?! “Where’s Twilight?” I demanded, looking around as though I'd find her here, too. “I don’t know. They’ve sealed off the Empire. Nothing can get in or out. I’ve tried sending messages, but I couldn’t. The barrier is too strong.” I looked up where he was pointing, and saw a thick green translucent barrier. So they'd learned from their mistakes. Interesting. “Where’s Ruby? I'll find her. I'll rescue her.” “She… she tried to fight,” he said. “They found her body. Her horn had been… been removed, and burns covered most of her body.” I closed my eyes and took a shaky breath. My daughter… I turned back to Garnet. “Why didn't you get me sooner?” I demanded. “I didn’t know,” he said, his voice rising in pitch. “I didn’t know what else to do! I couldn't help her, I couldn't find her; and it took me forever to find anything to destone you-” I quickly pulled him into a hug and shushed him. “It's alright, Garnet,” I whispered, comforting him. “Mommy's here. Mommy can make it all better.“ Then I heard a familiar chattering sound, one I hadn’t heard in a long time. I looked up, and saw the blue, soulless eyes of a changeling, spying on us through the bushes. He turned, ready to flee, to make a report. The magic came quickly, second nature to me once more. The purple magic burst from my horn and tore through the changeling, leaving in its wake a smoking hole the size of a grapefruit straight through its body, and through the trees behind it. It fell, dead before it even knew it. “We can't stay here,” I murmured, turning back to Garnet. “It was patrolling. It will be missed and more will come to investigate. Take me to your headquarters. I'll make more arrangements from there.” Garnet nodded. “Twilight… Twilight told me about when you faced changelings before. With my dad, Shining Armor.” “That’s true,” I said. “The power of love won that day.” Garnet nodded, slightly comforted. “But he’s… he’s not here anymore. What will you do instead?” A dark smile crossed my face, and I pulled up the dark magic once more. “I’m sure I’ll think of something,” I murmured. EpilogueThe Crystal Empire is safe again, thanks to me. It's been a few months since my release, now. I think they're almost done burying the bodies of the changelings. There were certainly enough of them. I kept the queen’s head, though, as a trophy. It’s in my closet, in another one of those airtight crystal bell jars. Garnet doesn't know I have it. Many of the crystal ponies remembered me. I could almost taste their fear, it was so strong the first time I appeared publicly. I gently suppressed it as I spoke. Habit, I guess. I claimed that I had been reformed, that my time in stone had changed my perspective, and I apologized profusely. I pulled up a little of the joy and adoration from when Sombra was killed, and a little of the relief from when I proclaimed victory over the changelings. I did what I do best: I manipulated them. I made it clear I'm here for advisory purposes only. I've proclaimed it myself that Garnet and only Garnet has a direct right to the throne, and I have no right nor desire to lead. I've publicly abdicated all my powers and station. My daughter never had the chance. Now, it's all on my son. He likely won't be alone for long. He's seeing a crystal pony mare, one of the scullery maids in the castle. He doesn't know I know. I approve, though. She is cute, even with the burns on her face from a kitchen-related accident as a filly. She has a good heart, she's kind, and she cares for her little sister on her own. I'm certain Twilight taught him that, to look on a pony's heart rather than on their outward appearance. I'm proud of him for that. I only wish I could say the same about me. Together, I'm certain they can help suppress the darkness their future foal will have inside. Even when we fought off the invasion, he was calm and restrained, striking only when needed. If this pattern keeps up, we may be able to breed the darkness out of our line completely. He's a good stallion, and he'll be a good father to his foals. Well, to the foals he knows about, that is. I don't know how I'll tell him that I'm pregnant, and I really don't know how I'm going to tell him it's his. He doesn't remember me manipulating his filial love and respect into pure lust for me, and he certainly doesn't remember the memory spells I put on him afterwards. Memory spells. On my own son. He won't remember rutting his own mother, thrusting hard into me and making me scream until my throat was raw. He won't remember reducing me to a quivering pile of mareflesh and then finishing once more for good measure on my mane, as if carnally claiming me as his. I'd say that's for the best, really. Though I'm proud of his prowess and how strong he's become—and I'm certainly not opposed to having him do it to me again—I wouldn't want to scar him for life. I don't even have a good reason for why I made him do it. I think it was just 'because I could'. But honestly, what more could you expect from me? My name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, and I am a terrible pony.
Chapter 1My name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, and I am a terrible pony. I don't mean to be, of course. I never meant to be. But I am. I can almost hear the protests now. Twilight Sparkle, for example. She would have been the staunchest defender of my character. I spread love everywhere I go. That's what I do, isn't it? Yes; but that's not what my cutie mark actually means. I have emotional magic. I can change ponies’ feelings; and by that, I mean I can manipulate them. I can drudge up the love that has been buried away under the stress of daily life and bring it to the surface; that's what I'm most known for. I can find the happiness under the layers and layers of life experience and the sadness and disappointment that brings, and pull it to the surface. I can suppress the crushing fear that wells up in a colt trying to ask out a cute filly for the first time. I can bring out the joy of motherhood that can be squelched under the curse that is postpartum depression. I can quench happiness. I can raise up sadness and depression so powerful I can sap a pony of the will to live right before my very eyes. I can suppress exhilaration; I can make that first wedding night's consummation feel like a burdensome chore. I can force a stallion to lust after another stallion, with his wife and foals standing nearby. And I can do it without my victims even noticing my influence. Celestia understood my power. She took me quite literally under her wing. She taught me what was right and wrong, the importance of feelings and how important it was that each pony discover those feelings for themselves. They had to know the bitter to know the sweet, she said, and I would be doing them a grave disfavor by forcing them to feel only one or the other. She provided a safe haven for me. And, all things considered, she succeeded. I grew up a well-adjusted mare. I worked as a foalsitter and learned responsibility and bits management, as well as how to lead and guide. I learned decorum, but also how and when to loosen up; learned how to present myself as a princess of Equestria; and, most importantly, I learned how to win a cake-eating contest (the secret is to start with a dry cake with not much frosting or sugar, so as to not get your taste buds overloaded or gummed up, so to speak. After a slice or two of pound cake and bundt cake, you can go for the heavier cakes without worry). Perhaps best of all, I married a fine stallion. That's a personal point of pride for me (if I can still claim any pride, that is). I've never used my emotion magic on Shining Armor. His sister, yes, I’ll confess to that; but never him. Everything he's felt for me and about me has been completely, one hundred percent real. It's too bad he fell in love with the mask. The good Cadence. The pure Cadence. The kind Cadence. For a long time, I thought I really was that Cadence. Honestly, I did. But then something happened that none of us could expect. The Crystal Empire returned. * * * Cadence stepped lightly off the train. Her shoed hooves clinked against the crystal with a distinctly familiar sound. She cracked a smile and glanced around. “So this is the Crystal Empire,” she murmured. “It's pretty.” Shining Armor, levitating their bags behind him, chuckled as he approached. “It's certainly shiny,” he said. “Very crystally.” He poked at one of the many crystal growths jutting out of the ground and grinned at her. The bustle seemed to slow down. Cadence looked forward and realized that the crystal ponies were looking at her. They seemed to be getting darker progressively as she stared. Their expressions looked familiar. They looked at her with nervous apprehension. Fear. Hints of terror. No. Cadence shook her head. She knew she needed to make a good first impression if she were going to rule this empire. She stepped forward. “Citizens of the Crystal Empire,” she started. “I am Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, and this is my husband, Prince Shining Armor. We come not as tyrants, but deliverers and guides. I have seen the former glory of the Crystal Empire, and I know you too want to see those glorious times return, when the Crystal Empire was the jewel of all of Equestria.” Cadence nodded as she finished, clearly thinking she was doing a good job; but the crystal ponies certainly didn't think so. They seemed to be darkening and shaking with fear; but strangely enough, they seemed to be looking at something behind her. “Uh, Cadence?” Cadence glanced back at her husband and where he was looking, and gasped. A thick, black cloud billowed out across the snowy plains, and a cold chill ran up my back. Black crystals, dark crystals, cropped up, shooting out of the ground. The crystal ponies turned and ran, screaming. Shining Armor stepped up, just as he always did. He raised his head and lifted his horn, and a shimmering shield formed around the Empire. The clouds neared… and bumped against it. Sparks flew as it tried and failed to breach his powerful shield. The cloud seemed to pull back and scowl at the shield. It tried to ram the shield again, sending more sparks flying, but Shining Armor's spell held firm. It growled—Cadence would swear that it growled—and it sank back into the ground, leaving behind only a few black, spiky crystals standing at odd angles to show it had ever been there. Cadence looked at Shining Armor, and he looked back triumphantly at her. Her confidence buoyed, she glanced back at the crystal ponies who had not fled, and they looked back at her with even greater fear in their eyes. Clearly, there was more going on here than just an odd cloud. “Sombra,” Shining Armor murmured darkly by way of explanation. “Former tyrant king Celestia warned me about. Looks like he's not as dead as we'd hoped.” Cadence looked up at the crystal ponies and she could swear she could taste their fear. She knew what she had to do. She stepped forward once more and lit her horn. “Citizens of the Crystal Empire,” she repeated, now in the Royal Canterlot Voice. It looked as though she were using a voice amplification spell, but she was actually disguising her emotion magic. Slowly, gently, she suppressed their fear, so gently they wouldn’t have noticed her influence. She was disturbed to find that there was no joy for her to pull up, so she redoubled her suppression efforts. “We come as deliverers,” she repeated, “but we want to be considered your friends. I swear by my horn and my wings, we come in peace.” * * * That wasn't entirely wrong, I don't think. I mean, I use that same technique on foals, too. Luna has a picture album full of pictures of her holding crying foals and various looks of discomfort on their parents' faces. No. Wait. It's Celestia. Celestia maintains that album. Apparently, her first speech as a Diarch of Equestria was answered not with stomps and cheers and praises, but an awkward silence… broken only by a single foal crying. Luna teased her about that, and it… well… how should I put it? somewhat went on from there. I, however, have never had that happen. Every picture of me has been with a smiling, giggling, happy foal. I've also never had a crying foal interrupt my plays or music performances. And if I can suppress the discomfort of a foal who has filled his diaper to capacity, I can do anything. I wonder if that was my fatal flaw. Pride. But I digress. It was harmless. I mean, I just suppressed a bit of fear; and let’s be honest, isn’t that something every mother does? Comfort their foals and shush their fears? My subjects were just like foals to me. When we first started holding court, at times the crystal ponies would be too afraid to even enter, or they'd come crawling along the ground, grovelling as if afraid I'd act like Sombra and kill them for tiny mistakes, or even just for looking at me wrong. I hate grovelling. I figured out an easy solution: keep suppressing the fear. Everywhere I went, I suppressed the fear the crystal ponies had. Suddenly, they could have a normal conversation with me. And, of course, rumors spread like wildfire. It was said that just being in the presence of the new princess was calming, and I had ponies coming to court for no other reason than to see me and maybe get a kind word, which I was always happy to give. I loved the crystal ponies. That emotion was real. Shining Armor, of course, disagreed. He said that my presence was more arousing than anything else. But that's neither here nor there. The problem with my solution was it became a habit. Suppression became a daily thing for me; and, like any exercise, I grew stronger daily without even realizing it. Like with any magic spell, less effort was needed for the same effect; but I kept the same amount of effort into the spell. I was busy! It slipped my mind. There was a lot going on and a lot to keep track of as we rebuilt a new empire from rubble. I mean, a lot had changed technology-wise in a thousand years. To be honest, I just never gave it a second thought. Pretty soon, new things started cropping up in the Empire. Guard recruitment jumped to record high levels. Skydiving became a thing. Spelunking in ancient, unsafe crystal caves became popular. Ponies even started to attempt to tame the polaris that lived nearby into giant, story-and-a-half tall pets. I didn't really notice any of that, though. I did notice, however, when they had ignored the threat of attack until nearly the day of. I only heard about it on an off-hoofed comment by the head of castle security. Pretty sure he took a spear to the kidney that day. They say that the more pure something is, the more satisfying it is to corrupt; and I believe that to be true. The Crystal Empire, supposed to be the epicenter of happiness and peace, was the focus of many attacks. Most were deterred by a show of power (turns out most other races don’t have an equivalent to an alicorn princess); but one army managed to penetrate our defenses. And this time, we weren't prepared. Nopony was. Because who wants to train for war when you can climb Mount Neverest without extra oxygen? * * * Shining Armor grunted as he blocked the swing of a spear with the hilt of his own, then spun it around to deliver a punishing retaliatory blow to the attacking griffon’s head with the point. His helmet absorbed most of it, but it dented under his attack, disorienting the griffon. He swung the point around once more, and grimaced as blood spurted out from the griffon’s neck. No matter how much training he had, that was a sight he would never quite get used to. “I thought griffons weren’t the vengeful type?” he joked--joking! In the middle of the battlefield!--as he brought his spear back up into a defensive stance. “I guess you get a few brittle crystals in every formation,” Cadence cracked right back. Her mirth faded somewhat as she realized that their army was getting routed. Crystal ponies charged fearlessly in, leaving themselves wide open to body strikes that left them dead and dying on the ground, their oddly crystalline blood splattering everywhere. This wasn’t right. Something was wrong. Cadence dropped her shield, but kept her horn lit. She pulled up righteous indignation, with a hint of anger. “You’re fighting for your families!” she shouted. “They’re fighting for power and for a king; but you’re fighting for your lives! Your foals’ lives! They need you! Stand!” It didn’t seem to work; the crystal ponies still fearlessly charged. Cadence grimaced as one particularly brave one threw down his weapon to use the weapons nature had given him, his teeth and his hooves, and took a claw to his jugular for his stupidity. Any way she looked at it, they were losing. What else could go wrong? she thought as she parried a set of claws herself. This was, of course, a very wrong thing to say. Cadence’s ears pinned as she heard a familiar cry. Her heart stopped. ‘Shining...’ She looked over, and sure enough, Shining Armor was on the ground. Blood shone brightly against his white coat. More blood than she had ever before seen. “Shining!” Cadence screamed. She teleported over and cast a little shield around both of them, sending the griffon flying backwards from the impact as the shield grew. Angry thoughts swirled in her head as she saw the blood pooling and she tried to press a hoof against his wound to staunch the bleeding. Why hadn’t I done that before? How could I have failed to take care of him? It wasn’t in his nature to accept it, though. Deep down, she knew that. She had always known that. Princess or no, he had always treated her with the highest respect and had never tried to coast along using her station for his advantage. He had always been one to defend others, regardless of his own safety. He had never hid behind her, even if she did have the greater raw attacking power. It just wasn’t his nature. Never before had she hated him for it. Shining Armor looked at her and gave her a weak smile, but it was more pained than reassuring. He knew it then, but Cadence wordlessly shook her head, refusing to accept it. Gritting her teeth, she leaned down and lit her horn, and cast a healing spell. His wounds sealed themselves together, the muscles reformed, his fur even regrew before her very eyes, so powerful was the healing magic she was channelling. But he had lost too much blood. He raised a shaky hoof, blindly, awkwardly reaching for her face. He managed to brush it against her cheek once, and the ghost of a real smile flickered across his face before his eyes fluttered closed for the last time. * * * I screamed. Loudly. I remember that. I shrieked until my vocal chords ached. I howled my pain to the skies and soaked his motionless chest in my tears as I chanted a desperate but futile mantra, begging it to not be so. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, of course. Denial is a very valid way to start the grieving process. The only problem with denial is that soon afterwards comes anger. And there’s nothing so fearsome as an angry alicorn. I don’t recall how long it took, or how many of my crystal ponies died while I grieved. Eventually, I grit my teeth; my eyes ached but try as I might I had no more tears to cry. Power swelled up inside of me. Power that felt awfully, terribly familiar. And there I made my fatal mistake. I mean, I guess it was a mistake. I mean… I did it, and I willingly chose to do it, so it must have always been a part of me. I just… my facade finally shattered; but so easily. I was not the mask I thought I was. Maybe, somewhere, deep down inside, I’d just always wanted to be a tyrant. * * * Griffons let out triumphant war cries as the princess of the Crystal Empire lowered her shield. Cadence stood up, eyes downcast, but her breathing was heavy and unsteady. Even the most fearless of crystal ponies felt their hearts skip a beat at her expression as she lifted her head and spread her wings in challenge. And then the crystal ponies felt primal fear as dark purple and green magic exploded into existence around Cadence’s horn. For now, she was no longer suppressing fear. She was welcoming it. Cadence reached out indiscriminately and pulled up fear in both the crystal ponies and the griffons; on anyone with the misfortune of being in her range. She pulled up terror. She pulled up feelings of inadequacy, remembered from when she was a young filly that had suddenly had the role of ‘princess’ thrust upon her. She pulled up the distrust of magic, making the ponies shy away and put the griffons on edge. And she pulled up anger, just enough to make them desperate. One griffon charged, just as Cadence had expected. A black crystal shot up from the ground, impaling him right through the stomach, before retreating back into the ground. He tried to scream, but the crystal had perforated his diaphragm, and though he struggled for breath, he could do nothing but suffocate as Cadence watched impassively. Another charged. With casual indifference, Cadence raised another crystal, this one hitting him under the chin and snapping his neck backwards. For the third griffon she raised two crystals in an X-formation, barely skimming the griffon’s feathers, and then she brought them down, encasing him entirely in purple and black crystals. He scratched, then hammered desperately at his crystal prison, but to no effect; and he quickly ran out of air. Cadence strode forward, not caring at all that her web of fear had caused her army to darken and flee. There was only one thought on her mind, which was solidified as she encased a griffon’s hind paws in black crystal, held him up with her magic, and then lifted his own spear with a hoof so she could personally and physically run it through his body. Revenge. * * * We… I routed them, once I embraced my destiny and accepted the dark magic. Oh, they fled. Many fled; but I followed. None could escape me. Their frozen bodies are still there, I think. I just left them there, like little trophies or momentos. All but one, that is. I erected a nice little memorial for their leader. I don’t even remember his name now; the only words I inscribed on the stand were 'take heed, all ye who would conquer this land', in my best calligraphy, of course. I made a pink stand that looked a little bit like a giant picture frame, and encased each of his paws in one corner, holding him up. I encased his heart (still beating when I removed it; isn’t the body fascinating?) in a small crystal belljar there on the bottom, perched atop a little crystal spike, standing in the air between his lion paws. I even sucked all the air out of it so his heart would remain there, pristine, untouched by time. And underneath, as a signature to my warning, I engraved my cutie mark, so all would know who had done it. That's when it all started. Once you taste it, once you feel the dark magic's power, you crave more. And, like I said, I couldn’t help it. It was my destiny. It just took a little time for it to truly take hold.
Chapter 2The entire Crystal Empire was in mourning. Cadence didn't even have to influence their emotions. Everypony who had known Shining Armor had loved and trusted him. But none had loved him so deeply or trusted so fully as Cadence. He had trusted her back. And now he was dead. She looked down at the crumpled papers, discarded attempts to convey the horrible message, and she laid her head down. How could she tell Twilight that her brother was dead? Worse, how could she tell her that it was her fault? A sudden explosion of purple made her look up. She shot to her hooves and lit her horn, expecting an attack. She wasn’t expecting Twilight Sparkle. Twilight rushed up, apparently unaffected by the magical drain of the teleport. “Cadence, I had…” Her voice trailed off as she saw Cadence’s expression. “I had a terrible nightmare…” she finished quietly. She sat next to Cadence. “It was a vision, wasn’t it? Luna said it could be.” She took a shaky breath. “So… Shining Armor; he’s…” Cadence wrapped her forelegs around Twilight’s shoulders, and finally, for the first time, the dam cracked. She slumped to the floor, despondently sobbing. Shining Armor was dead. Dead. It was all her fault. She couldn’t save him. She had failed. Twilight buried her head in Cadence’s shoulder, unable to hold back her own tears, trying to show comfort that she didn’t feel herself. Within the hour, the rest of Twilight’s friends had arrived, with Celestia and Luna following soon after. Twilight had taken them aside to tell them all. Nopony seemed to be taking it well. Without Twilight, Cadence wandered the halls, not paying attention to where she was going. She squinted as she noticed that her breathing seemed to be a bit louder. She looked over to see that Celestia had silently joined her. “Are you sure you’re fine?” “I’m sure, Auntie,” Cadence said firmly. Celestia continued walking, but didn’t seem entirely convinced. “Twilight has expressed desires to stay after the funeral, just to make sure you’re fine.” “And what did you say?” Cadence asked. “Do you think I could stop her?” Celestia asked gently. Cadence chuckled. Twilight had always been headstrong. If she wanted to do something, she usually did. “Then I guess I’ll order a guest room made up,” she said. * * * Twilight tried to help me. Really, she did. She must have been grieving so much, too; but she managed to organize her friends and set up his funeral and everything. I, however, never quite managed to do anything. It’s a good thing ponies usually don’t wear clothes, because sometimes I didn’t even remember to put my ponyshoes on; I would have had a terrible time trying to get outfits coordinated. I’m fairly certain that I would have starved myself to death without Twilight’s constant efforts. Eventually, I had to pull my mask back on and convince her that I was going to be ok. She couldn’t hold my hoof forever, after all; she had her own life to get back to, and I’m certain staying in a place with constant reminders of her brother wasn’t healthy for her. I wasn't going to be ok, though. I would never be. It just wasn't my destiny. I’ll freely admit, Shining’s death really messed me up. It took all my energy to keep that facade up for Twilight, and as soon as the train she was on was out of sight, I broke down again. I even had to be carried back to my room. I think it took nearly a month before I could at least pretend to be normal. During that time, I’m fairly certain I nearly drove out all the castle workers, and the ones that did stay stayed out of fear of me more than loyalty to me. But I didn’t really care. * * * There came a gentle rapping on the door. “Your highness?” a crystal pony attendant started. “What do you want?” Cadence demanded, not raising her head from her forelegs. “You… you haven’t held court in almost two weeks, your highness. The ponies are-” Now she looked up, with anger blazing in her eyes. “Leave me alone!” Cadence roared as her horn blazed with dark magic. She pulled up terror, and was oddly calmed by the sight of the crystal pony’s coat darkening, her ears pinning, her eyes widening as her pupils shrank, and the uncontrollable trembling that seemed to overtake her body. She managed a weak bow before stepping backwards into the hallway, and as soon as she thought she was out of sight, she turned and sprinted, her ponyshoes clacking and echoing through the empty corridor. Cadence dropped her head back down. It didn’t matter. She was just one pony. She’d be back. And even if she didn’t come back, there were plenty more just like her. * * * In total, it took me about six months, but I did manage to pull myself together and I did my best to help my crystal ponies again. Economic growth remained stable, at least. But something inside me had cracked, and it wasn’t healing. Celestia can resist it, the pull of the dark magic. She's been alive long enough that she's pretty much immune to anything that could influence her for evil. Luna, less so... but still powerful in her own right. Now, Twilight... Twilight could resist it. She's just inherently that good, that pure. The first time she came to the Crystal Empire, I didn’t even worry about her falling prey to it; I knew she would be able to overcome its influence through her sheer goodness. And then there's me. My family situation doesn’t come up often. Most ponies just accept that I’m Celestia’s niece and leave it at that. That, of course, isn’t entirely true. To be completely honest, though, I don’t know everything about where I came from. I used to be a pegasus, I remember that. My earth pony parents found me alone in the woods, and they adopted me and raised me as their own. Being a daring filly, I went out, I befriended a witch and Celestia recognized my power, and the next thing I knew, behold, behold, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza cometh. Did she know, I wonder? Could she sense it? My power? My heritage? Did she know that I was directly descended from King Sombra? And did she know that I had inherited his madness?
Chapter 3For a while I dabbled in necromancy. Necromancy is, of course, impossible; but that didn’t stop me from trying. Sombra had hidden secret passageways throughout the castle, and invoking the dark magic made them easy to find. I found all kinds of secret things, including books with spells that probably should have remained hidden. As it turns out, many spells and potions of questionable ethical quality require many, many crystals. Magical crystals that are hard to produce… but grow plentifully under the ground. It started out as a volunteer program, with generous benefits, of course. Participants would be compensated based on the crystals recovered. I paid good bits for rare and powerful crystals, and a smaller fee by weight of less valuable crystals. Many young ponies just starting out in life and needing a little cash to start their careers signed up right away. After all, I’d suppressed most of their fear, and nopony seemed to mind the risks. I guess fear takes a while to build back up. I later put a higher reward on crystals said to have healing properties because I found that I could not control my emotions and I could not stop eating. I desired the strangest of foods, and nearly drove the castle cooks mad with my requests and returning food for correction after two bites or so. Of course, this program somewhat ground to a halt when I realized why my dresses no longer fit. A cowering chambermaid stammered the answer as I tearfully and angrily demanded why she had sewn them so small. It was enough to briefly shock me into sanity again. I was pregnant. * * * “Say that again,” Cadence breathed. “You- you’re with foal, your highness,” she stammered, still cowering behind her hooves. “You’re likely in your seventh month.” Cadence looked up at the sky and slowly sank to her haunches. Pregnant. She was pregnant. How was that possible? She thought back to the last time she and Shining Armor had- Shining…! She slowly lowered herself to the ground. He’d always wanted foals. She gently, hesitantly, brought a hoof up and touched the side of her stomach. There was a foal in there. His foal. Cadence laid her head down and wept; but for the first time in a long time, these were tears of joy. Shining had left her a parting gift, and she would take care of it. * * * I think… no, I’m certain, that my foals helped keep me sane. I couldn’t care only about myself; I had two others to live for. Not the thousands of crystal ponies that looked up to me; my foals. Madness, I tell you. Oh, yes. Foals. I know it’s the mare’s doing and not the stallion’s when multiple foals are born, but I can’t help but think that Shining Armor would have strutted proudly through the castle when he discovered that I was bearing twins. Of course, due to my natural magics messing with the crystals used for medical instruments, I only learned this during the foaling. But I digress. They were beautiful. I named them Garnet and Ruby, after their coat colors. I think most evil starts from good ideas. I mean, I loved my foals. They had saved me, kept me sane. All I wanted was a secure, safe place to raise them. That wasn’t too much to ask, was it? * * * Cadence walked down the hallway, looking at the clipboard. She scowled. “Zirconia?” “Y- yes, your highness?” the little pink crystal pony squeaked. “It looks like crystal production is down three percent. Why?” “W- w- well, your highness, it’s…” “Unforgivable?” Cadence suggested. “I- I mean-” “Unexplainable,” Cadence supplied. Zirconia clenched her eyes shut. “We’ve had a string of deaths and morale is down,” she blurted quickly. “I see,” Cadence said coldly. “If, perhaps, the workers could be given a break…” Cadence stopped. “A what?” Zirconia fearfully stepped backwards, but Cadence matched her step for step, not breaking eye contact. “I’m certain I didn’t hear what I just thought I heard, right, Zirconia?” Zirconia couldn’t even squeak. “Care to remember what happened to your predecessor? You know how dangerous those caves are, Zirconia. I’d hate for there to be… another accident.” Zirconia sank to the ground and nodded, too bound by Cadence’s glare to be even able to look away. “Your highness?” The spell was broken as Cadence looked up, and Zirconia scampered away as fast as her crystal hooves would take her. “Amber Waves.” The light blue stallion took a shaky breath. “Y- you wished to see me?” “Yes, I did.” Cadence hefted the clipboard again and flipped to the second page. “Food production is up one point five percent. Good work.” A small smile crossed Cadence’s face. “Keep it up, and your wife’s nightmares might stop soon.” Amber Waves dropped to a knee. “Thank you, your highness,” he breathed. Cadence nodded and continued walking. She lit her horn and pushed open a door, and the sound of chinks quickly intensified. “Iron Chisel!” she called. The pony in the front who had been hunched over his work jumped, falling backwards onto the stone floor. He quickly scrambled to his hooves and sprinted to Cadence, falling into a deep bow. Cadence looked at the clipboard again. “Your production seems to have plateaued,” she observed airily. “I- it’s harder, Princess--not that we’re complaining, of course--but being required to find our own marble as well as carve it is proving difficul-” “Or maybe,” Cadence cut him off, “you’re just being lazy. All of you!” she shouted, the last sentence reaching Royal Canterlot Voice levels. “No, Princess Cadenza-” “Mi Amore Cadenza,” Cadence corrected coldly. “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza-” “If the next words out of your mouth are not ‘we will increase output by at least two percent’, you’ll find yourself out of a job,” Cadence whispered. Iron Chisel gulped. He knew exactly what those words meant. “T- two percent, your highness,” he whispered even more quietly. Cadence nodded firmly and left the room, slamming the door behind her. She continued walking down the hallway and arrived at her treasury. The mare outside at the desk seemed focused on her work; but the way her quill quivered showed that she was keenly aware of the presence of the princess. “Silver Chain,” Cadence observed. “Y- your highness,” she whispered. “Your counts have a discrepancy of twenty five bits and three cents,” Cadence said. “This is the third time you’ve had such an error.” Silver Chain trembled. “Princess, I-” Cadence lit her horn and physically threw her out a nearby window, sending glass shards flying everywhere. As if on cue, castle maids emerged from the shadows, brooms and dustpans at the ready. Cadence watched for a while, then pointed at the maid that seemed to be working the fastest. “You.” The maid dropped her broom. “M- me?” she asked, raising a shaky hoof and pointing at herself. “Can you count?” “Y- yes, of course; but-” “You’ve been promoted.” She pressed the badge that had fallen to the ground when she’d defenestrated Silver Chain onto her chest. “Congratulations.” The maid squeaked. “Oh, chin up,” Cadence said. “You’ve just received a pay raise. And you... you have foals, don't you? A little filly, as I remember?” “Y- yes, your highness,” she whispered. “See? Good things happen when you do your job.” With a little smile, Cadence continued down the hall, flipping the pages on her clipboard further. She had other ponies to visit. * * * In short, I became Sombra. I think I became worse. I mean, I never took first night privileges or anything, but that’s no comfort. I controlled everything, I ran everything, I basically removed free will from the Empire and quite literally terrorized anypony who tried to stand against me. They were too young to know, Ruby and Garnet. They never knew. They hadn’t even learned to talk yet before that day arrived. That fateful day that deliverance came to the Empire in the form of a purple alicorn princess. * * * A purple alicorn entered the Crystal Empire. The trains had had their coal rationed, so she had arrived by chariot. As she entered, she stopped. She looked around. Ponies in shackles, chains. Depressed. Dark. She had seen this all before. I saw the growing horror in her eyes even from my window. She looked up at the castle and frowned. Her mouth formed a half-asked question, before shaking her head. It had to be a mistake. It had to be. She couldn’t wrap her head around it any other way. I did feel bad that I had to be the one to break it to her. She looked up at my window and teleported in. She saw me and lit her horn. “What have you done with Cadence?” she demanded, pawing the ground. “It’s me, Twilight,” I said, turning to look at her. “It’s me.” “You’re lying,” Twilight accused. “Cadence wouldn’t do something like this. Cadence wouldn’t defeat a tyrant king only to take his place! Cadence is better than that!” “I’m really not,” I confessed quietly. “I’m only going to ask you one more time. Where is she?” I exhaled, and dropped into a playful position, one that I hadn’t been in in a long time. “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake…” The light around Twilight’s horn faded. “Cadence?” she whispered. “What’s…? What’s going on?” “I wish you didn't have to see me like this; but at the same time, I'm so happy to see you.” “Huh?” “I know why you’re here. You're here to free me. Free my subjects. Free the crystal ponies. They've certainly been through enough.” As I spoke, I reached out and felt for her anger, trying to raise it up. Unbridled anger always had such nasty consequences. To my surprise, though, I felt my grip slide right off. She had been shielded somehow. My emotion magic couldn't affect her. Oddly fitting, I suppose. “I’ve had foals, Twilight,” I said. “Twins. A little colt named Garnet and a little filly named Ruby.” “That’s… great?” Twilight said, cocking her head. “It’s not. Well, it is now. They’ll have you to teach them.” “Me?” Twilight’s eyes widened in horror as the implications hit her. “No…” “Teach them, Twilight,” I pleaded. “Teach Ruby and Garnet about the darkness inside them. Teach them how to overcome it. I know you'll figure out how. You’ve always been good at finding the good in ponies. Teach them what I never could learn to do.” “You will teach them-” Twilight tried. “I can't teach them!” I howled. “I couldn't even control myself!” “But-” “Look what I've done!” I shrieked. “I've become Sombra! No! I've become worse!” Twilight's breath came in steadily more raggedly. “Cadence, if we try, really try, together I’m sure we can-” “It’s too late for me, Twilight,” I said bitterly. “I know my fate. I couldn’t escape it. This is how it must be.” “Cadence, please…” “I'm sorry, Twilight.” “Cadence…” Twilight pleaded. “My name-” I said forcefully, lighting my horn and bringing my rear hoof back and spreading my wings to stabilize myself, “-is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.” Tears streamed down Twilight's face. “Please don’t make me do this,” she whispered. “This is how it must be,” I repeated in a whisper of my own. “Take care of Ruby and Garnet, please.” And with that, I fired. Twilight teleported out of the way, appearing a couple paces to the side of my blast. It continued, splintering the stone door. “Wha-?” “It’s for real, Twilight,” I said, firing another blast. She teleported out of the way again, and I exploded my own throne into crystal splinters. “I’m going to kill you if you don’t kill me first.” “But-!” “Do what you must, Twilight!” I fired again, destroying one of the pillars. “Cadence, no!” “Mi Amore Cadenza!” I corrected her, firing once more. She sidestepped. I was in despair. I wasn’t thinking straight. But she was calm. That's why she wasn't getting hit. I needed to switch those emotions. I fired again and again, rapid fire. Dust exploded from the impacts, and my whole throne room became a smoky, blinding mess. But when it faded, Twilight still stood strong, protected behind a shield, just like the ones her brother used to make. I switched tactics. I summoned crystals. Black crystals jutted up from the floor, but Twilight flapped her wings and took flight. She blasted them all down as quickly as I could raise them; and when I tried to raise as many as I could at once, she merely cast a shield and the crystals ground themselves to dust when they tried to breach it. She was too good. But I knew one way to force her to act: endanger innocents. I spread my wings and burst through the balcony door, sending wood fragments everywhere. I felt one piece get stuck in my mane, but I ignored it. I landed on the street. I looked over towards the nearest house. I looked up at Twilight, back at the house, and lit my horn. She knew what I was going to do. She cast a shield around me, and it formed just a split second before the blast would have turned the house into rubble. She flew out and landed. We stood a good fifty paces apart. And then the look in her eyes. It was hauntingly familiar. It wasn't defeat. Was it betrayal? No. It was anguish. Tears welled up in her eyes. This would hurt her just as much as it would hurt me. She closed her eyes and lit her horn, and I took a shaky, steadying breath. I’d accepted my fate. I saw the burst of light leave her horn. And then I knew no more.
Chapter 4All these thoughts came rushing back as I collapsed to the ground. I groaned and lifted my head. My whole body tingled. I had… I had been turned to stone. Twilight had turned me to stone. Why, then, was I free? Had she set me free? Had I served a thousand years of penance and she had finally decided to let me go? Perhaps she thought I could be reformed, as was Discord. Even as my lungs ached for air, I couldn't help but chuckle at the thought. It came out as more of a raspy gargle, but chuckle I did. The blackness on my soul would not be purged so easily, I was certain of that. I blinked a few times, letting my vision refocus. I ran a hoof through my mane, and knocked out the little piece of wood from my fight with Twilight. I cracked a smile, finding it odd that it had been petrified with me. Though it was dark out, I could soon make out a hoof in the grass directly front of me. The coat color, though… so familiar... I looked up, and I couldn't help but smile in recognition. He was much taller than I remembered, but I knew him. After all, a mother never forgets the fruit of her womb. “Garnet,” I whispered, struggling to my hooves. The destoning process made me feel tingly all over, but I was surprisingly not much worse for the wear. “My son. Look at you.” My smile turned into shaky laughter as I leaned in close to nuzzle him. I pulled back and glanced over him once more, pressing my hooves against his cheeks. “You've grown so big.” He nodded, but even in the dim moonlight, I could see lines chiseled into his face that should not have been there. Stress lines. Something had happened. Something terrible. Something had happened to my son. I looked over to my left and reached out, expecting to see my daughter there as well; but I saw nopony. I blinked and set my hoof down. “Where's Ruby?” I asked. Garnet looked down, and the corners of his mouth tightened downwards. “She… she was captured,” he answered. “By whom?” I demanded. Who would hurt my daughter? Who had the death wish, and how soon could I oblige them? “Changelings.” Changelings?! “Where’s Twilight?” I demanded, looking around as though I'd find her here, too. “I don’t know. They’ve sealed off the Empire. Nothing can get in or out. I’ve tried sending messages, but I couldn’t. The barrier is too strong.” I looked up where he was pointing, and saw a thick green translucent barrier. So they'd learned from their mistakes. Interesting. “Where’s Ruby? I'll find her. I'll rescue her.” “She… she tried to fight,” he said. “They found her body. Her horn had been… been removed, and burns covered most of her body.” I closed my eyes and took a shaky breath. My daughter… I turned back to Garnet. “Why didn't you get me sooner?” I demanded. “I didn’t know,” he said, his voice rising in pitch. “I didn’t know what else to do! I couldn't help her, I couldn't find her; and it took me forever to find anything to destone you-” I quickly pulled him into a hug and shushed him. “It's alright, Garnet,” I whispered, comforting him. “Mommy's here. Mommy can make it all better.“ Then I heard a familiar chattering sound, one I hadn’t heard in a long time. I looked up, and saw the blue, soulless eyes of a changeling, spying on us through the bushes. He turned, ready to flee, to make a report. The magic came quickly, second nature to me once more. The purple magic burst from my horn and tore through the changeling, leaving in its wake a smoking hole the size of a grapefruit straight through its body, and through the trees behind it. It fell, dead before it even knew it. “We can't stay here,” I murmured, turning back to Garnet. “It was patrolling. It will be missed and more will come to investigate. Take me to your headquarters. I'll make more arrangements from there.” Garnet nodded. “Twilight… Twilight told me about when you faced changelings before. With my dad, Shining Armor.” “That’s true,” I said. “The power of love won that day.” Garnet nodded, slightly comforted. “But he’s… he’s not here anymore. What will you do instead?” A dark smile crossed my face, and I pulled up the dark magic once more. “I’m sure I’ll think of something,” I murmured.
EpilogueThe Crystal Empire is safe again, thanks to me. It's been a few months since my release, now. I think they're almost done burying the bodies of the changelings. There were certainly enough of them. I kept the queen’s head, though, as a trophy. It’s in my closet, in another one of those airtight crystal bell jars. Garnet doesn't know I have it. Many of the crystal ponies remembered me. I could almost taste their fear, it was so strong the first time I appeared publicly. I gently suppressed it as I spoke. Habit, I guess. I claimed that I had been reformed, that my time in stone had changed my perspective, and I apologized profusely. I pulled up a little of the joy and adoration from when Sombra was killed, and a little of the relief from when I proclaimed victory over the changelings. I did what I do best: I manipulated them. I made it clear I'm here for advisory purposes only. I've proclaimed it myself that Garnet and only Garnet has a direct right to the throne, and I have no right nor desire to lead. I've publicly abdicated all my powers and station. My daughter never had the chance. Now, it's all on my son. He likely won't be alone for long. He's seeing a crystal pony mare, one of the scullery maids in the castle. He doesn't know I know. I approve, though. She is cute, even with the burns on her face from a kitchen-related accident as a filly. She has a good heart, she's kind, and she cares for her little sister on her own. I'm certain Twilight taught him that, to look on a pony's heart rather than on their outward appearance. I'm proud of him for that. I only wish I could say the same about me. Together, I'm certain they can help suppress the darkness their future foal will have inside. Even when we fought off the invasion, he was calm and restrained, striking only when needed. If this pattern keeps up, we may be able to breed the darkness out of our line completely. He's a good stallion, and he'll be a good father to his foals. Well, to the foals he knows about, that is. I don't know how I'll tell him that I'm pregnant, and I really don't know how I'm going to tell him it's his. He doesn't remember me manipulating his filial love and respect into pure lust for me, and he certainly doesn't remember the memory spells I put on him afterwards. Memory spells. On my own son. He won't remember rutting his own mother, thrusting hard into me and making me scream until my throat was raw. He won't remember reducing me to a quivering pile of mareflesh and then finishing once more for good measure on my mane, as if carnally claiming me as his. I'd say that's for the best, really. Though I'm proud of his prowess and how strong he's become—and I'm certainly not opposed to having him do it to me again—I wouldn't want to scar him for life. I don't even have a good reason for why I made him do it. I think it was just 'because I could'. But honestly, what more could you expect from me? My name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, and I am a terrible pony.
