A New Era

The day was cold and grey in the Crystal Empire, causing the normally glittering cityscape to become dull and drab like unpolished stone. It was the day that a ceremony took place, one of great sadness and mourning.

Today was the day that Princess Cadence passed from the world.

The main road that to the castle was lined with grieving citizens, their crystalline heads bowed as their Princess made her final walk through her city. Beside her were the other two Princesses. Princess Starlight of the Moon and Princess Twilight of the Sun. Starlight walked with her head bowed, eyes glistening with yet unshed tears. Twilight walked with her head held high, any who didn't know her might have thought her rude, however the knowledge that she had closed the royal archives for the week travelled fast. The new Solar Princess never closed her archives. A third pony walked with them, Flurry Heart, Daughter of Princess Cadence and heir to the throne of the Crystal Empire. She was openly weeping, tears trailing down her face as she pressed her face to her aging mother's mane. Cadence herself walked as confidently as her body would allow a small sad smile on her face as she glanced at each and every one of her subjects, meeting their eyes with a look of silent graditude before continuing to the next.

As the Princesses passed by the citizens slowly left their places on the roadsides to follow. When the four Alicorns finally reached their destination they turned to find the loyal resitents of the city crowded behind them, their eyes watching every move that they made.

The eldest of the four sighed. She glanced down at her daughter, planting a small kiss at the base of her horn before pulling away and taking a few steps towards her people, "Ponies of the Crystal Empire." Despite her aged body her voice rang loud and clear throughout the city, making it to the ears of anypony who listened, "Today I will be stepping down from my standing as Princess, your Princess. I thank you all for your support throughout my long reign, I thank you and those who came before. You have, and always will be in my heart and thoughts, and I wish you all a bright future.", she took a breath, "I leave you in the hooves of my fellow Alicorn sisters...", she turned and looked over her shoulder, meeting her daughter's eyes and smiling gently, "...and the hooves of my beloved daughter." She turned back to the crowd of her people, many of which were crying openly, weeping for their benevolent ruler, "May the love that shines in your hearts be eternal."

Princess Cadence dipped her head in a low bow, taking a few minutes to meet as many of her citizen's eyes as she could before turning back to the four Alicorns.

She approached the two Celestia Princesses, wrapping them each in an affectionate hug before finally turning to the pony she loved more than anything in the world of Equus. Her daughter. Flurry Heart lunged forwards, wrapping her hooves aroung her mother as fresh tears ran down her face. Cadence only leaned into the hug and returned it, wrapping Flurry Heart in her wings and shushing her softly.

"Please", Flurry begged her, "Please don't go. Don't leave me."

Cadence pulled back and looked her daughter in the eyes, "My precious Flurry. I'm sorry, but this is my time to go.", she raised a hoof to brush aside a few tears from Flurry's face, "I love you, Flurry Heart, and I couldn't be more proud of the pony youve grown up to be." Cadence turned her head towards the crowd of crystal ponies that waited only a few meters away, "I believe in you Flurry Heart", she gently turned her daughters head to the crowd with a hoof, "And so do they."

She met Flurry's eyes again, "I know you'll make a great ruler." Flurry Heart nodded silently as her mother finally pulled away and stpped towards the Crystal Heart.

The large gemstone gently slowed to a stop, as if sensing the approaching Alicorn. Cadence smiled, whispering softly to herself, "I'll see you again soon Shiny..."

She ignited her horn, its bright aqua glow responding to the Heart, making it glow brighter and brighter as she spoke. "I offer myself to the Crystal Heart. I offer my soul, my mind, and my love, so that it may protect this Empire and its subjects for eons to come!" The heart seemed to glow brighter in response. A beam of light shot from the Heart and struck Cadence in the chest. Her body began to lift off the ground, becoming more crystalline and transparent with each passing moment.

Flurry Heart squeezed her eyes shut and looked away, not willing to watch her mother's final moments as she transferred her essence to the Crystal Heart like so many had done before. Her eyes opened when she felt the gentle touch of a wing around her withers. She looked up to find Princess Starlight. The two locked eyes, Starlight smiled down at the younger Alicorn before turning her gaze back to Cadence, "It's ok to be sad, your mother was a good friend and a wonderful pony.” She sighed, “But we all have our time on this world. It is simply something we must accept, no matter how much it hurts." Flurry stared at the Lunar Princess for a moment before leaning into her comforting embrace and turning to watch her mother as her body glowed and was slowly absorbed, bit by bit, by the almost blindingly bright Crystal heart.

Once Cadence had been fully absorbed the Heart began to spin. Rotating faster and faster until a beam of bright light erupted upward from its glowing surface. It rose higher and higher, surpassing even the tallest spire of the Crystal castle before slamming into the dome-like barrier that separated the Empire from the snowy wastland outside. From the beam's impact point came an eruption of color, a loud clap like thunder echoed over the Empire as the late Princess Cadence's magical energy strengthened the protective barrier almost a hundredfold. The halo of color expanded out and down, clearing the skies of the Crystal Empire and leaving the city once again gleaming in the sunlight, the roads lit up as well, as if Cadence was spreading a comforting wave of love throughout her city.

Slowly, one by one, the citizens of the crystal Empire knelt to the ground, the sea of ponies seemed to churn and roil as the hundreds of ponies bowed their heads to honor the Alicorn who had once been there ruler. Tears were shed, wails of anguish rose up from the ponies as they mourned, however none could drown out the sorrow of Flurry Heart who let out cries, not only for a Princess, but also for the mother she had lost.

The era had come to an end. leaving Equestria to an uncertain future as the mantle of responsibility was left to those chosen to surpass those who came before.