The Broken One

The changelings had arrived as promised and I had Silver lead them to the mirror pool. A couple hours later eighty one ponies came trotting up the road. I dismissed Silver and led the changelings inside the throne room and closed the doors. As soon as I had their attention I called the twenty originals to the front of the group.

“Thank you all for your help”, I bowed my head slightly. “None of you will remember this, but thank you.”

As soon as I finished speaking I used the mass paralysis spell I had learned from mom. Every single changeling was frozen in place and with a flick of my wrist the clones were teleported to the holding cells deep below us. I stepped from one original to the next giving them each a different memory of the same set of tests involving alcohol before I regained my place on the dais and releasing the spell.

“Thank you all for your assistance”, I smiled. “I would like you to extend my thanks to your lovely queen for allowing me to study the effects of alcoholic beverages on the physiology and psychology of changelings. Have a safe journey home.”

The changelings blinked stupidly for a moment before turning and shuffling from the throne room. I nodded and poofed up to my bedchambers. I had startled Cindra when I appeared and I heard the sound of breaking glass. I looked down to see a fizzy mess on the floor.

“Mixed drink”, I asked.

“Yeah”, Cindra muttered quietly. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be”, I smiled as I cupped her cheeks. “It’s only spilled liquor. I’m gonna be down in the dungeons for a bit so if you need me have Audrey notify me.”

“You’re going down there again”, she asked nervously.

“I have to find a way to bring Shadow back”, I smiled sadly.

“I know”, she sighed. “I’m just worried you’re losing yourself in this. I want her back as much as you do but I’m honestly scared.”

“Then don’t come down there”, I said evenly as I turned and started walking away.

“Those are changeling clones down there, aren’t they”, she demanded tearfully stopping me in my tracks. “It will never work because it isn’t Shadow!”

“I don’t have a way to… you just gave me an idea”, I grinned.

I teleported down to the dungeons and magically flung all the doors open.

“Changeling clones”, I shouted. “You are all free to go back to the hives! When you leave here you will not remember anything about me!”

I sent out a wave of hypnotic energy scrambling their memories before I teleported them all outside of the castle. As soon as that was done I popped back into my bedchambers and hugged Cindra tightly.

“What happened to the clones”, she asked quietly.

“I wiped their memories and set them free”, I grinned. “I don’t need them! I know what to do now!”

I let her go and poofed to Shadow’s tower. I landed on the balcony and gently opened the door. My footsteps echoed quietly as I walked up to the glass coffin and eased the lid open. I felt tears coming to my eyes as I stared down at my wife and stroked her cheek.

“I know what I was doing wrong”, I whispered. “I’ll bring you back.”

I settled in and used my magic to slowly scan every molecule of her body. Every curve, every scar, even her freckles on the insides of her thighs were perfectly memorized. I turned my mind inward and began the arduous and seemingly impossible task before me. I let the magic flow from me as I sank into a trance.

When I opened my eyes I caught a glimpse of the setting sun before I turned my attention to the middle of the room. There lying on the floor was a perfect copy of my wife! I shed a few tears as I teleported her to the throne room.

Prince Jackson, Cindra has requested your presence and is almost to your location.

Seconds later the door eased open and Cindra stepped in. she looked into my eyes and frowned before she lightly closed the lid of the coffin. She stepped up to me and smiled sadly.

“You’ve been up here all day”, she whispered. “Maybe you should take-“

“I did it”, I grinned excitedly. “I made a perfect copy of her!”

“What”, she gasped.

“I made a copy of her”, I repeated. “I’ll send a letter to Twilight asking her to come tomorrow! I think I’ve been going about this the wrong way!”

I summoned parchment and quill and scribbled out a note to Twilight asking her to come the next day before sending it on its way. Almost instantly Audrey notified me of an incoming message and read it to me.

Dear Prince Jackson, I knew you could figure something out! I wish you would have said exactly what you figured out, but I’m still excited! I’ll be there at eight tomorrow morning to help with the newest tests. I can only hope that you succeed. Until tomorrow, Twilight Sparkle.

“Thank you, Audrey”, I smiled before turning to Cindra. “Not long now. Soon we’ll have her back and everything will be okay!”

Cindra smiled in excitement before tackling me to the floor and kissing me passionately. I wrapped my arms around her and wrapped my hands into her mane as we shared a moment of passionate excitement. When we broke the kiss we turned to the coffin.

“We’ll see you soon, mistress”, Cindra whispered tearfully before she turned back to me. “I want to be there when you do this.”

“I was going to ask you to be there anyways”, I smiled.

Prince Jackson, I just intercepted a letter from Queen Chrysalis. Shall I read it?

“No, let it through”, I smiled and a letter popped into existence in my lap.

Prince Jackson,

My changelings have returned to me but their memories seem to have been altered. Tell me, what new type of alcohol did you “test” on them? Not a single one can remember anything between their arrival and their departure. I must admit to being worried about that dungeon of yours.

Queen Chrysalis.

“How does she know about the dungeons”, Cindra asked fearfully.

“I don’t know but it doesn’t matter”, I said quietly. “What’s she gonna do, demand mom check it out? Equestria and the changeling nation aren’t exactly on the best of terms.”

“No, they aren’t”, Cindra agreed sadly.

“Well, nothing we can do about it right now”, I sighed.

“Nope”, Cindra sighed as well. “Let’s go to bed. Aliya wore me out today.”

“How bad could it be”, I laughed.

“I had to use Audrey to keep track of her because she kept poofing all over the place”, Cindra groaned with her eyes squinted shut.

“That’s my girl”, I grinned.

I stiffly rose from the floor and stretched before leading Cindra out of Shadow’s tower. Her green aura pulled the door shut behind us and I absently stroked her mane as we walked. Before long Cindra broke the silence.

“Jackson, why do you do that”, she asked vaguely.

“Define ‘that’, please”, I laughed. “There are a lot of things I do to you.”

“Why do you always pet us”, she asked with a cocked head. “You’re always stroking our manes or patting our heads or rubbing our bellies.”

“I haven’t rubbed a belly in months”, I smiled wistfully. “Does it bother you?”

“Not really”, she admitted. “I was just wondering why.”

“Cindra, I have some… issues”, I sighed as I lightly touched my temple. “I have a lot that’s rattling around up there and honestly the repetitive motions are soothing for me. But I should have thought about how others would feel about it.”

“As far as I know, Twilight and Rainbow Dash seem to enjoy it”, she replied. “I know I certainly do, especially late at night when I can’t sleep.”

“Well I guess I just have to find out when they come by again”, I smiled.

“Oh, Rainbow Dash is coming tomorrow too”, she said enthusiastically. “She said we could go flying together.”

“I never got to go for a flight with mom”, I mumbled.

“There’s always tomorrow afternoon”, she suggested. “I don’t like it when you argue with your mom.”

“Obvious reasons aside, why not”, I asked. “Is it because she’s basically the ruler of Equestria?”

“No, it’s because it reminds me of my own relationship with my mother”, she sighed.

“I’m sorry”, I replied quietly and pulled her against my side.

“That’s not your fault”, she muttered.

“Okay, something else is wrong”, I groaned. “What is it?”

“Mother asked why we aren’t married yet.”

“Well, fuck.”