Author's Note

Hey everycreature!

So not the start I thought this story would have, but it's enough that I think I'm still going to continue on and I hope this second chapter peeks some more interest!

Also, in regards to the cover art, yes I had to use an image from deviantart, and yes it's not the same pony I described in the first chapter, but there are no images that could directly relate to this story, so... Use your imagination!

Motherly Instincts

A few hours passed as Flurry and Precious got ready for the arrival of Princess Twilight Sparkle, the ruler of all Equestria, as well as their auntie, the two sisters very happy to see their auntie again, who they admired and loved as much as their parents. As the royal family gathered just outside the palace, the Equestrian ruler was seen trotting up towards the palace, with an escort of the Canterlot Royal Guards. As their Auntie Twilight got to them, the royals all bowed to each other first before well Flurry and Precious let loose.

"Auntie Twily!" The two sisters said out loudly as they both hugged onto the much taller alicorn.

"It's good to see you girls again, you both are bigger than the last time I saw you, at this rate you'll both reach your mother and I's height." Twilight chuckled as both sisters blushed.

"It's good to see you Twily, we hardly ever get to see each other these days." Shining Armor smiled as he was happy to see his younger sister.

"Well, I managed to get in some time, and need the family fun to relax a little." Twilight replied as Cadance spoke up.

"Speaking of which, we had the royal chefs prepare a special meal for your arrival, so lets not keep standing here or else the food's going to get all cold." Cadance said as the royals all went inside to the dining room, where they all enjoyed a nice meal together, chatting about their lives, Twilight spoke mostly to the two sisters, Flurry and Precious letting their auntie know how far they were coming along in their magic lessons from their crystaller, Sunburst, along other topics.

As the meal ended, Flurry and Precious wanted to spend some time with their auntie, but...

"I'll spend time with you girls tomorrow, right now I have something very important to discuss with your mother." Twilight told the two sisters, promising them that she will still be around the next day.

As Twilight and her own sister, well sister in law, Cadance, excused herself from the girls, with Shining Armor making sure the girls left their mother and auntie alone, the two alicorns went into a private room where they could talk.

"So, Precious Heart seems much more comfortable living here." Twilight pointed out.

"Yes, it's very much like she was living here all along." Cadance replied. "And I know what you're going to say Twilight, but I still don't think it's time yet to tell her the truth."

"Cadance, you and I both know that Precious needs the truth, she wouldn't hate you for it, but the sooner she knows the better." Twilight advised.

"I know..." Cadance sighed. "Sometimes I wonder what would happen if Shining Armor and I just ignored her cries and left."

"Cadance, I know you wouldn't have done that no matter what, that's not you, you let your motherly instincts take over, which is normal for any mother like yourself." Twilight comforting Cadance and letting her know she made the right decision.

As Cadance listened to Twilight, her mind went back to that very day, two years ago when she and Shining Armor went to face the biggest threat to the Crystal Empire... King Sombra...

Two years ago... In the Mountains outside the Crystal Empire...

"He's close, I can feel it..." Cadance spoke as she was leading up in front with her husband, the guards that came with them right behind.

"Stay alert and keep your eyes open." Shining Armor told the Crystal Guards as they saluted and stayed focused.

The group was currently in the mountain caves where Sombra was hiding, waiting for the opportunity to strike at the Empire he sought to conquer, luckily the royal couple got word of Sombra's appearance from the neighboring kingdom of Yakyakistan and so decided to hunt him down, away from the Empire to avoid any innocents and above all, their very young daughter, Flurry Heart, from getting hurt from the evil king. However they knew the risk involved in going after him, but they were more than willing to do anything to defend their kingdom.

"I feel like he's very close... like he's around us..." Cadance spoke, having a funny feeling.

"I suddenly have a bad feeling about this..." Shining Armor added as suddenly, the caves started shaking as rocks fell down at the back of the group, the guards there managed to duck in time as a whole mess of large boulders came down, blocking the way out as evil laughing could be heard...

"Well, well..." The voice spoke. "Isn't it my favorite royal couple..." The voice chuckled as the royal couple and the guards formed a circle to have a 360 degree look around the area as those with unicorn horns lit up.

"Sombra..." Cadance said under her breath. "Show yourself!"

"Oh really princess..." Sombra sighed. "You're too boring, no I rather keep myself hidden thank you very much, so I can do this..." And all of a sudden, green disks of magic started to appear from multiple directions every second, both Cadance and Shining Armor knowing what this was.

"Cover your eyes!" Shining Armor alerted his guards. "Don't let that magic hit you!"

Only it was too late for about half the guards as they started to turn on their own comrades and the royal couple, fights began to break out as Shining Armor fought with one of his guards while Cadance faced two more turned ones as she backed up towards the cave wall, the two guards smiling as they knew they had her cornered, but as they charged at her, Cadance quickly threw up a protective shield as the guards hit it and were knocked out. The fighting continued until suddenly the turned guards all stopped at once and began trotting to a dark area and as the guards all were lined up, the area suddenly lit up as it was Sombra, in his unicorn form, wearing his bright red cape with an evil smile on his face, eager to finish this. Cadance and Shining Armor, with the remaining guards not affected, all stood strong, still resisting as Sombra took some steps froward.

"You two should give up, because once I defeat the both of you, the Crystal Empire is at my mercy..." Sombra chuckled. "And maybe I'll even force your daughter to be my bride..."

"That will not happen..." Cadance said as she turned to Shining Armor. "Honey, we have no other choice, we have to do it."

"Cadance, no, it's too risky..." Shining Armor argued.

"I don't care, the stake of an entire empire rests on us." Cadance willing to make a sacrifice as Shining Armor had to give in to Cadance's determined look while Sombra yawned, very bored by all this.

"Well, I waited long enough, goodbye you two..." And Sombra lit up his horn, powering it as he then shot his dark magic at the royal couple, the couple holding onto each other's hooves as they closed their eyes and when they opened them... "No! It can't be!" Sombra yelled as the royal couple had a bright pinkness light radiating out from them in the shape of a heart as they literally rose.

"You know what's stronger than your dark powers Sombra?" Shining Armor taunted.

"Love." Cadance simply added as the couple reached their climax of power as their love fueled magic shot out in all directions...

Unblocking their way out, freeing all of the turned guards and last, but not least, wiping away Sombra as he yelled out...

"NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Sombra's last word roared out as Cadance and Shining Armor settled down, powering down their combined magic as they got back on the ground.

As Sombra was now gone, the guards all helped each other out, reassuring each other they were all comrades once again as Cadance and Shining Armor were physically exhausted from their combined magic, needing a couple solid minutes to calm down their excitement.

"Well, that was a little easier than I thought..." Shining Armor commented as it was like Sombra was never here.

"Lets just hope we never have to deal with him again." Cadance hoped. "Lets get back home."

"Right." Shining Armor said, but before the group could start to leave, Cadance thought she heard something even deeper down in the caves, it wasn't loud or evil sounding, but gentle and almost too quiet as Cadance's ear picked up what sounded like to her...

"Is that a foal..." Cadance said quietly.

"Cadance?" Shining Armor asked his wife. "You ready to go?"

"Honey, I hear something..." Cadance said. "It sounds like a foal deeper in the cave."

"Honey, it's just your imagination or you're thinking of Flurry." Shining Armor suggested.

"I think I know what I'm hearing Shining Armor, I'm going down there and see what it is." Cadance said, sounding very sure of herself.

"Alright, but I'm going with you." Shining Armor said as he turned to his sergeant. "Take the men and wait for us at the cave entrance, this shouldn't take long."

"Yes sir." The guard saluted and carried out the order while the royal couple went deeper into the caves.

It took some time as the soft crying became louder as Cadance kept a sharp ear out eventually Cadance found what she was hearing... In a separate little cave, sat a little filly, who had a rather dark purplish coat, almost to the point of being dark grey or even black, as well as having a redness colored mane. She was crying and had her face covered, but as the royal couple went inside, the filly heard them and was scared as she backed away.

"It's okay little child, we're not going to hurt you." Cadance softly told the filly in her loving mother's voice. "What are you doing here?"

"My daddy told me to wait here while he went somewhere..." The little filly cried. "But he hasn't come back yet."

And something clicked in Cadance's mind as she had another question for the child...

"And who is your daddy?"

"Well... He's a unicorn and wearing a red cape, do you know him?" The little filly asked, part of Cadance wanted to tell the truth, but she lied...

"Sweetie, your daddy is hurt and wouldn't be coming back, I'm sorry, why don't you come with us?" Cadance smiled sweetly as she offered a hoof.

At first, the little filly hesitated, just staring at Cadance's hoof and then at her face and then at Shining Armor's, Cadance waited and finally the little filly accepted the hoof as Cadance brought the filly onto her back.

"Now, what is your name child?" Cadance asked.

"I don't have one..." The filly answered, Cadance thinking and thought of one.

"How about we call you Precious Heart?" Cadance suggested.

"Okay, that sounds nice." The little filly finally managed a small smile as Cadance smiled back.

"And I'm your new daddy, Shining Armor and this is your new mother, Cadance." Shining Armor told the filly.

As the royal couple, with the filly made it out of the cave, the two gave each other looks, like they were silently discussing the manner at hoof and well it wasn't until their introduced Precious to Flurry and the two little fillies were alone together, getting to know each other, that Cadance and Shining Armor talked to each other for real.

"Cadance, I don't think this is a good idea..." Shining Armor expressing. "She's King Sombra's daughter, who knows what will happen in the future."

"I know Shining Armor, but as a mother I simply couldn't leave her there, I'm worried too, but we shouldn't be thinking like that." Cadance agreeing, but staying to her decision to take in the little filly as their own. "We have the chance to give Precious a new life now, we can raise her for a new, more bright future than if she stayed with Sombra, plus Flurry needs a friend."

Shining Armor knew he wasn't going to change his wife's mind as he sat down next to her on their bed.

"I know, I'm just worried." Shining Armor sighing as Cadance gave her husband a loving kiss on the cheek.

"Me too, but I'm sure taking her in was the right choice, we just need to help make sure of it." Cadance determined to give the little filly the life she deserved in her new home.