"How long will he be like this?" I asked, standing next to the bed, though I wanted nothing more than to sit.

"We... can't be sure," Doctor Quartz replied grimly. She was standing on the opposite side of said bed, staring down at her patient with eyes reflecting the remorse she felt. "Honestly... I'm far more concerned with the condition of his eye," she pointed a hoof.

Sunburst's skull was wrapped tightly in white bandages, the bulk of which were focused around the left half of his head. His eye had been the primary problem for Fluttershy as well.

"Do you know what's wrong with it?" I asked, stroking his foreleg gently with my hoof. It was obvious. I think it had been obvious to the others as well, but none of us wanted to admit it.

"It's..." She let out a tired breath, lifting her spectacles out of the way to rub her eyes with a hoof. She'd been here all night, keeping watch over him.

The Crystal Empire has some impressive ponies.

"It's been completely eaten away," she shook her head.

It was exactly as I feared. Judging from the condition of the flesh, the monsters had used an acidic type of spell or projectile designed to burn. While Chrysalis may have given no kill orders to her army, maiming was, apparently, completely fine with her.

"The spell's purpose was not to kill him but to take him out of the fight... permanently," she lifted her clipboard, carefully looking over the documents. "Anything short of complete cellular regeneration will fail to change anything other than cosmetic injuries."

"That's..." I didn't know how to respond. To be fair, she didn't wait for me to reply anyway. She began to fiddle with some of the devices hooked up to him, writing down data. "The only ponies that might be able to do something like that are Princess Celestia or Princess Luna."

"Possibly," she continued to do her work, opting not to turn my way. With a loud click of her tongue she faced me, disappointment coming off of her in spades. "If I can't figure out a solution soon, they'll be the only hope he has left."

I returned my attention back to my friend. The quiet of the hospital was a bit unnerving. I'd come to check on Sunburst after Twilight had taken her leave. I really didn't want to watch her go, but after all this time, I knew what type of pony she was.

She needs time, that's all.

...

And maybe to talk with Princess Luna.

I smiled slightly at the thought of the Night Princess comforting my friend. Naturally, my thoughts slowly gravitated from one of my best friends to the other.

Star...

The lilac mare was so very similar to her violet counterpart it was almost funny.

Except she's probably not looking for anypony to help her.

Twilight was reliant on her mentor, that much had been abundantly clear to me for years now. Star, on the other hoof? Since the moment we'd met her it was clear Star was fiercely independent. She was probably in the Empire somewhere alone right now.

That possibilty had bothered me, but it was also something I truly admired about her. I knew that even if she really was all alone right now, she was fine.

Sunburst, though...

I cursed my own lack of knowledge of any kind of recovery magic. But to be perfectly honest, even if I did know some healing spells, they'd pale in comparison to what Fluttershy could accomplish anyway.

And she couldn't fix this herself.

"I'd suggest taking your mind off of things here, Miss Shimmer," Doctor Quartz suggested. "Like you said, Princess Celestia can probably handle this either way," she was right next to me, turning me towards the door and gently forcing me to move.

"H-hey! I-"

"Sunburst is a loyal servant of the Princess of the Sun. I'm sure things will work out for him in the end," she shoved me out the door with one last push. "At the moment? I know for a fact Queen Cantata needs you more than he does right now, Miss Shimmer," she tried to smile warmly, but she was so exhausted it just looked like she was doing her best not to keel over on the spot. "Besides, there's not much you can do here other than mope about, dear."

"I-I can..." I tried to think of something to say, a way to protest as I lifted my hooves, but I couldn't come up with anything substantial. With a defeated sigh, I lowered my forelegs to the floor. "You're right. You're... if anything happens, you'll send word to the palace, right?"

"Of course I will, Miss Shimmer," she laid a hoof on my shoulder. "Now get a move on. The Empire needs you."

"O-okay," I surrendered.

As I made my way through the hospital I couldn't help but think of how ludicrous this whole situation was.

I'm strong now.

I wasn't even tired. I'd woken up in the morning with the vim and vigor of a filly on her first day of school. I could incinerate the entire building I was in with little more than a solar flare and yet, in spite of that newfound power, I couldn't do a single thing to help Sunburst. It was beyond infuriating, but there was little I could do about it further than what Nurse Quartz had said.

I'll take to Celestia when we get back to Canterlot.

I headed back to the palace, frustrated, but hopeful.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

The wedding -- as well as everything prior to it -- went off without a hitch. In spite of the fact that Sunburst did not get to attend -- much to my chagrin -- all parties appeared to have had a good time. It was as formal as formal could be, all the protocols and customs of a traditional wedding followed to the t.

There were a few... awkward moments though. Cadenza's initial appearance as an alicorn sent ripples of confusion and wonder throughout the gathering, some of the more dramatic mares going so far as to faint where they stood. That wasn't even the worst of it. Once Chrysalis made her appearance even some of the more dignified looking stallions had trouble remaining conscious.

A quick word from Princess Cadenza stemmed the possibility of a coming widespread panic though. Chrysalis positioned herself as if she were a bridesmaid, -- in spite of the fact that she clearly wasn't dressed for the occasion -- but none of that seemed to bother Cadenza. It was probably for the best anyway. Either close to me or close to Cadenza were the ideal spots for one of us to keep an eye on the bug.

Once things settled down, it was a truly beautiful ceremony.

I didn't get a chance to move at all during the event. I was stood right next to Queen Cantata, her personal guard. She didn't really need me there, -- there weren't many other powerful threats we were aware of in the Empire, save the possibility of the Unknown returning -- but I was happy to do it.

If anything, it'll look good on a resume at least.

More surprising than Chrysalis' attendance were my best friends. Twilight actually attended the event as well, as a best mare no less. I guess her brother and new sister had done something to get her to reconsider her trip back home. It warmed my heart, to see her so happy. The three of them really did look like a loving family already. Unfortunately, it was easy to see something was troubling the violet mare regardless of her newfound joy.

Twilight was happy. I could tell. But her quick, awkward glances towards Star every couple of minutes gave away the war she was fighting internally. She wanted to go to her, wanted to talk with the lilac mare, that much was clear by the slight movement towards the unicorn every few minutes after a quick glance. Obviously she couldn't do that though, being a big part of the ceremony and all. Still, it didn't stop her from looking.

Star on the other hoof... She was sitting with the Elements, strangely enough. The group appeared to have warmed considerably to the lilac mare. Despite her grumpy expression, she'd received several friendly touches from Rarity and a few hugs from Pinkie. She even laughed along with Rainbow Dash at some points of the wedding, something I thought I'd never see.

Star... Star didn't look Twilight's way a single time the duration of the ceremony. She was too smart and perceptive to not know she was there, but it was clear she wasn't going to acknowledge her presence. That was going to be an uphill battle; trying to mend their relationship. Twilight was at fault and she was well aware of that fact. Star wasn't the forgiving type and didn't even want to acknowledge the violet mare's existence, much less give her an opportunity to speak.

I really wasn't sure how to approach the situation, but they were my friends and I wasn't going to give up on us. I knew it was better to leave that for when we got home anyway, hoping to bring Celestia and Luna in on it as well.

Maybe the five of us can have a nice long discussion about it.

It might've been just wishful thinking, but it was all I had, so I clutched onto it. Once the ceremony was over the festivities moved outside for the Queen's announcement.

+++++++++++++++++++++++

"AND SO, IT IS WITH GREAT HONOR AND PRIDE THAT I PRESENT TO YOU THE NEW RULER OF THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE, MY DAUGHTER: PRINCESS MI AMORE CADENZA!" Queen Cantata's magically amplified voice projected all throughout the Empire. The spell I improvised on the spot had done a decent job. The raucous cheering of the crowd that covered the palace grounds -- coupled with the stomping of their hooves -- was loud enough to make the ground quake. As the newly ascended alicorn stepped out onto the balcony of the palace to greet her populace, a hushed sense of wonder took over the crowd. The sudden shift in tone of the gathering was surprising, but not really unexpected.

The Queen and her daughter exchanged a quick hug before the former walked back to the rear of the balcony where Shining Armor, Twilight, and I were standing. It was clear the new ruler was a little nervous as the thousands of eyes focused on her, but the new Princess of Love did not falter for a second. With a deep breath and a straightening of her posture she smiled brightly as her horn began to sparkle.

"I was born in the Crystal Empire. I have lived here all my life," her voice was the perfect pitch and volume. She didn't need to raise it a decibel for the masses to hear her. Apparently, every alicorn was adept at magic, even a newly created one. I suppose that's why she'd said she'd handle her own announcement. "In those years I've come to see just how full of understanding and kindness you all can be. The Empire is my home and you all are my loving family!"

The cheers were deafening, somehow even louder than before. They were so loud in fact that I nearly erected a barrier spell around myself to muffle the sound. Queen Cantata looked supremely proud of her daughter as she looked on.

The Princess was clearly a skilled orator, waiting patiently for the adulation to die down before continuing. Unsurprisingly, It took several minutes before she had the chance.

"Thank you! Thank you all!" she smiled brilliantly, causing another swell of adoration. She lifted her hooves to calm the masses, a chuckle escaping her mouth. "I want to share with you all the joy and love I feel in my heart right now. I'd like you all to give a warm welcome to my beloved husband, the Captain of the Crystal Guard and the new Prince of the Crystal Empire: Shining Armor!"

The emergence of the ivory stallion was met with thunderous applause as he moved to join his wife before the crowd. The short kiss they shared elicited more excitement from those gathered. He looked a little nervous. It was clear he wasn't too used to standing in front of such a mass of ponies as he searched for a place for his gaze to rest.

Cadenza said something to him, though it was kept between the pair since she could control the volume of her enhanced voice well. He replied with a reluctant smile and a nod of his head. The aura on her horn pulsed for a second as her smile grew.

"Thank you for the warm reception, it truly means the world to me!" his voice echoed much like hers had throughout the land. "I swear an oath to you all here and now! I'll protect Mi Amore and the Crystal Empire for as long as I live!"

Once again the ponies of the Empire exploded with enthusiasm, stomping their hooves and making their voices heard. With a slight blush Shining Armor stepped back and let his wife regain the attention of their citizens.

"Thank you for that," Cadenza thanked the crowd as she watched the stallion retreat back to the safety of the rear of the balcony where the rest of us were. "Now then... I want to bring attention to another addition to our precious family," Cadenza returned her attention back to the masses. "It is with great pleasure that I introduce to you my little sister... Twilight Sparkle!" she looked back at us, waving her hoof towards herself in a gesture to the violet unicorn.

Twilight... had no prior notification of this turn of events, clearly. Her jaw hung open as she stared back at her sister, completely dumbfounded. Cadenza began calling her over with even more gusto. Shining Armor nudged his sister forward with a hoof.

Twilight looked... at me? Even though I was caught off guard I offered her a smile, tilting my head towards the alicorn in encouragement. She took a deep breath to calm herself down before ambling over to the Princess.

The cheers that Twilight received weren't on the level of the others, -- understandable considering she wasn't a citizen -- but they were loud enough to force a dark crimson tinge to the unicorn's face. Cadenza pulled her into herself, hugging her tightly.

Once again, Cadenza said something to her family member. This time though, Twilight shook her head, the motion barely perceivable and causing the Princess to laugh out loud. With one final squeeze they let one another go.

"She's a little shy," Cadenza covered her mouth with a hoof as Twilight darted back towards us. She stunned me again, her blush darkening as she walked directly to me and hid herself in my chest.

It's just because she's embarrassed, Sunset. Don't read too much into this.

I didn't care what my mind told me. I didn't care what logic told me. I didn't care what "made sense". I didn't care who was watching. I just wanted to hold her. So I did.

"There's one more I'd like to introduce to you all before I begin," Cadenza's words made me and Twilight go rigid. "Please, bear with me for just a little longer."

Twilight and I looked at each other in disbelief before looking towards Shining Armor and the Queen. They were just as flabbergasted as the two of us were. The princess cleared her throat.

"For years now there has been a single foe that has beaten at the door of the Crystal Empire," Cadenza began. "I'm certain you're all aware of who that enemy is. The Empire and The Hive of the Changelings have been at odds with one another for decades. It's a... problem." The ponies of the Empire -- much like the rest of us on the balcony -- waited in nervous anticipation. "As your new leader I promise to solve that problem and in my first step towards doing just that I ask you to give a warm welcome to..."

"She's not!" Twilight spun around.

"I'm pretty sure she is." I turned as well, facing the ornate doors that lead inside the palace. A green aura of magical energy coated them as they were flung open. She walked right by all of us with not a single care in the world.

"My elder sister, the Ruler of the Changelings, Queen Chrysalis!"

Author's Note

Cadance is all in.