As The Sun Sets

Cadance looked to where Silver was standing before the teleport.

We left her down there.

The ground shook.

"Quickly!" Sombra's form condensed down and exploded into smoke towards the Spire. Cadance took to the air, everypony who could fly was flying, everyone else was running. Sombra barely out flew Rainbow Dash and slammed down under the base of the Spire as the doors ruptured with smoke and monsters.

Hope disappeared in a flash of light.

Cadance landed hard in the crowd of fair goers, running from the sudden rush of monsters.

Hold the line.

Cadance's defiance burned into intention as she pressed power into her horn and shouted. "RAAAH!" A wave of magic shot out of her horn like a horizontal blade as she dragged her head through the air to swing her horn. The monsters screeched in surprise at the intended lethal attack. Two more beams of pink threw themselves into the fray as Twilight landed, and Shining Armor skidded to a stop next to her.

Cadance shouted using the Royal Canterlot Voice. "Protect the citizens!"

It all kicked off as the monsters surged, diving around the sides to try and flank their group. Shining bashed outwards with shields, Twilight was teleporting everywhere with a sword made of hard light. The swings only served to confuse the suddenly separated smoke monsters, but she was fighting. Rainbow Dash streaked through the air, and Cadance watched Pinkie Pie shove a mare out of danger and keep running. She couldn't see where the rest of them were, but she could feel them fighting.

Cadance took a breath as the world turned around her. Everything seemed to slow. Cadance understood now what they were fighting, now that she could sense them without Silver disrupting the magic. They were Order. Monsters of emptiness. Cadance saw the border past where life had meaning, and there they were. Creatures of lifelessness. Living devoid of meaning or intention.

"Cadance!"

The shout gave Cadance just enough time to flare her wings and dive to the side as a massive cloud of smoke slammed down into the ground where she was standing. Her vision turned red, and Cadance lunged. For a moment, there wasn't any reason or logic, it was just Cadance pressing against the world. She did her best impression of Lyrane and took a bite out of the monster, kicking and twirling and blasting light from her horn in every direction after she had made the monster the only thing she could hit. The monster screamed as it died while Cadance's vision returned and she started to feel herself breathing again. She stepped down on the remaining wisps of smoke, blasting it one more time for good measure.

The entire interaction lasted less than two seconds.

"Whoah." Rainbow commented.

Shining fired off another kinetic shield and bristled with pride, "That's my wife!"

Cadance snarled in the direction of the largest mass of churning smoke. They shrunk backwards.

A wave of blue overtook the whole battlefield. The monsters had only a split second to screech as the Crystal Heart was activated. Lights and sparkles shone through the Spire, sending wave after wave of colour into the air. What was left of the remaining monsters exploded into smoke that diffused behind the light. Rarity squealed in delight as her mane fixed itself, as usual.

Cadance rushed forwards under the Spire.

It was a sight to see. Sombra's half take on the physical body thing had given into going full smoke pony. Hope was crying. Cadance tried not to let the comparison of a Shakespone tragedy fill into her head, but she did internally curse Silver one more time for the sake of it.

Luna and Celestia popped free of a petrifaction curse as Sombra and Hope continued to share a heartfelt farewell.

"You'll have to promise not to linger. You have so much you can give to this world."

Hope looked away, clenching her eyes shut, trying to hold back the tears.

Sombra wistfully looked towards the Heart as it spun. "So this is what it looks like. I'm glad I finally got to see it. A shame how long it took." His colour fell into purple. His eyes were the only thing left as a gust of wind blew him into the air.

"Sombra?" Hope's heart filled with fire. Fire that rose to her horn and blasted outwards, rising to meet Sombra. "No! I'm not letting you go!"

"Hope! Stop! You can't fight the Crystal Heart on your own! You'l-"

"She's not alone!" Cadance heard herself say. In the next moment, she fired her horn too, both actions happened so naturally that she only realized they happened seconds after doing them. She filled the air with the energy she had lingering still, drawing up on her divinity and pushing it into Hope's spell. The floating mass of roiling smoke and lights was joined by a purple aura, then a blue one, then a yellow, as Twilight, Celestia and Luna stepped up.

"You four? Why are you helping me?"

"You deserve to live." Celestia said, her gaze full of iron.

Twilight's horn brightened, "You deserve a second chance."

Luna nodded, "Well said." Her horn brightened too.

"You did just save my kingdom." Cadance snarked, bringing her own horn to bear.

They all pressed inwards, and Cadance felt the twisting currents of reality flow down into her. Her empathy showed her the wills of the ponies she had joined her intentions with.

No more!

I will save you!

Together!

She added her own voice to the mix, and she felt the Heart resonate with her will as she did.

Not on my watch!

Their voices fought against the currents of death, and won. There was a snap, like the whole of reality clicking down into place as a flash of light blinded Cadance. Once she blinked the stars from her eyes, she squinted out the daytime sun reflecting off the crystals as Celestia was already halfway across the distance to Sombra and Hope. The pair were sharing a moment of disbelief and Love.

I guess it would make sense that Celestia is used to being blinded.

The ponies all converged around Sombra. Pinkie said something about a party, and Cadance ducked her head down and ran towards the Spire. Nopony saw her leave, or if they did, they didn't say anything about it.

I'll just say I had to run to the bathroom.

Cadance went up the stairs only to then go down the stairs and into the throne room. Instead of using dangerous magic to open it, Cadance just rolled her eyes and punched a hole through the crystal. Mom strength. A couple of strikes and she could fit through. She flew down, rather than running. Past the secret rooms and into the cave.

Please don't be dead. Please don't be dead. Don't be-

Cadance rounded the corner, and there she was. Covered in scratches and bruises and burns, but she was breathing. She was okay. She didn't look any worse than the time Cadance put her into a hole, except Silver had gotten up from that.

Now, Silver had the realest expression Cadance had ever seen. Her eyes were lidded, nearly shut, and she was laying against where the door used to be, the hole now covered with a wall of shimmering diamond. Her ears perked as Cadance approached, she tried to stand, but her leg gave out and she flumped down onto the floor. Her gaze bounced around the room aimlessly, only vaguely focusing on Cadance.

"Silver?"

"Stay back."

Silver swung a hoof outwards, and her wings swept out as she fell against the wall again. It looked like she was trying to stand, but she couldn't figure out where to put her hooves.

"Silver, it's me."

Silver stared in confusion. Cadance took another step forwards and Silver tried to snarl, but the expression only reached her bearing teeth. She was like a cornered animal, hovering over the last thing she could remember to protect.

"Final warning."

Cadance lowered her voice. "Silver, it's okay. The fight's over."

Silver mumbled something, and then, "Never over. Always fighting."

Cadance took another step forwards and an errant spark flew from Silver's wing in her general direction.

"Hold... Hol... Hold the line. Like she said."

Silver suddenly went slack, and then perked up again. Like she had fallen asleep for just a moment and then wrenched herself back into consciousness. "Protect the citizens." Another attempt at glaring at Cadance, "I will not fail."

She was listening. Of course she was. Even when fighting a storm of monsters right on top of her, she was trying to look out for me. She's doing what I said... Silver...

I hate you.

"Why do you have to be..." Cadance frowned and gestured, "This. Why can't you just be evil?"

Silver blinked slowly. Still shying away from Cadance. "No difference. Evil is... Good... bad just pointed in a convenient direction. It's okay to do it to them... but not us, I don't lie. No pretending."

"Silver..." Cadance stepped into touch range and held out her hoof. Silver swung at it but it was more like a paw. "You're exhausted. You can sleep. You're safe now."

Silver looked off to the side, still holding onto Cadance's hoof. "Never safe. Can't sleep. Luna could ruin everything. I can't risk Cadance."

An idea struck out at Cadance. With Silver in such a delirious position...

I could ask her anything, and she might even answer.

They met eyes, Silver was barely lucid, but her eyes were still pools that Cadance felt like she was about to get sucked into whenever she glanced. They used to frighten her, but now Cadance understood why.

It was too much.

All of that time was too much for one pony to bear. Silver was insane. She'd broken a long time ago, but instead of hurting herself or somepony else, she started to fight everything and everyone until whatever she was doing started to work. Cadance had no idea how subtle and silent genocide translated to 'good' but Silver was trying. The mare was trying so desperately that any other mortal pony would have been dead standing two months ago. She was sick, alone, and she wouldn't...

Couldn't.

Trust anyone else to do what she thought was right, because nobody understood what she saw. Nobody else would have done it properly. So, Silver up and decided that she was responsible for the weight of the world, and wouldn't accept anything other than death or success. The weight had twisted her so far as to think eradicating the crystal ponies by generation was a good way to protect the world.

Silver lay vulnerable in front of Cadance, and the Princess finally understood why Silver was doing what she was doing.

Her hoof tightened around Silver's. "Come on. Up you go." Cadance tried to heft the smaller mare. It was like what lifting a normal pony would have been like months ago. Cadance was stronger, Silver was far heavier than a normal pony. She resisted of course, unwilling to leave her charge unguarded. "Silver, seriou-"

Silver surged forwards. Cadance heart skipped a beat, wondering if she was about to be attacked before Silver's body deflated again. Cadance heard her whimper, and tried to use her hooves to steady her before she fell.

"Promise-" Silver inhaled deeply.

Cadance shifted from the noise of... so many voices overlapping each other. It wasn't like Chrysalis talking, it was like a choir had just sung a single word.

"Promise me..." Silver shook, "Let her kill me. Promise you'll-" She sagged. "Promise you'll let her kill me."

Cadance fixed her grip.

"Pro... Promise..."

Silver continued to mumble as Cadance slung her over her back. A quick shuffle with her wings made sure Silver was in place. Cadance's heart felt heavier than it should have been. The grief flowing from the mare was choking. It seemed as though Silver had yet to repair whatever magic she was using to hide her emotions, a few more things filtered through, all smothered by all consuming grief.

Sick. You're so very sick, and I don't know how to help you.

That was probably the real reason Silver introduced Cadance to Lyrane. Silver was only a step away from that.

Cadance did know what to do right now, and that was to fly Silver home, and let her rest, at least until she was conscious enough to fix herself up. Cadance still wasn't willing to risk casting any sort of spell on her, not while she was like this, she might respond violently. There was no certainty that Silver's... potency had gone away with her lucidity.

So Cadance carried Quick Silver out of the magical catacombs underneath the Spire and into one of the guest rooms. She set the mumbling Silver down on the floor, rather than the bed, out of some... mixed loyalty to what Silver would have wanted, and despite not wanting to leave her...

Cadance was a Princess, and she had to do certain things.

She turned away from the door and nearly jumped out of her fur at Celestia standing right there.

"Goodness! Celestia!" Cadance breathed, putting a hoof to her chest. "You can't sneak up on me like that."

Celestia smirked in amusement. "I noticed you ducked away. I wanted to-"

Cadance held up a hoof. "I'm sorry for ducking away, I didn-"

"Cadance." Celestia interrupted, "Let me finish."

Cadance did so. She focused.

"I wanted to apologize for snapping at you. It's too early to declare sovereignty, the adversity it will breed between the next seven generations will feed down from the nobles and halt the development of society. I know it seems like I want to... erase old Crystalian culture but... It won't last anyways." Celestia clenched her eyes shut. "Sorry, I'm not supposed to be justifying it. I shouldn't have spoken to you like I had."

"It's okay Celestia." Cadance quipped with a smile.

Celestia's next words died in her mouth, having clearly expected Cadance to say something else. A moment passed before she recovered, only a moment, but it was still enough for Cadance to catch. "It is?"

"Yes. I understand." Cadance stepped forwards for a hug.

Cadance heard Celestia's ear flick as she let herself get hugged. Her confusion was noticeable by her not returning the hug, instead choosing to simply stand unmoving.

"You do?" Came her toneless question.

You and Silver are exactly the same. You're both alone and sick and trying your best to save the world all on your own.

"Yes." Cadance pushed back and met Celestia's searching gaze. "Now let's go party. I have a few announcements I have to make before I can cut loose."

Celestia's concern grew. "I... have to say it again."

"That's okay." Cadance started walking.

Celestia followed, then the tension in the moment passed into nothing silently. Celestia's hoof steps lightened, and her smile returned as neither of the two monarchs felt the need to continue the discussion. Everything that needed to be said had already been said. Cadance had barely avoided giving up the goose with Silver. If she was a little slower...

It didn't matter. She was safe, Silver was safe, miscommunication with Celestia solved, Cadance wanted to go say hello to her family and their friends. She wanted to drink something, do what she said she was going to do with the announcements, and then party the rest of the night away. That's what the celebration was for, anyways. Celestia seemed to feel the same.

The Solstice was in full swing once again.

The ponies at the fair saw the monsters, but more, they saw the might of Equestria and its heroes dispatch and clean up the threat in less than five minutes. There was a huge sense of satisfaction in the air, ponies were proud of their home. It was perfect. Exactly what Cadance had hoped. The near brush with destruction had brought ponies together. Inhibitions had dropped, and the fair transitioned from a government organized event to a massive block party that took up the entire town. Homes that had taken in the ponies running from the danger stayed open, and the business sections had become far less stuffy. Suits cracked jokes, celebratory horns were played poorly, and everybody remembered to Live in this moment.

It was everything Cadance had wanted.

She'd tried to join in the festivities, but she was still feeling melancholic. Leading her to simply walk around and bask in her success. Months ago, this was all just an idea she had. Now, the Crystal Heart was practically on fire. Lives were changing in front of her, and it was still barely to sun down when the real festival would begin.

Drawn from her musings by a pair of magenta eyes, Cadance tracked Rainbow Dash as she landed nearby. Technically she was a VIP, but she really shouldn't be flying over the tents. Cadance stepped away from the crowd, and waited. It took a little longer than Cadance expected.

What is she waiting for?

"Princess Cadance?" She asked, after approaching slowly.

Cadance put on a soft smile. She knew this was about something. She wasn't sure what, but that didn't mean she couldn't be polite about it. "Rainbow, how can I help?"

Rainbow's facial features clenched, and her ears swiveled forwards. "I've been- it's- so, oh my gosh. A hoof went to her muzzle, this is so stupid." A hoof wave, and Cadance felt her try to shove down a massive ball of anxiety. "I meant to ask you last night but you were so-"

Cadance ruffled her feathers and tilted her smile in amusement.

"Nevermind." Rainbow collected herself. "Cadance..."

"Yes?"

Rainbow opened her mouth, and nothing came out before she took to the air by a few hooves and groaned, "Why is this so hard?!"

"I can make a privacy bubble, if you'd like?"

Rainbow nodded slowly and looked away. Landing again.

Odd... I've never seen Rainbow so... demure?

The bubble went up, and Rainbow took another ten seconds to collect herself before gesturing at Cadance's everything and huffing out, "How do you do it?"

"Grit, guesswork, and mostly a lot of luck." Cadance responded immediately, still not really understanding what Rainbow was asking, but she could tell that the mare needed encouragement with something.

Her face said that wasn't the answer she was looking for. Her wings lifted and then folded back up, "No. I mean..." Rainbow pointedly gestured again, more particularly at Cadance's baby bump.

Oh.

Cadance let a wide smile split her muzzle, "Rainbow Dash, do you want kids?"

Rainbow blushed, "No. Yes. I... don't know." Another hoof to the face, "Gah, don't say it like that."

Despite the embarrassment, Cadance's enthusiasm brought a tiny smile out of Rainbow Dash.

"So who's the lucky pony?"

Rainbow shook her head, "No one. That's the thing... I don't know how... and, even if I did, how am I supposed to take care of a kid, be a Wonderbolt, and an element of harmony... You're a Princess... and... I don't understand all of the egghead stuff, but Twilight doesn't have a kingdom to run and she still has to work herself to the bone." Rainbow rolled a few more words around in her head, Cadance waited patiently. "How do... Where..." Eventually resolved into, "What do I do?"

Cadance pretended to think about it for a moment, "What about Scootaloo?"

Rainbow rubbed her hoof. "I'd fight all the monsters again for her, but... I don't know... It doesn't feel the same. I'm not... her parent... you know? It's... different."

"Well here's what you do." Cadance took a step forward, preparing to silence Rainbow when she tried to refute the instruction. "When you leave the fair and see her again, be her mother. Just do it. Stop asking questions and do what you'd do if she were yours."

Rainbow opened her mouth with a narrowed brow, Cadance intercepted with her hoof, "Ah-ah-ah, what did I just say?"

Rainbow thought for a moment. Her mouth slowly closed. Cadance unlit her horn and let the bubble fizzle away.

"Rainbow Dash!"

Uh, oops.

Both of them turned, Rainbow still reeling from her emotions, and Cadance smiling on in amusement as Applejack came shouldering through the crowd followed by the rest of her friends.

"Ya can't just go flying off like that!" Applejack took her hat off and wapped Rainbow a few times with it. Rainbow shied away and started laughing. "There are rules! And Fluttershy wanted to see the outdoor exhibit before we met up with Cadance." Applejack straightened her hat, turned towards Cadance, tip, "Howdy."

Twilight surprise hugged Cadance from the side. Cadance probably would have fallen over had she not had an unreasonable depth of magical strength. "Oof," She still said, "it's good to see you too, Twilight."

She stepped away, and Twilight was wearing that infectious beaming smile Cadance remembered from her days foal sitting. "I'm so glad you're okay. When you ran off, everypony was worried until Celestia told us you needed to... uh..." Twilight twirled a hoof, "You know."

Cadance giggled. "I'd love to do our normal greeting but..."

"Oh!" Twilight continued trying to land a plane by waving her hoof around, "That's okay, you don't have to." A silence passed as Twilight realized the rest of her friends had ducked away. Leaving only her and Cadance. She blinked a few times, turning back to Cadance before realizing what was happening. Whatever was eating at her came to the forefront of her mind, and her mood changed like flipping a switch.

"You don't have to talk about it." Cadance offered, "They were all worried about you."

Twilight kicked a hoof on the crystal road. "I know... and I want to tell you, but I promised I wouldn't. It's... well... I didn't think... so many things, and now I do..."

"Something about a book?"

Twilight nodded while cringing slightly, "I know you're worried, but I really prom-"

Cadance laughed.

Oh, so that's what that feels like. No wonder Silver hates it.

Twilight's confusion was met by Cadance's answer, "Oh, I'm not worried about you Twilight. I said they were worried about you."

Her ears tilted in a 'wut' expression that could have made anyone go: 'dawwwwww'

Cadance waved a hoof. "You're the Princess Twilight Sparkle. You've fought monsters and saved the world more times than anypony ever. You can do anything, and you have the world's greatest support structure. I'm not worried about you. Whatever it is, you can handle it. I only wanted to let you know, again, that I'm here for you. For anything."

Twilight wilted a little from the praise, then went in for another hug. "Thank you Cadance. I really needed to hear that."

Cadance pulled Twilight into a deeper hug, wings and all. For just a split second, there weren't two ponies. Cadance and Twilight both shared in their weariness, their confusion for the future, their hope, and their Love for one another. The ground may have glowed, their horns may have trailed homogenized colours of their auras in the air, but neither of them noticed. So focused on comforting each other that they failed to recognize the magic that swirled around them, the same magic that faded on a coin flip the moment they separated.

Cadance clapped her hooves. "So! Are you ready to help me take all of this down?"

Twilight smirked and lit her horn.

The space around the Spire had been turned into an open Plaza. All of the business section of the fair had been taken down as ponies who had been there all morning were going home anyways. It was getting dark, and the majority of the people attending had been gathering for the past thirty minutes around a raised stage of crystal where Cadance was going to Do The Thing. Twilight was in the crowd, Celestia was somewhere, but Luna and Cadance were backstage.

Luna was focusing on some spell, with a pair of Thestrals robed in white. She had given Cadance her assurance that she was ready for her part of the speech. Now they were just waiting on the rest of the nobles. Ichor, Mirror, Cane, and the two strange mares Cadance was forgetting the names of were here. Immaculate was walking in the door, talking with Isotope.

It was show time.

Cadance took a breath, adjusted her regalia, and stepped through the curtain.

Thousands of ponies. It nearly brought her to tears, and the nerves of getting it right rushed up her hooves and filled her smile with volume.

Oh... I did it.

Her short walk to the edge of the stage was... silently euphoric. It was strange how it wasn't any different at all, but it was.

Cadance made a face, and yelled, "Welcome to the Crystal Solstiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-!" like she was some kind of rock star. The ponies loved it, and the 'ce' part was drowned out by the cheering. "How have all of you been enjoying yourselves!" Followed by more deafening screams. "I'm glad to say, the festivities have only begun! In just a moment, ~Princess Luna~ has something very special to share with us, but before that, I have a few announcements to make, going out to the crystal ponies, and those living within our borders."

That was the nobles que to step out onto the stage. Coming around half a semi circle around Cadance as she spoke. Murmurs from the crowd signaled her to continue as the nobles found their places, "The damage done to Crystalia has been reversed! Our coffers are full, our legislation, streamlined. Our heroes stand tall, and the Heart burns ever brighter. And it's all thanks to you. I don't mean to play the humble card, but just look around, half the ponies I can see in the crowd are wearing volunteer vests, or are part of the team that help set up this whole event." Cadance reared back, "Give it up for the ponies who made it happen! Give it up for yourselves!"

Stomping started to shake the stage, the roars weren't sound anymore, it was just homogenized yelling into a single explosion of excited waves of sound. Cadance's mane flowed in the ethereal wind a little faster.

"I am deeply pleased to announced, that with close ties and assistance from the nobles," Princess Luna, sans regalia, exited the curtain and joined them on the stage at her cue, "That Crystalia, tonight, will be declaring sovereignty from Equestria, returning to our own nation, to carve our name into the sky like we were always meant to."

The roaring cheers were mixed with silent surprise and excited disbelief. The crowd didn't get the chance to explode again as Luna took the proverbial 'mic'. "Ponies of Crystalia and beyond. I came here... invited by Princess Cadance for many things... It is not at the top of my list to recognize the sovereignty of this Empire, though, I do. What I want to recognize is the will, the sheer strength of character required to dig a country out of where you were all pushed down into... I know about redemption. The world tried to break you all."

"And you said no."

Silence.

"In honor of your achievement, I would like to dedicate this year's Nightmare Night in The Crystal Empire to silence. In reverence of those who were lost along the path to..." Luna smiled, "This. Your brilliance, the product of thousands of ponies working through the pain to create something greater, something impossible. From the deepest parts of my heart, thank you. Thank you ponies for being so strong, and for changing my world for the better."

The cheering and stomping started off slowly, and once ponies realized Luna was done talking, it really started in earnest. It wasn't just cheering either, ponies celebrated. Grabbing their nearest pony and spinning them around. Cadance saw exactly two spontaneous kisses that the pair in question would definitely be talking about later, but all of it was shoved aside for the ponies who finally had their work recognized.

Luna hopped forwards in excitement and raised her hoof to the air. "NOW! PONIES OF CRYSTALIA!" She called over the cheering. "It is my great honor to kick off this year's Crystal Solstice with a memory of mine. In my absence from Equestria, the night sky has fallen to ruin, the nights are dark, and the moon does not glow as it should."

"NOT, TONIGHT. Tonight! Know that the sky itself recognizes your efforts! Tonight! Look to the sky and remember! See the dreams and the future laid out before you!"

Luna's ongoing energy and the latent charge in the air was Cadance's cue to stop holding back the magic of The Heart. She unlit her horn, and The Heart began to spin rapidly. Luna's eyes lit white, and Cadance saw infinity churn in the back of her mane.

"WELCOME TO THE CRYSTAL SOLSTICE!"

Luna threw her head to the heavens as the Crystal Heart exploded with light.

Holy-

The Moon became the center of the sky. There was no 'raising', it sat in the forefront of everything like a... Something. Cadance had no idea how to describe it. Behind it, the dark went away. There wasn't a sky anymore. It was only stars. The aurora mixed with the light, and Cadance, like everyone else, was spellbound by the sight. There wasn't a way to explain what should have been a dark night having been turned into noon day visibility. Colours threw themselves around the sky in celebration, and moments later, the ponies followed.