All Things Must End

=====// \=====

The approaching hoofsteps echoed crisply in the silence, and he felt his ears automatically prick up as the sound dragged him out of his distracted daze. The polished marble floor was a strange luxury in such a place, but one in keeping with the opulence of the building as a whole. Large bay windows looked out over immaculately-kept grounds, and the hallways they lined were wide and spacious. Tasteful landscapes and country scenes dotted the inner walls, originals rather than prints, and a thickly-padded window seat ran the whole length of the halls, inviting the visitor to rest a while and contemplate the beauty of their surroundings. The suites themselves were a little more cramped, the subdivisions of the original, larger rooms designed to provide privacy more than anything, but all in all he couldn’t complain.

His features twisted in a humourless grimace. No matter the prettiness of the surroundings, there was no disguising the true purpose of this place – the smell alone was enough. The sharp, pervasive odour of disinfectant poorly masked by the ever-present cloying stink to which no self-respecting pine-tree would ever admit. And beneath all that, perhaps only in his head but perceptible to him nonetheless, the scent of pain – and fear. And-

He forced his mind away from such melancholy thoughts and looked up. Yes, there he was; the usual afternoon Duty nurse, that small, professional smile on his face which gave away nothing.

“Your Grace?”

=====// \=====

He felt his breath catch in his throat as he looked again on the familiar features of his beloved Cadance. Still so breathtakingly beautiful, even now, after all these years. From the moment he'd first set eyes on her as Twilight's foalsitter there had never been another mare for him, no matter how forlorn that yearning may have seemed at the time. And – he still found it utterly incredible – it appeared that he was the only stallion for her, despite the seeming impossibility of their difference in social standing and their mutual responsibilities.

He smiled gently to himself, thinking back. At the time, he had been convinced that their wedding would be the crowning of their love. Now, so many years since that overwhelming day, he realised that it was just the beginning. Building their life together on the foundations of love, trust, and empathy, sharing and helping each other through the good times and the bad. One soul, two bodies, the saying went. Nothing was ever completely perfect, they'd given it one hay of a good go.

They complemented each other so well, in so many ways. Her gentle nature and sincerity were reinforced by a strange kind of fearlessness that he'd always admired. There was considerable steel under her kind and unassuming exterior. He'd wondered sometimes whether he threatened to swamp that under his strong urge to protect her, but he knew she was strong enough to tell him where to get off if she needed to. And had, once or twice, he reminded himself.

His smile faded. A fat lot of good that was to them now. Time waits for nopony, and time was one thing that nopony could protect her from, not even her divine aunts.

“All things must end, that we may learn to savour their sweetness.”

“Shining?” Her voice was husky and strained, and he realised with a start that he must have spoken aloud. He shook his head slowly, trying to gather his wits.

“A passing thought, my love. How are you today?”

She summoned a small smile, just for him. “Fine.”

His heart ached at the small falsehood when he could see the truth written in her red-rimmed eyes, but knew that they both understood perfectly. They both knew this day was coming, and railing against it now was a pointless waste of what short time they had left. “I'm glad.”

She flinched at the small whirr of the infusion pump delivering another precise slug of artificial nirvana into faltering veins.

“It's finally time, isn't it?” she asked softly.

His breath caught in his throat at her implication, but he could feel the truth of it in his bones. Why deny it? They had always tried to be honest with each other, and now should be no exception. He swallowed, trying to force some moisture back into his mouth and keep his reply even and strong despite the bubble of fear he could feel in his stomach. “Time to go,” he agreed reluctantly, the words falling leadenly from his lips.

“It looks beautiful out there,” he continued after a moment, desperate to fill the chasm and drown out the soft hiss of the oxygen flowing into the mask.

“Yeah,” Cadance said distantly, a dreamy grin sliding across her face, “It reminds me of our first proper date.”

He smiled back at her, “It was absolutely hammering down on our first date!”

“I know, and I was furious! Do you know how long I spent worrying about what to wear? And forget about the make-up, that lasted all of two steps from the carriage!”

He remembered.

The heartbreakingly-cute, crestfallen look as she peeled her saturated mane away from her eyes and looked down at the ruin of her saddle, vainly trying to wring the water out of it with her magic. Of course, he had been no better, his carefully-brushed mane plastered down his neck and his sodden uniform chafing painfully under his forelegs. He had also been uncomfortably aware of his carefully-polished hooves marinating in the increasingly-turbid muddy puddles.

“You were beautiful anyway. Still are.”

She had stopped dead when she saw him, frozen with one forehoof in mid-air while she took in his equally-sorry state. Her cheek twitched. He snorted, and suddenly they had both burst out laughing. That unaffected joy had been perfect, breaking the anxiety and expectation they had built up about their first official outing together without a certain little foal tagging along. After that, it could not possibly have gone better.

She let out a tiny, hiccoughing laugh. “Flatterer! And that's not the point.”

They continued swapping memories of long ago, less concerned with the familiar stories than trying to capture the sounds and rhythms of each others' voice and preserve it in their hearts as precisely as possible. Gradually their speech tapered off, leaving the comforting warmth of sharing each other's company, indulging that peculiar urge to know that the other was just there. Shining Armor closed his eyes, trying to breathe deeply and focus on that peaceful feeling while behind him the infusion pump hissed efficiently into life again.

He had long since lost track of time when he heard the discreet scuff of a hoof in the doorway, and he glanced over his shoulder to see the Duty nurse hovering tentatively in the doorway, with the doctor close behind. A long sigh leaked out of him as he turned back to gaze at Cadance's peaceful face, her features almost as familiar to him as his own. Her breathing was very shallow but even, a thankfully easy repose.

Shining Armor stood, joints creaking in protest, and leaned down to kiss Cadance's sunken, withered cheek tenderly. Her cheek was cold under his lips, and there was no response. Clenching his teeth firmly at this last stab of heartache, he turned and left his wife's bedside, knowing that it was possibly for the last time.

=====// \=====

He wandered blindly along the corridors, distantly aware of staff and visitors silently melting away before him. Who the hay do they think I am? Am I really such a tyrant, my reputation so fearsome? In some ways, it was a blessed distraction from his despair. He was torn, unwilling to leave yet achingly aware of his powerlessness.

Gradually, he realised that while some might be genuinely fearful of crossing a Duke of the Realm, he no doubt looked like many other visitors he had seen over the last few months. He'd kept his distance from them, too, hadn't he? After all, his dilemma was a common one at the Green Pastures Hospice.

He was almost grateful to find the Director nervously awaiting him near the visitors' café, where he and Cadance had taken tea a few times when she was still able to leave her bed.

“Good afternoon, Your Grace. How was Her Highness today?” she asked. Although her golden coat was immaculately brushed and her dark-brown mane was as neat as ever in its discreet bun, her expression kept flickering between her usual carefully-concerned-sympathetic look and outright terror.

Shining restrained an uncharacteristic impulse to swat the obsequious little twerp aside. The Director wasn't a bad pony, for all that her unctuous nature grated on his nerves, but he simply wasn't in the mood for dealing with petty details – and right now, anything she had to say to him was an irrelevance he could do without.

“As well as can be expected,” he said coldly.

“Ah. Yes, of course.” The Director's flinched slightly, and her hooves fidgeted like she was a nervous schoolfilly who needed a wee. Most unusual. “Uh, there is a visitor waiting for you, Your Grace. Her Highness, Princess Celestia.”

Ah. Perhaps not such an irrelevance, after all. “Auntie Celly?” he said in a studiously lazy voice, “I suppose I'd better see her, then. Your office?”

“Er, no, actually. It's a bit of a mess. Well, a lot of a mess, in fact. Two rather tricky bequests recently, the lawyers are being a nightmare...”

Shining Armor stared steadily at the Director until she caught on and her anxious digression tailed off abruptly.

“Her Highness is in the Bright Star Lounge. I've asked the staff to make sure you're not disturbed. And she has her guards, of course, you'd know all about-”

He cut across her rambling words, “Thank you, Director.”

The Marchioness Bright Star Memorial Lounge was named after one of the founders – or perhaps more accurately, a drinking buddy of Countess Sunset Haze who had been the driving force behind the establishment of the hospice 150 years ago and who had donated one of her late husband's estates to house it. Regardless of the merits of the pony who had endowed it, it had a sort of faded grandeur in the cherry-panelled walls and the elaborate chandelier hanging from the heavily coffered and coved ceiling. He felt a welcome rush of heat as he entered and, as the Princess rose from one of the velvet-covered lounging couches, he heard the protesting creak of antique furniture as dry as dust after years kept at a temperature compatible with the residents' elderly bones. His right hoof shot forward and crashed down as he as bowed deeply as he was able, the salute more of a reflex than a habit.

The Princess arched her neck graciously in acknowledgement, a cautious little smile hovering on her lips, “Must you be so formal, Shining?”

“Old guards never retire, Your Highness, we just get a bit more decrepit and crochety,” he said, relaxing from his attention posture to 'At ease'.

“After more than sixty years, I think you're allowed to be a bit decrepit and crochety. And besides, it must be nearly fifty since you stopped being my Captain.”

“I might not have worn the armour, but I've always been a guard one way or another. I'm sorry, Princess, old habits die hard.”

“Especially when the mind is busy,” she said softly. “The doctors tell me it can't be long now. I'm so very sorry, Shining.”

His heart burned in his chest, his diaphragm freezing as sudden tears pricked the back of his eyes. He forced himself through the old discipline; the one every guard had to master, that of keeping your emotions in check and your face expressionless. “The brightening, they call it.” he said gruffly, unable to keep a tiny tremor from his voice, “One last rally. She knew who I was, at any rate, which is something.”

The Princess said nothing, but the sympathy on her face made him look away. She must have seen it all by now, he thought. Centuries of this, hundreds of generations of ponies being born, growing old, and... I can't imagine how she does it. He let out a long, shaky sigh. “I hate this place.”

“I know, Shining. But-”

“But this is the best place for her, and they can only do so much at the palace, yes, I know!” he snapped. After a moment, he remembered himself and muttered an apology. “That doesn't mean I have to like it. I remember this place from training – we had to provide an honour guard to the cemetery for old Colonel Redwing. 'The Nobs' Departure Lounge', they called it. I'd go back and give myself a clip around the ear, if I could.”

“Dawn Redwing would have given you a clip around the ear for calling her 'old', then agreed with the description of this place!” Celestia noted drily. “She was always a rather fearsomely-independent sort.”

“I guess I knew this day would come eventually, but somehow I always thought that it would be me, rather than her.” He felt an abrupt spike of humiliation as the mask cracked slightly on those last few words, and to his shock, the Princess stepped forward and wrapped comforting wings around him. Furious with himself, he gritted his teeth and stood rail-stiff in her embrace until she retreated, sensing that she'd made a mistake. Celestia sighed and sank onto a nearby couch, inclining her neck towards an adjacent couch. It was an invitation for him to do the same but he forced himself to keep standing, no matter that his fetlocks were starting to ache.

Perhaps he was being rude. After all, not everypony would receive such indulgence from their Princess. Celestia's face, however, bore no censure but only regret. She's her aunt, too, a corner of his mind reminded him. Of sorts, anyway.

Celestia sighed again, “I remember an incredibly awkward meeting with a handsome young Guardspony once, many years ago.”

=====// \=====

Shining Armor adjusted his tunic nervously and ran a quick hoof through his messy blue mane one last time. The summons had been waiting for him as he dismissed the morning parade, and he hadn't missed the whistles and catcalls from his platoon, either.

“Oh-ho-ho, he's in for it now!” came a loud voice from the rear rank, to a burst of harsh laughter from the others.

“She'll eat him for breakfast! Shame, he wasn't too bad for a Rupert!” That sounded like Blue Blaze's sardonic voice.

“Too busy polishing The Boss's niece instead of polishing his armour!” smirked a Pegasus.

“Lucky dog!” agreed another, to another roar of amusement.

“This is not Happy Hour at the bar, ponies! If you want to keep talking horseapples, I'll be sure to find you a job stirring the tanks at the sewage works! Now double away!” His Sergeant bellowed her disapproval, sending them scattering, but Shining Armor could feel his cheeks burning as he strode back towards the Adjutant's office. He could almost hear his instructor's voice from training, Don't hurry, an Officer never hurries. A running Officer panics the troops – even one as lowly as you, Armor.

He shook himself, ruining his work with his mane, and took a deep breath before marching past the two ponies guarding the throne room doors. He didn't dare look them in the eye, but fixed his gaze straight ahead.

The throne itself was empty, but to one side he could see a low table bearing a humble little tea set. Princess Celestia, Goddess of the Sun and Supreme Monarch of Equestria, was perched next to it on a scattering of cushions, watching him approach with a small, worryingly-enigmatic smile. He didn't remember the throne room being this long before! He came to a halt in front of her and made his salute as precisely as he was able, his guts churning anxiously as he waited, motionless.

“Lieutenant Shining Armor?”

Her voice was warm and unthreatening, but he didn't allow himself to relax a single hair. “At your service, Your Highness.” He managed to keep his voice from wavering, but it still wasn't as firm as he would have liked.

Celestia chuckled, “At ease, Lieutenant, I don't bite! Now, we have certain things to discuss, you and I, so I thought perhaps you might join me for tea?”

“Tea, Your Highness?” he asked weakly, bewildered.

She raised an eyebrow, amusement hovering on her lips, “Yes, tea – fragrant leaves steeped in boiling water. You are familiar with the concept, aren't you?”

He couldn't believe it; the immortal goddess-ruler of the whole country had invited him in for tea and biscuits, and then started taking the mick out of him! If he didn't know better, he'd think it was some sort of joke – or a test. He coughed awkwardly, “Yes, Your Highness.”

“Oh good! Your sister does love a nice cup of tea and a sit down, so I had hoped you might be the same. Sit, please!”

The Princess busied herself with pouring two steaming cups and, feeling ridiculously helpless, he lowered himself gingerly onto the cushions across from her. Perhaps some light conversation would help?

“Err... how is Twilight, Your Highness?”

Celestia smiled as she set a cup down in front of him, “She's fine, although she did cause a bit of scene at the Academy yesterday, insisting that Phaeton's Second Photon Theorum partially contradicted Neighton's Hypothesis of Light.”

From the Princess' amusement, he assumed that this must be something obvious. Frantically racking his brain, he recognised Neighton, but the rest...? Cringing internally, he settled for, “Err... and does it?”

The Princess grinned, “Well yes, actually – but they're not supposed to cover that for another few years! I have seldom come across a pony with quite her thirst for knowledge, and her power and control are developing excellently. She is a quite exceptional student, Shining Armor. In a way, she is part of what I wanted to speak to you about – or more accurately, her old foalsitter.”

“Cad-,” he caught himself, “Princess Mi Amore Cadenza?”

Celestia gave him a penetrating look, “Cadance, yes. She returned to Vanhoover this morning, but I have no doubt that she will find another excuse to visit Canterlot shortly.”

There was no restraining his blush this time, and he looked reflexively over his shoulder back at the two motionless guards at the far end of the throne room.

“Don't worry, I've made quite sure that they can't hear us,” said the Princess, interpreting his look correctly.

“So, err...”

“So why are they there at all? Etiquette and custom. So that this is regarded as a public meeting. Were this to occur in private, you can be sure that tongues would be wagging all over Canterlot even before the tea had brewed.”

“Uh...” You think they won't be, anyway? he wanted to ask.

Celestia sighed patiently, “Sometimes I think Equestria's biggest currency is gossip rather that the Royal Bit.” She let out a short laugh, “I even know what your Guardsponies are like when they're in barracks and think nopony can hear them,” she said, grinning conspiratorially.

Shining Armor blanched, “Good grief, I hope not!” he blurted, startled.

Princess Celestia laughed, a gloriously rich sound which set a spark of joy in his own heart. “After a few thousand years, there is relatively little that surprises you – even such a sheltered creature as a Princess. Biscuit?”

A little platter of biscuits slid across the table towards him, shortbread and digestives, and even those funny little pink wafer sandwich things with the sugary filling. He took one and sat it on the edge of his saucer, not daring to eat until she took a dainty bite from a fig roll. As the Princess chewed serenely, he forced a sip of tea down, his throat drum-tight with nerves. Finally, the Princess swallowed and gave him a wry little smile.

“You know, I can never quite believe it when I find myself having these sorts of conversations, but here I am again.” Her face sobered, “Please understand, nothing I'm going to say is intended to pass judgement in any way, but simply to get certain things out in the open where we can discuss them – at this time, and in this place – so that all of us has a clear understanding of the situation.”

Now, that's not a promising start, he thought, the tea suddenly sitting queasily in his stomach. For want of anything more intelligent to do, he took another sip.

“So, to get down to the matter at hoof; my niece, Cadance. You and she have become quite close, I gather?”

He nearly choked on his mouthful of tea, but managed to force it down after a brief struggle. Oh ponyfeathers, here we go! “We got to know each other a little when she started foalsitting Twilight. We're...” he broke off, searching for the right word. “Friends,” he decided on.

“Good. Excellent. One thing that I had hoped – and Cadance's parents, I should add – is that she would be able to make friends among ponies of her own age while she was in Canterlot. She is heiress to the Crystal Throne in exile, as I'm sure you know, and while she was nominally sent here to broaden her education and strengthen ties with Equestria, letting her grow on a personal level is almost as important if she is to rule wisely one day.”

Celestia paused, calmly taking another sip of her tea. “But you're not just friends any more, are you?” she asked quietly.

Shining Armor felt his ears flatten and he shifted his weight on the luxurious cushions which suddenly felt more like jagged boulders. Why does it have to be you? he barely refrained from wailing aloud. It would have been bad enough to face Cadance's parents with this, but the Princess herself? Abruptly, he realised that she was still waiting for an answer. “We're...”

They were what, exactly? In truth, not just friends, not any more. Not for quite a while. Too many walks together in the Royal Gardens, too many late nights gazing up at the stars. Too many trips to the little ice cream parlour two streets over from his parents' house after Cadance had dropped Twilight off from an afternoon's foalsitting. In short, too many excuses to spend time with each other. The warmth in her smile and the sudden breathlessness that expression caused in his chest, like his heart was about to soar away on the sheer potential that crackled around them like magic. The jolt of unaffected joy he got from making her laugh, and the giddy urge for another hit. And yet...

“We're friends,” he heard himself say, a hot flush of shame bubbling up at his betrayal. But it could not possibly be any other way.

Celestia carefully set her cup aside, a look of immense sadness flitting across her features before they resumed their usual benevolent set. “Again, Shining, I do not say this to embarrass you or cause you any discomfort. I know that my niece has come to care for you a very great deal, and despite your words, I believe that you care for her, too.”

It was true, he could not deny it. He would always love her, no matter what, and she-

She loved him, too, didn't she? The words had been hanging between them for a while, now, unspoken but not unacknowledged. Their parting last night in the courtyard underneath Twilight's tower sprang to mind.

“Well, I guess this is goodbye. Again.”

“For now,” she said, her eyes glinting sadly in the setting sun. “The train leaves shortly after dawn. I have duties which will keep me busy at home, probably until at least spring and the start of the social season. I'll be back, Shining.”

He snorted nervously, pawing the ground. “I guess it's back to the weekly letters. I'll miss you, you know. It's going to be a long, lonely winter.” He glanced up at her, “For both of us.”

She reached out and placed a nervous hoof on his chest, right over his thumping heart. “I'm never alone, Shining,” she said softly, “I know that if I look into my heart, I'll find you right there waiting for me.”

He took a shaking breath, trying to gather his whirling thoughts, “She's a princess. She has responsibilities, duties to attend to, maybe even a land to govern one day,” he said haltingly, “Whatever we... I'm just another Guard.”

Celestia lowered her cup and gave him a stern look, “Shining Armor, you are a worthy pony in your own right. Graduated top of your class with the Staff of Honour at Officer Cadet School, and now an Officer in my Guard. Your family is nothing to be ashamed of, and in fact its behaviour is a sight more respectable than some of my court who claim noble birth.

“As for Cadance, you are correct in everything you say. However, she is also a pony. She has a heart and feelings of her own, just like anypony else. While she may have responsibilities, she must also take care for her own personal happiness and well-being if she is to fulfil those responsibilities to her potential.”

“But she's an Alicorn!” he burst out wretchedly, “I can never be anything more than a brief distraction to her!”

The remainder of the fig roll disappeared, the Princess looking steadily at him until she swallowed. It seemed to take aeons. “Alicorns – Pegasus Unicorns? Pegacorns? Whatever the term, they are exceedingly rare, true, but they are also ponies just like any other.”

Shining Armor opened his mouth to disagree, but Celestia forestalled him. “Yes, yes, I may share a similar physical form but there is more to my-, to me, than merely some extra appendages. Because Alicorns are so rare, this is seldom understood.”

“So how...” he broke off, unsure how to phrase the question. Again, the Princess seemed to know his mind better than he did.

“How did Cadance come to be an Alicorn? Random chance. Or...”

Celestia paused, her flawlessly-polished expression slipping for a second to reveal the stern judge examining him, weighing him in her mind. He gulped, hoping that she found him worthy of whatever test she was applying. After a moment, she continued in a reluctant voice.

“Noble families – ruling families especially so – tend to be very picky about their marriages, as they fear their wealth and status may be diminished by expanding their families. So, they often choose their spouses from a different branch of their own family or to seal an alliance with another noble family, more as a business arrangement than a true love-match. By now, this means that most of the noble families are more-or-less distant cousins. Personally, I do not like it. It is not good for ponies' health for their bloodlines to converge so, nor for their happiness. Should they meet somepony else and become romantically involved, it causes scandal at court and opens them to blackmail.”

Shining Armor's blush-reflex was getting a thorough workout from the tone of the conversation. The Princess stared into space for a second, then shook her head and continued, “Cadance's parents are in fact second cousins. Whether that is relevant, I do not know, although there have been several... unfortunate... incidents in her immediate family. I shall say no more, as we are getting rather a long way off-course. Cadance may be an Alicorn, but she is also a mortal pony like any other.”

“Now, marriage is not something that many young stallions relish talking about, but you must realise that this is becoming an increasingly-important subject for Cadance. Since birth, her parents have received various offers from noble families seeking alliance in exchange for putting their sons – and thereby themselves – closer to the Crystal Throne. To their credit they have refused, hoping for Cadance to make her own choice, but she is reaching an age where there is pressure being applied within the Crystal Court for her to choose somepony. The Crystal Throne has been kept alive in Vanhoover for nearly a thousand years, hoping against hope that the Kingdom will re-emerge. They are, perhaps understandably, nervous of that line coming to an end.”

Celestia leaned forward, her voice soft, “I believe she has chosen – whether she is aware of it or not. Again, I do not tell you this to put pressure on you, Shining, but to ensure that you are fully aware of the situation Cadance is in. I do not expect you to marry Cadance, or do anything you do not wish to do. What I do wish you to do – what I hope you will do – is realise that there is no reason that you may not let your feelings for each other flourish. If you truly care for each other, in the fullness of time it may come to marriage. It may not. You are both young, and many things may change in weeks, or months, or even years, but please, don't be afraid to allow yourselves the chance to find out.”

By the time the Princess had finished speaking, Shining had slumped into a mortified heap, conflicted, confused, and hideously embarrassed. Most parents looked at colts like him with death in their eyes if they found them going out with their daughters, and yet here was Princess Celestia egging him on to, to, to...? And...?!

He had felt a little flare of protective anger, too, as the Princess calmly talked of Cadance being auctioned off like a bale of hay. She's better than that, he thought fiercely, she deserves better than that. But... me?

“Why are you telling me all this?” he asked at last. The Princess sighed.

“Because I want my niece to be happy, and right now I believe that there is a good chance that she will find that happiness with you. Love is an incredibly powerful force, one that can drive ponies to change the world and make them do things they never thought they could do – and what makes it so amazing is, you can't control it.”

“Cadance can,” he whispered, almost to himself. He'd always found that a bit unnerving, maybe not the first time that she had explained her cutie mark, but certainly the first time he had witnessed her powers at work.

“Cadance cannot,” the Princess replied, equally quietly, “She cannot create love where love does not already exist. She can only revive what is already there, and remind ponies what is truly important. True love is dependent on free will. Without free will, it would be something terrible indeed.”

He felt his ears twitch; deep down, he'd sometimes wondered if his feelings for Cadance were just some sort of magical by-product of spending time with her – and hated himself for thinking such thoughts. I know her better than that. But seeing her reach out and turn two furiously-bickering ponies into soppy love-birds was always a disturbing sight. Power indeed, for all that she wields it carefully and with a pure heart.

The Princess' cup landed back on her saucer with a gentle clink. “Well, I believe I have overwhelmed you enough for one day, Lieutenant. I suspect you need some time to think on all this, so I shan't detain you any longer. If you think of anything later that you wish to discuss, please pass a message to my private secretary and I shall make time for you. But as I have said, whatever you choose to do now is entirely up to you. I would only ask that you choose carefully.”

=====// \=====

Shining Armor realised with a start that he'd been staring into space, lost in another time. What had they...? Oh, yes. “Cadance was absolutely furious with you, you know?” he harrumphed.

Celestia smirked a little, “She sulked for a while, but that only lasted until she returned to Canterlot. It turned out well, in the end.”

“You got what you wanted,” Shining Armor said stonily. “She thought you'd spoken to her in confidence.”

Celestia looked a little hurt. “You got what you both wanted, I should hope,” she said quietly, “And I did keep her confidence; I have never spoken to you – or to anypony else – of what she said, and vice versa. However, I felt strongly that you both needed council from somepony relatively independent to set everything out clearly between you. You were both then free to make of it what you wished.”

Shining grunted vaguely, and took the chance to lower himself onto a couch and take the weight off his creaking joints. Slightly humiliatingly, he had to leave one back leg hanging out over the edge. Damned hock!

“What you made of it was marriage and many happy years together,” Celestia continued, “I'd say things didn't turn out so badly.”

“That very nearly didn't happen,” he said hoarsely, feeling a lump welling up in his throat. My sweet Cadance. He blinked rapidly, trying to stop his eyes misting up.

Celestia stilled, “Chrysalis.”

He nodded, unable to bring himself to say that creature's name, even after all these years.

=====// \=====

“Don’t worry about me, I’m fine. You have a real wedding to put together.”

The Princess' words to Twilight were softly spoken, but rang harshly in his ears. In fact, everything rang harshly in his ears as he swayed unsteadily on his hooves and tried not to throw up, either from the pulsing agony of a skull which suddenly seemed three sizes too small or the realisation that his enemy had waltzed straight through his guard, played him for a fool, and very nearly doomed Canterlot – and all of Equestria. And he had scorned his sister, who had tried to tell him all along.

A slender shoulder, warm and strong, braced against his. He could tell it was her from the way those delicate bones fitted against his side, let alone that achingly-familiar scent. Cadance. Dear Celestia, Cadance! Oh, great Goddess, what have I done?

Those thoughts bludgeoned the last fragments of strength from his limbs and he sagged for a second and nearly fell, trying to suck air into lungs suddenly crushed by the scope of his folly and failure. Don't let them see your weakness! On the main floor of the throne room, ponies scurried back and forth, some fleeing to check on their homes and families, some arriving to see the reassuring sight of their leaders, some terrified, some curious. The loud chatter of voices and clatter of hooves on the marble floor slashed agonisingly into his head.

He could feel her eyes on him, the unspoken concern, but he couldn't bring himself to look her in the face. Instead, he turned away from that comforting strength and stumbled falteringly for the antechamber he knew was to the left of the dais. Don't fall. Don't let them see you fall. It became a mantra at the fall of each hoof. Don't fall. Don't fall. Don't fall.

The curtain fell behind him and he sank onto the floor, the polished marble cool under his cheek, soothing against his head. His breath came in uneven gasps through gritted teeth, but even then he was too stunned to cry. How could I have been so stupid? How? How, how, how...

Pale pink light encircled him, lifting him gently and setting him on a couch. “Shining?”

Her voice was as beautiful as ever, laced with concern and an increasing amount of panic.

“I'm sorry.” He could only summon a dry, cracked whisper. “I'm so sorry.”

“For what? Shining!”

Her hooves clattered loudly as she cantered over to the door to the private hall and wrenched it open. There was an urgent mumble of conversation, followed finally by her voice, angry, loud. “Then go now and find him! I command you!”

She never throws her weight around like that, he thought distantly. He heard her return and shied away from the gentle touch of her hoof on his forehead.

“Shining, my love? What is it? Are you all right?”

He could hear fear in her voice now, and somehow found it within him to feel even worse. Warm dots of moisture splashed on his neck, her own breathing ragged as she ran her hoof down his neck.

“It's over. We beat her. We beat her together. It's over, Shining, Amor.”

The use of her little pet wordplay-pun on his name cut deeply. It was the sort of thing that the creature which had tried to replace her couldn't know or understand – and he hadn't noticed. Dear Celestia, how? He forced out a harsh snort, feeling a different stab of guilt; she must be hurting nearly as badly as he was, and here he was, making her feel even worse. She had been captured by that thing, too. Imprisoned Celestia-knew-where.

“How long?” he asked thickly. The hoof on his neck froze in mid-stroke.

“Two days, I think,” she answered haltingly, “Maybe three, it was hard to keep track. I walked into my bedroom and came face-to-face with myself. Before I knew what was happening, she hit me with some spell or other. I woke up in the abandoned mines under Canterlot.”

Galloping hooves echoed from out in the hallway, and Shining opened his eyes to slits. He wasn't sure if he could stand, but if this was any threat to Cadance, he was going to try. Thankfully, the door crashed open to reveal the familiar, portly figure of Doc Holliday, the Royal Physician, with his medical bag clutched in his teeth and his bow tie askew. Cadance backed away as the medic approached, blowing heavily.

The examination was every bit as interminable and vaguely embarrassing as they always were, being poked and prodded like the last piece of celery in the shop. Doc Holliday's insufferably self-satisfied manner grated as much as it always did, but eventually he deigned to share his opinion with them. “Exhaustion, complete exhaustion. Bad case of magical backlash from repeated enchantments – the remains of some sort of venom, too, I think? Dear me, you have been a busy colt!”

Thanks for that, you smug, pompous son-of-a-goat, Shining thought sourly.

“Can you do anything for him, Doctor?” Cadance asked.

“I have to admit, the best thing for him is rest, my dear. A good sleep should take care of the first two, and not having studied that venom I would be very rash to administer anything at all without knowing the possible effects. Now, if that's everything I really must be getting on; there must be ponies all over the city in need of medical attention.”

Oh, thank you so very much; not even an aspirin? Quack! Charlatan!

“Thank you-” Cadance began to say, but Shining cut across her.

“Check Cadance over,” he said, forcing himself to look up at her. Her coat was still stained and matted in places, and although she looked relatively unharmed he couldn't bear to take any chances.

“What?” she asked, puzzled. “I'm fine, I just need something to eat and-”

“Please?”

She hesitated in mid-flow, then gave in. “I suppose it couldn't hurt?”

At some point in her examination sleep claimed him. He remembered nothing more until he felt a gentle, insistent prodding in his side. He rolled over sleepily and nearly fell off the couch, jolting him awake to find that his tormentor was also his Princess, a blissful smile on her face.

“Come on, sleepy-head, it's time for you to get up. You need a bath and a coffee – you're getting married in an hour and a half, after all!”

The pounding in his head had subsided to a dull ache but he still floundered stupidly for a moment before managing to right himself. “What, uh, how-”

Cadance giggled, a delightful sound. “It's nearly four o'clock.”

“And the city?”

“Remarkably, there's very little damage and, barring a few cuts and scrapes, it seems that everypony's fine. Aunt Celestia thought that a good celebration would take everypony's minds off things and, well, there was one planned for today – assuming you've not changed your mind?”

Her tone was wry and playful, but there was a curiously vulnerable note of uncertainty in it. He closed his eyes briefly and shook his head in frustration, trying to order his thoughts.

“Cadance... I've let you down so badly! How could I let this happen? How could I let somepony – something – impersonate you for so long and not notice? Dear Celestia, I didn't notice! I was about to marry that thing! Another minute and I would have done!”

“Shining-”

“I'm a laughing-stock! I'm supposed to be Captain of the Guard, and look at-”

“Shining Armor!” Cadance barked, uncharacteristically firmly. He paused in surprise, and she ploughed on, “She put some sort of mind-enslavement spell on you, that's why you didn't notice. And don't tell me that she shouldn't have got the jump on you in the first place, the Changeling forms are accurate enough to fool anypony for long enough for them to get close.”

He almost vomited again, this time from the overwhelming surge of revulsion, Oh my... mind control. What did I do? Did I hurt anypony? What did she have me do? Would I remember anything if I did?

He flinched from the unexpected contact with his neck, and jerked his increasingly-frantic thoughts back to the present to find that Cadance had kneeled beside him to nuzzle him comfortingly. “Don't,” she murmured, “Please don't.”

Stunned at her compassion, he sucked in a wet breath. “How can you stand to even look at me?”

“Shining, it's not your fault! What Chrysalis did to you was absolutely unspeakable. Don't take her crimes on your own head.”

“That doesn't stop me wondering how? She shouldn't have been able to get in to Canterlot anyway, not with the spell I had up. And that was my job – nopony else's.”

Cadance gave him a sympathetic, nervous smile, “Well, I guess somehow she found a way. Yes, you may have had overall responsibility, but ask yourself why nopony else noticed?”

“Twilight noticed,” he said in a stricken voice, “Twilight noticed, and I brushed her off.”

“And so did everypony else – even her best friends. Come on, Shining, don't drown yourself in blame and recriminations, that gets us nowhere. And besides, it turned out OK in the end.”

“This time, maybe, but what about next time? How can anypony trust me now? What about if next time it gets somepony killed, even the Princesses?” He raised his eyes to hers, “What if it's you, Cadance?”

She didn't flinch, “Then it happens. That's life,” she said resolutely. “I know that there's nopony else I'd rather have watching out for me than Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard.” Her voice softened, “And there's nopony else that I want to spend the rest of my life with, either. I love you, Shining, and nothing's ever going to change that. Today might not have gone quite how we planned so far, but it's not over yet and everypony's put in a big effort this afternoon to get things ready again. Let's not waste their hard work, but most of all, let's go out there with our heads held high and celebrate our love. I'm so proud of you, Shining, and I want the world to see.”

And we get to rub that evil insect's ugly, rotting face in it, he thought vindictively. Is it really that simple? After everything that's happened, we just turn around and... get on with it? Or am I just overcomplicating things?

He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself. There was really only one thing he needed to know. “Are you all right, Cadance? Really?” he asked softly.

She gave him a slow, wide smile, “Yes, really. I had a pretty miserable couple of days and I'm a bit tired and frazzled, but I'm absolutely fine now.”

He shook his head in wonder, a reluctant smile of his own tugging at his lips.

“Then let's go and show the world.”

=====// \=====

“I nearly didn't go through with it,” Shining Armor admitted gruffly. “Oh, don't get me wrong, I would have eventually, but right then? The dust hadn't even settled!”

“You needed time to think,” Celestia nodded, but he just shook his head.

“I needed time to work out what had happened first, let alone to think about it. Everything had been a sort of blur, and then suddenly there I was, in the middle of a wrecked throne room with Cadance looking like she'd been pulled backwards through a hedge, and that damned insect gloating at me – and you gunked onto the ceiling.”

“Not exactly my finest moment, I have to admit!” Celestia said, with a cautious grin.

Shining gave her a fleeting smile in reply, “And afterwards, I started to understand what had happened and just how badly I'd messed up. I couldn't understand why she wasn't screaming at me, and-”

He broke off and took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly. “And then she took my hoof and somehow, none of that seemed quite so important.”

Celestia beamed widely, “One of the things that has always fascinated me about love is how much strength it imbues, simply by two ponies sharing their lives together.”

He snorted, “You know, after all that friendship stuff, I did wonder if you'd send my sister out to study love, too. Then I decided that that thought was wrong, creepy, and I really, really didn't want to know under any circumstances!”

Celestia laughed, “In a way, I suppose I did! After all, friendship is a form of love. Ponies almost seem to be afraid of the word for some reason, but no matter how you dress it up – sorority, fraternity, comradeship, friendship – it comes down to love in the end.”

“I couldn't have done it without Cadance.” He felt his smile crumble as he looked up at the Princess, hating the way his voice shook, “I... I don't know how I'm going to, going to-”

“Through the strength and love of your family. It is very unfortunate that you have had to go through so much alone in the past week. When do Aria and Blue Note arrive?”

He took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to force words past the huge obstruction in his throat, “On this evening's train. They're leaving the foals behind with the Lord Marshall. It's not-”

He broke off again, raging at himself in his head for his weakness. The look of compassion in the Princess' eyes made him turn away for a moment, almost panting with the effort of keeping his composure. Celestia, the wise mare, kept her silence until he had mastered himself again, before continuing like nothing had happened.

“It's been so long since I've seen them, I was starting to think that Aria's old dislike of Canterlot had resurfaced.”

He fell gratefully on the digression, “Ha! No, they've just been busy. Domestic affairs, and all that. Cadance and I have tried to keep out of it and let them rule on their own in the last few years. Believe it or not, Aria's actually been quite keen to visit you again.”

“From what I remember of Cadance's letters, that wasn't always the case?”

=====// \=====

Shining Armor paused outside his daughter's room to make sure he had a grip of his own temper after her tantrum earlier before knocking. There was no response, so after a minute he decided to ignore the “KEEP OUT!” sign tacked on her door and pushed his way in.

“Aria?” he called softly as he entered.

“Go away!” the form huddled on the bed muttered sullenly. He sighed and lowered himself down on the floor next to her. As much as he loved his wife, for some reason over the last month she and Aria had been at each others' throats on a regular basis, and while he'd never admit it to either of them, on this occasion perhaps Aria had a point.

“Look, come out of there and we'll talk about this.” he said – pretty reasonably, he thought.

“No!”

He sighed, “Don't make me come under there, young filly!” he said in a mock-serious voice.

“You're just going to take her side,” his daughter snapped spitefully. So much for reasonable.

“Yes, absolutely. We're trying to get rid of you, you see, so we've arranged to send you to Canterlot so that Auntie Celestia can banish you somewhere, then throw you in a dungeon in the place that she's banished you to,” he said drily.

There was a short, shocked pause. “Does Aunt Celestia really have a dungeon?” she asked in a small voice.

Thank heavens she isn't a little older and little more cynical. “No, of course not!” He waited for the almost imperceptible sigh of relief, “That's why she has to banish you somewhere that has dungeons first!”

There was a snort of laughter, and slowly his daughter's head peeped out from under the covers. He smiled down at her, “Come on out, sweetie. Hiding in there won't change anything, but talking about it just might.”

Reluctantly, the little white Unicorn filly sat up. She looked determinedly away from him, something that he noted for later when Cadance would no doubt accuse him of caving in as soon as she looked at him. Half the problem is, she has her mother's eyes. I've always had a hay of a job telling her, 'No', too.

“So, what exactly is the problem?”

Aria said nothing, maintaining that pointed, sullen silence that foals seemed to perfect so well, and running a hoof self-consciously through her curling, russet mane. Must have got that mane from the milk-stallion, he'd joked to Cadance once. Cadance had huffed at him, then proved quite enthusiastically that it was unlikely to be the case. Needless to say, he'd tried saying the same thing since and only received a pointedly-withering look and then been roundly ignored. Mares!

He sighed. It was going to be like that, was it? “Years ago, when your mother was the age that you are now, she was sent to Canterlot to study, too. Your Nonna and Pops decided that going to Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns was a tremendous opportunity for her. There were other reasons, too; the Empire needed strong allies, especially in exile, and because they were distantly related to Princess Celestia, sending your mum to Canterlot would help build those ties.”

“I bet she couldn't wait,” Aria muttered sarcastically. “Anyway, what was she doing there if it's a school for Unicorns?”

Good grief! Maybe I was wrong about cynical! For the sake of sanity, he decided to ignore the last part.

“No, actually, she didn't want to go. She didn't know anypony there, and she was going to miss her parents and all her friends. She had to leave Tinker behind, her old cat, and travel miles and miles to stay with ponies that she'd never met before in a place she'd never been. Scary stuff, huh?”

Aria's only reply was a sniff, but he thought she sounded a little less derisive than she had moments ago. Encouraged, he continued.

“Well, she went anyway, and she absolutely hated it. Everything was different to what she was used to, and she didn't really get on with any of her classmates. She didn't do so well in class, either, probably because she wasn't happy. Anyway, after the first term Princess Celestia came up with an idea which your mum thought was absolutely crackers; after school, she had to go and foalsit for a family in the town.”

“Was that when she met Aunt Twilight?” Aria asked eagerly. Shining grinned to himself; here he was, a Duke and a former Captain of the Royal Guard in Canterlot, but to Aria he would never, ever, be as cool as Aunt Twilight. Outshone in the coolness stakes by a librarian! Oh, the shame!

“Not that time, no,” he admitted, “But she really enjoyed it and made friends with one of the other foalsitters, so things didn't seem quite so bad. She started to get out of the castle more, and by the end of the year she decided that maybe it wasn't so bad after all. The next year was when she met Twilight for the first time.”

“And she met you as well!” Aria's grin disappeared abruptly, and he could almost see the thoughts flickering across her eyes before her face settled into an appalled stare, “You want me to go to Canterlot and meet somepony special and fall in love and get married and EWW!”

He couldn't help it; he roared with laugher at her horrified shriek of revulsion. Aria slapped her blankets in frustration, “It's not funny!” she huffed angrily at him, her voice quavering a little.

He abruptly shut up, suddenly feeling a little foolish. “Aria, if you'd let me finish before going off the deep end? What I was going to say was, each year your mother became more confident and more familiar with the ways of Canterlot. She learned an enormous amount, not just at school, but about the differences between Vanhoover, and the Crystal Court, and Equestria; about relating to ponies from all backgrounds, and making friends, and life, which she feels made her a better pony and a better leader, too.”

He leaned forward, lowering his voice so that his daughter had to listen closely to catch his words clearly, “That is why your mother wants you to go to Canterlot. Because one day, you're going to need to know how to run the Empire, and there's more to it than doing whatever you want. I know that's a big and scary thought, and it seems an awful long way off, but that's the truth. Your mother and I want you to be as well-prepared for it as you can possibly be, and she thinks that by going to Canterlot, you'll learn and grow as she did. I agree with her. And to add to that, you are one smart little filly and you'll get to go to one of the best schools in the world. Who knows, maybe you'll turn out like Aunt Twilight!”

He had hoped to lighten the mood a little with his last comment – after all, this was a lot to be laying on a young filly – but instead the silence lengthened uncomfortably. At last, he heard a quiet sob.

“Why's Mummy being so grumpy lately? I c-can't do anything right!”

Shining Armor sighed and levered himself back onto his hooves so that he could stroke her quaking shoulder. Because you two are more alike than you know, and neither of you will back down, he didn't say. “Because Mummy's convinced herself that this is the right thing to do, but she doesn't want to because she's scared that you're going to be so far away from her and she's not going see you every day.”

“I'm going to miss you! I don't wanna go!” Aria choked through her tears. Shining pulled her into a hug, rocking the little filly lightly as she cried.

“Some of it won't be so bad. You'll be able to visit Granny and Gramps whenever you want, and Aunt Twilight's no so far away in Ponyville, either. Mummy and I will come and visit and embarrass you in front of all your new friends...”

He kept talking to her until the tears tapered off and she fell asleep, just rambling not-entirely-coherent reassurances. Finally, he tucked her blanket around her and kissed her gently on the forehead.

Cadance was waiting for him outside, an oddly-conflicted look on her face. “Sleeping?”

He nodded and fell into step with her towards their private lounge. She looked like she had something to say, and she'd get there eventually.

“I heard what you said,” she said at length. “Have I really been so, so...?”

“It's been pretty tense around here recently,” he said diplomatically.

Cadance let out a weary sigh, “I'm sorry, I just... I think you were right. Maybe I am a little scared.”

“And so's she – and I don't blame her.” he said, keeping his voice neutral. “Look, next time just count to ten or something, then talk to her about it. She's a smart filly – if we keep telling her it's important and make sure that she understands that we're not just abandoning her, hopefully she'll feel a little better about it.”

“I guess you're right. See? I knew I married you for a reason.”

Shining Armor chuckled, “What can I say? I had private lessons from the greatest foalsitter in the history of foalsitters.”

Cadance winked at him, opening the door ahead of them with her magic.

A thought struck him, “There's just one thing, though.”

“Oh?”

“If she comes home with a coltfriend, I'm going to be forced to kill him on principle!”

=====// \=====

Shining Armor snorted, realising that he'd been wool-gathering again. Must be getting old, he thought. “When we got back into the carriage to go home after dropping her off that first time, Cadance cried like a filly.”

Celestia smiled, “Her mother did exactly the same thing when it was her turn to leave her daughter behind. It is dreadfully hard on parents from outside Canterlot, but we try to take care of their foals as best we can.”

“You do a pretty good job, judging by the two in my family,” he said.

“I am proud to see how well Aria has done since taking over the throne from you and Cadance. And of course she was faced with the same choice herself, later on.”

Shining smiled briefly, “Yes, little Twilight takes after her mother – and her great aunt. Skye seems to have collected all the Pegasus genes instead, somehow.”

He sighed, running a hoof through his mane – mostly white, now, instead of its youthful blues. “As for Aria, it was time. She's a very capable mare, and Cadance and I decided we ought to stop standing in her way. It was nice to have some time just for us again, too. Like it used to be.”

=====// \=====

Cadance carefully adjusted her robes and made sure that his seldom-worn crown – he flatly refused to call it a tiara – was on straight and that the various Orders and medals hung neatly from his pipe-clay cross-belts. Outside, they could heard the murmur of the large crowd which had gathered on the concourse beneath the Crystal Keep. She let out a deep breath, and he looked over to give her a reassuring smile.

“One last time, my love?”

Cadance nodded, stepping regally forward into the bright sunlight bathing the balcony, “One last time.”

The cheers started at the back of the crowd as the first ponies sighted their princess, and swept rapidly forward as he followed on behind his wife. There was no fanfare – they had done away with such a thing almost immediately on taking the throne as they both found them rather embarrassing – but instead they allowed the full-throated roar of their subjects to stand as its own heraldry while they waved. Why they waved, he didn't know either. It was tradition, apparently, and that was a good enough reason on its own.

After a minute or so, Cadance moved to the microphone perched at the front of the balcony amidst the flowers, and a sudden silence fell, almost like the cheer which had washed in from the back was ebbing back out like the tide. He took his place at her side, and she waited until the last of the noise died away before starting to speak,

“Good morning, everypony. It is always a pleasure to have the privilege of addressing so many of you, and I am most grateful that you should afford me such a warm welcome. In the many years since my husband and I took office as rulers of the Crystal Empire, we have been fortunate in the peace and prosperity which has seen the Empire grow and thrive. Time, however, brings change, and it is to announce this change that I address you this morning.

“I am sorry to report that my health has been in decline for some time, and despite ongoing medical treatment I find myself increasingly hindered in discharging my duties to you all. Accordingly, after much discussion with my husband, the Duke of Trottingham, and with our family, we have decided that it is to the benefit of all for Duke Shining Armor and I to relinquish the Crystal Throne.”

Immediately, a low murmur swept the crowd, the anxious note growing louder as it spread, and it took some time to die down. Again, Cadance waited for silence to fall, this time deeper and more profound as their subjects waited to hear their fate. He was shocked and humbled to see tears on a few ponies' faces, and had to swallow a lump in his own throat.

“This decision has been made less difficult for us by the sure knowledge that our daughter, Princess Aria, with her long training in the public affairs of this country and with her many fine qualities, will be able to take our place forthwith without interruption or injury to the life and progress of the Empire.

“Ever since I was a filly, and later on when we occupied the throne, the Duke and I have been treated with the greatest of kindness by all of the ponies wherever we have lived or journeyed throughout the Empire. For that, we are truly grateful.”

Shining Armor felt his eyes begin to water, and Cadance looked over and gave him a shaky smile as she took his hoof in that slightly ostentatious manner so that it was clear to the public, tears streaming down her cheeks.

“We now quit altogether public affairs and lay down our burden. Our daughter's coronation shall be announced shortly, after which it seems that I may be forced to travel to seek further medical treatment, but wherever I may go I shall always hold the Empire and its ponies very dearly in my heart.

“Once again, the Duke and I thank you all very sincerely. May the light of the Sun and Moon bless you all.”

With that, Cadance bowed her head, and together, they stepped back from the microphone.

=====// \=====

Tears dripped from the end of his muzzle, and he let them flow. What use is vanity now?

“It was such a relief to be just us again, to share each day together, to make them as full as we could manage. And then I think of all the time we wasted over the years, and it doesn't seem enough.”

Celestia stood, “They were never wasted, Shining, for you spent them together. Why dwell on so little, when you have shared so much?”

He looked up at her, grasping for words, “What do I do?” he whispered. His heart burned painfully in his chest and he felt giddy, suddenly adrift on currents he could neither see nor understand. “What do I do now? How do I go on without, without-”

Celestia's strong, white wings gently encircled him again, and this time he did not resist, crying freely into her comforting shoulder.

“I wish there was something I could say to make it easier, Shining, something that could give you comfort. It doesn't seem like much, but you have to remember all the good things, and cherish those memories. A full life well-lived is to be celebrated, not mourned – not forever.”

=====// \=====

FAMILY NOTICES

CADENZA, Mi Amore, (Cadance) – At Green Pastures Hospice, Canterlot, after a long illness. Dearly loved wife of His Grace, Shining Armor, Duke of Trottingham, and mother to Her Royal Highness, Princess Aria of the Crystal Empire. Beloved grandmother of Princess Twilight and Prince Skye. A private family service will be held at Canterlot Castle, to be followed by a state funeral in the Crystal Empire next Wednesday (14th). Donations in lieu of flowers, please, to the Princess Cadance After-School Club Foundation.
Waddle & Lurch Ltd., Funeral Directors.

=====// F I N I S \=====