This story is a sequel to The Birth of Harmony
If "The Birth of Harmony" chronicles how Celestia, Luna, and Cadance all arrived in Equestria, then this story details Cadance's life helping her aunt Celestia during the thousand years of her aunt Luna's banishment. Cover image courtesy of Sunset Dragon.
Check this blog post:
For further info about this story. Another update in 10 days!
Mike
Whoah. So... does this take place just before Luna declared herself Nightmare Moon, or just after Celestia has defeated her?
In either case: damn, this is good stuff.
Edit: Oh, that answers it. And... Whoah!
CADANCE
WAT R U DOIN
CADANCE
STAHP
But batmans the night
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Kids these days:
They never listen when you tell 'em to "STAHP," do they?
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Which must mean Luna is Batman. That's wunna them "quid pro quo" things or something else in Latin, isn't it?
Mike Again
Changelings!
Oh, Cadance...
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Now, now:
What could possibly go wrong?
Mike
Cadence! Stop!
That's a line with a few different interpretations.
Hmmnn... Suspicious.
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I will admit:
I'm having too much fun writing Chrysalis. But as folks always say about Paradise Lost, Satan gets the best lines....
Mike
Princess of love accidently creates creatures which feed on love? Brilliant!
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Thanks!
This whole story is mostly me trying to force certain aspects of the "Canterlot Wedding" episodes to make some sort of sense. Whether I can actually do that or not remains an open question...
Mike
So, the Chrysalis of this and the previous chapters isn't evil yet, is she? Which number are we on, anyways.
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The next chapter:
Will provide some insight into exactly these questions. Look for "Fourth Century" on or about June 10th.
Mike
2658223 Thanks. Gotta say, I've been enjoying your idea on the nature of changelings. It's not my headcanon -- that would be either that she's the ruling alicorn of an alien planet, or something else I haven't fleshed out enough to describe yet -- but still interesting.
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Interesting:
Is what I'm aiming for here, so I'm glad it's working for you so far.
Mike
I really love the ways you've characterized the princesses in this story. Cadence as Equestria's grim reaper and progenitor of the Changelings is an interesting concept; Love and death are connected in their own way, I suppose. Your take on Celestia's guilt is also subtle and nuanced, I can really feel the years slowly weighing her down.
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Thanks!
This is very much a character piece--Cadance in the middle with Celestia on one side and Chrysalis on the other--and those aren't the sorts of stories I usually write. So once again, I'm using my space here on FIMFiction to experiment.
Mike
Well:
She freaked out. The next chapter, "Fifth Century," should be appearing here on or about June 18th.
Mike
Damn, this just got real for Cadance and the changelings. Looking forward to more!
Wow. I like it. Normally Celestia is the one who is trying to selectively breed ponies to get a team of perfect Bearers. The idea of Cadence doing the breading is new and has merit. Who better than the mistress of love to engineer the births of the Bearers? More.
CHANGELING ZOMBIES!!
I think there might be a tense derp on that first do.
It's interesting, but I'd always imagined that Cadence would be one to argue that it doesn't matter so much why love starts so long as it's true -- though perhaps only as a counterment to the usual plot devices where person X tricks Y to get Z, falls in love and then Y finds out and gets angry at X in a pandemonium of alphabetical drama.
This continues very nicely along its frankensteinian roots. I somehow get the feeling that Cadence's reactions to the undying Chrysalis will become important; it would make sense if the reason why Chrys doesn't recognise or react to Cadence as this version would on show is all because Cadence got freaked out and meddled.
More, pls.
You know, like sofas, apples. Fiancés.
Whoops.
So we now have an explanation for the super loyal Chrysalis and her changeling servants Became the power-hungry queen Chrysalis.
Cadence severed the the continuous chain of memory's.
Good show sir.
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I still say:
What could possibly go wrong?
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I'm stealing this idea from myself, actually. Earlier this year, Cold in Gardez posted a story called "In the Garden of Good and Evil," and I spent the next two days putting together a prequel to it called "The Golden Age." But since both those stories were based in the Ponyverse of SleeplessBrony's Romance Reports, I snipped the idea of Cadance as Creatrix out and plopped it into my own Ponyverse.
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That's the challenge of a story like this. We all know that it's leading up to those ding-dang "Canterlot Wedding" episodes, so it's all about the journey, not the destination. Still, I hope I can keep folks guessing about some of the details...
Mike
2701515 Oh don't get me wrong I'm still waiting with baited breath to see what happens between A and C.
Still going strong, looking forward to more.
"Sixth Century":
Should be along around about June 27th.
Mike
Yep. This isn't gonna end well. For their relationship, I mean.
Yeah, this is the bit just before it all goes pear-shaped. I can tell.
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I'm sure:
Ev'rything'll work out fine. I mean, apart from the whole upcoming kidnapping and attempted coup and all...
Mike
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Yes, aside from that whole fiasco...
Can't say I blame either of the girls though.
I've said it before:
And I'll say it again: what could possibly go wrong?
Look for "Seventh Century" on or about July 6th!
Mike
Huh, fun little pokes here and there.
Everything's going suspiciously well between those two.
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Thanks!
I try to throw in lines here and there that work in context but also mean more to us readers since we know where this is all heading. Although--
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I am and hope always to remain a "happy ending" kinda guy, "Canterlot Wedding" notwithstanding. Maybe I've just peered too often down the barrel of my head canon at that scene in part two where Cadance and Twilight burst in on the wedding, but I see so much hurt between Cadance and Chrysalis that I had to imagine a prior, long-standing relationship.
Mike
I know for certain this will end well for all parties concerned.
...Chrysalis wingboner? I enjoyed the chapter, but after getting to the end, that's all I can think about right now.
2782369 It fits thought, in the nature of what is established. Taking certain lines, foci, and even how perception works in a social setting to what is considered verbatim.
Seventh century stretch!
On the downhill slide here, though: "Eight Century" should be up around July 16th, "Ninth Century" about the 26th, "Tenth Century" in which everything that we know about from the series happens, will be around Aug. 6th, then the last chapter will be "Another Beginning," due Aug. 16th. I hope.
Mike
It's Rebellious Teenage Chrysalis! "I hate you, Mom! You don't understand!" and she storms off to her room to listen to loud music but everything's too pink and cheerful so she leaves to find some nice dank cave where she can sulk properly and that's why changelings live in a hive.
And if they get hit by a carriage there isn't enough love to see them properly into the Summer Lands, but really, what are the odds that'll happen in the next eternity?
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Those holes in her legs?
Piercings, of course.
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Keep that thought in mind as we start into the next couple centuries...
Mike
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It makes so much sense!
Is anyone else getting a phantom unread chapter?
*edit*
My OCD can't take it, moving this to my read later list until the unreadable new chapter is fixed.
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Yes, me too. Even though I've read it all, it always shows on my unread list. That aside...
I still can't believe this has so few likes. The characters here are amazingly well done. I have to confess that this is becoming my own changeling headcanon, and the Chrysalis in my own Desperate Times is heavily influenced by this.