//------------------------------//
// Epilogue 
// Story: Common Ground 
// by LunasCaptain 
//------------------------------//

	Princess Mi Amore Cadenza sat on one of the many balconies of the palace, a heavy blanket settled on her withers and a steaming cup of tea sitting between her forehooves.  A light snow fell around her, too feathery to stick but still solid enough to put a slight chill in the air.

A team made up of official gardeners and volunteers worked and talked in low voices below her.  They were repairing the delicate beds of crystal that Anomaly, Carapace, and Twilight had charged through.  There were thick boots on their hooves to protect them from the razor-sharp shards, but they didn't seem bothered by the cold.  Ponies of the Crystal Empire were generally used to the harsh northern winters of their country.

Her ears pricked at the sound of cautious hoofsteps behind her.  She half-turned to see a slender, off-white mare hesitating in the doorway.  A flicker of some unpleasant emotion rose in her, but she did her best to quell it.

"Come on."  Cadance faced forward again.  "I want to hear what you have to say."

The mare hesitantly came up beside her, and sat.  There were several small braids in her teal mane and tail, and her eyes were a pale blue.  She had no cutie mark, and there was a scroll in her mouth.  She gently set it down before meeting Cadance's violet gaze our of the corner of her eye.

"Did Twilight get our letter?" she asked quietly.

"Yes.  She wouldn't tell me what was in it, only that you asked her to come to your hive.  She went back to Equestria to discuss it with Celestia."

"Anomaly helped me write it," Carapace muttered.  "He knows more about it than I do."

Cadance remained silent, and she continued.

"He says that Twilight is one of the last of her kind.  An ancient race.  We were bound to them in the old days, because they were different from normal ponies.  Their magic, their emotions, and the bonds that they formed were stronger.  They were companions to us as we traveled and learned, and they had the ability to strip us of our disguises if we got out of hoof.  Normal ponies can only do that once."

"So you want her to help you."

"It wasn't my idea."  Annoyance flickered across her face.  "It wasn't my idea to leave the Changeling throne empty, either, but here we are."

Cadance didn't smile.  "How long do you plan on staying in the city?"

"I'm going home as soon as I finish this."  Carapace nudged the scroll in front of her, and followed it.  She opened it and looked up, her expression blank.

"Mi Amore Cadenza," she began.  "Princess of the Crystal Empire.  Ruler of Ice, Guardian of Crystal, Regent of Love.  I come to you as Carapace of the Changeling Nation, ambassador to your country, and ask that you ally with my people.  Against the threat of those ponies who wish us harm, against the threat of the Qu--Chrysalis, and against the threat of any new enemies who may arise."

Cadance looked down at the scroll.  There was a place for her to sign her name.  A quill, already loaded with ink, had been rolled up in the parchment.  A cloud of pale blue magic surrounded it and lifted it into the air.

"I accept," she replied, signing the document with a flourish.