It had taken some time, but Cadance had managed to calm down the crystal ponies and, with love returned to their hearts, the Crystal Empire’s defenses become active again.
Returning into the castle, she questioned herself if Shining, Blue and Twilight Blue had just interrogated the captured Changeling. So she went to Twilight’s room. Once there, she knocked the door and asked:
"Twilight, are you there?"
But she received no response. Maybe she was not there. Then she began to hear the sound of hooves walking around the room. She knew those steps. She opened the door and peered and when she saw Twilight there, she opened the door and asked her:
"Twilight, did you not hear me... Wait, what are you doing?"
She saw Twilight preparing her saddlebags with everything she had left in that room since the first time she started spending a few days in the Crystal Empire.
"What do you think, Cadance?" Twilight asked, closing her saddlebags. "I'm leaving. I already have nothing to do here."
"But for no reason?" Cadance asked. "We have not even spent time together. What's going on?"
"What’s going on?" Twilight repeated. "What’s going on is that my brother, who is your husband, is a big jerk."
“Shining? But what did he do?
"He did the worst thing he could do at this point."
Cadance did not understand anything. It was very rare to see Twilight angry with Shining. The last time that happened was when Shining did not tell her that he was getting married, and she didn’t see that scene, so this situation was a complete novelty to Cadance.
Twilight then sighed, sitting on the bed, and then said:
"Shining discovered everything, Cadance."
"He discovered what?" Cadance asked.
"Cadance, what is the only secret I keep from Shining and only you and my friends know?" Twilight asked back.
Then the Crystal Empire princess realized soon. The surprise crossed her face.
"He found out about you and Blue" Cadance asked to Twilight, sitting beside her.
"Yes, he did" Twilight nodded. "And in the worst way."
For Twilight’s voice, Cadance could guess that something bad had happened.
"What happened?" She asked.
"Shining... punched Blue and ended their friendship" Twilight replied.
That left Cadance shocked, asking Twilight:
"Are you serious?"
"No, I'm being terribly sarcastic" she mocked. "Do you think I would joke about something like this, Cadance?"
"You're right, you wouldn’t."
"It was terrible, Cadance. You should have heard the horrible things Shining said to Blue. And when I told him I loved Blue since foalhood..."
"Wait, did you tell to your brother that part?" Cadance asked, not wanting to believe what she had heard.
"Yes" Twilight replied. "I know, I shouldn’t have done that, since only would make things worse, but I couldn’t contain myself."
Cadance sighed. The situation had really derailed. She knew that it was up to her to soften the situation the best as she could.
"Twilight, you don0t have to feel bad about yourself" Cadance said, as she stroked her mane to comfort her. "You did what anyone would do with hothead. But, you know, I'm sure if you and Shining talk..."
"No, cadance, don’t ask me to do that" Twilight said, getting to her hooves. "Right now, I don’t want to talk with Shining."
"But, Twilight..."
"Don’t insist, Cadance. In this moment, I need to clear my head and for that, I have to go back to Ponyville. And I think Shining also need time to reflect. I'm doing this for both of us, for our relationship as siblings. Blue will also do the same with him."
Cadance smiled slightly and then rose up, saying to Twilight:
"You've matured so much, Twilight. And I'm very proud of you."
"Thank you, Cadance."
The two gave a hug and, when they finished, Cadance said:
"You can go at will. I'll try to make some sense get in your brother's hard head."
Twilight smiled and replied:
"You're the best."
"I'm just giving back everything you did for me and Shining" Cadance said. "You saved our courtship, our wedding, you helped us to protect the Crystal Empire..."
"Cadance, you also did more than enough for me" Twilight replied. "You helped me with Blue and you hid us. And now, you're gonna help me with Shining."
"You are my sister, as legally as in heart. I do everything for you and I know you'd do the same."
Twilight smiled more sharply and gave another hug to Cadance. Then she put her saddlebags and then said:
"Well, bye, Cadance."
"Bye, Twilight. Good luck."
"You too. You're going to need a lot of luck to make that hardheaded change his mind."
And then Twilight headed to the exit and got out of her room. After she left, Cadance passed the hoof at her belly and told to her foal:
"It seems that mommy will have a very serious talk with daddy. A very serious one."
Cadance then went to Shining’s office, entering without knocking. Shining was behind the desk, being get by surprised when he saw Cadance coming in suddenly and saying:
"Shining, we have to talk."
"Cadance now I have no time" Shining replied, turning his attention back to the papers he had on the desk. "I have a lot of things to deal with right now."
"And I bet one of those things is the fact that you discovered that your sister is dating your best friend" Cadance said.
That made Shining look to Cadance with astonishment.
"Oh, wait, let me rephrase: the fact that you discovered that your sister is dating your ex best friend, who you punched and called everything and anything" Cadance said.
"But how do you know that?" Shining asked, standing up.
"Twilight told me" Cadance said. "You know, at this point, she must be flying back to Ponyville, hurt by what you did."
"What I did?" Shining repeated, approaching Cadance. "I don’t know if you have noticed, but I've been fooled all this time. During all the time that they started... I cannot even finish the sentence."
"So it's good that you get used because it is the reality, Shining" Cadance said. "Your sister is dating Blue, and that's a fact. You just have to accept it."
Seeing how cadance was speaking about the subject, Shining realized.
"You knew, didn't you?" he asked. "You knew all about this."
"Yes, I did" Cadance replied. "So?"
"Then you should had told me" Shining replied. "Do you realize what I felt when I saw my sister and that..."
But he didn’t end the sentence.
"Look, Shining, I just didn’t tell you because it was a thing that only concerned to Twilight" Cadance said.
"I'm her brother" Shining said.
"But that doesn’t give you the right to control her life" Cadance said. "Shining, you have to let her make her own choices. If she wants to stay with Blue, why don’t you let her?"
"I can’t" he replied. "Have you forgotten how Blue is? I don’t want that Twilight suffer if he leaves her."
"You really don't have much consideration for your best friend."
"He is no longer my best friend."
"Because of you" Cadance said. "If you had not been so proud and possessive."
"Possessive?" Shining asked. "I'm not possessive!"
"Yes, you're" Cadance replied. "You're acting just like Twilight when she found out you were going to marry."
Shining didn’t respond to that. Despite denying, he knew that Cadance was right. She approached him, grabbing one of his hooves, and said:
"Shining, I know that Twilight is very important to you, but she has the right to be happy with the great love of her life. And if that love is Blue, why don’t you let her be with him? If you know Blue, as you say you know him, you know he never would hurt, Twilight. He is your friend, your best friend, who was always by your side. He was the one who, along with Twilight, saved our relationship when Fire Punch tried to finish it. It seems you've forgotten it."
"No, I have not forgotten that" Shining replied.
"So why are you acting like this, Shining?"
"Precisely because Blue is my friend that I’m acting like this! I know he would never try to hurt Twilight, but I know how he is. And if keeping him away can save what's left of our friendship, so be it."
"You know what, Shining?" Cadance asked. "That's the dumbest thing I ever heard. Do you realize what did you say?"
Shining didn’t answer her, averting her gaze.
"Think about what you're doing" Cadance continued. "You're ruining a friendship of a lifetime because of nonsense. Tell me, Shining, of all stallions, who would you prefer the most to make your sister happy?"
The white unicorn didn’t answer that. He was understanding what Cadance was meaning. Shining knew Blue very well and thought he would be the most suitable coltfriend for Twilight. However, he couldn’t accept that idea, he just couldn’t.
"Just for you know, Blue is currently preparing to return to Canterlot with his guards and the captive Changeling" Cadance said. "I expect you take the right decision before that. Don’t disappoint me, Shining."
And having said that, he left the office.
After she was gone, Shining intuitively began to walk from one side to the other. He couldn’t stop thinking about what Cadance had just said, which made him immensely confused. On the one hoof, he had his overprotective older brother pride which leaves no stallion, with the exception of his family, get closer to Twilight with intentions that was not friendship. But on the other hoof, he had his best friend, the one who always helped him, who always supported him, who has always been faithful to him.
Then he remembered when he met Blue. He was five and felt sorry for herself, until a ball made their paths crossed. Since then, they became best friends, both having the same dreams, the same ambitions, the same principles. They were virtually inseparable. Their friendship had over twenty years, but a moment was enough to end everything. To Blue ruin everything by flirting Twilight.
'No, it wasn’t Blue’s fault' His inner voice said to him. 'It was you who caused this whole situation.'
Shining tried to ignore the feeling of guilt that the voice was inflicting him, but it was hard.
'If you don’t do anything, you'll end up losing your best friend, the pony who else you could trust.'
When he heard the voice saying that, Shining began really to ponder that he might have been too possessive with Twilight. His own selfishness would cost him the best friend he ever had. He could not let that happen. And he would not let that happen.
Then he headed to the door and got out of his office, determined to find Blue.
Cadance left a corner and smiled, seeing her husband moving away, running. It seemed he had made the right decision. She then told to her foal:
"You see, sweetheart, that's how mommy puts daddy in order."
Shining walked through the corridors of the castle, trying to find Blue, but he was not successful. Then he found a crystal guard that made saluted Shining when he came to the border.
"Did you see Captain Blue Sword?" Shining asked.
"Yes, captain. Captain Blue Sword and his guards went to the train station to transfer the Changeling to Tartarus."
Upon hearing that, Shining hastened to head for the exit. When he left the castle, he ran as fast as he could to the exit of the Crystal Empire and then to the station. But it was too late. Upon reaching the station, the train to Canterlot had already left. He could see Blue at a glance with his guards, though it seemed he had not seen him.
But that didn’t discouraged Shining. He was determined to settle things between him and Blue. And it was not only between them. He had also been very hard with Twilight and wouldn’t let a mistake like that ruin the relationship he had with his sister and his best friend.