//------------------------------// // Fighting for love // Story: The day Twilight saved love // by TwiwnB //------------------------------// The four ponies arrived near the throne room where Flash had assured them Cadance would be. But in front of the door were about sixty royal guard fully equipped. “How are we going to pass?” Flash asked. “I know those guys. They are the elite of the guards. We better find another way.” “Or, we use a distraction…” Bon Bon proposed. But nothing happened. “Okay, bad timing.” Bon Bon explained. “Just wait for it.” And at that moment a series of explosions shook the whole palace. Shining Armor came out of the throne room and immediately dispatched guards to go inquire, going himself with a patrol, leaving only four guards left in front of the door. “Now what?” Lyra asked. “Your earrings.” Bon Bon replied. “What about them?” “Throw them.” Lyra didn’t discuss, took her earrings and threw them in middle of the four remaining guards who couldn’t react before a soporific gas enveloped them and put them to sleep. “You offered me earrings that explode? Seriously?” “Well, I had forgotten about your present, and I had those under my hooves, and you see…” Twilight stopped the two mares quarrel, as it was time to go confront Cadance. The four ponies entered the throne room, which was empty with the exception of the princess of love, on her throne, with her red cloak as well as evil grin on. “Congratulation.” Cadance told them. “I see I underestimated you. But this ends here. I won’t allow you to block my path any longer.” And her horn lit up in green to create a huge blasting laser that came crashing onto Twilight’s shield. Having had her first shot fail, Cadance got up, opened her wing and gathered her magic to prepare a huge attack that wouldn’t be blocked this time. Twilight saw it and gathered her own magic, just in time as her attack went crashing against Cadance’s, blocking her in the middle of the room. But already, Twilight could feel how much more powerful Cadance was. The power of evil was overwhelming, and slowly but surely, she was losing ground. “Cadance, please, I know you think you’re doing the right thing and it makes sense in your mind, but you have to stop. Maybe your reasoning is partly right, or even fully right I don’t know, but you must see that hiding the truth from ponies and refusing them the right to choose is wrong. Surely you must see that trying to hurt me is wrong!” “You decided to oppose me on your own free will. I gave you a chance to join me. You refused. Your plea is useless.” Cadance replied, intensifying her attack. Twilight understood words wouldn’t be sufficient. She had to use magic. “Lyra, Bon Bon, I need your help, now!” Both mares, who had gone hiding, looked at Twilight and the huge rays of magic that were filling the room and threatened to destroy everything at any second. “How?” They asked. “How can we help you?” With difficulty, Twilight turned her head to them and told them: “Just say it. Confess your love again.” Lyras looked at Bon Bon and Bon Bon at Lyra. “That sounds kinda stupid you know.” Lyra shouted to overcome the sound of the magic flows. “Of course it sounds stupid!” Twilight shouted back, using her last strength to hold against the huge power that was overcoming every part of her body. “Love is stupid. And irrational. That’s the bucking point: otherwise it wouldn’t be magic!” Bon Bon put her hoof on Lyra’s muzzle and asked: “What do you say? Want to be stupid?” Lyra laughed and put her own hoof on Bon Bon’s muzzle: “With you: anyday!” And in unison, they both said: “I love you!” and instinctively kissed. An abrupt flow of magic enveloped them both and then exploded, simply blowing away the two alicorns attacks as if it had been a candle’s flame. A second wave of magic then took over, gentle, warm, so concentrated part of it became liquid and took physical form. “No…” Cadance said, way too late. The second wave of magic let out a blue ray of light, then a red one, then a yellow one and soon seven colors that mixed into one giant rainbow that journeyed through the room and slowly but surely enveloped Cadance who disappeared behind the lights. The throne room’s door opened to let Shining Armor enter, bringing Lyra and Bon Bon back to reality. As they stopped kissing, they came back on the ground and the rainbow disappeared, revealing Cadance again who had fallen on the ground. But before Shining Armor could react, Cadance got up. Her eyes had come back to their natural color, there were no violet flames anymore coming out of them, but Cadance’s face was still looking angry. “Great! Now you’ve done it!” Cadance yelled. “Do you know how long it will take me to regain power over the magic I need to deal with love?” “You’re still evil?” Twilight asked, confused. “Evil?” Cadance asked back. “I told you: love is evil. But no matter how many times I tell you, you won’t listen and you won’t understand. I am not evil: I am trying to save everypony. And you are trying to stop me from saving them: so you are the evil one here. And now, I’ll deal with you.” Twilight was too exhausted to use her magic again. The magic of love wouldn’t work either. She had lost. And then Shining Armor got in the way. “So you really want to rid Equestria of love.” He stated. “Step aside!” Cadance ordered. “I’m doing it for the good of ponykind.” But Shining Armor didn’t move. “You could have begun with my love for you.” He told her. “What?” He made one step towards her and saw she made one step backward in response. “I’m saying that if you really want to rid the world of every ounce of love, then there is no reason not to begin with your own husband. Or with your love for me.” The more he was advancing, the more Cadance was backing away. “I’m not… I never wanted to…I…” She was at a loss of words. She could see a new flame burning in Shining Armor’s eyes, one she had never seen before and that was consuming her in incredible pain. “But maybe you don’t love me anymore already. Or maybe you do. It doesn’t matter. Because I’m happy to announce you that you have succeeded, princess Me Amore Cadenza.” He had emphasized every word of her true name and each had plunged into Cadance’s heart like knives. Out of breath, her back against the throne, Cadance lost control of her legs and fell on the ground. Shining Armor came near her, looked at her right into the eyes and then slowly whispered into her ear: “I hope you are happy: I do not love you anymore.” And having said those words, he simply got up again and walked away, ignoring her imploring eyes, ignoring her tears and ignoring her screams of despair: “Shining Armor, please, I’m sorry, I’m so sorry: don’t leave me. I love you! I still love you! I’ll always love you. I didn’t mean to… come back! Please come back!” Shining Armor kept on walking, but a hoof stopped her. He looked at the pony who was blocking his path and saw his little sister. “Don’t leave her like that big brother.” Twilight said. “Why not? Why should I care anymore? She doesn’t want for love to exist, so be it. I don’t love her anyway: I hate her now.” But Twilight simply hugged him and he felt tears coming out of his own eyes. “Don’t you know, big brother? Hate is just another expression of love. Cadance is right: love can be very destructive and at this moment, you are destroying her. Don’t use love like that: it isn’t right.” Shining Armor turned his head to Cadance who was still on the ground, slowly crawling in his direction, crying and imploring. “How am I supposed to forgive her what she has done?” He asked Twilight. “Isn’t that what love is for?” Twilight asked back. “The only question is: do you really feel nothing for her anymore, or do you still have a bit of love left?” Shining Armor’s whole body shivered and he smiled. “What would we become without you little sister?” He asked her. “I love you too.” Twilight replied. And she let Shining Armor go to Cadance, whom he comforted, and reassured of his love, a love he couldn’t get rid of even if he wanted. Because it was just how, deep down, things simply were. “I guess it’s over then?” Bon Bon asked Twilight. “Yes. You saved love.” Twilight replied. “Enjoy it.” “Oh we will…” Lyra replied, grabbing Bon Bon’s leg and pulling her away only to begin a new quarrel about where they would pass their honeymoon. Twilight watched them go away with just one thought in mind: “Love really is a strange magic.”