The Crystal Empire has been at peace ever since Princess Cadance and Shining Armor took over its ruling. No more loving couple has ever reigned before, and the Crystal Heart has never generated such power in all of history. But there is a secret that Cadance has kept for many, many, years: a terrible secret with the potential to bring it all crashing down.
This Hearts-and-Hooves Day, Cadance and Shining Armor's love will be put through its toughest trial yet.
This story is a side-story to Essenza di Amore. Though set in the same universe, reading of the prequel is not required. Similarly, knowledge of certain events depicted in the book, Twilight Sparkle and the Crystal Heart Spell, will be helpful but not essential.
The extended version of my entry in the Writeoff Association's January 2015 event, the prompt being All in. Now also the second place winner of Nonpariel Fiction's 2015 Hearts and Hooves Day competition.
*Written before the FIENDship is Magic comic series and the Radiant Hope arc of the main comic series*
Preread by Foals Errand, The Albinocorn, RK_Striker_JK_5, Sholan, and Csquared08.
Edited by Foxy E, Dash The Stampede, Csquared08, and NightWolf289.
Cover art courtesy of Akili-Amethyst.
Inspired by this incredible song.
Featured on:
Fimfiction.net Feature Box (02/12/15)
Equestria Daily!
Approved by Tag-a-long's Book Club!
Approved by Nonpareil Fiction!
Recommended by PresentPerfect!
Recommended by the Pleasant Commentator and Review Group!
Hurray! It's out! Now I'm just standing here wondering how you take a letter that was less than 1,000 words, I believe, and make it into 8,000. I don't know and don't care. I shall commence reading soon.
*favorites without reading*
Dat cover art.
And I didn't know you could link side-stories. I thought the sequel button only worked for.... sequels.
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or 
You'll see.
And hooray! Hope you finished the other one first, though. Then again, it's not like you really need to to understand this.
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Not sure if
Either works
5615661
Very nice, a lovely romance. An ending to end a broken heart.
A side story this way comes, wonderful!
Aww...
I was getting the heartwrenching toward the middle there, with Cadence's claim that she has had twenty happy lives... it's enough to tear a stallion's heart apart, to know that he is a replacement and will be replaced. The ending was heartwarming with the revelation that he won't be replaced, but... it also makes me feel pretty bad for all her other husbands throughout the ages, who weren't the final ones, but she lived with the heartbreak of losing her first husband and the knowledge that the husbands she had weren't going to be her last.
That's actually kinda depressing. I mean, sure, Cadence and Shining are happy, but Sombra was essentially corrupted by a force from without and was executed rather than redeemed. He used to be a good guy, but he didn't even get to die as himself. I would have preferred a Darth Vader-style end for him.
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It's very bittersweet, yes.
So glad you enjoyed it.
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You know, I never even thought of it that way. Evidently neither did any of my other prereaders. Huh.
Well, sometimes, when one is too far gone, there's nothing else you can do. Dog gets rabies; dog gets put down.
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Yeah, but he could have been at least allowed to pass on with light coming back into his heart. And this is MLP - if Discord and Nightmare Moon can be redeemed, why not him? It's just pretty sad and all.
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I'd love to know what the show writers have to say in regards to this question. Indeed, why should Sombra have been slain while the others were given second chances? Call it poor writing, maybe, but I like to think that to be redeemed, there has to be a small part of you inside that actually wants redemption on some level. Discord was never evil, he was just chaotic. I also like to think (headcanon incoming!) that Luna was inside Nightmare Moon somewhere, fighting against her corruption and trying to recover control, which the Elements picked up on and brought back to the surface.
Now Sombra... I feel he truly had nothing good left in him. I could also say the same for Tirek; neither of them wanted redemption. They just wanted power and slaves, to rule uncontested and unopposed. I don't think the Elements of Harmony actually have the power to reverse someone's very nature, only to bring out the good and eliminate the bad. Think of it in the same way that Pharaoh used the Millennium puzzle on Seto Kaiba in Yugioh!
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Dunno about in canon, but in your story he was a good guy who fell to corruption not due to anything inherent in himself but rather a malevolent artifact imposing its will on him. His flaw seems to have been being a bit too trusting of strangers. It's just kinda sad that he gets executed at the end of everything rather than perhaps purged of darkness and allowed to pass on peacefully.
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Part of what inspired this was not only the song, but also a scene from Final Fantasy X, in which Lulu confronts her old Summoner, Lady Ginnem. Ginnem's only crime was being killed where there was no-one available to perform the "sending" ritual. When Lulu returned, Ginnem was nothing but a malicious spirit, an unsent fiend that had to be disposed of. It's left up to personal interpretation whether Ginnem departed to the Farplane after her defeat, or simply faded into oblivion.
Was Sombra truly destroyed? You don't know. There was nothing left but a crater.
It's actually a pretty fair point. Ever since Luna returned, Equestria's been practically under siege. Chaos gods, shapeshifting armies, dragons, demons, megalomaniacs and mind control abound. Add to that a pair of new alicorns during or just before that same period. It's like some large, overarching prophetic time. An dawn of turmoil to a new age.
Either that or this is just situation normal for Equestria, which is kind of a scary thought actually.
(also the story was amazing and I love you for it)
I'm not sure what else I can say, other than great job on this. It's a great piece on Cadance and Shining Armor, and ties in wonderfully with Essenza. So...
Welcome to the Club
i.imgur.com/od0xMCF.png
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Don`t worry I read it, and it deserves that favorite.
What a wild ride! Not what I expected in terms of story but expected in terms of quality.
Patiently waits for ANOTHER sequel.
5616836 But Cadence said that Sombra died!
See?
Have you ever considered submitting this story to Equestria Daily? You can find out how to do so here.
Have you ever considered submitting this story to Equestria Daily? You can find out how to do so here. (repost in case you miss it)
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You. Need. To stop this. Seriously.
I see you do this to every fic you leave a comment on. If you actually did some looking into the stories you place the comment on, or the authors of the stories, perhaps you might see whether or not they have in the referrals of the stories, or if their other stories have been featured there. You should be able to draw your own conclusion.
Let's use this story as an example. You can see it's a sequel to another story of mine, Essenza di Amore. Since you seem so big on getting people to try and submit there all the time, you must surely know that sequels automatically get fathered in by way of submission as a (story update: sequel!). You could click on Essenza di Amore, look in the referrals, or what groups on fimfic it happens to be placed in, or maybe even search for a link in the story's description (because some authors actually like to do that, myself included). Yes, Essenza di Amore is on Equestria Daily, and yes, Crystal Legacy is there too, by way of the story update protocol.
Now, think about that and do a little research into it first before the next time you ask someone. Quite honestly, it comes off as spam, especially for people who read a lot and see you asking the exact same question everywhere.
Death is never the end. Did he face oblivion? Or did he pass on peacefully? What was the nature of Cadance's magic (destructive or purifying)?
You don't know for certain, because I didn't specify. It's dependent on personal interpretation. Yes, he's dead. Finally. Completely. But who knows what happens after death? I don't. How should I expect my characters to? By extension, how could I possibly write them having an explanation? I didn't want to go there, and so I didn't.
Even more entertaining than the first time I read it. I'll have to read some of your other stories
P.S. I will send you a PM with a few after-the-fact edits and suggestions.
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Oboi. *prepares body*
Cheers for that.
If Sombra turns out to be Cadence's ex...
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...you'll like and fave the story?
Thanks!
5621061 I liked what you did there, and your headcanon of Cadence sacrificing her immortality is similar to my headcanon of Cadence already being a mortal alicorn.
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I figured this would be the best way to accommodate those who believe either that she is or isn't immortal, and quell any arguments about it before they arise.
I will clarify that I don't actually have true headcanon about anything in particular; rather, I simply write whatever makes for a good story.
5621824 At least you can just write. Me? I haven't been able to write anything for three months!
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Awh
Hmn. I'm not sure what to think about Cadance both having immortality through serial reincarnation and being a direct blood descendant of the original Crystal Empire royal family. If she is born anew every time she dies, does that mean she spent most of those other nineteen lives as a non-blood descendant of the family? It feels just a little crowded to stack both ideas inside the same story.
On the other hand, that could just be an indication of how much more important this particular life. It is the life that experienced Cadance finally ascending as an alicorn, the Empire's return, and her finally throwing off her connection to Sombra, so maybe it works out. It does make me feel just a little bad for all those other husbands, though.
Interesting.
I liked and faved this. Interesting story and plot line and the ending was just wonderful. It was a different take then what I expected but it was very interesting to say the least. It was a great read and can't wait to read more from you, you are one talented writer my friend.
Great stuff. :D
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This is why I prefer mortal to immortals: far too much confusion to deal with. (I am still puzzled about the whole 'alicorn' aspect of MLP: FiM.) Good read though.
Now I realize what struck me as kind of off about this story: It's the whole reincarnation angle. In the work, Cadance is speaking as though she herself had lived through it. (Which I get is the whole memory thing of the reincarnation thing, still...) I may have lost something in the reading of it, but it seems to me as though Cadance stopped being herself while conversing with Sombra.
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I actually hint at that with this line:
Oh, you did catch that!
She was indeed speaking as though she was a very different pony, her past self. She has had many different personalities over the ages, being raised by different families and in different time periods. Down in the cavern, she was a different pony, and she wanted to show Shining who she used to be. She will of course have reverted to being "herself" after the confrontation, but at least for a short while, she was "someone else."
Wow, now that's an idea you don't see every day. And you handled it awesomely. Another story I'm glad to have faved!
In the first scene, Shining's voice seemed a bit off, particularly in these lines:
Too proper, if that makes sense.
At the very end, after Sombra is destroyed, the tone doesn't feel quite right. I think the story goes from dramatic to light-hearted a bit too fast--it's kinda jarring. You'd think that killing her former lover and letting the spirit of an ancient princess enhabit her body would have a few more lasting effects on Cadance, and that she wouldn't just immediately be able to whoop and cheer.
Good story otherwise. I'll always love the "pushed a thousand shard of glass beneath my skin" line.
So after traveling to Forever and back, I have finally reviewed this story.
Thank you for being patient for my tardiness.
PCaRG Review
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Thank you! Glad you liked it.
Holy cow! That theory about the other Alicorns and their own form of immortality is GENIUS. "Every time my heart beats it's last, a mare becomes pregnant." AMAZING. And the idea of her once being Radiant Hope? ALSO AMAZING.
...wait...I'm confused, though...Radiant Hope wasn't an Alicorn...hmmm...so, does Destiny know in advance how many Alicorn princesses are going to be created, then create the list of their past and future lives? That's...a little weird...but it's also cool!
I am SO using this as my head canon now. And this opens so many other opportunities and questions! Who was Twilight in her former lives? Do the transformed Alicorns become aware of their past lives once they undergo their transformations? Who will Twilight and Cadence be in their next lives?! SO MANY QUESTIONS
Wow that is a neat idea, Cadence once being Hope Wow. When Cadence said she loved Sombra I didn't know how you were going to explain it, but it turned out really well Great Job, I really liked this story
.
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Glad you enjoyed it. I guess when inspiration strikes, ya gotta go through with it.
You can thank Apocalyptica for the idea.
After i find that Story: ..........I LOVE IT
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Thank you for reading. I don't expect my stories to be read anymore, since I'm not doing anything to attract attention, so it's always a nice surprise.
7615926 Stories that i Love, re-Read i Often again
If your sometimes in the Future planed on Maging a sequel, i would be happy to Read IT 
You can has review!
Fascinating stuff. The character voices feel too florid at times, but the story is still a fantastic read, with some fascinating Cadence headcanon. (Also, now we know the effects of epic cursebreaking on the fetus. This works quite well as a Flurry Heart origin story.
)