//------------------------------// // Chapter 7: Persistent Legacy (Part 2: The Present) // Story: The Great Dictator: Times of Swift Rise // by Time Reaper //------------------------------// Cadence was prepared for this, she knew that (whatever Chrysalis wanted) it couldn't be good and, thus, she would be ready to attack her with anything she had on her arsenal. Cadence felt ice crossing her spine at the speed of lightning as Chrysalis came down to the floor with the grace of a butterfly in the search of a place to rest, the pink fury noticed that the changeling swarm stood in the air, perhaps as a potential reminder of who had the temporary advantage, Cadence saw her husband and, just by looking at each other, Shining Armor went to prepare the troops against a potential invasion. Chrysalis started to move to Cadence wearing a stone mask that made sure that nobody could detect her motives of this potential pre-invasion. Cadence, even though Chrysalis would follow through, decided to use a stone mask as well to stay as neutral as she could, she wanted to show to her scared ponies that she was capable of dealing with an enemy, she wanted to give an example of how leaders should act in front of other representatives, she wanted to prove everybody that the pink mountain was capable of facing the swarm and not be shaken. Both enemies faced each other out through a sort of staring contest, waiting to see who would be the one breaking the iceberg between them. In the end, Cadence would prove herself to be the one breaking the ice through a move that would make many political leaders nod in approval, for she said: "Hello Queen Chrysalis" - Cadence lowered her head to grant her a physical salute - "I apologize for not making a proper preparation for a welcome designed to be on your level and that would have showed you how much we would have enjoyed your visit to our Empire" - She raised her head and looked Chrysalis to her face, never breaking the sight and always keeping her stone mask, and leveled her tone of voice to much more welcoming one - "But, considering that one of your citizens decided to give us a warning that you were coming, we thank you for taking the bother to advise your visit even though it could have been much earlier so we could have given you a proper welcoming" - Cadence broke her stone mask and made a little smile - "But now that all of that has been said, please tell us what are the reasons of your visit here, for you must be aware of your condition with us and how are our opinions with your species and we would like to make this encounter as brief as possible". Chrysalis saw around herself, she noticed all the guards and princesses preparing themselves to fight her and her changelings, she understood perfectly what Cadence meant but she wasn't afraid, she knew what to do, she kneel down to Cadence and started her speech: "Salutes, regent of the Crystal Empire, I humbly apologize for my abrupt travel to your domains, but as I realized that you were investigating the distant past of this kingdom, I couldn't hold myself from traveling here and giving you a series of petitions that you would find, for the most part, very useful to your kingdom". Cadence kept her composure, but incredulity was overwhelming her right now. After her last attempt at her wedding, Cadence wasn't feeling very trustworthy to Chrysalis and her changelings, she wasn't going to refuse to listen to her, but she wasn't going to believe her petitions for that matter. "On the first place: I've come here to tell you that I'm aware of you, discovering the existence of the Tyrant Swift Rise, even though I never saw him as a tyrant, as many of his opponents would claim, I do think that you would find (not only) interesting (but also) useful to know that I was alive at that era and, if you would like, I can tell you all I can remember of those times so you could start a quicker rebuilding of all that was made there. Thus, I offer to you my services". "On the second Place: I've come here to ask you to allow my changelings to live under your protection, as it was stipulated on the Protection Treaty of Mutual Services signed between the Emperor of the Crystal Empire, King Swift Rise, the Dragon Lord, Kaiser Mondragon, and the previous Chagenling Queen, Queen Aneptydis, my mother. Said act would make both the Changeling and Dragon species subjects to the regents of the Crystal Empire, and being subjected to all the laws and rights it carried out, on exchange of being treated as citizens of the Crystal Empire and equal to all its other subjects. I'm aware that you have no reason to believe in my person, but I can assure you that, in the memory of my mother and my honor as a Queen, I will make sure that my subjects will abide to the Treaty and that they'll help your subjects in whatever type of job you can provide". "On the Third Place: To prove that I will honor you on my promise that my subjects will accept you, I will let you and your fellow monarchs of Equestria to judge me (in exchange of all the crimes that my subjects could have committed) for the Invasion attempt made a few months ago in Canterlot, Equestria. I'll let myself to be judged by courts of both Equestria and the Crystal Empire, whether you use the current judiciary system or the one implemented on the times of the regent Swift Rise will be at your discretion. I hope you find all of this of your liking and if you don't, we can fix everything for a better deal". Chrysalis kept herself on her knees, never looking at Cadence, and waiting for a response. Cadence, on the other hoof, was in shock to this series of proposals, stone mask still being kept. She wasn't sure what to do, she wasn't sure if she should press for more, she wasn't sure if ignore Chrysalis or accept her deal, so she decided to ask for three days to give the deal a better thought. Chrysalis accepted her terms and took all her changelings to the exterior of the Crystal Empire, under the promise that she, along all of her changelings, would be waiting for her and, in two days, Chrysalis, with her hive, would go to visit her and hear Cadence's response. That day, Cadence summoned a special committee to discuss the terms requested by Chrysalis. This committee was made of various experts on multiple subjects, like historians, generals (the few they could find) common workers, etc. The most known on this committee were Princess Celestia, Princess Luna, Princess Twilight and Princess Cadence; General Shining Armor, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. This committee's first decision was to determine first the course of action (and ignore Rainbow Dash's initial plan of kicking the changelings out), the committee would first research all the information gathered so far (both in the Crystal Library and the newest information discovered on the secret chamber that housed everything respecting Swift Rise) and tomorrow, they would start the actual debate. That night, both Princess Cadence and Queen Chrysalis struggled through the same issues: Was this a good idea? Should she do something that could affect her subjects in unknown ways? Will the other monarch abide to her word? All of this were questions that were invading their heads and wouldn't let them rest. Chrysalis, on the little camp made for her subjects to pass the night, was now remembering the old days where she would constantly plot to remake that empire she always wanted to hold. The griffons were saved for the mountain environment they lived in, impossible to invade (especially on winter) and impossible to infiltrate successfully. The minotaurs always managed to detect her changelings so an invasion was downright impossible, the dragons were too strong and the diamond dogs were too hard to get. She felt the coldness of the night and let the crickets and sounds of the night to soother her. She looked at the Crystal Palace, still as beautiful as she remembered, being a wonder that nopony could even understand how it was built. Chrysalis remembered those days where she would go to the palace to watch the hallways and let her nymph mind dream of her one day working there and being a part of the government, being loved by everybody and always working for the rights of her fellow citizens. Eventually the dream became a memory of a more innocent time where she thought the world was simpler and easier, she remembered the day she banished her mother into exile for, what she thought was, treason for allowing her changelings to be subjects of another king (Oh, the irony behind that) and, to make it more ironic, she banished her under the crime of "ineptitude" and "lack of ruling" when she was the one that had to find a home for her hive and a way to sustain them. Chrysalis now wondered how much wisdom did she threw out at the window when she banished her mother, she wondered everyday. As the cold breeze passed through her straight hair, Chrysalis remembered when she first searched for the remnants of The Crystal Empire (or any memory of it) and how little she could find around, what she saw as, the greatest empire on earth. It chilled her the idea that her most precious memories couldn't be found, that she could have been delusional over that. That her mother's silence over said kingdom was because it didn't existed, now, Chrysalis could rest in peace knowing that she didn't imagined all of that and she could better focus on her most recent problem: The resignation of her subjects to Cadence. Chrysalis got huge amounts of disagreement over her decision, her Changelings were now calling her a traitor and weak queen, that she shouldn't be holding the throne among other familiar attacks she has already heard from a different mouth. Chrysalis now understood that the hardest thing for a regent wasn't doing what her subjects wanted, but rather, what they needed even if they didn't wanted. But was it so hard to desire to do the right thing and still be recognized? Was it so bad to desire respect from others? All that Chrysalis desired was to be looked the same way she looked at her idol, her role model, was it so bad to ask for respect? To be capable of imposing one's will and be respected for it? She wondered if she would ever be remembered in a good way in history, but that was a long dream already dead. Now, all left for her changelings was resting at the hooves of the Princess residing in the palace Chrysalis used to visit when she was a little nymph. Cadence was wondering what she could do with this predicament, she never expected that she would have to face with the decisions made by her ancestor neither that Chrysalis would be so accepting to the idea of her being arrested and trialed, what was she up to? Cadence wasn't sure. Perhaps this was a way to make her lower her defenses and, that way, the changelings would have an easier way to invade the Crystal Empire; perhaps she was trying to give her species a second chance so they could survive. Cadence wasn't sure and all she could do was look at the Moon and hope that some of its silver shining, filled with the wisdom of history, could provide her of the answers she wanted to know. Cadence spoke with her husband before sleeping, they talked about the many problems this could convey and how they could be sure that Chrysalis wouldn't try anything dangerous on her little ponies. Shining Armor asked Cadence about her discovered family, was she affected by the knowledge of being a descendant of a tyrant? Cadence didn't knew what to do, every time she tried to think about it she would feel conflicted: On one hoof, She was sure that Swift Rise committed horrible deeds and that he might have been a horrible pony but, on the other hoof, why would Amor Candente marry such a horrible pony? Cadence had to hold herself on multiple occasions so she didn't ended up destroying the only piece of visual evidence of what happened to the Crystal Empire a 1000 years ago. Cadence wanted to know why would a pony so respected by her political aunt Celestia, join a pony that had no scruples to send many ponies to exile. She would have to wait until tomorrow for the next meeting on the special commission to assess whatever information they could gather so far. Shining Armor was on his own problems. He never expected that the general that would create the basics of how the Royal Guard would carry out its job, actually worked for a Tyrant; Shining Armor always dreamed that General Golden Strike was a General that was so prominent because of his loyalty and desire to modernize the Equestrian military, never because he actually worked for an even better general that made the foundations for a professional army. Now, after discovering Equestria's military origins, he was wondering if there was a way to change everything. How could he rest knowing that Equestria's history was tied up to a monster? Eventually, talking with Cadence would give him a comfort never thought before, knowing that somebody else was going through the same problems as you (even if the other one had it worse) allowed you to rest under the idea that you were not alone and, as such, the couple was now capable of make each other feel better. Princess Celestia and Luna were spending the night debating how much they could have done to help and how much would have changed if they hadn't spent the first days debating how they could have helped they're good friend Candente, both Princess weren't sure of it and discussing it only brought back the old grudges that they both thought were eliminated back when Twilight used the elements on Luna. This recent events, to the surprise of the sisters, brought them the chance to amend their old problems through the lenses of understanding, experience and foresight as they now understood that the best way to fix their past mistakes (or, at least, one of them) was bringing their help on the matters at hoof, they would rest soon (after doing both the rise and lowering of the Sun and the Moon) and on the next day, they would give their best to defeat the ghost that still haunted them to this day. Of all the ponies that felt conflicted that night, Twilight Sparkle would be the one with the most curious version of conflicting emotions. Typical of every young and naive pony, she mostly remembered the parts of great infrastructure done by Swift Rise and wanted to do the same for Equestria, but she felt as if it was unnecessary to be so cruel on the subjects. She didn't understood how monstrous was the Rising Regime and how much it undermined the freedom of the individual, Twilight would be searching on the Crystal Library and the Secret Vault during the whole night (with her tagged friends) to try and give her best understanding to Swift Rise work and what was needed to help on the new circumstances brought by Chrysalis. Twilight felt conflicted because, on one hoof, she wanted to be a princess capable of bringing a new age of enlightenment to Equestria through all the modernization that could be brought through a great and modernizing program that brought back to light all of those great equestrians that were forgotten by history; on the other hoof, Twilight couldn't deny how horrible and tyrannical was Swift Rise through his political force (KP) and how much it undermined what were basically the elements of Harmony. In all of her time researching, Twilight would try to find sympathy on her friends, only finding the response of the harsh truth: Swift Rise was a Tyrant that (whether he actually believed it or not) used an idealism to make himself popular and stay in power, it was impossible to deny the great works he did just as much as the tragedy that it was the destruction of said progress at the hoofs of Sombra, but a monster was a monster and one must never search progress through the force and authoritarianism. In the end, Twilight understood that the search of said progress through an honest work that allowed everyone to work for what they believed was right, the worry of those who suffered and never forgetting to treat even your enemies with kindness, being generous even to those who don't deserve one's goodness, staying loyal to your own ideals, celebrating what must be celebrated and an everlasting friedship were the key to a rule that would bring the best results to a kingdom. During the rest of the night, Twilight would be searching all the documents she could find to bring them over to tomorrow's meeting. The next day's meeting went in a very different way compared to yesterday, instead of a complete bickering and a lack of move, everybody was capable of bring forth all the evidence they could find and tried to make the best of it. Twilight was the one that helped the most by bringing all the acts, laws, treaties, books and memoirs that they were capable of finding both on the Crystal Library and the Secret Vault. Celestia and Luna helped too by giving their memories of those days and how were the deals done with the Crystal Empire to get funds to defeat Discord and (subsequently) stabilize Equestria. Shining Armor brought all the military registries he could find (including books wrote by General Golden Strike and how they founded the modern military guard, even if they have gotten out of touch with said teachings). Through said research, they managed to find Queen Amor Candente's documents on how much did Swift Rise embezzled, how many ponies were tortured and exiled, how much was spent on infrastructure and much more. The most surprising part was the amount of money was gained through the exportation and how much was spent into the Military branch. -"This is amazing"- said a dumbfounded Rainbow Dash, this was complemented by a business expert Applejack - "How did this stallion got away with this? I've never seen so many bits being moved on my life". - Pinkie continued with a desire to use all of that on parties while Fluttershy wanted to use that on helping the poor animals. In the end, only Cadence, Luna and Celestia were capable of focusing on the Changeling issue. They managed to find the documents regarding the Act mentioned by Chrysalis and confirmed its veracity. The Changeling were (technically) still under the effects of this treaty and when Chrysalis abide to this treaty, now Cadence had to choose whether or not she should accept it. This decision quickly melted the committee with Celestia, Luna, Twilight and Rarity going on the idea that the Treaty must be respected to help the changelings while Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Shining Armor were against the idea of befriending them. Both sides argued with strong ideas. One side said that the best way to prove to her strength was by kicking the changelings out while the other side argued that diplomacy would show that the Crystal Empire was being ruled by a wise regent. The Discussion went so high that Cadence had to shut down the committee once more and decided to make the choice the next day to make sure that everypony would accept her choice. The first day of waiting brought only nerves to Chrysalis, she wasn't sure of how she could wait another day, she could feel her changeling's pressure and the idea of being betrayed deteriorated her mind. She just wanted to secure her changelings to, later, find a way to bring back her ideas of how to properly rule a kingdom. She wanted to live in a palace and be looked as a model, she wanted to be what she never was on her whole life and each second that passed was a second that made her doubt of her choice. Did she took the right choice? Would she be betrayed? Was there another way? She wasn't sure and now all she had left was the idea of defeat for she would never be able to bring her dreams into reality. Cadence spent the whole night trying to think on a way out of this, no matter what choice did she wanted to do, she would lose something. She had to choose between losing the respect for her fellow monarchs or to lose the respect of her citizens. After a torturous hour of thinking, Cadence decided to go and read the few documents brought by Twilight to see if there was something that would help her out. From a diary made by political prisoners to a book of poetry decrying the death of a dictator, Cadence now was tying up her choice to the ghost that Swift Rise represented. She always thought that the past was in the past and that it would never affect her, that she wouldn't be under anyone's shadow in the Crystal Empire for Celestia and Luna were now on Equestria and she was now free of being her own princess, only to realize that the Crystal Empire had its own shadow that was looming over her, not only as the new princess but, also, as the descendant of said shadow. The never ending pressure eliminated any possibility of sleep and all Cadence could do now was to search among the information found by Twilight in the hopes that she could find something that could clear her mind. She started to read all the documents wrote by Swift Rise and his ministers, She thought that she would find anything that could show her the monster that he was, but all she could find were notes regarding better ways to improve the life of the Crystal Citizens. Cadence then went to read all the notes regarding Swift Rise's political enemies (who surprisingly were aviable) and all she found were complains about things that, on the grand scheme of things, looked irrelevant (how could a highway connecting the City to the sea be only for the rich?). Still all this comparisons allowed her to see what was Swift Rise hiding and what were his real goals or, at least, she hoped that she was seeing them now. After hours of reading, Cadence found 3 documents that she found very relevant for herself: the first one was a piece of an interview between The General Golden Strike and a reporter for a Diary. Brave Quill (BQ): Sir, if I'm not wrong, you were among the soldiers that supported the coup made by the Ex General King, Swift Rise, but you were among the few Guards that dared to ask him to quit from his position. Tell me, what made you change your mind in those years? Golden Strike (GS): The answer isn't too complicated actually but, before that, I want to clarify something: Swift Rise it's still a general, for there's no such thing as a retired military, so I would like to kindly ask you that any future mention to his or any other military figure to mention him with his title. With that said, I will explain to you the simple reasoning. Back then, when I helped the General Swift Rise, I was still a young soldier. I didn't understood what was required to become a real soldier or what was supposed to be our job, I only thought that we only needed power and that was it. It was over time and thanks to the professional program devised by General Swift Rise and General Pure Diamond that I started to understand that the main job of an army was to defend the citizens of its kingdom. After I understood this, I saw that General Swift Rise was starting to go away from the ideals that he represented, thankfully, he listened to me and decided to quit from his position before blood could be spilled. BQ: Thank you, now this also bring another questions. There were, and still are, rumors that you were planning a coup to get rid of Swift Rise if he didn't quit, are this rumors true? GS: That's Preposterous, there's no such thing as a "good coup". Coups of any kind are dangerous to the Institutions and the livelihood of a kingdom. Making a coup would have only caused an even deeper crisis and it would have been just another repeat of history, this time at my, or another general's, hoofs. BQ: A return to the era of Sombra or another Swift Rise? GS: Probably another Swift Rise, we worked very hard to bring professionalism to the Crystal Army (including the future integration of other species into the army) and a return to the era of Sombra would be a severe step back in the life of the Crystal Empire. With that said, a coup would have just split down the army between those loyal to Swift Rise, those loyal to the Crystal Empire and those loyal to the general behind the new coup. As I said, a deep crisis. BQ: And you aren't worried under the possibility of a future coup from those loyal to Swift Rise to come back to power? It's not a secret to anybody that Swift Rise has a lot of followers among the Crystal Guard. GS: Very unlikely, he resigned to his position and made that speech for a reason, it was to keep said loyal guards in line and to make sure they won't try to revolt. It also helps that his wife is now in charge. A coup against her would be a coup against Swift Rise. Now, who could make a coup attempt? Those would be the greedy ones, the ones who wants to recover the power they had during Swift Rise's reign but weren't strictly loyal to him, but they're a minority and, unless a powerful general comes and promises them the same power they had under Swift Rise's reign, they won't try anything too drastic. BQ: And you're not worried by Queen Candente's decision to eliminate the Crystal Guard's right to vote through the new Constitution?It's not something to take lightly. GS: Absolutely not. The Crystal Army must stay apolitical and ideology free so they can defend all the citizens equally. The right to vote endangers that possibility. BQ: Alright, this reminds me, what about the Kingdom Protection? We all know that you and Stray Stone never got along, are you glad of his disappearance and that the Kingdom Protection is being reformed? GS: The idea behind the Kingdom Protection was good, but that kind of power should never be given to a civilian, only military and police officers are capable of leading that kind of force without being too tempted by corruption. And speaking of Stray Stone I'm... That was all Cadence was capable of reading, but the insight given by it was very useful to her. The Second Document that she found was a report sent to Swift Rise regarding the Crystal Heart, it said everything she already knew about the Crystal Heart (how it was tuned to the Crystal Ponies and how it was capable of protecting them when they were brave), but it also said that future experimentation was going to be developed as, apparently, it was capable of "projecting the desires of those who really needed the help of clarity". She took the information with her, surely Twilight would find it very fascinating. The third, and most important, piece that Cadence found was the personal diaries belonging to Queen Amor Candente, which managed to give her the information she needed to, at least try, to understand the mindset of the complicated pony that was Swift Rise. Perhaps her ancestor would give her the information she needed. Entry 23 Dear Diary: It has been days since my father was murdered by that treacherous Sombra, I've been in the shadows ever since. I can't believe that I must live on the streets! I miss my old room, but alas, now I'll be able to meet those my father's counselors called "the low life". Oh! Before I forget, today happened something very interesting. I was hiding behind huge stacks of straw when, suddenly, a guard noticed me hiding. I thought I was going to be arrested and killed but, instead of trying to arrest me, the guard let me escape. This guard was a very peculiar one, he had a brown coat and lacked a cutie mark (what I remember the most about him), perhaps he was loyal to my father? Cadence decided to skip some pages that only depicted the hardships of going through the kingdom undetected and the countless amount of times she managed to escape the guards and only focused on the parts that interested her. Entry 44 Today was a day that I never thought I would see on my life. Sombra was dethroned, I'm just so happy now! I never thought that this was possible, maybe I'll finally be able to go back to a public life. I really hope that I'll be allowed to go back to the palace and rule as the Princess I'm supposed to be. Entry 46 Well, I went to the Crystal Palace as I was called by the new government (I can't believe I'm not allowed to rule my legitimate position as a Princess of the Crystal Kingdom!) and, so far, it wasn't so bad. I've been allowed to work in the government as an administrator and counsel to the new Joint. But I'll also mention that one of the Guards in the Joint looks very similar to the pony that let me go a few years ago, could it be the same pony? If so, what does he have to do with all of this? Entry 50 It been a few weeks since my last entry, I've managed to get used to my job and I've been told that I could be promoted to become a minister (I don't know of what though), if everything goes fine, this will be the closest I'll ever be to the position of princess. Something that I'll keep in searching is about that Stallion (Swift Rise I think he's called), I find him very suspicious. He's too reserved and he doesn't seem to be very smart (he only receives orders and obeys, speaking of mindless drones) and whenever I ask the staff, or other guards, about him they seem to avoid the questions, they only mention that "Sombra brought him here". I'll see what was all about, he might be dangerous to all of us. Cadence kept reading until the diary was ended, the rest of it only talked about details of her job and a few random encounters that she had with Swift Rise because of her job. Nothing that could reveal how she fell in love with him or what did she saw on him. After that, she went to the next diary. Entry 101 Its been a few days since my last entry but I had to find a new diary quickly to record this. This was unusual, Swift Rise, for the first time, questioned Pure Diamond (I never thought that it was possible, he always looked so obedient and calm) when talking about a potential opposition to Pure Diamond. I don't know where it went (Nobody is ever allowed to the meetings inside The Meeting Table whenever the Joint is talking about how to rule the kingdom) but I do know that, for the first time, Swift Rise and Pure Diamond had a fight. I'll keep a watch on that Stallion a lot more now, I've heard rumors that the Crystal Guard is switching their alliances to Swift Rise instead of Pure Diamond. I think Swift Rise may try to kill Pure Diamond. Entry 104 I can't believe it, Pure Diamond has been murdered a few days ago. I've just come back of the mourning and decided to, finally, update this thing. I've heard that Swift Rise was behind the murder attempt, but I won't say anything until I find strong enough evidence to support it. I've also heard that Sombra's ponies were behind the attack, but I also need evidence to support that idea. So far, I'm going to keep a watch under Swift Rise, it looks like he'll try to become the king of the Crystal Kingdom and, considering his close relation to Sombra, I think he may try to get Sombra back to power. Entry 107 Swift Rise is an enigma, whenever I try to predict him, he throws a curve ball towards me. I thought that he was going to bring Sombra back and he ended up cementing his exile, I thought that he was going to start an inquisition and he actually opened up the meetings so all the ministers, counselors and those close to the government can actually hear and talk about the direction the Kingdom should take. I've also taken a look into his idea of a constitution, I'm very skeptical to it, including the idea of letting the ponies vote, so I'll be prepared. To be fair, I think I may have underestimated him, now that I've been able to hear him talk, I've been severely impressed by his capacity to talk and think. How did that Pony ended up under Sombra's command? Where did he came from? I think I'll have to start to get close to him to figure out. I wonder if he likes pink mares... Cadence was actually surprised by this, she never thought that it was her ancestor the one that made the first move. By the looks of it, she thought that Swift Rise was the one who started to get political gain, what else was away form what she thought as the reality? Entry 110 I've managed to have a few more encounters with Swift Rise recently, I never expected him to be so eloquent! No matter what subject or theme I tried to talk about with him, he always managed to stay on the conversation, and he was so charming and silly (he never knew, until today, that I was the daughter of the previous king. Just when he realized, he immediately blushed and started to call me by my old title, he was so cute. I hope I can get more meeting like this, I've found him very interesting (again, where did Sombra got him out from!?) As Cadence read, she found that her ancestor saw on the king a different stallion that the documentary made it look like, Candente made him look like a normal pony, not a heartless being (or, at least, not as distant as she thought he was). Cadence hoped that this would bring her the answers she was looking for. Entry 134 It's been a long time since I started this diary and I started to record my findings on Swift Rise. I never thought I would be dating the pony I was the most suspicious about 5 years ago, under Pure Diamond's administration. I decided to write again, after so many months, because I finally figured out Swift Rise origins, it was so hard to convince him of speaking to me about it and now I understand why. I still cannot believe he's from another planet, and that he's a different species of all things (now I despise Sombra even more). The things he have told me of his home planet and his original country, a planet filled with both evil and good, I wish I could describe in a better light the way he spoke about his home, he looked so happy, so alive. No wonder he has been trying to find ways to go back, but now I'm worried, will he leave us now after so long living here? Its ironic that I'm doubting the idea of him leaving, a few years ago I would have been very active on that, I would have even pushed him more on that idea, now though... I don't know... he has done a very good work as a king (Stray Stone aside, I really don't trust him) and I've never felt so close to somepony with so much knowledge and not be a stuck up pony know-it-all that only wants to brag about his knowledge. What to do, what can I do? I need to think about this a bit more. The more Cadence read about her ancestor's impressions on Swift Rise, the more she became interested on him, she found it very fascinating that most of his ideas came from his world and that, basically, Swift Rise was just bringing his ideas to this world. Now Cadence wondered, how advanced would have been the Crystal Empire if his ideas weren't have been destroyed? Was there any chance for her to bring that? Was the first step for that accepting the deal with Chrysalis, or she was it the wrong idea? She needed to know and, for that, she kept reading. Entry 156 Its been a few months since I've been married to Swift Rise (or should I say [REDACTED], I can't believe he actually told me his real name!, I feel so happy he trust me this much!) and I've never been so happy on my life, he has been so supportive of me and he has made me feel so complete. Now, I only wish he stopped with his idea of going back to his home. Does he understand that he has no reason to go back? He has friends, he's a king, he has a family now, why does he wants to go back? Not only that, it even looks like he wants to go back even more than before. I suppose his mind its still a mystery to me, even when he has opened to me so much. After that, Cadence kept reading until she got to the moment when the corruption was discovered, from that, it looked like she was heartbroken (and surprised when he decided to quit from his position), so after a long read, Cadence got to the final entry on the last dairy Entry 456 I can't believe it, I'm the queen now. I find it so ironic that, after so many years of ambition and activity so many years ago, I've finally become the Queen of the Crystal Empire. Right when I don't care any more about that. All I want now is to have a life with a husband I can trust, I want my filly to have a father that will rise her like only a father could do, I don't care for any of this (this Empire could burn for all I care) but, my husband did his job and acted with dignity when he decided to quit, and so shall I. The job of a queen, ruler, anything is to work for its people, never for itself and its very egotistic from my part to deny any of this responsibility when there's no one else capable of doing this. Sometimes it looks like the you want to take the easy route but, most of the time, the best choice is the one you want to take the least for there has never been a decision with good short time repercussions that will stay that way on the long run. Most of the time, a short time decision that looks bad will have a good long term effect. I decided to take the choice I wanted the least by staying as a queen to work for my empire and tomorrow I'll have what probably will be my final conversation with the stallion I love the most. My dear, I'll always love you, even after all the wrongs you did, and, as such, I'll never write here again until the day I can see you once more. So I can fill this and any future diary I write with my love and happiness that only you have brought me. Te amo. That was the last entry on the last diary Cadence could find. At the next day, Cadence went outside with the committee and waited for Chrysalis and her hive to meet them and hear their decision. That day, the sun was calmed, there was no wind but it still felt fresh, the ponies could feel an invisible pressure over them as the changelings started to gather around, Chrysalis never looked so imposing (even if she was going to hear a potential sentence that would put her on prison for years) neither Cadence looked so prominent and powerful (even more than Celestia and Luna). The Crystal Ponies could feel the power and determination on their princess, they knew that, whatever she has chosen, it was a decision that would define the Crystal Empire's history. The Griffons and Minotaurs were there, watching, they decided to stay on the sidelines for they wanted to see if the Princess of love (as the old saying goes) "fitted the shirt" of a monarch, they were prepared for anything she could decide. Chrysalis and Cadence shared looks, they knew that this was a pivotal moment in both of their species history and they would have to face the consequences of this moment. Cadence looked at Chrysalis straight to her eyes and said: "Queen Chrysalis, You're here to witness my decision on whether I'll accept the deal you propose me or deny it. Is that clear?" Chrysalis looked at Cadence with no fear on her eyes and simply said: "I do". In that moment, Cadence looked at the horizon and felt the world turning on her, she gave one last thought to her decision and, after seeing all the ponies, griffons, changelings and her friends looking at her, she said the words that would shape history on levels only seen Once in the Crystal Empire and Thrice in Equestria: "In that case, I hereby accept the deal." - In that moment, many ponies got shocked and tried to understand what her Princess had just said, meanwhile, Cadence continued her speech, never breaking her face - "For now on, the Changelings are once again subjects of the Crystal Empire and Queen Chrysalis will be put on trial for all of her crimes on both Equestria and myself". The ponies quickly started to protest to her princess, why would she do something like that on a species that would betray them soon? But Cadence understood their worries, she just wanted them to understand her point, what she (and probably Chrysalis) were trying to do, that this was going to be for their good, but how? In that moment, the Crystal Heart started to glow, feeling the disturbance among the ponies it should be protecting and hearing the plead of the only monarch it recognized as a protector of the ponies, it decided to respond and show what was good to the Crystal Empire as it started to glow like never before. Soon, the light started to grow more by each second and, before anyone realized, they were all engulfed by the light.