Edited by TuxOKC
The scents of a young summer’s breeze tickled the nose of a certain slumbering colt. Groggy thoughts rolled through his head, his hazed recollection of events not yet registering. Vague notions of his mother holding him sprang to mind, as well as Poppa. There had been other visitors, of course, as well as a presence always constant in his mind. Reign Cloud woke up in his own bed, blinking at the shafts of sunlight invading his room. He preferred to have his curtains closed, as he liked the dark.
How long had he been out?
His body remembered the pain, but now with sore muscles and aching joints. Breathing had been easier. The doctor had said both his lungs had suffered damage. All his organs had been battered. Bones had been fractured. Most of all, he had been made weak in all manners he could think of. The days and nights had blended and very little could be recalled. Losing track of time bothered to colt.
The nightmares plagued his sleep. Dead ponies and changelings rose from the rubble of a dark and destroyed city. The specter of a vast, monstrous spirit hovering behind them with malevolent eyes. The insane laughter of a madmare filled his feverish dreams. Luna appeared and chased them off, comforting the bawling prince in the aftermath.
Between his two immortal aunts, the Moon was his favorite. Celestia was nice, but Reign loved the stars. Luna was more than happy to teach him the magic of night.
Still, pain, his old and unwanted companion had decided to not go away. After getting a fleeting feel for what it meant to not be in some state of agony, thanks to his birth mother, Reign decided he hated the pain all the more. No matter how much he fought both the pain and his tired state, the colt drifted in and out of consciousness at random. Reign remembered snippets. His recollection was blurry, but there had been movement in his peripherals. The voices of Momma and Poppa were unmistakable, as well as Maggie and Wilda. Those he cared for most were there at one point or another, talking to him, speaking words of encouragement.
He found he missed Maggie. She was his constant companion, a bubbly creature full of life and love. The lack of her presence made him feel empty in ways he did not understand.
Reign Cloud found himself in a miserable state. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t speak for himself. The magic and medicine combined to make him little more than a sentient vegetable. He wanted to talk to somepony or someling!
We’ve done all we can. The magic will need time to leech out the remnants of the Windigo…
The magic drain to his body was great. He will need time to recover from the drain as well as heal. Too much magic in his frail state could do more harm than good...
Reigny? Please come back! I wanna play with you. I can’t play with you if you’re sick…
Son? Be strong. We’ll all be here for you…
Dearest nephew! Thou art too stubborn to succumb to such dark magics! When you are well, I will make a night of falling stars for you! What say you? I will have thy word thou shalt be whole again!..
You will hold your sister in your hooves, Reign…
My son...my heart...I do and always will love you…
The words were whispers, on the brink of becoming forgotten to the mists memories. Reign clung to those words, spoken from so many. They were his encouragement, something to cling to through the dulling pain. Oh, how he tired of the pain! When could he be strong? Reign had been so close to feeling normal, to being normal.
One voice, one new to his memory and one he dreaded came to mind more often than not. With the voice came the face. With the face was that one eye boring into his soul. When he dreamed of that face, a visage of hopeful confidence crumbled to a shattered heart. There was a hitch, pride fighting with humiliation. Try as he might, the colt could not escape that face.
You are the ocean to which my heart flows…
He blinked, staring out the window from his bed. Beneath him, his wings twitched as he lay on his back. A mountain of pillows had him propped up against the headboard. Her voice was so different, so menacing. The way it buzzed was not unlike Wilda when she spoke, but there was a hard edge, a coldness. The queen’s voice terrified him.
Reign Cloud was confused. Momma had been exhausted from banishing the Windigo and had not been able to visit him as much as he would have liked. Poppa was a constant visitor, his exhausted face forced aside, the worry and concern replaced by a smile and constant Dad jokes. The colt could sense his father’s emotions: Shining Armor refused to give in to the stress. Every time Reign would ask him about the city and the people, Poppa would smile and tell him everything was going to be fine. Once he asked how many had died. Shining Armor told him not to worry.
But worry he did. No matter how much he was told none of what happened was his fault, Reign still felt guilt. He thought he should be reviled and hated because the Windigo had come from him. There were letters from well-wishers and cards scrawled in foalish script telling him to get well. They should have made Reign feel better, but he felt they had not been told the truth. The Windigo had come from him and he felt responsible.
Telling Poppa what he felt had been hard. Seeing his father sputter and try to tell him it wasn’t his fault did little to settle the Halfling’s troubled heart. Reign refused to receive any visitors after that.
So, he sat there, in his bed, staring out the window. Thinking was all he could do, no longer sure on how he should feel. ‘Moping won’t do you any good, son,’ Poppa had told him before he left his son to his own thoughts. ‘Remember we love you and we know you were not responsible. Keep that in mind.’
How long had he stared? The sun by now was setting, the light becoming an orange glow. Shadows were stretching across his room. It fell on the large telescope he had gotten from Aunt Luna two years ago. He had seen many of the stars she had named and had followed the path of the moon with it. The metal reflected the light. It bobbed.
Staring at the telescope, Reign squinted, the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end. His ears swiveled and focused, his nostrils sniffing at the air. He caught a scent. It was familiar. Memories of the temple spun through his imagination, twisted and larger than life.
She tilted the telescope up and down, making a play at examining it. Her single eye followed along its length from the eyepiece to the lens cover. A holed hoof traced along its length as she admired the quality and sturdy construction. Her steps were silent as her long tail brushed over the carpeted floor behind her legs. The grace of her form was regal, yet humble. Her mane was coiled around her neck, a single, thick braid tied off with a silvery cord. Her gossamer wings lay along the length of her back and over her flanks. Behind her crooked horn, her mulish ears were laid back and over her mane.
“My, my, my,” she said as she approached Reign with slow and deliberate steps, “You seem to be recovering nicely.” Her false eye swirled like a storm within a translucent pearl. The good eye flicked up and down Reign’s form, her lips pursed in contemplation. “How are you feeling?”
“What do you want?” Reign was blunt in his question.
“Straight to the point,” Chrysanthemum said with a wry smile, “I like that. Your…mother...asked that I have a chat with you. No threats, no ultimatums. Just a talk between you and me.” She came to a stop at the foot of his bed, taking a moment to take in the room. “I will leave if I make you uncomfortable. I had to haggle with your father in order to meet you. There was an agreement. This conversation is being listened in on. It is a concession I do not like, but it will do so I may speak with you.” Chrysanthemum hummed, settling her remaining eye upon the colt.
Reign stopped short of telling her off. She frightened him, but he was curious. The fury he remembered was gone. Her emotions were guarded, but Chrysanthemum was allowing him a small peek.
“Your adoptive mother, the princess, has become quite powerful since I last witnessed her love,” she said in a conversational tone. Her eye found something of interest on the wall. It was a movie poster with Daring Do. Smirking, the changeling shook her head and rolled her eye. Her attention went back to the colt. “She did away with the monster with such ease. I never knew she had it in her. Needless to say, I was impressed.”
Chrysanthemum’s smile died on her lips as she regarded the colt and his suspicious eyes. “You have no reason to trust me, but I assure you, all I want to do is talk. It’s been a trying time. You were out of it for a month.”
“You were here, weren’t you?” Reign blinked and wagged a hoof at the queen. “You spoke to me. When?”
She rolled her shoulders and bobbed her head. “At night. When everypony was asleep. Wards can’t keep me from going where I want to go, my son. I’ve a right to check on my own flesh and blood.” An impish grin crossed her muzzle. “This time, I asked for and was given permission. I am watched and always followed. I don’t even bother to conceal myself.”
Reign gave her an incredulous stare.
“I curled myself around you, my Pale Shadow, and sang to you. I was surprised when Mi Amore Cadenza allowed me in the same room as you. Your father was less than thrilled at the idea, but listened to his adorable little wife. She thinks it is important you and I come to an understanding, at least.”
“You don’t like my parents.”
She considered the colt’s words, almost breaking out a smile. Wisdom prevailed and she kept her lips in a straight line. “No, I wouldn’t go so far as to say I dislike them. I still have feelings for the unicorn and I am…enlightened to what Cadenza is capable of.”
The look Reign gave her was deadpan.
“Your adoptive mother understands love all too well,” Chrysanthemum told him in a matter-in-fact tone. “I never gave up on the hopes of holding you again, Reign Cloud.” Was that a tremble in her voice? “There were so many queens who wanted you dead, my Pale Shadow. They went so far as to depose me, invade my kingdom, and chase me all the way to the Crystal Empire. I was herded. Zeala herded me. Her honeyed words promised sanctuary for you, for me, for those loyal to my crown. The magic she used here was first used on me.
“I wanted you safe and happy. I could not give that to you ten years ago. I do not think I could give that to you now. My kingdom, your eventual inheritance needs to be rebuilt. The population was decimated, scattered. My enemies outnumbered me and conspired for their own selfish gains. They were not united. They did not trust each other. I was able to use that against them.” Chrysanthemum’s eye seemed to take on a distant, glazed stare.
“I planned to remove them, using their distrust against each other. All the while, you were safe here, with your father and now with an alicorn for a foster mother. I had hoped to come back sooner for you, but there were complications. No, I do not hate your pony family. I hate that you took to them as readily as you did. I hate the fact I was replaced so quickly and by a mare whom I despise, but knew would make a perfect mother for you.”
Somehow, she was now sitting on the edge of the bed, plucking at the blankets and smoothing the fabric with a hoof. Reign blinked, wondering how she could move like that without him noticing. Her gaze was upon him and filled with sadness.
“I missed you for so long, my son. My life was empty without you, but I had to let you go so you could live. Yet, seeing you reject me, hearing you reject me, feeling you reject me...broke me in ways no enemy could. Our bond has always been, though our time apart weakened it.” Her voice sounded calm, but the ocean beneath the surface was in turmoil.
“I don’t want to lose you,” she went on, giving him a piercing look. “The war took so much from me, our people, our way of life. My foolishness in my first few years as queen, listening to those who were plotting against me, wanting me to fail and preparing to take what was mine was my ruination. In many ways, you are all I have left of what I once was.” Chrysanthemum let out a sigh, collecting herself again. A small smile formed.
“I am glad to have you alive, my Pale Shadow. I am so glad. So, so glad! But I failed you as a mother as much as I preserved your life. There were days, my little morsel, when despair clutched at my heart when I would wake up and not have you at my side! I wanted my nymph! I wanted to come back and reclaim you! There were times I caught myself near the point of abandoning what needed to be done and coming to get you! It was worse when I received news of the death of Shatterback.” The queen’s face morphed a brief flash of loss. “He would have been your father. I had plans to make him my consort. He had a name chosen for himself. It was for when the fighting was done and I was again sitting upon my rightful place on the throne.”
Reign swallowed hard and dared to ask, “What was it going to be?”
Chrysanthemum’s ears waggled and drooped. “He never said.”
“Oh.” The colt had no idea what to say to that, other than, “I’m sorry.”
She gave him a weak smile. “Don’t be. Never blame yourself for what happened all those years ago. You were but another innocent become a pawn in the power play of others. I tried to remove you from the playing field as best I could, only to put you into another game.”
The smile faded. “I will never be friends with the ponies, Reign Cloud. I don’t like the way they think, the way they herd, the weakness of the whole when it comes to facing a threat. I exploited it once and toppled one of the two main threats to my attempt at conquest.” She patted his leg, then brushed a strand of his hair from his face. Her voice had shifted, become mothering. “That being said, I will promise you one thing; so long as you live, I will never wage war upon the Crystal Empire. I will agree to a non aggression pact. I will allow trade between our kingdoms. This I swear.”
“Pinkie promise?” Reign dared ask.
Chrysanthemum blinked. “Pinkie,” —she tilted her head to one side— “promise?”
“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!” Reign went through a series of strange, foalish motions, confusing the queen.
“What?”
“You have to do it. If you want my trust, you have to do a Pinkie Promise! You can never, never, ever break a Pinkie Promise! I’ll believe you if you make the promise and keep it.”
A pink mare popped up from the mass of pillows behind Reign, staring with balefire eyes at Chrysanthemum. “Foreeeeeeveeeeeer!” she hissed at the changeling queen. Seeing the colt, she gave a bubbly smile, “Hi, Reign! Glad to see you’re looking better! Twilight asked me to check in on you. I’ve got plans for your cutecinera! The party will be ready when you are!” Pinkamenia Diane Pie cast one last look at Chrysanthemum. She made a motion of pointing her hoof to her eyes then at the changeling, repeating it as she sank away.
Staring at the spot where the earth pony had appeared, Chrysanthemum let out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding. “I’d heard stories,” she murmured, “of a pink menace that almost defeated my army.” The queen—still staring at the spot—went through the motions and intoned the sacred words. “I agree to your terms, my son.”
Reign gave a solemn nod. “Good.” What energy he had was gone. Reign felt sleepy and let out an unwanted yawn. “Sick of sleeping,” he complained. “Where’s Momma?”
“She’s watching us,” Chrysanthemum replied, edging closer. Her voice had dropped to a near whisper, her eye washing over the little form in the middle of the mountain of pillows. “As is your father. I had to make some agreements to secure a visit with you. You’ve been awake before. Do you remember?”
He shook his head. “I can’t tell. Don’t remember much. Some voices, faces. I remember being tired a lot. Why am I letting you near me?” Reign tried to growl, but only managed a mighty yawn.
Chrysanthemum smiled. “I am still bonded to you.”
“Bonded? Kinda like Wilda and her nymphs?”
The changeling’s mane bounced as she bobbed her head. “Yes! It’s always been there since you were born. Deep down inside you, there is a connection to me. It is not as strong as when you were younger, but it is there. I can help you find it, if you want.”
“Will it hurt?”
“Oh, my son, no!” she reassured him. “It is a natural thing, this bond between mother and child. All changeling mothers have this bond with their children. They nurture it and use it to help teach right from wrong. The bond is how you learn to know how strong an emotion is.”
“I don’t wanna.” He gave her a petulant glare. “I don’t trust you. You hurt Aunt Celestia, kidnapped Momma, and made Poppa your slave.”
Chrysanthemum sighed as if she expected nothing less from the fruit of her womb. “I understand,” she told him in a calm tone. “I have taken steps to accommodate the requirements necessary for a mutual understanding.”
“I don’t hear a ‘sorry’ in there,” Reign grumped. “Doesn’t sound like a sorry at all!”
“I will never apologize for things that I feel do not need an apology,” the queen spoke as she sat tall. “Politics is never about apologizing, my little morsel. It is about making amends for mistakes without the humiliation. I am a proud queen. I do not apologize to those who are not my betters. Do you understand this?”
“No,” Reign admitted, blinking in confusion.
She smiled at him. “In time, you will understand.”
“Why do you hate my Momma?” the colt asked. “Why can’t you be friends with her? She raised me. Doesn’t that mean you kind of think of her as a friend?”
“Pale Shadow,” Chrysanthemum let out a weary breath, “only a fool goes against an alicorn on her own ground. I may not like Empress Mi Amore Cadenza, but I respect her power and I respect how she runs her empire with far more competence than I had once thought.”
“Empress? She’s an Equestrian princess. The Empress title is honorary.”
“Yes, it is. I may not like Cadenza, but I do honor her. I respect her, my son. Nothing more, nothing less.” The queen bent her neck, her mane spilling over her shoulders and shifting to one side. “Shall I tuck you in? I missed many nights of tucking you into bed. I will sing you to sleep, a lullaby. One my mother used to sing to me when I was a nymph. Would you like that?”
Reign yawned again. “I guess.”
She smiled. “Thank you. When you wake up, I will be gone. I have a kingdom of my own I must return to. There are changelings in need of homes and I must see to it they are safe while they rebuild. Heavy is the weight of the crown.”
“Okay,” the colt tried to fight his heavy eyelids. “Want Momma.”
“I know you do.”
His blankets were brought up around his shoulders. Gentle ministrations snuggled him deeper into his bed. Lips brushed his temples and he could feel the warm breath of his birth mother as she hovered her muzzle over him. He could hear her inhale as she nuzzled him. Her touch was light. She sang with no words, her voice forgetting its harshness. The words ‘I love you were mixed in with her song, as gentle as a warm spring breeze. In no time, Prince Reign Cloud was fast asleep, the one who birthed him weeping as she sang.
Queen Chrysanthemum departed Reign’s room. Its doors were flanked by a pair of guards who eyed her with hard gazes. As she turned to go down the hallway, Shining Armor appeared. A pair of guards were with him.
“Satisfied?” he asked in a strained voice. Keeping his composure was difficult, it seemed.
“He is asleep,” she told the father of her son. “Thank you for allowing me this. It means a lot to me.” A playful grin shimmied across her muzzle. “It really shows you care.”
“Yeah, no,” he shot back, narrowing his eyes. “My wife wants to foster the love you have for your son and she seemed to think it might not be a bad idea to let him see you.”
“You have a very intelligent and wise wife, Prince Consort.” Chrysanthemum strode with slow steps, putting a sway in her hips as she approached the stallion. “I certainly am envious of her in regards to the catch she has in you. I am most impressed at the decision you made to funnel all funds for your hoofball project towards rebuilding. Very commendable.”
“Yes, well, some things are more important than sports.” He stood his ground, but his nostrils flared as she drew near. Instead of stopping, she glided by, her shoulder brushing his as her gaze stayed ahead of her. “I wish you’d stop flirting with me. It’s not going to happen.”
Chuckling, the queen tossed words over her shoulder. “Ah, but getting you flustered is more than entertainment enough, dear Shining Armor.” She ignored the guards giving her hostile glares. She continued down the hall, buzzing her wings, then resettling them. Turning a corner, she disappeared, the sounds of her hooves echoing in her wake.
Princess Mi Amore Cadenza sat at her desk in her personal office, going over one of the many reports and requests stemming from the Windigo’s rampage. She was relieved the casualties were far less than she had feared, but there were still dead and still wounded. Families were without mothers or fathers, parents lost foals or nymphs. There had been funerals going on for far too long. The alicorn’s heart ached and she felt responsible for the losses. Lives were irreplaceable. Broken families, broken hearts. The property damage was calculated to be in the hundreds of millions. A full ward had been destroyed and still looked like a small war had been fought in it. Another had suffered less damage, but the scars remained. The temples had been destroyed, save for superficial damage to Celestia’s sanctuary. Equestria had pledged support and the repair and reconstruction was underway. Other nations did what they could, be it food and supplies, help with clearing the streets and sifting through the rubble.
Worse still were the recovery teams still finding bodies. The last survivor had been rescued three weeks ago. Nothing remained but the most grim of tasks.
Still weak from using so much love, the alicorn was still recovering. At least her magic was functioning, enabling her to pick up small objects.
Her secretary poked her head into the room. “Your Highness? Queen Chrysanthemum has returned from visiting Prince Reign Cloud and has requested to speak with you.”
Cadence closed her eyes and took in a deep breath.
“Do I turn her away?” asked the secretary.
“No!” Cadence rose from her seat and moved around her desk. “I’ll see her. Let her in. How was her visit with my son?”
“She agreed to the terms, sang to him, and cuddled him after he went to sleep. In other words: she behaved.”
The alicorn found herself warmed at the thought. No, she was not at all a fan of her former foalnapper, but it did not take much to see the queen had missed her son. The love was there, beneath the cold and heartless exterior. Cadence thought it might be beneficial for the future if Chrysanthemum could be at least cordial with her if she let the queen visit Reign Cloud. Anything past that was up to the colt to decide if he wanted his birth mother in his life. She had high hopes her son might be the key to establishing a lasting peace with the unpredictable changeling queen.
There was a lot of guilt associated with those hopes.
Cadence smiled and nodded at the pony. The secretary nodded and slipped away from the door. There was her voice speaking and being replied to by the unmistakable voice. A shiver ran unbidden down her spin. Shuffling her wings, she made herself as presentable as possible, striking a regal pose. The tall and imposing figure of Queen Chrysanthemum strode into the office.
“Cadenza,” greeted the queen.
“Chrysanthemum,” intoned the princess. She indicated a seat in front of her desk. “Care to take a seat?”
“Thank you.” The changeling took the offered chair and watched as Cadence slid into her own office chair. There was a moment of silence as the two stared at each other over the mahogany desk.
“Tea?” Cadence played the role of hostess with little effort.
“No, thank you. I will only bother you for a moment.” The queen adjusted herself in her seat, turning her head to one side in a way so her lone eye fixated on the alicorn. “I have had a month to enjoy the hospitality of the Crystal Empire and I am not ashamed to admit I find the unity of your citizens impressive. I have been able to secure some political contacts and find aid my people need to start the process of rebuilding.”
“Are you sure you won’t accept help from Equestria?” Cadence queried.
Chrysanthemum sniffed, “Absolutely not! The terms given to me were unacceptable. I will not allow Equestrian troops in my lands. Those two sisters are more meddlesome. I made my decision and it is final.”
“Very well,” a wan smile accompanied her words. Cadence decided to switch to what was still fresh in the queen’s mind. “How was your visit with Reign?”
Chrysanthemum’s eye flickered for a moment. “He doesn’t trust me. I can’t blame him. He doesn’t know me, but we were able to come to an understanding.”
Cadence cocked an eyebrow. “What sort of understanding?”
The queen gave her a professional smirk. “I have no intentions of pursuing any form of aggression against the Crystal Empire in the foreseeable future. Everything we have discussed over the past few weeks, I can agree upon, for the most part. I’ll have my advisers go over the finer details, but we can agree to the terms in principle. As you requested, I will leave a political delegation here to hammer out the details. A non-aggression pact is more than good enough for me. I agree to the trade proposals.”
The alicorn nodded, keeping herself stoic and regal. “Very good. Once the documents are finalized, I’ll have them sent to you through diplomatic channels for a formal signing. This pleases me and will set many of my citizens at ease.” She leaned forward and added, “I can feel the love you have for Reign. This makes me glad. It tells me there is hope for you, Queen Chrysanthemum.”
The queen’s eyebrow over her one good eye arched. “Hope? In what way? I certainly don’t intend to stand shoulder to shoulder with you or the other alicorns in harmony.”
“Oh, I have no illusions of that, I promise you!” giggled the princess.
“Then what do you mean?” growled the changeling.
“You’ll see,” Cadence had mischief in her eyes. "Give it a little bit of time. It’ll be something you’ll find unexpected and not unwanted.”
“Hmmph,” Chrysanthemum rose to her hooves. “My business here is done. I bid you good day, Mi Amore Cadenza. I will be leaving tomorrow and I have no desire to be seen off. Thank you for your hospitality.” She paused to collect her thoughts, as if remembering something. Her eye brightened, “I do have a team of builders who would be willing to help. They are all volunteers and I had nothing to do with recruiting them. Your friend Wilda appears to have a lot of relatives back home. I will not stop them from helping, if they so wish.”
“They, of course, would be welcome.” Cadence mimicked her rival and inclined her head enough to appease protocol. “Thank you for coming. This visit will mean a lot to Reign Cloud as he gets older.”
“We shall see,” grunted the queen. Nodding, she turned and left, the door opening on silent hinges. “Congratulations on your pregnancy, by the way. I’m sure you had been waiting a long time.” Without waiting for a reply, Chrysanthemum was gone, the door closing behind her.
Cadence stayed at her desk, resuming her seat as her horn faded. Heaving a sigh of relief, she was looking forward to no longer having Chrysanthemum in her city. The changeling was dangerous, far more so than she was at Canterlot. There was no way Cadence was going to trust her, yet she was curious on why the queen allowed herself to be watched.
Reaching for a bell on her desk, she rang it. Her secretary came in.
“Yes, Your Highness?”
“I need tea, please. Something to calm my nerves.”
“I know just the thing, princess.”
“Thank you, Chloe.”
Queen Chrysanthemum departed as promised, taking her retinue with her. There was little fanfare. Reign Cloud watched her leave and was troubled as she disappeared into the distance. He had wanted to say goodbye, but the doctors were not ready to let him out of his bed yet. Like any other colt denied something they wanted, he threw a spectacular temper tantrum. Within minutes, he wore himself to the point of exhaustion, frustrated to the point of tears.
Maggie was soon brought to the palace, none the worse for wear it seemed from her ordeal. She clucked like a mother hen over Reign Cloud, refusing to leave his side. Attempts to remove her from the Halfling’s room resulted in savage hissing and bared fangs. The doctors insisted Reign Cloud needed rest and quiet. Maggie insisted she needed to stay with him and keep his spirits up. Cadence had to be brought in and she decided in the nymph’s favor.
An embassy was established with but a simple field tent in one of the city’s parks in the changeling district. A soldier named Thorax had been named as ambassador. He was little more than a yesling. The princess and her consort were pleased to see their old enemy go, doubts circling on her promise of maintaining the dubious peace. Both had agreed to take the position of hoping for the best but expecting the worse. Queen Chrysanthemum was dangerous and the changelings of the Crystal Empire had taken note of her involvement. She helped in the taking down of the Windigo. She was now regarded as a hero and a friend to the Empire, much to the consternation of the alicorn and her husband.
There was much work to be done. Many questions still lingered and there was uncertainty. Ambassador Seeadler re-established the griffon embassy. Little word came from Griffonia and her emperor. There were rumors they were puppets to Queen Chrysanthemum, having been bought for half a dragon’s hoard. Outsiders and embassies in the griffon capital were watched. Communications were held through third parties. Inquiries were deflected and those who asked too many questions were escorted to the border. Those banished were ordered never to return on pain of death.
Weeks passed. Reign Cloud’s health improved and soon he was spending time outside. Maggie took on the role of nurse, throwing herself into the task. His mother often joined him as they convalesced. Wilda joined them and the forays became picnics. Often, Reign and Cadence went flying together, exercising muscles that through years of sickness, had been neglected for the colt. Flying for any extended period of time was a thrilling experience for him. Being able to properly exercise allowed muscles and tendons to stretch, Reign started to look and feel healthier.
His cutecinera was a surprise party thrown by Pinkie Pie. Everypony he knew was there, including Aunt Twilight and all her friends. He had fun and not enough cake. He would have had more, but Princess Celestia performed a trick involving the Amazing Disappearing Cake. There were no clowns.
At the same party, Maggie gave him his first kiss, much to the delight of the adults at the gathering. Reign was not amused.
Cadence began to show her pregnancy. Her joy was infectious to her son. Shining Armor had taken the news of the upcoming addition to the family in a predictable fashion. The grin he wore was disturbing to the point until Reign asked him to stop embarrassing him. The news was released to the public of the expectant mother. A citywide celebration erupted and lasted for three days. Letters from well-wishers came in mountainous stacks.
The days rolled into weeks. Weeks grew into months. Summer gave way to fall. By winter, Reign was considered recovered. Cadence had long since recuperated her magic and she displayed a splendid roundness to her belly. Hearth’s Warming came and went and the Crystal Empire kept on her course of recovery. New buildings had sprung up and almost all traces of the Windigo’s rampage was erased.
Father Sun Cloud retired as winter waned. A few days after stepping down, he passed in his sleep. He was well remembered and was missed. Celestia herself delivered his eulogy. The tearful mare expressed how proud she was of the life he had lived. Sun Cloud had touched the lives of many, many ponies.
Perceptor Starcaller began harboring ideas of starting a family of her own. She traded in her armor for a habit and began adopting orphaned foals and nymphs. Igor was swept into this new pursuit of family and he was employed as a full time caretaker of the young.
During this transition, Igor revealed the locations of Zeala’s caches of magical items and books. What dark magics and tomes were discovered were swept up by the alicorns and secreted away. Twilight brought in Starlight Glimmer to delve into the forbidden magics to study. Who was to say Zeala was the only one who had access to such horrible power? What she had was but a tip of the iceberg, as it became clear King Sombra had reached into powers no mortal should have touched. Yet he did, leading to his thirst for power and fall to darkness. The horrors discovered in the books were far older than even the memories of either Celestia or Luna. Even Discord, the Lord of Chaos had no answer. This power was far, far older than history’s recollection.
Of Queen Chrysanthemum there was no word. Ambassador Thorax handled all inquiries, stating Her Majesty was engrossed in rebuilding her nation and had no time for frivolous niceties. Thorax had prepared statements in regards to any attempts at communicating with his queen.
If there was one thing standing out as a constant in Reign Cloud’s young life, it was his curiosity. It was an insatiable beast and one often responsible for giving him courage. Not at all satisfied with how Queen Chrysanthemum had last spoken to him, he had questions he wanted answers to. At his parent’s encouragement (and much, much debate), Reign decided he would write his birth mother a letter. With Cadence’s help, they devised a means to draw the reclusive queen from her proverbial shell.
What better way to entice her than with a single question!
Her response came as quickly as the normal correspondence channels allowed and with great enthusiasm.
~Finis~