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// (3-1) Death Of A Union 
// Story: The Ruler of Ponies and Men 
// by Boopy Doopy 
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“So what now?” Cadance grumbled once the crowd watching us was sent away. “You lead me back to the cell I’ve been staying in?”
“You’re room, while bland, was hardly a cell,” I told her, “not like the one I could’ve put you in, or the one your crimes should have you staying in now. But no. Now we go over what the conditions are to your being pardoned.”
“Of course,” she mumbled, rolling her eyes at me.
I frowned at her slight, but didn’t comment on it, continuing, “The very first is that you aren’t going to be leaving the castle without either myself, Radiant Hope, or Luna being present, unless I specifically give consent otherwise. If we see it, the assumption will be that you’re plotting against Equestria and your commuted sentence will be revoked. Do you understand?”
She scowled in response, saying, “Yes, cut me off from everypony to humiliate me more. Thank you, you’re so considerate and forgiving to me.”
“As if you don’t deserve what you’re getting,” I shot back. “Besides, even given what’s happened and what you’ve made of me, this castle is almost constantly filled with ponies for you to interact with. You can hold conversation with them if you’d like.”
“And I’ll be here for a little while, too, Cadance,” Twilight added, raising her hoof. “Plus, I come here all the time. I mean, if you… want me… umm... I’m sorry…” she trailed off awkwardly, looking away again.
“That actually leads us into our next condition,” Luna broke in. “It is one that I myself believed to be fitting for you. Twilight and Starlight will be here this summer to reeducate you in friendship, a skill you’ve clearly let slip by you recently, as well as when they have time available on weekends. You may think of them as your tutors and you, their pupil.” With that, Starlight waved a hoof at her and smiled warmly.
“Twi and I figured we might as well get started today, once this whole thing is over,” she said happily, almost oblivious to her seething expression. “We won’t be overbearing, but I’m sure there are a few things we can work on together. It might seem tough, but Twilight’s a great teacher. I mean, she helped me when I needed it, and just look at me now!” I could tell Cadance wanted to comment, but kept silent as she glared at the mare.
“The next condition,” I started again, “is that the magic absorbing ring you're wearing will remain on your horn until all three of us determine we can trust you to have it off.”
“So basically it’s never coming off,” she responded angrily. “And then what? I go crazy from the hornaches it’s sure to give me?”
“As I said, it’s a magic absorbing ring, not a magic blocking ring. No hornaches involved. You might seem to think I’m an idiot, but I assure you, I am not. Which, of course, brings us to our last condition, bearing in mind that this list will be expanded as we see fit. Shining Armor, if you would?”
He took a step away from the group of Twilight and her friends to stand in front of them, but not any farther, only enough to be easily visible as he floated a sheet of paper over to her, along with a pen.
“If you could sign this?” he said, a complete lack of emotion in his voice
“What- what is this?” she asked, looking down for a moment before looking back at him, the confusion and surprise obvious.
“It’s exactly what it says it is. It’s just telling you that Flurry is going to be in my sole custody and that the Crystal Empire’s crown will transfer to me alone.”
“You- you’re… you’re divorcing me?” she asked, completely shocked, looking back down as she quickly tried to scan through its contents.
“You’re surprised?” he asked, furrowing his brow a bit. “You tried to kill me and then lie about it, and had a hoof in provoking Princess Celestia into attacking my sister. I thought it would be completely obvious to you, seeing as you don’t love me and have a grudge against Twily.”
She stared at him with a slack-jawed expression. It looked like it was the last thing she expected to hear, her face showing her complete and utter shock at the news. Even Twilight only looked down at her hooves, likely expecting this to happen between them. Cadance kept the expression for a few moments before she clenched her teeth and turned back to me.
“This is your fault!” she spat angrily. “You can’t make my husband-”
“No, it’s not his fault. Somb- Alex came to me beforehoof and explained that he was planning to pardon you, and I told him that I wanted this to be a part of your conditions for your release.”
“Why?” she asked, almost seeming like she was pleading with him. “Why are you doing this? You know I still lo-”
“Don’t start with that,” he told her flatly, tiredly. “Do you really think I’m that big of an idiot? I didn’t become captain of the Royal Guard for nothing. You and I both know that you don’t love me, seeing as you tried to kill me. Or, at the very least, whatever grudge you have against Princess Celestia is more powerful than any love you hold for me.”
“I already told you, that was Sombra who attacked-”
“You really truly do think I’m just that big of an idiot, don't you?” he started angrily, before cutting himself off. “No,” he told her, closing his eyes for a second to regain his composure. “I’m not doing this. Just sign the paper, and then… don’t speak to me again, understand?”
Cadance bit her lip at that. I couldn’t tell if she was hurt, angry, thinking, or a combination of the three, but she didn’t take his pen, and just stood there for a long minute before finally speaking again.
“I don’t- I’m not giving up Flurry Heart completely. I still want to be able to see her. She’s my foal.”
“I’m not giving you any custody of her after what you’ve done,” he told her with authority, a few of Twilight’s friends cringing at that statement. “As far as I’m concerned, you don’t deserve to see her ever again. You know she could’ve been hurt in all of the mess you made?”
“How would she have been hurt?” Cadance countered, her voice getting louder. “Who would’ve hurt her? Nopony!”
“You don’t know that, and you can’t know that.”
“I do know that because nopony did!”
“She had to be left all alone for hours because of you! She could’ve hurt herself in that time!”
“I deserve to see her! I’m her mother!”
“A horrible mother who hurts her father!”
“Stop this now, both of you,” Luna interrupted, ending their argument. “Shining Armor, you will allow Cadance to see Flurry Heart at a rate that will be determined later, and Cadance, you will sign the paper, today, dissolving your union as he requests, understand?”
“I don’t deserve all of this,” the pink alicorn grumbled angrily, stomping her hoof as she huffed and flicked her mane out of her face.