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// The Faithful Priestess 
// Story: The Three Kingdoms 
// by James Pwyll 
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Cadance knew well that her mother, Amore, had three great devotions in her life. Her family, her Lady and her people. Today it was the third of those that received her attention. In a hall adorned with gorgeous stained-glass windows, the High Priestess of the Crystal Ponies stood regally, adorned in her robes of state, bright pink which flowed far behind her. The older mare, a pegasus like her, smiled lovingly to those who stood before her. Cadance recognised the first of the two immediately. One of the younger paladins, specifically the one she had been speaking to her beloved husband about not so long ago. Flash Sentry, who currently wore all of his ceremonial armour, save for his helm, which he carried at his side. As for the other, a pegasus mare with grey fur and a short, blonde mane, Cadance was less familiar. She wanted to say that she was a baker of some sort, but she wasn't certain. What she was certain of, however, was that the mare seemed to have a very odd placement with her eyes, though she knew it would have been rude to point it out. So, she stood silently as the two petitioned her mother. "Oh High Priestess," Flash began. "I ask you bless our union. Long have we loved one another, and now...we wish to take the vows."

The mare beside him, sparing a moment to look to her partner with great affection, stepped closer to him before speaking up to Amore herself. "It would mean so much to us, your Holiness."

Amore stepped forward, keeping her smile as she regarded the two younger ponies. Slowly, she raised a hoof, waving it slightly before them. "The teachings of our Lady, Love, have always held that the bond between those who care for one another is sacred beyond all else. To commit yourself to another, to live your life for them and to hold them in your heart as part of yourself, is a blessing in itself." Again, she moved closer. "But if my blessing is what you wish for, then you shall have it." She bowed her head to them. "Flash Sentry, Muffins, in the name of our Lady, I bless your union. And though your vows have not yet been spoken, I wish you a long and happy life together. May your devotion be true, your marriage fruitful,  and may all who look to you see the warmth that Love's promise brings."

The young couple beamed, moving in for a kiss, which was naturally a heartwarming sight for all others. When they were finally done, which actually took a solid minute, they bowed respectfully to their spiritual leader, who returned the gesture in kind, before turning together and making their way out of the chamber. Cadance, moving towards her mother, smiled to this. "If I should ever be in your position, Mother, I hope I bring as much joy to a pony's life with my words as you do."

Amore returned the smile at the sight of her daughter, moving over to her. "And I'm sure you will Cadance. You always did have a talent for lighting up people's day. It is a talent that will serve our people well when my time draws to a close."

Cadance's ears drooped, but only slightly. "Mother, please, we've discussed this. There's no need for that kind of talk."

Moving past her, Amore removed her ornate robe, offering it to a nearby attendant who bowed her head before accepting it. And only after the garment was taken did the high priestess again look to her child. "We are mares of faith, Cadance. And like all faiths, we must acknowledge and accept that our time in this world is finite. One day...dusk will come for me, and on that day, you must be the dawn that stands in my place." Reaching out, Amore carefully placed her hoof upon her daughter's shoulder. "And eventually...this will be the same talk you'll need to have with your daughter." To that, Cadance did not argue, at leas not openly. Instead, she watched as her mother and leader walked over to one of the windows, looking down at all of the ponies below going about their days. "So...how is my dear granddaughter?"

Here, Cadance was given something to smile about. "As happy as can be, which isn't much of a surprise, given our guests."

Amore chuckled. "Pinkie and Izzy are always a delight to have here." Then, she arched an eyebrow. "Though I suspect you did not come to me to discuss Flurry or travelling bards?"

Cadance sighed, walking to stand alongside Amore before answering. "No, I...I came to discuss my recent...appointment."

Amore nodded solemnly. "Believe me, Cadance, I did not make the decision lightly. If the Forum is to be reestablished, I need my most trusted and capable down there to be our people's voice." She looked to her. "And that is you and my son-in-law." 

After a moment, Cadanc'es expression towards Amore became a touch more intrigued. "You've never been one to make a move so quickly, Mother. It's barely been a day since the scroll came in, and you're already accepting the suggestion and sending representatives."

Amore, for her part, considered her daughter's words before slowly nodding. "You are correct. Normally I would prefer to wait for a time to see which direction this Luna person would have gone. But consider..." She turned to look to Cadance. "This is not just some small-scale political maneuver. This is an invitation to gather all the great nations together. A potential unity that has not existed in living memory. Unity can lead to cooperation, and in turn, to positive relations."

Another sigh from Cadance. "You believe this is a step towards the dream you've always hoped for?"

"I know you've often been skeptical, daughter," Amore replied. "But we must never forget the tenants of our Lady." Again, she looked out of the window. "Love was the greatest of Harmony's daughters. Her message always carried the hope that ponykind would one day unite and never divide again." She gently placed both forehooves against the windowsill. "If the Lunar Republic seeks to reach out to us, even if their reasons are not altruistic, it is something. A start. And such things cannot be overlooked or dismissed."

Cadance considered that. "Perhaps..." Her worried look returned. "Though you'll pardon me for being more than a little suspicious. Generations of isolation and now they want to involve themselves in the wider world? And only after power was seized by one known mostly for her violence?"

Amore did not look to her as she answered. "You've been speaking with Shining, I take it?"

There was no judgement in her voice, but even so, Cadance did not approve of the implication. "His fears are not unfounded, Mother. Whatever Luna plans...we need to be careful."

Silence passed between the mares, but after a while of it, Amore finally looked to her heir once more. "I know. Though I wish a bright future lay ahead of us, experience has taught me well that our neighbours will not always have our interests in mind." She smiled, but it was one mixed in with a thoughtful expression. "Hope for the best...prepare for the worst. Isn't that the saying among the paladins?"

Cadance matched her smile. "Something to that effect, yes."

At long last, Amore began to move away from the window, with Cadance close behind her as they instead walked alongside the many stained-glass windows of the hall. "Consider also, daughter, that we have a chance to help those ponies across our borders."

Cadance paused here, looking to her with curiosity. "Help, Mother?"

Looking over her shoulder, Amore gave her a more genuine smile than before. "Indeed. For too long, the ears of other ponies have remained willfully deaf to the word of our faith. The teachings of Love stifled beyond our domain. If the other pony realms wish to open themselves to us, then there is a chance for those teachings to finally gain a hoofhold."

Unease took hold of her daughter with those words. "I'm...not sure if the Lunars would appreciate such a move. They have their own faith, Mother, as do those in the west, and they seem content with it. Having our people go to them to try to convince them otherwise might ruffle some feathers."

Amore looked to her with warmth. "You have a good heart, my daughter, as befits one who would safeguard the spirituality of our nation. But they and those of the Solar Kingdom have long been led astray by the ways of Harmony's lesser daughters, Sun and Moon. Consider how much better the lives of the Yaks and Changelings have been since they began to pray alongside us. So too can it be with our fellow ponies to the east and west. We may all look to Harmony as our creator, but that is where our similarities end." She looked ahead, to the end of the hall. "Should things go well, we may be entering a new age of renewed devotion, and a scope of our faith far wider than ever before." After a moment to mull that over, the high priestess began to walk off, leaving Cadance behind her. "Always hope for such things, daughter."

Cadance watched her mother walk away, and before long the younger mare was by herself, left alone to think on all that had been said. However, this solitude did not last forever, as she soon felt the warm touch of a familiar hoof upon her shoulder, leading to a smile from her. "I hope you're ready for a long trip, my love," she began. "I'm not sure how long we'll be down in the Glades for this task."

She turned to look to Shining, who nodded to her. "I devoted myself to your protection, beloved. No matter where you go, or for why, I will be there."

The two, in a moment of uninterrupted affection, moved to embrace, and for at least a little while Cadance could pretend that all was right and happy with her world. But, after enjoying this union for as long as they could, they parted, with Cadance exhaling deeply. "Well, we'd better get ready. If nothing else, it'll be good for Flurry to see more of the world than just our city."

Shining chuckled. "Good thing too. You wouldn't believe how hard me and Izzy had to work to get that sister of hers away from fawning over our daughter."

In response, Cadance giggled. "Not that I'd blame her of course."





Izzy had been long at work getting the knots just right, but now, she was quite satisfied that she'd done everything she needed to. Stepping back, she smiled and nodded at the sight of her sister, Pinkie, wrapped up on a chair with rope as tight as they could go. After wriggling around to test said tightness however, Pinkie spoke back to her, her voice carrying an almost fearful inflection. "You'd better hurry with more ropes, Izzy. Once I get in the mood to hug Flurry again I'll become unstoppable! Unmoored! Uncaged! Downright unreasonable!"

Her sister nodded again. "True. But I've been in your head before. I know how you think. I'm the only mare who can contain you."

Slowly, Pinkie glanced over her shoulder as best she could. "Wanna know the only problem?" she asked suspiciously.

Izzy, in a move uncharacteristic of her, narrowed her eyes. "What's that, Pinks?"

Then, her eyes widened in horror to find, to her dismay, that where Pinkie had been was now just a loose pile of ropes on a chair, no mare in sight. "I'm already gone," the voice of her sister echoed around her.

Izzy's head snapped in all directions, hearing Pinkie's giggling but never being able to pin down exactly where it was coming from. "She's in the walls," she murmured, looking all around herself. And so, in a moment of panic, she grabbed the nearest blunt object, in this case the now-empty chair itself, and held it up like a weapon. "SHE'S IN THE HARMONY-DANG WALLS!!!"