In the throne room of the Crystal Empire's castle, a pink alicorn raised her head as two large doors opened. Her brow furrowed in confusion when she recognized her private secretary, whose face was dark with devastation. Cadance was almost afraid to ask, though she knew that she had to. What happened next was an agonizing blur, silent save for the few words that stopped Cadance’s world:
“Celestia… dead… Captain Armor… killed in action… his parents… Twilight… all dead… so sorry.”
No. This is just a nightmare. This wasn’t supposed to happen. The princess began to shake, and her heart began to pound so intensely that she feared she might go into cardiac arrest. Luna had insisted on including Shining Armor and Twilight in the mission for which they and Celestia had left not even two days before. Twilight’s parents had accompanied them because the risk of such a mission had been considered minimal. Rage began to bubble up inside Cadance’s body, and she cried out.
The cries of a newborn foal echoed through the castle. Cadance wept as she walked to the nursery and lifted her two-day-old daughter from the bassinet, leaning in to inhale the foal’s sweet, milky scent.
“We are all each other has now,” Cadance whispered to the tiny alicorn filly. “I promise you will know how amazing your daddy, aunties, and grandparents were. I swear to make sure you know how much they loved you.” She dropped a featherlight kiss on Flurry Heart’s forehead, then walked to the rocking chair and sat down to cuddle her daughter.
“You… also have me,” a familiar voice murmured. Cadance’s stomach dropped as she noticed a dark blue alicorn standing in the doorway.
“Get out,” Cadance said coldly, her voice dangerously soft as she held Flurry Heart protectively against her chest and glared at Luna.
“I… I cannot,” Luna said hoarsely, obviously exhausted from crying. The princess of the night’s wings hung limply at her sides, and her mane hung in stringy, matted clumps along her neck. Her tail was equally unkempt, and her coat was dirty.
“Cadance,” Luna whispered as she took a few tentative steps into the nursery, “we are the only alicorns left. I cannot, in good conscience, simply abandon you and Flurry. You will need support. Raising a foal alone will be extremely difficult. You cannot do this by yourself. We must stick together for the sake of your child. You have every right to hate me, but I swear to you right now that I already have so much love for my sweet little great niece. Cadance, we have both lost so much; let us grow stronger together through the love we share for this new life.” Cadance’s gaze returned to her daughter, who was sleeping peacefully in her hooves. She knew that what Luna was suggesting would most likely result in the best circumstances for Flurry, but she still could hardly bring herself to look at Equestria’s sole ruler. With a defeated sigh, Cadance forced herself to meet Luna’s eyes.
“Fine,” she snapped, “you can help me, but only under my supervision. If you endanger my daughter in any manner, I will take you down. I hate you, and I always will.” Luna looked wounded for a second, but she recovered quickly and took another step toward Cadance.
“She is precious,” Luna said, smiling warmly at Flurry as she reached out her hoof to gently stroke the filly’s tiny cheek. “Look at that sweet little face.” She cooed softly over the newborn alicorn, her cyan eyes bright with adoration. Cadance had to fight the primal urge to jerk Flurry away from Luna. She only wanted to scream, to protect her baby from the pony whose inability to rule had taken her husband from her. The princess of love kept her eyes on her daughter, who opened her eyes and began to cry. Cadance guided the foal to her breast and sighed with relief as Flurry began to suckle noisily.
“She is latching well,” Luna observed, a smile evident in her voice. “What a hungry one she is! Listen to those sweet little noises she’s making while she eats. She is a doll, Cadance. You must be so proud.”
“She’s an alicorn,” Cadance said shortly, gently pulling back the foal’s blanket to reveal her feathery pink wings. Luna’s jaw dropped. After a few seconds of silence, the new sole ruler of Equestria nodded decisively.
“Then it is even more important for you to receive all the necessary support from me,” she said. “You will not be able to raise an alicorn on your own, Cadance. This little one is the sole heir to the Crystal Empire, and as Equestria’s monarch and your aunt, I have a duty to be there for you and your daughter. I understand that you do not want my help, Cadance, but you must do what is best for your child; she is, after all, next in line to the throne. I know that I have no experience raising a foal, but I want you to understand that I will be there for you every step of the way. It’s… what my sister would have wanted.” Luna swallowed hard as her eyes began to glimmer with tears.
“So long as you are aware that I will never stop hating you,” Cadance hissed. “I am only allowing you to know my daughter because we are all she has left. I have no choice but to let you help me.”