After we all arrived at the hospital with Misted unconscious, once inside, the medics rushed her into one of the rooms, accompanied by a few doctors. A few anxious minutes passed before the doctors emerged, letting out a collective sigh of relief. I placed a hoof on my chest and approached the lead doctor.
"Tell me she's okay, Doctor," I implored. The doctor looked up at me with a small, reassuring smile, "Don't worry, Cadence. We were able to stabilize her, but she has fallen into a coma."
Worry quickly washed over my face as I realized the gravity of the situation. I couldn't help but blame myself; this wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been so paranoid. "Can we see her?" I asked the doctor, desperately wanting to be by Misted's side. The doctor nodded, granting me access to Misted's room, saying, "Of course, Princess."
I smiled at the doctor as I entered the room, with Zack and Flurry following closely behind. As we stepped inside, we were greeted by the sight of Misted still unconscious on the bed, her eyes closed, and her body connected to various machines to sustain her.
There was a mix of emotions within me. On one hand, I felt relieved to see her alive, knowing that she was still with us. But on the other hand, a pang of sadness tugged at my heart, as I couldn't shake the guilt that I had played a role in Misted's current condition. However, I knew that I needed to set my guilt aside for the moment.
I approached the side of Misted's bed and gently placed a hoof on her. "Misted," I spoke softly, hoping that the sound of my voice might bring her back to consciousness. Much to my dismay, she remained unconscious, and the worry in the room deepened.
Without me noticing zack put a hoof on my shoulder “I think she might be out for a while”, i flinched at the contact but his soft tone seemed to help calm me down. “Yeah. At least she’s still alive”, the three of us took a seat in the room.
A few minutes of silence hung in the air, becoming somewhat uncomfortable. Finally, I decided to break it, turning my attention to Zack. "So, Zack," I began, "I've been meaning to ask you, what are your plans for the near future?"
Zack seemed slightly surprised by the question, and he took a moment to contemplate his answer. He tapped his front hoof against his chin before responding, "Well, I haven't really thought about it much." He then glanced over at Flurry, who was sitting beside him, starting to drift off to sleep. Zack continued, "All I know is that I just want to be with her, to make her happy." A soft, affectionate smile crossed his face as he leaned in to plant a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Listening to Zack's heartfelt answer, I couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions. I was well aware that Zack and Flurry were scheduled to be married in less than a month. There was something about his words that felt genuine, but I couldn't shake the underlying discomfort I felt about my daughter marrying a changeling.
"Well... now's a great time to start planning," I replied, my tone encouraging. "Trust me, you don't want to have no plan after a marriage. I can speak from some experience."
Zack seemed genuinely interested and inquired, "Oh really? I assumed you had everything sorted out after your marriage."
A wry smile formed on my lips, though it felt forced. "I guess you could say we did, before the Crystal Empire came along, and things took a very, very sharp turn." I nearly forced out a laugh, the memories of those turbulent times still vivid in my mind.
“
Zack listened to my story, and I could see genuine concern in his eyes as he said, "That must have been a difficult situation, to go from just being married to the princess of an entire empire. I don't think I could handle something like that."
I couldn't help but smile and playfully roll my eyes at his comment. "Yeah, it was tough, but we got through it after a while. And then came Flurry, which was yet another challenge," I said with a giggle, recalling how much of a handful Flurry Heart could be. Memories of Shining Armor, who meant the world to me, started flooding back. From the Crystal Games to the Crystaling, he was a significant part of my life he was everythingto me.
Zack tried to lighten the mood by saying, "Having to be a princess in front of all those ponies and be a mother at home must have been something." It was an attempt to shift the conversation away from the somber memories.
I nodded in agreement and replied, "Yeah, it was. And then when Shining passed away, it was my breaking point, and I went to a very dark place." The memories of losing Shining Armor and the immense grief that followed were still painful to recall. "I don't even remember a night when I didn't cry in my sleep, knowing that my husband was gone."
Zack moved closer and offered comforting words. "That must have been one of the hardest things you ever had to deal with." He walked over and sat down on the floor in the center of the room.
I looked at him, and a faint smile crossed my face as I acknowledged, "You're right. It was incredibly tough. But then, being a single mom was even harder than I could imagine."
Zack spoke softly, "Well, there's a first time for everything, right? Even dealing with death is a first time." His words had a soothing effect, and I found myself joining him on the floor.
I continued, "Your assessment is spot on. It was no walk in the park at first, but as Flurry aged, it got easier as time went by, until you showed up that fateful day." I put emphasis on the last part of my statement, reminding Zack of the significant impact he had on my life.
Zack remained silent for a moment, processing our shared journey. "And I'm pretty sure you know the rest," I added with a hint of nostalgia in my tone.
“Yeah. I guess you could say what goes around comes around”, Zack said as he let out a little laugh smirking over his own joke. “Yeah”, I said as Zack then asked me something that i don’t think any pony has ever asked me before. “Do you regret anything about the past”,
Zack's unexpected question stirred something within me, and I found myself speaking my truth. "Not being there for Flurry after Shining died," I admitted with a hint of guilt. "We were both in a state far beyond pain, heartbreak, and sadness. I was so focused on myself and the Crystal Empire that I overlooked Flurry, to the point where I don't think I could fix it. Having you enter the picture back then didn't help matters, not that it was completely your fault."
Zack listened intently as I shared my thoughts. "I don't even want to imagine how things must have been. How far you two grew apart," he began to say.
I didn't let him finish, feeling that his perspective mattered. "I know it's not exactly my place, but—" Zack started.
"You're going to be family soon, even though I might not approve, and you may not have been there, but I think you can have an opinion on it all," I interrupted. It was a candid moment, and Zack acknowledged my point with a nod and a soft smile.
"I guess I just wanted a better relationship with Flurry, but I guess I held her so close that I pushed her away," I confessed, a tear rolling down my cheek. The weight of my past actions weighed on me.
Zack stood silent for a moment before offering his perspective. "You were dealing with a lot. I may not know all the details, but I think you just needed to talk to her. I mean, look how far she has come ever since I came into the picture. She has grown far beyond that little filly she once was. Maybe if you just talk to her, you can see just how great communication can be. Just talking to one another can lead to a better relationship. But I think you, of all ponies, should know that, at least."
Even when i did, i never asked her about her life such as school or even if she made any friends or anything like that. I was just focused on me, me, me and not even once did i say the words like ‘how are you doing flurry’ or ‘how is school flurry’ i was just so caught up with my self.
"I just wish I could click a button and redo everything I messed up on," I said, tears flowing down my eyes. "To fix being the worst mother ever and breaking me and Flurry's relationship over the years. To fix everything and live the life I thought we would get to live," I confessed, feeling like I had failed as a mother.
Zack offered comfort as he spoke words that I had needed to hear for a long time. "Like I said before, I don't have all the details, but I know that you just have to move forward. You messed up. We all do. It's a part of living and being a leader, but a great leader knows when they messed up and has the courage to make it right. You just have to move past the mistakes you made and make things right once again. It's not too late. Things are improving between you two; all you have to do is make an effort to help your relationship."
Zack's words brought me a sense of relief, and I wiped away my tears. "Yeah, you're right," I agreed.
Zack continued with his wise advice, saying, "You just have to spread your wings, and you'll be surprised at what that can do." His words resonated with me, and I replied, feeling better about myself, "Wise words. You really do make a great role model."
Zack blushed a bit at the compliment but modestly responded, "I just have my way with words. Somehow, I'm able to make someone feel better even without the full story."
A few more minutes passed as Zack and I continued to converse. In that moment, I began to question my initial doubts about Zack. Maybe, just maybe, he was telling the truth. I took a deep breath, ready to apologize to Zack for my earlier suspicions.
But before I could utter a word, Misted interrupted us. She slowly opened her eyes and weakly uttered, "Ca... Cadence." My heart skipped a beat as I rushed to her bedside, taking one of her hooves in mine.
"Misted, are... are you okay?" I asked with genuine concern. Misted managed to nod weakly in response, and I couldn't help but let out a relieved sigh. Knowing that my dear friend was going to pull through filled me with gratitude. I couldn't contain the words that spilled from my heart, "You had me so worried."
Tears streamed down my cheeks as I continued, "I thought you were gone..." The emotions of the moment had me on the verge of breaking down. Misted, with her gentle smile, placed a reassuring hoof on my shoulder and replied, "I thought I was too... but it seemed that fate had other plans." She coughed weakly, a reminder of her fragile condition.
Unable to contain my relief, I pulled Misted into a careful hug, mindful of the cords connected to her. "I'm just glad you're alright," I whispered, my voice quivering with a mix of joy and gratitude. Misted returned the hug, and for a few precious moments, we held onto each other, finding solace in the simple act of being together.
After a while, Zack and Flurry decided to return to the castle to get some much-needed rest. Misted's worried expression as they left didn't go unnoticed, and the room became quieter, with a sense of unease lingering in the air, zack and flurry were far enough away she turned to me
“Cadence” she said in a panicked voice “yes misted” “I think you want to know what i saw back there”, i quick shook my head. “No no now is not the time for that. You need to rest, we can talk about what you saw later”, I said trying to be calm and what not. “I think it relates to this Zack you mentioned”, my eyes flew pen as i looked around before leaning in to her “what did you find,”, I said as i got a little interested. “I wasn’t able to get much before i was attacked but whatever he is, he is nothing but darkness”, Misted said still in her weakened voice.
“What…What are you even talking about”, I said as i started to press for more. I was almosted tricked. “Please, you needed to hear me out. I saw that figure in my mind and he was definitely evil and nothing but darkness. I tried to run from it but it got me and landed me here on this bed”, I don’t believe it. How could he? And after a very open ended conversation as well. That traitor”, I said with anger riseing in my chest. “Please, find out what that thing is planning”, Misted said with pleading eyes. “Oh i will and he will never see it coming”