//------------------------------// // Closing Act: Dangers of Love // Story: Friendship is Failure #27- Love is a Danger Zone // by DakariKingMykan //------------------------------// CLOSING ACT Strings was in very bad shape. He looked pale and dehydrated, as if he had just been through a roughhouse-- which was rather true. Cadance tried to heal him with her positive love energy, but it didn’t do a thing. “We’ve got to him help, now!” cried Twilight. Soon, Strings was at Ponyville General Hospital, and rushed immediately into emergency. Dr. Horse made everyone else wait outside, and meanwhile, Celestia and Luna had gone out to officially welcome the day and announce that the lockdown was over, and all creatures could return to their normal lives. Meanwhile, while Strings was being cared for, Twilight filled her brother in on everything. “Let me get this straight…” said Shining Armor “Strings is in love with Cadance-- My wife, Cadance!” Everyone nodded. “He suppressed his feelings deep down inside, hurting himself for all these years?” Everyone nodded. “And Twilight and Cadance accidently turned him into Danger Zone with a tainted potion?” Twilight and Cadance looked most ashamed. Nothing else had to be said, it was clear now. Shining Armor sat down with a perplexed look on his face as he held his head with his hoof. “Are you alright?” asked Cadance. Her husband shook her head, “I don’t know what to feel right now. I’m a complete mix. I get that he felt crushed, and I’m sorry he was, but that’s no excuse for all the trouble he caused.” Twilight reassured him. “He didn’t do any of this. All this was Danger Zone’s doing, Strings had no control over him. That’s why he’s not going to be pressed with any charges.” Shining Armor realized this, and he understood. “But still… poor guy. I can’t believe all this happened to him.” “Well, I’ll tell you what I can’t believe…” said Pinkie “That Princess Cadance did all this and saved us.” Twilight looked at her sister-in-law. “I think you owe us an explanation too.” She also looked at Spike, not very pleased that he let her out of the bunker. Cadance explained it all… “I had a deep fear… We knew that Strings was like Nightmare Moon, but I also felt he wasn’t like Nightmare Moon. Strings never asked to become Danger Zone, nor did he ever succumb to his long-suppressed feelings. It happened because of the demon aura he was accidentally given, which made him transform back and forth between forms. As the evil was growing stronger, and that it was feeding off love and empowered by hate, I feared that The Elements of Harmony, alone, wouldn’t be enough to help, even with the Heart Amulets.” In a flashback, she recalled and explained how she desperately asked Spike, by the message parchment, to let her out of the bunker. “No way!” Spike replied. “I promised Twilight I wouldn’t let you out.” “You don’t understand. I must confront Danger Zone myself. It may concern everyone’s lives.” “I explained to Spike as best I could and persuaded him to let me out.” Rainbow’s eyes widened. “So, you deliberately let Danger Zone get you?” Cadance nodded, “It was the only hope I felt that would work. You see, Love cannot be conquered-- no matter how strong you are or how hard you may try--Love may conquer you, but you cannot conquer Love. I felt that our best chance was for me to connect with Strings from within and help him gain the strength he needed to fight off the evil that was holding him. So, I did what I had to do.” Everyone’s eyes widened and their jaws dropped open. “You… kissed him?” Spike exclaimed softly. Shining Armor felt a little faint, but Cadance assured everyone, “It was only to make the spell work; to help the love radiate from Strings to combine it with my power. That’s all it was. I wasn’t cheating or being sleazy. It just had to be done.” Shining Armor blinked twice. “Okay, I believe you.” “I think we’re all just glad that it all worked out in the end.” said Rarity. “Not quite everything.” Fluttershy peeped. “What about Strings? What will happen to him?” Everyone fell silent with worry. “He’s still got the hots for you.” Applejack said to Cadance. “This can only end badly for him.” Cadance felt a little guilty. Now that she knew the root of Strings’ woes, she hadn’t the slightest idea what to do. “I do love him, but only as a friend, and that’s just not enough for him. I can’t stand that he’s suffering like this, even if he is bringing a lot of it on himself. It’s just not healthy for him, even with the evil gone.” Twilight feared for Strings as well, worrying that he was still liable to do something nutty. “We’ve got to keep trying to help him, even if he won’t accept it.” The others all agreed, and even Shining Armor offered to help. “I’m sorry he’s hurting, but he doesn’t deserve to suffer like this, or make himself suffer.” His wife smiled lovingly at him and pecked him deeply on the cheek. “Thank you for being so understanding.” Her husband nodded at her. “…I’m afraid none of you will have that chance.” said Dr. Horse. He had just come from Emergency with a sad look on his face. “What do mean?” asked Spike. The doctor didn’t answer right away, and just gazed at everyone with his, still sad expression. “No…!” Cadance peeped. “…You mean?!” cried Twilight. The Doctor confirmed, “We tried our very best, but it was no use. His body had suffered severe internal damage from having the evil inside of him for so long, that and coupled with the years of stress, and his weakened immune system…” He stopped and shook his head, “…I’m so sorry.” Cadance felt part of her heart starting to weigh in hard, and the pain worsened when the nurses came out wheeling a stretcher, with body completely covered in blankets, on the way to the morgue. “Oh, my!” sobbed Rarity. “It can’t be!” cried Pinkie. The nurses said nothing as they sadly wheeled the body away. The one who felt the most hurt was Twilight. “Strings…” she peeped so softly she could barely be heard. Because Strings was a big singing star, news of his death was heard all over Equestria. So many felt crushed and saddened by this news. “He was my favorite singer!” “I had tickets to his next concert!” “This is all that Danger Zone guy’s fault!” No one was told about Cadance and Twilight’s involvement with the potion. Twilight and Cadance were already feeling glum enough and didn’t need the Kingdom turning on them with blame and scorn. Cadance also ordered everyone who was involved with her on this never to reveal the secret of Strings’ feelings for her. “I want Strings to be remembered, not depressed, not as an evil creep, but as the gentle pony he was for his gifts, and with a heart bigger than any magic I could conjure.” The friends all agreed. A worldwide memorial was dedicated to Strings, with many sad hearts attending on site or just listening from the comforts of their homes-- listening in silence. Finally, as per Princess Cadance’s request, since Strings was her star student, and close friend, Strings was buried in the Crystal Empire memorial site. One quiet day, Cadance visited Strings’ grave, with Twilight. They each put a flower on the stone, which had a carved picture of Strings’ cutiemark. They held each other softly trying not to break out sobbing, Shining Armor and all the others stood in the background behind them, all feeling somber and upset. They could even hear a sad song playing in the air and could feel as if Strings’ spirit was singing to it. “Look My Way.” Eventually, the pain would subside enough for everyone, all over the kingdom, to find strength to get on with their lives. But these were scars and hurt feelings that would never heal and would hurt once in a while… Especially for Sun, who was given a light sentencing by the royal sisters for all the laws she had broken-- stealing, misuse of magic, impersonating royalty-- but for her ideas and helpfulness against Danger Zone, she was merely given one hundred hours of community service as probation. She was also planning to get psychiatric treatment to deal with her emotional misery and her feelings for Strings. “I know it’s going to be hard…” she said to herself “And it may not work in the end, but I’m going to try. …Goodbye, Strings.” As for Cadance and Twilight… It was just an accident that they caused all the trouble, and they couldn’t control what happened in the end, and they still helped to save the land. …Knowing all those things did not stop them from feeling a little guilty, and it also brought on an important lesson about Love… Love is a powerful force, and while it is capable of brining joy and happiness to some, to others… it can also bring the greatest of sorrow and pain… just like a Danger Zone. “I’m so sorry, Strings.” Cadance sobbed softly. “Me too…” added Twilight “Please be at peace… Friend.” Two tears fell, one from each of their eyes, and landed on the mark on the stone as the song ended.