//------------------------------//
// Neverending Love 
// Story: Easing the Cycle 
// by ChroniclerOfFantasies 
//------------------------------//

	Small green flames singed the ground around her as Cadence woke up. She looked around, her eyesight fuzzy and her head in a daze. As her world stopped spinning and her eyesight readjusted, she found herself in the palace gardens. She stood up shakily, the ride through the portal had been a bumpy one and her body was reluctant to move. Unfortunately for her she didn’t have much of a choice. Every second was precious. Cadence spread out her wings, jumping back for a moment before remembering why they were white. She would have to keep in mind that while she was here she was actually Celestia.
She took off into the air and headed straight for the residential area of Canterlot. She and the other princesses had discussed how she’d go about saving Rade. The enemy Rade faced was too powerful for Cadance, or any of the princesses for that matter, to face alone. Even Celestia would fall by its hand if she wasn’t careful.
Therefore if Cadence was to save Rade, she needed help. They considered asking the Celestia of the past, but in order to get to Celestia they would need someone who could walk through the palace unhindered. Back then Cadence was the only one who could do that aside from Celestia herself and since it was already decided that Cadence needed to be in disguise there was no way she could get help from her. Not without needlessly fighting the royal guard or worse, Celestia herself.
With no other alternative left, they knew there was only one pony in that time who had enough of the magic she needed to help her protect Rade. And that was herself. Cadence needed to find Cadence and she knew exactly where to go.
She touched down on the doorstep of a rather large home. It wasn’t the biggest in Canterlot, but it was certainly bigger and more extravagant than anything you’d see in Ponyville or most of the other towns and cities in Equestria. Cadence knocked on the door with her hoof and waited patiently before the door opened with a click and there stood her mother, albeit much younger than she was in her own time.
“Ah, Princess Celestia. Are you here for Cadence? I’m sorry but… can you come back in a little while maybe? Cadence… something just happened and she… she’s not her best at the moment.”
“I’m sorry Mrs. Cadenza, but it can’t wait. Please excuse me.” Cadence pushed passed the younger version of her mother and walked into her homes living. She turned to her right, heading up the stairs that led to her old room and knocked on the door. She heard sobbing and sniffles from the other side.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me, Princess Celestia. Cadence I know you don’t want to speak with me or anypony right now, but it’s urgent. Please let me in we have no time to waste!”
Cadence waited a few moments before hearing the door click unlocked. She gave it a soft push, causing it to swing in and open up. What she saw was a bit unnerving. She looked down to see a younger version of herself curled into a ball with her head lying on a soaked pillow. The disguised Cadence gently closed the door behind her before approaching the younger Cadence before speaking.
“Cadence, what did Rade do?” The younger Cadence looked up from her pillow for a second before flopping her head back down and speaking in muffled tones.
“He broke up with me. ME. The love of his life. Or at least, I thought I was. I mean, we… we were going to get married and now… now I’m just… I don’t even know.”
The older Cadence chuckled. “It’s not funny, Celestia!”
“I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing at how big of an idiot Rade is.” the older Cadence walked a bit forwards, tilting her head down and looking her in the eyes. “Listen to me, what he said was a lie.”
The younger Cadence looked up to what she thought was Celestia. “A… lie? Why would he lie about something like that?”
“So he could see you without you following him. Listen Cadence I’ve made a terrible mistake. There’s a horrible monster about to be unleashed on Equestria any minute now and the only thing standing in his way is Rade. He… tried to warn me… but I didn’t listen. I thought what he was talking about was nothing more than a myth… but I was wrong. I was in the palace library not long ago looking through old royal archives for some menial thing that’s unimportant. What IS important are several old scrolls I found written by people who would be very reliable sources from that time. They documented and talked about he very same beast that Rade has gone off to fight.”
“It was a monster so strong it took two pureblood Alicorns just to seal him away… both of which died after the battle.” The younger Cadence gasped.
“But… princess. Aren’t pureblood Alicorns like you… immortal?”
“Yes. But this monster is something unlike any other. He is the only being in the world capable of killing an Alicorn. And Rade has gone to face him alone.”
“But… but I… I don‘t understand. Why would he do that? Why would he say those things if he was going to his death? Why now, of all times? Why? We’re supposed to get married! The weddings in just a few months. We’ve been so excited! My girl friends and I were looking for a dress, we were choosing the themes. Why would he just leave me like this? If… if he really does hate me. Then I guess it’s best to just stay out of his way. It’s not like there’s anything I can do. Go Celestia… you have real power. I… I can’t offer him anything anymore…”
“Cadence… what makes you say that?!”
“Look at me Celestia! I’m a princess of love! Yet… yet… I couldn’t even keep him. You know, he always told me that I shouldn’t rely on love to fix everything. He used to tell me that love wouldn’t stop someone from hurting you, from hating you, especially not if it meant protecting you. He used to say that love is only as strong as the trust that’s built from it. That without that trust it’s nothing more than emotions fueled by chemicals in the brain. But I… must have somehow betrayed that trust. I must have done something wrong. There’s no other explanation. He hates me because of something I did and I have to figure out what. I’m powerless without love, and he’s holding all the love I have.”
“Oh Cadance that’s not it at all. Don’t you see? Rade believes he’s going to his death. He doesn’t want you to get hurt but at the same time he wanted to see you again. So he came up with a clever little trick, one that only he, in all his brilliance could come up with. He decided to break up with you. This way he could see you again, keep you from following him to his death, and make it so that you wouldn’t worry about him for the rest of your life due to pure hate.”
“But that’s impossible! I… I could never hate him…” younger Cadence screamed. She stood up and wiped the tears from her face. 
“Weren’t you just cursing his name a moment ago?”
“I…! No! No… of course not. Why would I…”
“Cadence we need to go. If we’re to save Rade then we’ve no time to waste here. Please, quickly!”
“Just tell me where he is? That foal needs a hoof to the head!”
The older Cadence smiled. “Just follow me. We’re heading to the Everfree Forest.”
They flew as hard as they could, the elder Cadence leading the way. She knew exactly where to go. She had seen the place in her dreams. It was a massive lake filled with enchanted water made to be thousands of times denser that it was supposed to. The demon had been sealed beneath it, held down by the weight of the water and his chains. Time passed though and the spell weakened releasing him unto the world.
Seconds passed like hours as she flew. Like time in an hour glass, these were the last moments of his life. If she could get there quickly enough then maybe, just maybe, she could save him. Her thoughts were interrupted when she looked to her right. A roar ripped through the night, buffeting them with wind and forcing the ground to shiver and quake. Her eyes grew wide at what she saw. A human like creature rose from the water making sounds like thunder as the liquid poured off it’s black chitin skin. Glowing red lines criss-crossed its skin while sounds like thunder reverberated through the forest as the water that rolled off its body slammed back into the lake below.
It sent out a mighty roar and Cadence cringed to see the source. It’s mouth was not located on its head, but its neck. The mountain sized behemoth raised one of its mighty hands, balling it into a fist ready to strike an unforeseen enemy. Suddenly a blast of green light shot forth hitting the beast in the chest and forcing it to stumble. The two Cadences watched in horror as black flakes fell from its body only to form into monsters when they touched the ground.
“That must be Rade!” the younger Cadence shouted. “Come on Celestia let’s move!” She went soaring across the sky at breakneck speeds while the older Cadence took a moment to let reality catch up with her before following herself.
The elder Cadence watched as they sky lit up with colors. The monsters it seems were capable of fighting with magic of their own and were trying desperately to hurt her old fiancé. He had erected a barrier around himself however, and the monsters could do nothing to penetrate it. In fact he paid them no mind as he shot spell after spell, desperately attempting to subdue the beast.
Cadence watched in horror as a ball of red light appeared in front of the beasts head, slowly growing over time. Rade’s barrier had been completely covered by monsters leaving him with no way to see the actions of his enemy. “Cadence!” she called to her younger self. “The demons about to shoot Rade! You keep going to him, I’ll make sure the attack misses!” The younger Cadence nodded her head as she sped on, meanwhile the elder stopped in place, slowly charging up her magic and aiming it right at the beasts head. Flashes of pink covered the field as the two Cadences fired together, the elder striking the demon and the younger killing the monsters that covered her beloved.
The disguised Cadence watched as the monster reeled, the ball of light exploded in its face causing it too fall. She sped onwards toward Rade who was still covered in savage beasts. Helping her younger self she managed to blast enough of them away to create an opening for him to escape. The two alicorns flew low to Rades side as he ran, monsters fast on their tail.
“Rade!” her younger self called. At first Rade showed a slight surprise, then changed to a look of anger.
“What are you doing here loser?! Go home!” he shouted. His voice was firm, but both of the young alicorns could hear the faint quiver in it, one that told of both happiness and fear. 
“Enough with your façade Rade, you’re not fooling anyone. We know you just want Cadence to leave so she doesn’t get hurt.” His eyes grew wide when he saw me, though for a brief instant he almost seemed to look confused.
“Princess? You too?”
“Of course!”
The younger Cadence then spoke. “Okay Rade introductions over. Now tell us how to kill this thing!”
Rade nodded his head looking forward as he continued to run. “To be honest I’m not sure we CAN kill this thing. The last time anyone fought it was over ten thousand years ago. There were barely even any records of it’s existence left. Two alicorns fought it long ago. Both pureblood and both dying in the process. They couldn’t kill it and instead sealed it away. The lake is the seal. Deep inside of it are massive chains that he’s broken in order to go free. What we need to do is force it to fall into the water, and reattach the broken chains. After that we just have to increase the water density and he’ll be locked up. Celestia and I will attack it and try to knock it into the lake. Cadence I want you to cover me from the air, keep the monsters falling off it’s body away from me! Once we get it into the water Celestia and I will attach the chains while you cast a weight spell on the water. Got it?”
Both Cadences nodded their heads in agreement. “Alright let’s rev it up!”
The younger Cadence snickered at the use of his catch phrase while the elder one just smiled. As she took her position she could feel the warmth filling her heart at hearing his voice. He was really here, and he was alive! Now all she had to do was keep him that way.
The demon which she decided to refer to as the Colossus had risen back onto it’s feet. It’s massive arm stretched out to swat her down, but she dodged it easily. She could see flashes of light from below as Rade began to circle back around, her younger self protecting him from the air. The elder alicorn looked towards the Colossus with hate in her eyes. It had been his fault that they didn’t get to spend their lives together, his fault that everything fell apart. It should have been Rade that helped her defeat Chrysalis, Rade who protected their new kingdom from King Sombra, Rade who helped make the crystal empire perfect for the Equestria games. Of course the more she thought about it the more she realized Rade would never have let anything go wrong to begin with. With rage building in her heart as she cried over their lost years, she assaulted the Colossus with spell after spell. Pushing it back but not down.
Soon her attacks were met with another, and she looked back to see her precious Rade continuing his earlier assault. She smiled as she watched him, the strongest unicorn alive, battle a monster once thought to be tamable by no less than a god. Then again, she thought, maybe he was on the same level now. After all he was on par with an alicorn, assuming he didn’t become one himself after this. She chuckled quietly as she pictured Rade with wings. The thought was hilarious.
A loud roar forced her mind back to the task at hand. Rade wasn’t going to survive this if she didn’t help him first. She readied up another blast aiming for it’s neck. A second later and a bright blast of pink slammed into the Colussus. It screamed louder than it ever had before, rocking back and forth as it clutched its throat in pain. A moment later she watched as a bolt of green light slammed into the back of it’s knee causing its leg to buckle and forcing it onto one knee.
Cadence charged up another shot quickly and launched it straight into the Colossuses head, forcing it backwards and into the water. They did it! The Colossus was down! She watched as the monsters stopped pursuing Rade and fled back to their master in a desperate bid to save him. She swooped down quickly letting out a barrage of spells to keep the beasts from reaching him. Soon she was joined by her younger version and the two of them watched as Rade pulled the heavy chains out of the water, wrapping them around the savage beast and mending the broken links. While he did that the younger Cadence activated her spell and the beast began to sink below its depths. With all of the monsters either rejoined with the original or destroyed, the elder Cadence flew back to Rade and helped to seal the savage beast.
The Colossus writhed and thrashed about, refusing to go down without even spilling a single drop of blood. It grabbed at it’s chains, and just before being pulled under the surface broke one of them sending it flying through the air… and straight at the two of them.
Time slowed down as she watched the chain come at her. She saw the look on her younger self’s face, filled with horror. Her mouth opened wide as she let out a scream, her legs and wings just barely able to move. She turned to Rade ready to push him out of the way, but was shocked to find him already doing the same. “CADENCE!” He screamed, and pushed the disguised alicorn out of the way as the chain fell on him. In that moment everything came to a halt. She had come all this way to save him and even so he still died.
Paralyzed by shock she scarcely noticed her younger self flying towards her. “Celestia… CELESTIA! Come on we have to lift this off of him! He could still be alive! He HAS to be alive!” she shouted, holding her elder self’s face in her hooves.
The older alicorn came back to her senses and stood up, pumping all of the magical strength she could into levitating the chain. It was far heavier than she thought and she had no idea how he had managed to do it earlier when she could barely do it with help. Finally though, the chain was lifted and refitted with the rest of the demons bindings, sealing it away once and for all. Their breathing heavy and ragged, they turned to their unicorn love.
He was lying in a crater created by the chain. Calling out his name the two alicorns slid into down the sand, the younger one cradling him in her hooves. “Rade, Rade speak to me please. Please be alive!” she shouted, tears streaming down her face. The elder Cadence sat her head upon his chest and heard the steady rhythm of his heart, albeit a bit weak, and let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding.
“It’s alright Cadence, he’s alive. Quick, help me use some healing magic.” The younger Cadence nodded before placing her horn against his chest. Together the two alicorns poured their magic into him working hard to fix whatever they could. It took time, but his heart gradually gained strength and eventually he began to stir.
“Cadence?” he whispered.
“Shh… quiet honey. It’s alright. We did it. You, me, and princess Celestia. Together we defeated that… that thing. He’s sealed away now. He won’t be anyone else’s problem for a long, long time.”	
“Ah, I see… that’s good.”
“You… you aren’t angry with me are you?”
“Of course I am. The entire reason did what I did was to protect you… but I’m glad you’re here now. You were a big help.”
The younger Cadence smiled softly before placing a soft kiss on his lips. Rade coughed a little, before turning his attention to the fake alicorn. “And you, princess, you do realize that whatever you came to change won’t change for you right?”
The elder Cadences eyes grew as wide as saucers while the younger just looked on in confusion. The fake Celestia tried to open her mouth and speak, but had a hard time finding the right words. Finally she just closed her eyes and giggled. “All these years… and I still can’t fool you.” She whispered, and released the illusion. The younger Cadence gasped at the sight her eyes now beheld.
“I… but… we… me… WHAT?!” Rade raised a hoof and rested it gently on the young alicorns muzzle, quieting her.
“I believe you have some explaining to do, Cadence.”
The elder alicorn looked down, eyes somber and her expression pained. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pretended to be something I’m not. It’s just… in my life…”
“I died, correct?”
“Yes and no. It gave you a wound you knew you would die from, so you used a spell to lock both of you in time, with the repeat point being your death. Over and over you’ve been battling him, your lives stuck in an unbreakable loop. Sure he’s sealed away, but you’ve been suffering for years, dying all alone over and over again always calling out my name…”
“I tried to forget you… to move on. I grew up, got married to someone else. Wound up running a kingdom of my own. I pushed you all the way out of my mind until one day I just happen to end up talking about you to a few friends. It was just supposed to be friendly chit chat you know? Nothing more… but then the nightmares came back. The ones I had after you left. I kept chasing you, trying to keep you out of the Everfree.”
“You knew I went to the Everfree?”
“Haha, Cherilee saw you go in.”
Rade just shook his head with a chuckle. “How am I not surprised?” he asked before getting a more serious look on his face. “You know this doesn’t change anything right? The spell you’ve used is too powerful. All you’ve done is create a new timeline parallel to your own. Your Rade will still be stuck in a loop even after your return.”
She closed her eyes and sighed. “I know, but that’s fine. So long as you’re still alive, be it with me or another, I’m happy. I just can’t stand the idea of your life ending like that.”
“I see. Well then before you go let me give you a word of advice. Do you still have that present I gave you when I proposed. Not the ring mind you, the other thing.”
“You mean that mirror? Yes I have it, why?”
“Bring it to where I died, hold it out in front of you, say ‘love never ending’, and then smash it. You’ll have five minutes.”
“Five minutes? Five minutes to do what?”
He chuckled again. “You’ll see. Now I think you need to go. Thank you for saving me Cadence.”
Before she could respond her world was covered in a sea of green flames. After blinking her eyes a few times and calling his name, she found herself in the center of a triangle of alicorns. “Well, how did it go?” Celestia asked.
Cadence smiled weakly as she looked up at her aunt. “I did it auntie Tia, I saved him. For that Cadence, everything is as it should be.”
“And what about you? What are you going to do now?” Twilight asked.
“Exactly what he told me to do. Come on everyone, follow me.”


* * *


Cadence looked around the lake. To her right, Celestia and Luna, to her left Twilight. She looked to the other princesses, each nodding their to encourage her as she pulled the mirror out of her saddle bag. It was a beautiful mirror that much was for sure, with an intricate ornate frame wrought from shining blue crystal that glowed gently in the night. She looked in it for a time, hovering it in the air with her magic as she stared at the enchantment. The mirror was special as it didn’t show you what you looked like, but how you looked to the person who gave it to you. Since the day she got it, she had always seen a reflection that was as beautiful as an angel. 
But now wasn’t the time for gazing at herself. Summoning all the courage she could muster she set the mirror on the ground. “Love never ending.” she whispered, and smashed the mirror to pieces with her hoof. At first nothing happened and for a moment she was terrified that she had done something wrong, but just then the scene around them shifted. She heard a massive roar and looked up to find the Colossus walking stepping out of the lake. Twilight, Celestia, and Luna all took to the air and attacked, while Cadence looked around in a panic. Monsters were suddenly everywhere and she couldn’t make heads or tails of what was going on.
“C-Cadence…” She whipped her head around at the sound of her name. That was Rade’s voice, but he was dead! The events that happened were locked up! So then why… what was going on she wondered. She remembered how the other Rade had said she only had five minutes. Deciding it was best not to waste time, she took off in the air and sped to him as fast as she could.
“Cadence… I’m sorry… I hope you’ll find the strength in your heart to forgive me…”
“Don’t worry, I do.” Rade’s eyes grew wide as his world turned pink. He looked up and gave a gentle smile. Cadence draped her wing overtop of him as she pulled his broken body closer. With wet eyes she smiled and said “Hello Rade. Don’t worry, I’m here now.”
He chuckled. “You? Comforting me? Isn’t it normally the other way around?”
“Yeah… I guess it is.”
“You say that, but I don’t think that’s the case anymore. You’re much older than I remember.”
“And you haven’t aged a bit. Shame on you!”
“Haha. I take it you broke the mirror?” She nodded her head. A barrier came up around them, courtesy of Celestia.
“I’m not exactly sure what it does though. I mean it can’t save you can it? You’ve already cast the spell.”
He closed his eyes and let out a shaky sigh. “No Cadence. I can’t be saved, but that doesn’t mean things can’t be changed. Up until now, I’ve been living through the same process. I fight, I get injured, I cast the spell and I die. Rinse and repeat, time and time again.”
“So what about now? If we can’t save you then just what can we change?”
“Isn’t this enough?” Cadence cocked her head to the side in confusion. “Just look Cadence, I’ve spent all these years, dying alone over and over, yet here I am, being comforted by the mare I love so much. Isn’t this enough of a change?”
Tears dripped slowly from her eyes as she looked down at him, no attempt made to wipe them away. She smiled, nodding her head as she nuzzled at his neck. The let a few seconds pass in silence, choosing instead to simply bask in the warmth of the other. They listened to their heartbeats, felt the rise and fall of their chests. The feel of their fur as they cuddled holding each other in a dying embrace.
“Cadence…” She looked down at her lost love, curiosity in her eyes. “Could you… sing me a lullaby? I… always did love hearing you sing.” She gave a slight nod before tucking him in as close as she could get. She let the words roll off her tongue, as the notes she sang carried with them all of the love and passion she could muster. She knew her time was running short, and she had to put her everything into these last moments, as they would be the ones he spent eternity enjoying. She kept her voice as sweet as pure honey, never stuttering or pausing. It needed to be perfect. It HAD to be perfect.
Finally she reached the end, tears cascading like rapid waterfalls down her cheeks. She had but seconds now to revel in these moments. Oh how she wanted more time. So much more time…
“Cadence…” he whispered. His breathing was labored, he was almost out of time. “I love you.” She pulled as tightly on him as her hooves would allow.
“I love you too, Rade. I always have and I always will.”
She looked down at him, his golden eyes meeting her purple. They bent their heads together, lips touching as they embraced for one last kiss. Time ticked away so fast and yet so slow at the same time. Finally though the kiss was broken as she felt her beloved go limp in her arms, before slowly fading away.


* * *


“How are thou feeling, princess of love?” asked Luna. Celestia had risen the sun and they were now sitting on the bank of the lake. Several hours had passed and Cadence had not moved a muscle. She looked up and turned her face to the princess of the moon wearing a light smile. “Better aunt Lulu. Much, much better.”
“I don’t want to be rude but, what exactly did we achieve in coming here? We couldn’t save him so… what exactly was the point? We couldn’t break the cycle he was in. He’s still… you know… gone.”
Cadence giggled as she looked up to the sky. “You’re right Twilight, we couldn’t break the cycle. But we eased it, and that’s enough for me.”