//------------------------------//
// Chapter 9: Mi Amore Cadenza 
// Story: Of Love and Video Games 
// by Art de Triomphe 
//------------------------------//

	It was as if the world was conspiring against me. Canterlot had been a pain in my ass, and I couldn't even be in Ponyville without some kind of incident. Now I was on my way to the far north of Equestria, to the Crystal Empire, where I could only assume that something or other would happen.

But I was not traveling alone. Twilight had initially wanted to come with me, the empire is run by her brother and sister-in-law after all. But unfortunately, she had to stay in Ponyville so she sent Rarity instead. The fashionista had practically hugged Twilight to death when she learned that the alicorn wanted her to accompany me. Why the companionship was necessary was a whole other thing. Sure I was the centerpiece of a potential changeling plot, but I thought I had proven that I could take care of myself.

But that's all beside the point.

When we got to the Crystal Empire's main city, I soon found why Rarity had been so giddy. The entire place seemed to be made of the titular material. Even the ponies looked built out of it, with their coats, manes, and tails having this glossy, opaque sheen to them.

Like in Canterlot, the guard had decided not to come and meet the Human Ambassador to Equestria and a former Element of Harmony at the train station, forcing us to travel to the over-sized Crystal Palace on foot. Of course, I did the gentlemanly thing and carried the vast majority of Rarity's luggage. Sure we had to stop every 50 feet so that I could catch my breath and re-grip the handles, but we made it eventually.

And, also just like in Canterlot, the minute we stepped on the palace grounds, I was relieved of my burden. It was at this point that I remembered that Shining Armor was the former Captain of the Royal Guard. I would have to have a chat with him about these oversights.

Instead of being led to a throne room, as I assumed we would be, we were met almost at the door by our hosts. I recognized them from Twilight's descriptions. Princess Cadance's fur was a nice pink color, a softer shade than Pinkie, with a curled mane. Shining Armor was a white unicorn with a blue mane. Both stood taller than me, Cadance standing even taller, though, as with Rarity, it may have been because of her shoes. I couldn't tell due to the length of her dress.

"Hello Rarity," Cadance greeting, giving the unicorn a hug before looking at me, "And you must be Jack."

"Jack Christiansen, at your service, your highness," I said with a slight bow of my head.

"A pleasure. My name is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, but you can just call me Cadance. And this is my husband, Shining Armor."

Shining and I shook hands, "I assume that Twilight told you in her letter why I'm here."

"She did," Cadance replied with a smile and nod.

I hitched my thumb at Rarity, "Though I'm not sure why she's here."

"I have a perfectly good reason," my companion protested.

"To be fair," Shining interjected, "you should be with my sister or one of her friends at all times, for your protection."

"Protection nothing," now it was my turn to protest, "Have you not heard how I took down a changeling?"

"Twilight didn't give details in her letter," Candance answered, "But we would be more than happy to hear about it over dinner."

Cadance and Shining turned around and started through the palace, walking arm-in-arm. Figuring "why not", I offered Rarity my own arm, which she gladly accepted.

The dining hall in this palace was not as impressive as the one in Canterlot, though the ever-present crystal architecture did lend a certain beauty to the entire place. We were situated across from each other at the table, the hosts on one side, the guests on the other.

Over dinner, I updated Cadance and Shining on the changeling situation, from the interrogation in Canterlot to the fight in Ponyville. It must be said that while Cadance and Rarity seemed quite enthralled by my description of the fight, Shining couldn't help himself but to point out flaws in my fighting style. I brushed these off. He was a professional soldier, after all, and either way, the job had gotten done. However, when I told them about breaking the changeling's horn, the royals gasped.

"Did you really break its horn," Cadance asked in shock.

"Yes I did," I repeated, "stomped on it and broke it clean in half."

"Even I would say that that might have been too far," Shining commented, "Do you know how excruciatingly painful that must have been?"

"Do tell."

"A horn is like another limb for a unicorn," Shining explained, "Breaking one off would be the equivalent to having an arm amputated while completely awake."

I shrugged, "It deserved it. It hurt my friend and tried to hurt me. Shining I'm sure you wanted to do the same thing to Chrysalis after your wedding."

Shining sighed, "OK, you have a point there, I'll give you that. But it was already captured, you just dished out unnecessary punishment."

"Did you forget what it told me? Chrysalis has a plan to capture me and use me to feed her hive. Do you think she'll be gentle with me? I think not!"

"If she wants your love she will," Shining replied.

"I still don't understand it," I said with a shake of my head, "What makes Chrysalis think I have such a reservoir of love? What makes her think I can keep her children fed? What makes her think I would cooperate?"

Shining turned to look at Cadance, who nodded. Her horn began glowing a blue color, and an aura began wrapping itself around my chest. It was a warm, pleasant sensation which caused me to take a deep breath into my lungs. After a few moments, the aura subsided, leaving Cadance with a very confused look on her face.

"That's strange," she said, "I can't feel any love inside you at all."

"Are you sure it worked," I asked, "I am immune to most magic."

"Yes, I am sure. Your heart doesn't seem to hold any love, or any other emotion for that matter."

"My heart? Cadance, you do know that the heart isn't really where emotions are held, right? That was an old, unscientific, theory."

"Human emotions are not held in the heart?"

"No," I said with a shake of my head, "Are you telling me that in ponies it is?"

"Precisely," she quickly answered, "A pony's heart holds all of their emotions, joy, sorrow, love, and all the others. Where do human emotions lie?"

"Up here," I pointed to my skull, "inside our brains."

Cadance lit up her horn again, creating an aura around my head. I closed my eyes as I felt the warmth ooze into my skull. When the aura broke, Cadance let out a sharp gasp, causing her to hold a hand to her chest in recovery.

"Are you alright, sweetie," Shining asked, obviously concerned.

"I'm more than alright," Cadance beamed, "I have never felt so much raw loving energy come from one being. It's incredible."

"Really," I asked, stunned by this information.

"Yes. I want to test something. Shining," she whispered something in her husband's ear. He quickly got up and left the room.

"Where is he off to," I asked, turning my head back to Cadance.

"Oh, I just want to try something later. But for now, there is something else that I felt. Jack, I can tell that you are in love with somepony. Please tell me who it is."

Rarity immediately lit up, "Ha! I was right! You came to me that day looking for advice."

"Like I said, that wasn't for me. Do you want to know who it was for?"

"Yes, very much," Rarity was now leaning into my personal space.

"It was for Button Mash," I confessed, leaning away from the grinning unicorn, "He has a crush on Sweetie Belle."

"Ah," Cadance said with a sigh, "young love."

"Oh," Rarity trailed off, returning to her regular sitting position, "I had a hunch about that. Well when we get back to Ponyville, you can tell him to go for it. Sweetie has a crush on him, too."

"Will do," I smirked, "thanks for the info."

"Anytime, darling," she smiled and waved a hand, "Now, back to your crush."

I chuckled nervously, "Oh come on, you ladies don't want to talk about my nonexistent love life."

The two mares glanced at each other, then back to me before saying, at the same time, "Yes we do."

"Oh, come on..."

"Is it Lyra or Bon Bon," Rarity asked, "They have been very nice to you."

"No," I replied, "it's not Lyra or Bon Bon. I know better than to step on another pony's relationship."

Cadance gasped, "Or, it could be Twilight, or any one of the girls. Even you, Rarity."

"Even me," Rarity said, leaning back toward me, her eyes half-lidded.

"Sorry to burst your bubble," I gently pushed the unicorn away, "but you're wrong again."

"Cadance," it was Shining, speaking from the doorway, "everything is ready."

"Saved by Shining Armor," I exclaimed, hopping up from my seat, "Wait...what's ready?"


*--*--*--*--*


"The Crystal Heart," Cadance announced.

We were now outside the palace. The night air was cool, but not cold. The heart-shaped, crystal carving hovered in between two spires in a very special courtyard of sorts.

"Remind me what this does," I asked, having completely forgotten.

"It is a beacon of love and harmony," Cadance explained, "You see, the crystal ponies are very special. When they are happy and loved, it comes out as a physical manifestation. They become even glossier than usual, and that feeling goes straight to the Crystal Heart. But a very special event can occur during a particularly joyous occasion, such as when the empire won the duty to host the Equestrian Games. Everypony was so happy that the Heart burst forth with magic. It's a sight to behold, isn't it, Rarity?"

"It is only the most beautiful, wonderful, feeling ever," Rarity cooed, her gaze going distant in remembrance.

"Well, I believe Jack can cause the Heart to burst on his own."

"Really," Rarity and I said together, I in confusion, she in excitement.

"Yes. The love he possesses is so strong that he could cause it to light. All he would have to do is think of the pony he loves and touch the Heart."

"OK," I said, "It would be interesting to see what this thing can do."

Even though it was evening, many ponies had gathered around, probably due to the fact that the royals where there, not to mention this new creature, meaning me.

Resigned to the experiment, I stepped toward the Crystal Heart. I could hear a few of the ponies gasp, obviously worried about what I was doing. I stood close for a few moments, just studying it. I could feel its magical energy, which calmed me and made me feel immensely better. Better about everything that had happened, better about everything that I had done, and, most importantly, better about what I was about to do. I turned my eyes skyward to the crescent moon for a moment, taking in a deep breath as I gazed upon its beauty and thought of the beauty of a certain alicorn. Then, releasing the breath, I said her name.

"Princess Luna."

I reached the last inch or so to make contact with the Heart. In an instant, it began to glow with a brilliant blue light. I could feel the love within me flowing out into the Heart, similar to when the changeling tried to drain the love out of me. Then the Heart suddenly gave out two forms of light, one in a beam directly upward, and the other in a circular wave which expanded outward.

When the light subsided, I turned around to see that all the ponies had changed. The crystal ponies, their clothes included, took on a brilliant shine, almost as bright as the smiles across all their faces. As for the non-crystal ponies, they and their clothes crystallized as well, and Cadance's and Rarity's manes changed styles. Looking down at myself, I saw that my body hadn't crystallized, but my suit, which had been black, was now a brilliant blue like the Heart.

"That," Cadance said, walking up to me, "is the kind of power Chrysalis wishes to possess. That amount of love could keep her hive fed for years."

"There must be another answer to this," I sighed, gazing around at all the happy crystal ponies, "Chrysalis is going to come for me herself, eventually. Cadance, I'm torn."

"What is there to be torn about?"

I sighed again, "The changelings are dying. The hive hasn't fed in weeks, months. If Chrysalis doesn't succeed in her plan, the hive will be wiped out by starvation. I understand that you must harbor ill-will against them, and I don't blame you. But I don't. Not even after all the grief they've caused me. I don't want the entire species wiped out, but I don't want to be captured for them to feed off. I wish I could find some middle ground."

"It is noble of you to want to prevent the extinction of a species. But you must understand, there is no middle ground. It is either them or you, and we are going to do everything in our power to protect you. Besides," Cadance threw me a wink, "we can't have you getting captured by changelings when you have a princess to court, now can we?"

I chuckled nervously again, and was about to open my mouth to say something, but Rarity cut me off.

"That's right," she gasped, "it had almost slipped my mind. We have just got to help you with Luna."

"You know," Cadance offered, "I have magic that can cause two ponies to fall in love."

"No," I objected, "I see that as a major violation of personal space. Besides, I don't need it, I already know she likes me."

Both mares stared at me, but Rarity regained her composure first, "How do you know that, Jack?"

"Well," I tittered my head, a blush coming to my cheeks, "the last time we saw each other, she...um...well...kissed me."

"She kissed you," Rarity exclaimed, grabbing me by the shoulders, "Wait, was this in a dream, or real life?"

"Real life, Rarity," I said, removing her hands, "It was the night right after the fight. She visited me, unannounced, at Bon Bon's home. We talked, and she gave me a kiss on the cheek when she left, that's it."

"This. Is. Marvelous," Rarity beamed, squealing like a schoolgirl, "Oh, wait until I tell the girls, they will certainly help. When are you going to Canterlot next?"

"Must you tell them?"

"Yes. Friends help friends with their love lives."

"OK," I conceded, "Just make sure Twilight doesn't blab to Celestia. The last thing I need is her finding out the human is in love with her sister. Or vice versa, for that matter."

"Don't worry, darling, everything will be fine. Now, when are you going to be in Canterlot next?"

"Don't you remember, Rarity? We're going to Canterlot after we're done here. I promised Luna I would visit, so I am."

Rarity gasped, "Simply marvelous. And I'm going to be there to bear witness! Oh, I wonder if Luna would agree to me making her a new dress for your first date?"

"Slow down, Rarity," I scolded, "You're going a little too fast. And if Luna and I ever have a date, it will probably be us, in her room, unlocking all the achievements in Grand Theft Auto Five."

Rarity ignored me and proceeded to wander a bit, mumbling to herself about something I couldn't hear. I took the opportunity to approach Shining.

"OK," I said, "now that that is taken care of. I would like to ask you a favor, Shining."

"Name it," he replied.

"Tomorrow, I would like to spar with some of your guards. You think you can set that up?"

"You want to fight my guards?"

"Just for practice. Something tells me I'll need it."


*--*--*--*--*


"Fire at will," Shining Armor ordered.

It was the next day, and I was standing on the palace archery range. A few unicorns, creating a firing line, began blasting magic at me. The shots came at various heights and angles, but all coming for me. Most of them I blocked, and the ones I didn't block, I evaded.

"Come on, Shining," I shouted, "I don't think I need a lot of practice against something that can't hurt me."

"Suit yourself," Shining shrugged, turning to a pegasus beside him, "Corporal Light Feather, go."

The pegasus flew toward me, aiming his head directly for my sternum. Waiting as long as I could, I dropped down on my stomach perpendicular to his flight path, allowing him to fly right over me.

Light Feather was quick to change his course, turning back around to face me. This time, he nimbly used both his hooves and wings, hopping side to side as he made his way toward me. I held my ground and followed him with my eyes. When he was within striking range, he sprung foward. I took a half-step to my right, dodging the lunge, but that wasn't all. In that split-second, I brought my left hand above his head and my right under his wing. With a flick of my wrists, I flipped him forward, causing him to do a series of flying flips right into the line of unicorns, who caught him. I turned back to face Shining, quite pleased with myself.

"Oh Jack," I heard Rarity call, "behind you, darling."

I spun around, expecting to see the unicorn standing there, but she wasn't.

"Up here, Jack," Cadance shouted.

Looking up, I saw something I didn't expect. Cadance was flying, carrying Rarity underneath her. They both were wearing outfits that seemed more fitting on a tennis court than a battlefield, and I didn't even know if these ponies played tennis. I also noticed that Rarity's hair was styled in a way I had never seen it before, simply pulled back in a ponytail, reminiscent of Applejack. This was not stylish Rarity, this was action Rarity.

However, I didn't have long to think about this, as Cadance wound her head up and blasted magic from her horn. This shot was much bigger and came at me much faster than the earlier ones, forcing me to cross my arms in front of my face to block.

While I was distracted doing this, Rarity fell from Cadance's grasp. Upon landing on the ground, she did a little front tumble, and came up swinging for me. Again, I had no formal training, so the best I could hope to do was avoid her various punches. After a short time of this, I blocked her backhand with the back of my forearm, allowing me a moment to ask a question.

"Since when do you know how to fight?"

She smirked as we continued. I could tell that she had some actual skill, and that she wasn't putting everything into it in an attempt not to hurt me. Then, she caught a backhand of mine in her hand, allowing another brief pause.

"Black belt in karate, darling," she answered.

The sparring continued, Rarity now throwing in various kicks into her arsenal. All I could do with this was block, usually with both of my arms. And it hurt like hell. These ponies were strong, much stronger than me, and it especially showed in their legs. Each time I blocked, it felt like being hit by a baseball bat. However, I finally saw an opening and was able to grab one of her legs underneath my arm, pinning it. Seeing an opportunity, I slipped my leg behind her other one, completing a simple trip takedown. Now, of course, I didn't mean to hurt Rarity anymore than she meant to hurt me, so I naturally offered her my hand to help her up.

"Where did you learn martial arts," I asked as I extended a hand.

That was my mistake, as I soon felt Rarity's tail, curled as usual, wrapping itself around my right leg.

"My mother always said a mare needed to learn how to protect herself," Rarity answered, pulling her legs into her body and performing a perfect kip up. This caused her tail to pull my leg, tripping me up in the process.

The roles now reversed, Rarity stood over me with a smirk on her face. When she reached down to help me up, I decided to turn the tables again. I lifted my legs up to her shoulders and pushed off, propelling my feet over my head. Standing on my hands for a second, I was able to flip all the way over to once again gain a vertical base. We smiled at each other before Rarity came at me again.

This time, I was determined to either take Rarity down again or get physically hurt doing it. Then I remembered something that had slipped my mind to this point: Rarity is a unicorn. Deftly, I made as many movements and counters as possible to keep her hands, and her focus, off of her magical appendage. Finally, I was able to counter a double punch to my chest, throwing her arms out to her sides and grabbed her horn with a reverse twist of my right hand. We both froze for a second before I made my move, crossing my left leg over and essentially performing a judo hip toss, which landed Rarity flat on her back.

I didn't want to gloat or celebrate, I just wanted to catch my breath. I stood there, taking as deep of breaths as I could manage. Looking over, Shining had a pretty solid grin on his face. That expression changed in an instant however, and I ducked just in time to feel a stiff breeze rush over my head.

Quickly spinning around, I saw Cadance standing there, wings fully spread. She was in a fighting stance, her wings giving a little flap every now and then.

"Oh come on," I sighed in protest.

"Sorry, Jack," Cadance apologized, "but Chrysalis has both a horn and wings, all the changelings do. You need to learn how to fight somepony that can utilize both."

"OK," I said, shaking out my hands, "let's go."

Cadance started with a pretty standard volley of magic attacks. Deciding to conserve as much energy as possible, I parried them all. With her last blast, I repeated what I had done in Ponyville, cradling the shot and sending it back underhand, stepping into the throw like a true softball pitcher. However, instead of simply dodging, Cadance took to the sky.

I expected her to fly down for a pass, but she didn't. Instead, she hovered near me, but above me, raining down various kicks which I had no choice but to simply block. This was taking a toll more than anything. Even a dainty princess' hooves felt like stiff maple wood against my sore forearms.

Tiring, I rolled underneath her, out of her aerial range. As I came up on the other side, Cadance landed and moved toward me, beginning a series of hand-to-hand moves, much like I had done with Rarity. However, unlike before, I didn't have the energy to counter-attack, focusing solely on not letting her get in a solid hit.

After awhile of this, Cadance took a hop-step backward. She followed this up with a wing-assisted backflip. As her head came out from underneath her, she unleashed another blast of magic. I raised my hand to block, but the blast hit the ground instead, kicking up dust. My view of Cadance obscured, the next thing I saw was a pink hoof come through the veil and strike me clean in the chest. The force was so much that I flew backward, bounced off the ground, and ended up rolling for a few feet. When I came to a stop, I was completely spent. I panted heavily as I stared up into the sky, unable to move from my downed position.

Cadance, Rarity, and Shining soon came over. By this point, I had taken my glasses off and laid them on my chest, so I could only distinguish the ponies by voices and colors.

"I'm sorry, Jack," Cadance apologized, "That last one may have been a bit rough."

"It's OK, Cadance," I waved my hand, still slightly dazed, "Doesn't hurt worse than the time Zecora tried to kick my head off."

"Get this man some water," Shining ordered, looking off somewhere.

"Come on," Rarity said, offering a hand, "Let's go inside where it's cooler and you can rest."

I wasn't going to say no to this idea. After Rarity and Cadance helped me up and back inside the castle, I got taken to my room to rest.

"You know," Cadance observed once I was sitting on my bed, "for somepony who claims to not know how to fight, you sure put up a good fight."

"Oh, no," I said, shaking my head, "You two were going easy on me. Either of you could kick my ass."

"Nonsense, Jack," Rarity said, pulling her mane out of its confinement, "You are getting better with each fight. Just keep practicing, and you will easily defeat Chrysalis."

"We'll see, Rarity," I sighed.

"Oh," the unicorn got a gleam in her eye, "I can't wait to tell Celestia about our sparring. I'm sure Luna will be very impressed."

"Not now, Rarity," I flopped back onto the bed, "not now."

The two mares laughed.