Alicorns were a rare race of ponies in Equestria, and the only ones in existence were princesses. They were regarded in high honor and brought peace and bliss throughout all the land. However, Equestria was not always a happy land over a thousand years ago. During that time, a draconequus named Discord plunged the country in unending chaos and maddening torment. Thus, the royal sisters – Celestia and Luna – had to harness the Elements of Harmony and imprison him in stone. This, however, was not the only catastrophe to happen.
Luna soon became bitter with jealousy and turned into Nightmare Moon. After she banished her sister to the moon, Celestia solely ruled the land for a thousand years. When a young Pegasus named Cadance showed potential for bringing love to all of Equestria, the princess made her into an alicorn and hence dubbed her Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. On the 1000th Summer Sun Celebration, Nightmare Moon returned and kidnapped her sister. But thanks to Twilight Sparkle and her friends, the Elements of Harmony were used once again to revert the villainess back to Princess Luna. Soon after Cadance and Shining Armor got married, Twilight became an alicorn princess.
All was well for a while until a newcomer came to the land. The ponies were shocked to find that it was an alicorn, one with a deep red coat and violet eyes. This stranger intrigued even the royal sisters, who gave her a chance to prove herself. After Teardrop showed her ability to create magic with tears, the princesses agreed to train her. However, she wasn’t like the other alicorns. Whenever there was danger and no hope for peaceful negotiation, Teardrop got her hooves dirty and fought with great prowess. Though she was unorthodox for a princess-in-training, ponies imagined calling her a wonder princess.
There was great joy in Equestria when Cadance and Shining Armor announced their pregnancy. Ponies were filled with excitement and started preparing for the royal birth. But the electric mood in the air was to fade all too soon. Back in Canterlot, Celestia started sensing something dire was about to happen. And it would start in the sculpture garden. Ponies would view Discord’s statue for a bit and then move on, not knowing if it was ever alive. But on the day everything changed, the statue cracked.
As if by intuition, Celestia wrote an urgent note to the royal couple in the Crystal Empire:
Dear Cadance and Shining Armor,
I’m afraid we are all in grave danger. An old foe may be about to return and I suspect he’ll be after us first. You are about to deliver, Cadance, so please flee as far from Equestria as you can and have your baby in safety. I regret that the child will not have the upbringing as was desired by all, but with the Elements of Harmony returned to their source, we virtually have no way of stopping Discord without doing great harm to the Everfree Forest. I implore you, Cadance. Run as far from the Crystal Empire as you can. I’m afraid there may not be much time
She stopped writing as soon as she heard a familiar voice cackle throughout the room. Without finishing her letter, she sent it to the Crystal Empire as promptly as possible. She thought, Be safe, Cadance. You and your baby.
Just then, Twilight burst into the throne room and cried, “Princess Celestia! He’s here!”
Celestia nodded calmly, “I know.”
At the Crystal Empire, Cadance had just given birth to a baby girl. She, Shining Armor, and the other ponies present were surprised that the baby was an alicorn just like her mother. She had a light magentaish gray coat and a light arctic-streaked mane that transitioned from light cerise to grayish violet. When she opened her light opal eyes for the very first time, her parents gazed upon her lovingly. But this sweet moment was not to last. Minutes after the precious baby was born, a messenger barged in the room.
The pony cried, “Urgent news from Princess Celestia, Your Highnesses!”
Shining Armor magically took the note and said, “Thank you.” As he read the note, his expression became pale with shock.
Cadance knew it couldn’t be good. “What is it, Shining Armor?”
Her husband faced her with a serious look on his face. “Discord’s back.”
The Princess of Love gasped, “No! It can’t be! I thought he’d be in stone for all eternity!”
“As did everypony. But now that he’s loose again, we’re all in big trouble. Without the Elements to contain him again, there’s no possible way to stop him.”
“Knowing Discord, he’ll be after royalty first. We can’t let him have our daughter! We just can’t!” She gave her daughter to Shining Armor and said, “Take our baby and get away from here as fast as you can.”
“No. I’m staying here with you. Besides, if I run away now, Discord would get suspicious of my sudden disappearance.” Then, he thought of something. “But if we keep our baby hidden here when Discord arrives, she’ll be out of harm’s way.”
Cadance realized what he meant and said, “The secret passageway in the throne room. Of course she’ll be safe there! You’re brilliant, Shining Armor!” She kissed her husband before she told their baby, “Okay, honey. Daddy’s going to make sure you get to a special hiding place until the scariness is over.”
She kissed her baby as if she was never going to see her daughter again. She also wanted to make the most of the moments when the entire family was together, for she did not know if there would ever be another chance.
She tearfully told the two of them, “I love you both.”
Shining Armor nodded and said in a voice thick with emotion, “You too, hon. You too.”
As soon as her husband and child left the room, Cadance wanted to cry, for she and Shining Armor both knew they might never see each other again. But she only shed a few tears before rising from her bed because she knew that she would have to be strong for what was to come.
Shining Armor raced into the throne room with the baby in his arms and a nursemaid trotting behind him.
He said as he gave his daughter to the nursemaid, “Hold onto her tight and stay inside the shelter until a guard or I will come for you. Understand?”
When she nodded, Shining Armor blasted his magic at the topmost crystal of the throne. A light rose silhouette then snaked down the throne and spread across the floor, revealing a stairway down a deep cavern.
The nursemaid gulped, “Are you sure it’s safe, Your Highness?”
Shining Armor nodded, “Yes. Now go before it’s too late.”
As the pony carrying the newborn began descending the stairs, the baby glanced at her father and gurgled in confusion before she disappeared from view. Emotions roiled in Shining Armor’s heart as he closed the passageway again. One question remained in his head: would he ever see his daughter – or his wife – again? His train of thought was interrupted by a wicked laughter that sent chills up his spine.
As the laughter in the air grew, the Crystal ponies immediately ran inside their houses and buildings. The only ponies remaining outside were the royal guards and a strong, but exhausted, Cadance in front of the castle. When she saw that the position of the sun was slightly crooked, she knew that Discord had already succeeded in doing away with Princess Celestia. Cadance didn’t know what he had done to the other princesses and Teardrop, but she could tell that it wasn’t good.
Just then, Shining Armor ran out to meet Cadance and said, “The baby’s safe in the shelter. Is he here yet?”
When the couple heard the laughter again, they gazed up to see a strange figure riding on a broom and sky-writing the words “SURRENDER, PRINCESS”. The figure then flew across the bottom of the words and a cloud that formed from the broom instantly shaped into the words “And Hi to you too, Princey”.
Shining Armor said in a deadpanned tone, “Yep. That’s him.”
Within moments, Discord swooped in from the sky on his broom and landed in front of them. He said as he twirled his broom, “Admit it. My sky-writing’s the best you’ve seen in your life, isn’t it? I mean, really. No Pegasus would ever come close.” He chuckled as he made his broom disappear.
Shining Armor asked angrily, “What do you want, Discord?”
“Oh, like you wouldn’t know. What I want is your wife, dear colt. Out of the way with all of the other alicorns that threaten my rule. Now cooperate and she won’t get hurt.”
The prince was about to protest until Cadance whispered to him, “Please, Shiny. I’ll be fine. Make sure everypony’s safe here when I’m gone.”
Shining Armor looked at her with glistening eyes and whispered back, “Okay, Cady. For you. I’ll do it all for you.”
While the couple was hugging each other, Discord groaned, “Can we please stop with all the lovey-dovey mushiness? You’re dragging it out here.”
The stallion shot a glare at Discord before Cadance calmed him down. She told him, “I love you so much.”
Shining Armor whispered to his wife, “I love you too, sweetheart. I’ll never forget you.”
Cadance flashed a small smile before she turned to Discord and said, “All right. I’m ready for whatever you do to me.”
The spirit of chaos then told her, “Excellent! Just stay right there…Ah! That’s perfect!” He took out a clear crystal and sucked Cadance into it, making the gem now a bright pink. “Now that I’ve gotten rid of the princesses, you, my dear colt, can spread the news that there’s a new ruler in charge now.” He cackled as he flew into the air and disappeared in a flash.
As soon as Shining Armor was sure that Discord had left the Empire, he reopened the passageway in the throne room and made his way down the long stairway. When he opened the door to the shelter, he told the nursemaid, “The danger’s passed, but Cadance is gone.”
Taking pity on how sad Shining Armor seemed, the nursemaid gave the baby to the prince. He then embraced his daughter as tightly as possible without hurting her. As if sensing her father’s despair, the baby whined in sadness.
“Oh, come now, my dear. You’ll be my empress now. That’s considered a bigger honor than being a meager princess.”
Teardrop just stared out the window of Discord’s newly-refurbished castle. It had once belonged to the royal sisters before Luna turned evil. Now that Discord was back, he decided to make the abandoned castle his and completely renovated it with many chaotic additions. When he had trapped the sisters and Twilight in crystals and scattered them all over Equestria, he was quite taken with the deep red alicorn who tried to fight him. Since she was technically a princess-in-training, he decided to take her as his empress and wife. Yet, this didn’t seem to make Teardrop any better about being able to escape a crystal imprisonment.
“Face it – you only want to marry me because of the approval ratings and to make sure nopony would rebel against you.”
Discord remarked, “Ooh, you’re one smart cookie. But haven’t you ever felt like you wanted to prove your worth again and again, but the princesses just ignored you and denied you the status you had potential for?”
Teardrop retorted, “That’s not true! Fighting enemies is not everything a princess is! I still had more to learn until you showed up! Encasing the princesses in crystal is no better than when you were imprisoned in stone!”
Discord scoffed, “You and the others wouldn’t know a thing about being imprisoned in stone.” He then gave a wicked grin, “But when you’re in crystal, you can see the whole world pass by and they won’t ever notice you.” He gave a menacing chuckle before flashing away.
Teardrop wept for the fate of the four princesses. She then thought that if she was going to be an empress, she would at least honor the alicorns by not letting Equestria plunge too deeply into chaos. She went to her vanity and took out a pair of scissors. As a sign of her transition to empress and to mourn the loss of the princesses, she cut her long blue-and-gray-streaked mane all the way to her chin.