The Show Must Go On, Pt. 2
On a normal day, the sun was a good thing. A happy bringer of light that resulted in smiles and wonderment amongst all of Equestria’s citizens. A sign that a new day is ready to begin and the old day has passed.
That was not the case for Cadance.
The sun’s rays burst into her slowly cracking eyelids, resulting in her closing them immediately. “Oh, my head.” The Pink alicorn slowly burrowed further into her covers.
“Oh, hey, sleeping beauty lives!” Spike shouted out.
Cadance slowly peeked open an eye and brought it into focus to see the scene surrounding her. There were ponies. And a dragon.
“Ugh, what happened? Where am I?” Cadance eyed the individuals surrounding her. Shining, Spike and Rarity were all present with her.
“Oh, honey, it’s so good to see you awake!” Shining Armour wiped away a tear as he rose from his bedside chair. “I didn’t know if I’d ever be able to hear your voice again.”
Cadance painfully jerked her head to the side to greet her husband. “Shining?”
“I’m here for you, my love.” He leaned over the bed and planted a small kiss on her cheek.
The action caused Cadance to slightly jerk her head. Given the more recent events, she wasn’t sure what to entirely think in regards to his affection. However, she did her best to put on a smile.
“Thank you… Shining. I’m alive, though.” Cadance took a moment to look to her other side and noticed the visage of Spike and Rarity sitting down. “Hey, guys. I, um, I suppose an apology is in order.”
Rarity waved a hoof. “Oh, dear, absolutely not. Mystical beings possessing your soul are neither your fault nor your burden to carry the guilt of. We’re just glad you’re alright.”
“Possessing my soul?” Cadance asked with a confused glint in her eye. “What happened, exactly? The last thing I remember was getting off the train with Spike to come home and then… nothing.”
Spike motioned with his claw that it was his turn. “Okay, I got this.” Spike got up and hopped on the side of the bed to get a more direct view of Cadance. “So, here’s the deal. We get back to the Crystal Castle and you go haywire. You start smelling the air, interrogate guardsmen and go ballistic. ‘Fee Fala Feefa Yo Rum, Ima kill that cheating bitch’, the whole shebang. You eventually go full on murder machine, declare war on us in the castle and start saying how you’re Saphirum and you’re gonna cast a spell enslaving everypony in the Empire. Twilight, Shining and I think fast and boom, we take you down. That answer your question?”
Cadance blinked a few time before it all came back to her. Her mind flashed between various scenes. The destroyed spa, Rarity getting tossed about in her magical fury, the Spahirum, Spike kissing her...
Her brain froze and the world stopped around her as she looked upon the dragon sitting next to her. Did that really happen? There was no way.
“Uh, yeah,” she responded, shaking away the thought for the time being. “I think I remember. Is everyone else okay? Did I, um, did I do any kind of lasting damage?” Cadance shrunk back into her covers, fearing the answer.
“Well,” Shining spoke up, lightly rubbing the back of his neck. “There was a lot of damage to the spa and we had a couple of the guards and staff quit, but don’t worry, it’s nothing that can’t be fixed in due time. All that matters is that all of us and our citizens are okay. So, please, don’t worry yourself about it. Personally, I’m just happy you’re okay.”
Cadance breathed a sigh of relief and smile. “That’s good to hear. But, how long has it been? How long have I been out?”
“Three days, darling,” Rarity stated. “We were all very worried about you. It was all we could do to keep Twilight from calling a national state of emergency.”
Cadance let out a slight chuckle before she spoke up. “Speaking of which, where is Twilight?”
“Oh, she’ll be back before long,” Spike said. “She went off to Canterlot to talk to Celestia about everything that went down. But, she should be back pretty soon. I think she was going to have dinner with us tonight.”
Cadance smiled once more. “That’s good to hear. I was worried she didn’t want to see me. Our last interaction didn’t exactly go as planned.”
Spike rubbed his chin. “Yeah, you guys do seem to have a flair for the dramatic. It seems every time you two meet the world hangs in the balance of destruction.”
He was quickly shut up by a whack to the back of his head from Rarity. “Now is not the time for jokes, dear.”
Spike rubbed his head. “Yeah, yeah, no time for humor these days, I guess.”
“Anywho,” Shining spoke up, “I should probably go get the nurse and let her know you’re doing alright.”
“Yes, that would probably be for the best,” Rarity said. “And I could definitely use some beauty sleep before dinner is ready this afternoon. I love you darling, but sleeping in a chair is no sleep at all.”
Spike stretched out his scales and let out a yawn. “I second that idea.”
Shining nodded. “It’s settled then. I’ll get the nurse then we can all get some rest before dinner tonight. You don’t have to join if you don’t feel up to it, by the way. I can arrange for dinner to be sent here for you.”
Cadance tried to move from her pillow and her body jolted with pain as if all her muscles were screaming at her. “Ugh, yeah, that may be for the best. But I’ll try and join. I want things to get back to normal as quickly as possible. If we could at least all enjoy a meal together, that’d at least make something about his vacation worthwhile”
Shining smiled and once more planted a small but infectious kiss upon his wife’s cheek. Once again she blinked and did her best to enjoy it.
“I love you, Cadance,” Shining said before turning toward the door with Spike and Rarity. “Hopefully we’ll see you tonight. If not, I’ll make sure to come back before bed.”
Cadance nodded and watched her friends leave the room. She was left alone with her thoughts, and none of them made sense, at the moment.
The dining hall was especially quiet. The wood cracking in the fireplace was soft but easily heard across the room. Crystal guards stood silently at the doors and chefs flew in and out of the kitchen bringing and taking various meals from the ponies at the table. Spike and Shining were gorging on bread and vegetables while Rarity sipped her soup from her spoon. Twilight was reading at the head of the long table.
"It's hard to believe all of that really just happened," Twilight said. The others stopped eating and looked up at her.
Spike had a mouthful of food when he responded. "Yeah... all of that was pretty insane. How are you feeling by the way?"
Twilight rubbed her head and winced. "Still pretty sore. I'm sure the rest of you are too."
They answered with nods and went back to their plates quietly. Shining Armor stared across the table at Rarity for a few moments before speaking up.
"Rarity?" he asked. "What did... what did Saphirum do to you?"
Shining felt an air of tension wash over him from Rarity's direction. She took a deep breath while gingerly raising her hoof towards her horn.
"Have you ever felt angry with Cadance, Shining?" she asked. Shining opened his mouth to speak but was silenced by Rarity’s continuation. "Please, do me a favor and Imagine that feeling when you're properly angry with her. The one thing that really keeps you committed and that allows you to forgive her is your love for her, correct?"
Shining attempted to cut her off, but Rarity kept talking.
"Now imagine, quite literally mind you, having all of your love ripped up through your body, and up to the crown of your head. Imagine now that all the memories you've ever shared with her, and every feeling you've ever experienced was torn away. All you can feel is that anger and nothing else matters."
Spike stopped chewing and swallowed loudly.
"That's what it felt like." Rarity finished. She lifted her spoon back towards her mouth, sipping softly on the soup. Shining slumped back in his chair and rubbed his hoof against his mane.
"I'm assuming that when she was destroyed those memories and feelings returned?" Twilight asked, being met with a silent nod from Rarity. "Is it bad that those feelings returned?"
"No," she answered flatly.
For the next few moments, they all ate silently and Spike felt his face heating up.
Rarity?
Rarity took a deep breath and smiled at her husband. "I remember you running to save me, Spike. It was rather amazing. Thank you all... you not only saved Cadance but you also saved me. Forgive my sour mood I just... I almost can still feel her rummaging around inside my head. It is not a pleasant feeling."
Twilight got up from her chair and moved beside Rarity. She smiled and embraced her. Shining Armor and Spike both jumped to her side and did the same. Rarity giggled softly.
"You ponies are simply the best!"
The others let go and Spike kept his arms wrapped tightly around her. Her breathing against his chest usually gave him butterflies like when he had first met her so many years ago. This time he felt nothing. She leaned up close to his chin and planted a kiss.
"I love you, Spike."
"I... love you too, Rares."
He held her tight and let his mind wander.
What... is wrong with me?
Twilight sat back in her chair and threw open one of the massive tomes she had strewn all over her side of the table.
"Well, I've been doing some reading and—"
The others in the room, including the guards, all sighed.
"—and I found something interesting. There are various writings from scribes that worshiped the ancient ones. There are a few ponies like Saphrium that were banished or destroyed by them, and some of them may have artifacts left behind that preserved their life in some way much like the crystal heart did for Saphrium."
Shining cut in. "So there are potentially a few more beings like Saphirum out there? They could be a serious threat if people found and released them."
Twilight shut her book and smiled. "Which is why I propose we find them!"
Shining deadpanned and shook his head. "Twily, the last celestial being we tried to fight nearly killed us and possessed my wife. Should we seriously throw ourselves into another potential conflict like that?"
“Maybe not immediately, but it would be worth looking into if nothing else.” Twilight waved over a guard and whispered into his ear. The guard hurried off and Twilight levitated her books over her head. "I’ll pack my things and we can head home soon Rarity. Once we’re home I’ll probably build a plan for the princesses to see if we can investigate some of these myths. If we can find more of these beings then we can learn so much!." Twilight galloped out of the dining hall and Shining chuckled at the puff of smoke that followed.
"Once she gets going, there's no stopping her," he turned his head towards Spike and Rarity, "I figure you guys are probably going home after all this."
"Yeah... I think we've had enough superstition and god-like entities for one vacation." Spike answered.
Shining rose from his chair and moved around the table. He pulled Spike into a firm hug and laughed. "I'm sorry this happened. You thinking Rarity would cheat on you and us thinking you and Cadance would do the same. it was intense but... I'm glad our friendship is still standing. Can’t say the same for a few of the Castle’s rooms, though."
Rarity pushed herself from Spike and rubbed his scales. "I could never hurt my Spikey-Wikey in such a way. I love him too much!" She said. She gave him a kiss on the cheek and trotted to the door. "I'm going to finish packing for us, Spike. On the way home you'll have to tell me what adventure you and Cadance went on before you came back. Shining dear, let Cadance know I wish her a quick recovery. I’d go see her but she’s probably asleep. I’d rather not wake her at the moment." She exited the room without waiting for a response leaving the two husbands alone.
Shining Armor let go of Spike and grunted. "I really am happy that we defeated Saphrium and saved Cadance. But I need to know how you did it. You kissed her and it killed her instantly. How?"
Spike froze. He made a motion to respond but couldn’t find the right words, being taken aback by the look in Shining’s eyes.
Shining Armor's fierce gaze was heavy with frustrated concern. He turned away and stared into the fireplace on the far wall. "That wasn't your first time kissing her was it?"
Spike jumped from his seat and patted Shining on the back. "No way, dude. Cadance and I... nothing happened between us. I figured when Twilight mentioned a shocking form or love or whatever would stop her, me kissing her could do the trick. I wasn't completely sure it would work. We're just lucky it did I suppose."
Shining took the bait. He turned and smiled warmly at Spike.
"That it did.” Shining let out a sigh. “I’m sorry to sounds so intrusive. I just, I’ve had a hard week, to say the least.”
“We all have, Shining. No doubting that.”
Shining smiled and shook his head free of the negative thoughts it was trying to produce. “As always, my friend, it was a pleasure to see you and Rarity. Even if things got a little weird." He hoof-bumped Spike and called for his guard. "Now we just need to find out if there is something we can use to replace the Crystal Heart. I’ll probably see Cadance later about it since she’s likely sleeping still. I'll leave you, for now, Spike. Have a safe trip home.”
Spike waved goodbye and stood silently by the table for a few minutes after they had gone. He rubbed his claws together and sighed.
Cadance...
Spike sprinted out of the dining hall, heart racing as he realized the truth. He felt butterflies in his stomach now.
Spike slowly slipped into the bedroom. The moonlight was the only illumination, casting its soft light onto the form of the sleeping alicorn in the bed.
The dragon crept over to the side of the bed where his chair from earlier still resided. He flipped on the table lamp located next to the bed and watched the resting mare stir awake from her slumber.
Cadance slowly blinked her eyes open until her gaze fell upon the dragon sitting merely a foot away. A small smile slipped onto her lips. “Hey, Spike,” she said through a quiet yawn. “I thought you would’ve left already. I imagine you and Rarity want to get away from here as quick as possible, huh?”
“Heh, you’re not wrong,” Spike said with a chuckle. “But, I wanted to say goodbye before we did. They were all like ‘Nah, she needs her sleep.’ But, I thought that after all we’ve been through together recently, it was the least that needed to happen.”
Cadance maneuvered onto her side, having to squint due to the residual muscle pain she was still dealing with. “Well, ah, well… I appreciate it. I’m sorry that your whole vacation thing didn’t go according to plan.”
Spike shook his head. “Like we talked about before, don’t worry about it. I can always count on things being exciting around here. If the world wasn’t constantly in danger, I’m not sure what I’d do with myself.”
Cadance let out her own chuckle. “Heh, it’s almost like the constant chaos is the glue that holds the fabric of all our relationships together.”
Spike nodded and smile. “No joke. But, I do have a more serious question for you.”
“Hmm?”
Spike let out a deep sigh. “In all the confusion of what went down, I’m honestly not sure what to believe anymore. But, just to hash something out, are you and Shining gonna be okay? I mean, there was a super-demon at work and all, but still.”
Cadance opened her mouth to speak but no words came to her. Her mind flashed through all the events of the preceding days. The pain she felt in her heart. The anguish that was buried in her soul. Was it all the demon’s fault?
“I’m sorry, it’s none of my business,” Spike said, shaking his head. “Forget I mentioned it. I’m sure everything will be just—”
“I don’t know,” Cadance cut in.
“Huh?”
“I don’t know what to feel right now,” Cadance reiterated. “After the last few days, there’s not a whole lot you don’t know anymore. Shining wasn’t lying when he said we’d been having some… problems. Before the chaos of the Saphirum, I mean. If anything, I want to believe that working through what happened recently would bring us closer together, but I honestly don’t know what to think. What to feel.”
Spike slouched back in his chair. “I understand. I mean, not in the whole demonic possession way, but I do get that things might be a bit tough from here on out.” Spike leaned forward and put on his best smile. “But, if anyone is fit to figure out what to do, I’m sure it’s you. You are the Princess of Love and all.”
Cadance smiled. “I guess you’re right. Maybe I just need a few days to think about everything.”
“That might be for the best,” Spike said. “I’m not an expert or anything, but decisions made in emotional angst don’t always work out the way we want them to. I mean, the last time you did that, you blew up the spa.”
Cadance rolled her eyes. “If I wasn’t in too much pain to get up, I’d punch you.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll open a tab for ya’.” Spike rose up from the seat and inched forward. “Can we hold that off for later though and settle for a hug before I leave?”
Cadance rubbed her chin. “Hmm, I think I can settle for that.”
Spike leaned over and gently embraced her in his arms. She slowly moved her forelegs around him. They took but a moment to hold onto each other, feeling each other’s warmth. Cadance felt a smile start to grow on her lips, the first one she’s had in a long time.
Spike broke the embrace, a smile lighting up his lips. “Well, I guess I should get going. Twilight and Rarity both want to get out of here tonight and get back home. Can’t say I blame them. But, you know, I’m here for you. We all are.”
Spike slowly started to walk away, back towards the door but was halted in his tracks by Cadance’s voice calling out from behind him.
“Uh, Spike?”
He turned around. “Yeah?”
“Just wondering…” Cadance lightly bit her lip. “But, did you actually kiss me?”
Spike could feel his face start to heat up but quickly turned his blush into a smile. “Yeah, that actually happened. And if you must know, it wasn’t too bad. Kinda nice, actually. You could use some more practice though.”
Spike sent a final wink her way and exited the room, leaving Cadance alone in her bed once again.
She brought a hoof to her lips. She wasn’t herself at the time, but she swore she could still feel a tingling sensation. Her mind began to wander back to what happened and heart picked up in pace a bit.
The smallest of grins appeared on her face as she thought about it.
“Nice, huh?”
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This was a fun journey and helped introduce me to a great friend in Tidal. I hope you all enjoyed!
MORE SPIKEDANCE WHEN?
That's an amazing ending for this story. Really leaves a lot to the readers imagination for where it could go from there. Great work from the both of you ^^
Hmm well what do I do with all these stock piled wepons...
Ehh I'll get rid of them the easy way *lights match*
But in all seriousness this was a great story
8376136
this would make for a great sequel great story
This story finally comes to a end. But, is there a new beginning around the corner.
Sure smells like it!
Great job All!
Crystal Affair 2: The Affair Awakens coming 2018
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Crystal Affair: The 3some
"This love triangle is as edgy as it gets."
8376397
no, bad tidal. bad. there doesn't need to be another story that takes 3 years to finish.
So a very small piece of Saphirum still lives?
I honestly would like if Spike and Cadence got to gather.....Shinning and Rarity would probably make a good couple....I think?
Oh. And... it looks like Spike fell in love with Cadence and... oh. That's a bit disappointing.
8376497
I hadn't thought if that, though. I was running the idea that the reason why the kiss didn't work with Shining is that she no longer loved him, even if he loved her.
Is there a sequel plan, or is this just the end? Because while I'm not actually happy with the idea of the affair, especially considering I won't have any sympathy for Spike or Cadence if they pursue it, the twists of this story might make it still worth a read.
8376431
I promise this one will take 2 years
8376516
We've never seriously considered it, but I guess we could see what happens. If we did one idk if it would be just a romcom or if we'd bring in more celestial beings.
Or we'll just leave the rest of the the reader lol. That's Famous' call. I'd be down.
8376551
Heh, alright.
I figured with the difficulty finishing this a sequel would be hard pressed to justify.
8376561
Well I had gone on a 3 year hiatus not long after we started this, so this time around I'd be present for constant updates. Alas, we shall see what the future brings!
8376549
just sounds like "we have no clue what we are going to do"
8376622
No better way to do it
8376497
You can never really destroy evil. You can just hide it away.
8376423
Featuring: MOAR EXPHLUSINS!
So now they want an affair?
Do I smell some Polyamory?
So the kiss killed her because of the shock? Meh, stranger things have happened.
I don't know if you plan on doing a sequel or not, but I'd say just go with whatever you feel. Lots of people will complain about how long stuff takes, but this one got done in the end right?
8377833
The kiss killed her because of Spike and Cadance's blossoming feelings for each other were stronger than their current love with their spouses... not so much the shock lol. I don't think there will be a sequel but like you said Eon, stranger things have happened.
8377874
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Great story, though I gotta say I am surprised how it ended. The villain is defeated and the world is saved, though not everything is all fine with the main group. Cadance and Shinning still have some marrital issues that started before all this, and Cadance and Spike might have something blooming between them.
This was fun! Supernatural demons, Discord being silly, lots of mystery, some lore, but the real star was certainly Spike. He was a snarky, cool dude who really contributed to the action. This was a fun story to binge that had me chuckling a bit and was delightfully cheesy and spooky.
The nitpicks? Not too much, actually. They have more to do with the presentation of the story than the actual content, which is good. I expected a much more drama-type story going into this - something that really drenched the reader in the emotions of the pair(s) presented, with a subtler suspense-kind of mystery. Basically, a slow burn.
Like, noir Spikedance fights adultery! Serious shit. While there was some serious drama in here, it was an undertone. Character development still happened, of course, but there was also a lot of primary focus on the action. You show us the anguish, but there's far more going on. This is an action story, and I was expecting a good soap opera type thing. I'd really suggest changing the tags up a bit. The mystery is very accurate, but a thriller tag should be here too. It describes the story's plot, pacing, and style very well. Plus, the horror and paranormal thriller elements fall under that category.
The romance fits too, since there's the unresolved Spikedance, but this also isn't a super romantic story, I guess? Not really sure with that one, but I'd suggest tossing the drama tag.
Next would be the cover art. It was very misleading. The impression that the art creates is that it's a teenager or young adult Spike (not that there's much art of him like that) dating (not married to Rarity, they didn't come across as married, but maybe I missed something) Rarity a few years into the near future. That apparently isn't the case, which feels really weird... Cadance makes the throwaway remark of romancing Spike to be dubious because of his age... and yet Rarity is married to him? It doesn't seem to make sense, because even though Spike's aging is bound to be a little weird, show Spike is clearly a child/preteen type character... and in this story he even acts older. All of that amount to a very confusing and inconsistent subtext. Perhaps revise those parts?
I'd also really suggest new cover art. The Spike in here isn't a little kid. He comes across like he's in his 20s, at least. A few searches on derpi or DA should turn up something good, but the current one is, again, confusing.
4426823
Dude, I know! It's so exciting!
4471364
Thanks, bro!
8305569
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When Tidal is happy writing good fanfiction and you're ready to dash his hopes with a nuanced critique.
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8376397
Please make this! This stirybfeels like it ended on a Sequel hook.
I'm surprised this doesn't have a sequel. The last chapter is practically screaming for it with Twilight wanting to hunt down more of those cosmic-whatevers, and the still unresolved relationship problems of the two couples.
Our (sort-of) collab is almost at 1,000 likes!
the power of the script xd
I remember working on this in Starbucks often. Good times <3
And this is where the cliche and fun open marriage princess of love trope is born. . .