Cadence sat happily on her new throne in the Crystal Empire, sipping her tea. She found an odd sort of pleasure that her two aunts seats were two steps down from her on the dais, though she chose not to indulge in that too much. Suddenly finding herself with her own kingdom was unsettling enough on its own without accidentally slipping into a megalomaniacal state, just because it was tradition in the Crystal Empire that visiting monarchs be seated two steps down from the Empire's ruler. After all, they were still family.
Celestia was the first to speak up. "So, Cadence, it seems you've had an...interesting honeymoon," she offered cautiously.
"Verily!" Luna agreed. "A kingdom of your own! However did that come to pass?"
Cadence chuckled. "Accidentally," she admitted. "Shining and I came up here for our honeymoon, and I'd used my Waterbending to shape us a comfortable igloo for a wintry wonderland...only for the frozen ground to split, our igloo get swallowed up into an abyss, and this city rise up out of the ground to rest amidst the snow." She pursed her lips in a pout. "A real mood killer, I must say. And we'd just gotten comfortable when the rumbling started."
Celestia calmly lowered her cup, schooling her features to resist showing her reaction to her niece's bluntness. Luna was not so reserved, having first expectorated her tea in a burst of laughter before offering a consoling glance. "If I may ask, why didn't you inform me when this happened?" she asked, trying to guide the conversation.
"Well, considering how unusual it was, I thought I should discover the whole story before writing you," Cadence explained. "Besides, it's been decades since my last adventure, and it popped up during my honeymoon!"
Celestia sighed softly. "Of course," she replied warmly. "Continue."
"Anyway, all the ponies here seemed to be under some sort of curse," Cadence continued the tale. "Those few I was able to speak to mentioned a wicked unicorn King named Sombra, and weren't able to give me any details beyond that. So, once I noticed a distinct absence of pegasi, I told Shining to investigate the interior of the castle from the bottom up, while I made my way to the top of the tallest tower to work my way down."
"Why would you start there?" Celestia asked, confused.
"Because unicorns love towers," Cadence replied. "Twilight lives at the top of her tree, and used to live at the top of the observatory tower. Rarity lives in the mini-turret above her boutique. The dormitories in your school are on the top floor. Even Starswirl lived at the top of a tower, according to your stories. So once I knew there were no pegasi, I figured an evil unicorn King would put anything of great importance at the top of his tallest tower, where he would be most comfortable and where it would be most easily defensible against the ponies here."
"Now why didn't we think of that?" Luna complained, sending an arch look her sister's way.
Celestia rolled her eyes, blowing air through her pursed lips in frustration. "I notice that tower seems to be in need of repair," she offered.
"Well, it did contain a heart shaped crystal that held a great deal of magic, but when I approached it, the circular platform it was on glowed, sounding an alert and trapping me in crystals that blocked magic. Since I could tell it was sounding to someone dangerous, I used my Earthbending to shatter the entire top of the tower before taking the crystal to ground level. Shining met me there...as did the entire population of the Empire, who started cheering about the return of the Crystal Heart and Crystal Princess. They also started glowing, of all things." She shrugged to herself. "When I put the Heart in its present position, energy flowed between it and all the ponies, and that dome surrounding the city went up. After that, they proclaimed me the new ruler."
"Rather efficient," Luna praised as Celestia frowned. "Pray, did you learn the identity of the one who was signaled?"
"I did," Cadence replied. "One of the ponies here, a young unicorn mare named Radiant Hope, told me about Sombra once the curse on everyone's memory was broken by the lighting of the Crystal Heart. She spoke of how he was an Umbrum - a shadow pony - placed as a foal in the Empire to eventually become a sleeper agent, twisted in his desires by the fact that the energized Heart caused him agony. Thre were a few other details, but I could tell by how she spoke of him that she loved him, and was desperate to save him from the Umbrum who only wanted to use him."
"So...what did you do?" Celestia inquired.
Cadence sipped her tea with a mischievous smile. "I used my bending to trap Sombra when he breached the shield in pony form, applied high level magic suppressors to both Sombra and Radiant Hope, and then locked them in one of the castle's guest rooms." She took another sip. "I locked them in at lunch. By dinner, Sombra was ready to listen to reason with a clear mind...especially since, with his magic blocked by a crystal I bent for the purpose, the Heart's energies didn't harm him. After attending the Crystal Fair together, I sent them to Twilight and Wan Shi Tong to resolve the rest of the problems they spoke of, since it seemed to be a matter of resolving specific magic rather than an emotional or friendship problem."
Celestia pasted a warm smile on her face. "Well, Cadence, I must say your handling of this situation was quite ingenious, and you've resolved an ages old quandary with wonderful results-"
"But you're disappointed you weren't able to send Twilight in to resolve it to test her growth?" Cadence inferred sharply.
Celestia pulled back, stunned. "Now, I never said-"
"I know about the alicorn gift of visions," Cadence interrupted. "Wan Shi Tong explained it to me. You just happen to suggest honeymooning in the far frozen north as someplace quiet where we'll spend a great deal of time snuggling, with a possible chance of a minor adventure or two...but tell me to write you if anything unusual happens? You had a vision of the Empire's return and hoped to pit Twilight and her friends against Sombra as part of your 'Emotional Development' checklist, didn't you?"
Celestia glanced away. "...it's a 'Friendship Lesson' checklist..." she grumbled under her breath.
"She planned to tell Twilight she had to do it on her own, to see if she was willing to disobey the orders and fail the 'test' for the sake of saving the Empire," Luna spoke up. "She felt she had to so she could check off 'Altruism' and 'Self-Sacrifice'."
"Luna!" Celestia snapped, rounding on her sister.
"I already told you my views on the subject matter," Luna countered. "And from the sound of it, Cadence agrees with me."
"You're right about that," Cadence replied. "I didn't know about this plan before the events unfolded...but I'd have done exactly the same thing if I had."
"What?" Celestia demanded, stunned. "But-"
"You know about the world I was in," Cadence interrupted. "You know what things were like there. I also wouldn't be surprised if Wan Shi Tong or Iroh informed you of the war, and how it ended. Though I doubt they told you of the consequences of my decisions there, the consequences I've had to live with ever since."
As Celestia stared, Luna extended a wing. "Cadence, you don't need to-"
"No, I think Aunt Tia needs to hear this," Cadence interrupted. "There were several times where I decided to gamble the outcome of a major event in that war in the hopes of getting an outcome that was somehow better than acting immediately, each time choosing not to take immediate action in the hopes someone else would - or had - resolve the situation to the greatest effect. Three major decisions came back to haunt me, even to this day. The first was when I contacted the Spirits to resolve a threat to the Moon Spirit, rather than act on that threat myself. The end result was a Kraken devouring a fleet of my own people, whose only crime was following a power hungry Admiral on orders from their ruler. Another time, I let that ruler escape rather than face his son - my cousin - in battle, for fear that battle would break one or both of them. This nearly lead to the entire Earth continent being scorched to ruins.
"But the worst is with my own cousin," Cadence continued, tears pouring down her face. "She was twisted up and broken inside, and driving herself in a mad quest...and her brother stopped her. I could have acted then, to try and help and heal her...but I decided to wait until after the war was resolved, because I felt that was more important. By the time I did help her, she was being consumed by her own fire, turning her into a walking bomb that would devastate the world." She glared up into Celestia's stunned eyes. "And I discovered just how easy it would have been for me to heal her, to save her...but by that point, I had no choice but to kill her. She died in my arms, begging me to save her...and all I could do was make it painless! I will never again risk those who look to me for protection on the chance of a 'better' outcome!"
Celestia stared at her niece as Luna moved to her side, wrapping a comforting wing around her. "Cadence...I..."
Cadence sighed, struggling to bring her emotions under control. "There's a reason I hadn't talked about this before, outside when Aunt Luna came to my dreams..." She shook herself off. "But you can understand why I can't allow my subjects to be used in such a plan. And I do understand your reasoning for checking how Twilight has grown." She took a calming sip of tea.
Celestia sat back, nodding in understanding. "Perhaps I need to reevaluate my own methods," she admitted. "It seems I have missed quite a bit, if I did not see the pain you have been going through. ...I wonder what I've missed with Twilight..."
"Just get over here and hug her already," Luna snapped.
Blinking, Celestia chuckled as she walked up to her fellow alicorns. "It's good to have you back to keep me in line, sister," she teased, joining the group wing-hug.
"Then maybe you should listen to her more," Cadence teased, earning a blown raspberry from her solar aunt.
It's amazing how a little thing like a second lifetime's worth of living and adventure can season a pony into a full-blown alicorn, isn't it?
Wow! logic for the win!
Not only did you adeptly tie in the comic's canon with the show, you also did well with Cadence calling out Celestia's questionable methods for Twilight's growth. Well-played
Also, the whole 'Unicorns love towers' thing was a nice touch as well.
That was nice. I bet she really rocked sombra's world.
. . . . . . Yyeeeeaaaaahhhhh, I'm just gonna leave the puns to someone of a higher skull level.
Are you going to be going up through the current episodes with this story? If so, super baby bending powers. I feel like she should have an affinity for fire.
Looks like Celly needs to tone down her manipulative tendencies.
Well, that leaves the alicorn ascension (which may not happen, or happen much later), the Plunderseeds, and Tirek at the minimum. Let's see what else Cadence changes to make much simpler.
DAMN Cadance just Schooled Celestia and stomped Sombra.
THANK YOU!!! Seriously!!! Tia's supposed tests and stuff ALWAYS BUGGED ME!! Especially at the season 3 opener! Not gunna lie, this is a much better resolution, one that showed Cadence's chops and gave Celestia a bucking wake-up call! More-over, it was some serious release for Cady too. After this, I'm hoping to see some improvement to Twilight's development, and moreover her getting a chance to CHOOSE Alicornhood or not. After all, my biggest problem with Twi becoming a princess?
SHE NEVER GOT A REAL CHOICE!! I mean, the transformation into an alicorn? Ok, can argue that was a biological necessity and something that was bound to happen if things lined up for her. But ROYALTY due to having WINGS AND HORN!?!? Never sat well with me, never mind her whole character development seemed to me more in line with a hero enjoying life with friends than royal who gains a "Council of Friendship" as almost an afterthought. Honestly, seeing how Royalty works with the other Alicorns? I'd have been more shocked if Twilight didn't stutter cutely, faint, and after soul searching turned her down to stick to her tree-brary when it was still a thing.
Sorry, it's an old argument, basically I just want to see her make the choice this time. And judging from Cadence here? I'm pretty sure she's gunna get the chance to choose. If she wants to go for it? Great!! More power too her! But if not, then I'd like to see how that might play out too. Just saying, after reading this far, I just want to see these characters make more sense in their choices and respect of others choices as well.
Thanks again for another great chapter and putting up with this rant.
...
THANK YOU CADENCE, YOU HAVE OFFICIALLY TOLD CELESTIA OFF FOR EVERY DIVINES DAMNED STUPID MISTAKE SHE HAS EVER MADE! THAT WAS THE BEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN IN MY ENTIRE LIFE SINCE REAL GOBBLY WON THE GOBBOWL TOURNAMENTS!
...
[//Overly excited mode deactivated//]
I wonder if this will be the Sombra who gets adopted displaced?
Hmm, is it wrong to want to see the Celestia Star trek Next Gen fic next just to see how much that would affect how she plan her tests?
Second time Tat's had Sombra reformed. Damned impressive, dude.
Nope, not punning here.
Quite impressive, Cadence put all of her knowledge to good use here.
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Personally, I'm just bitter that Hot Topic stopped carrying the comics right before the end of that arc. I am so far behind now...
Nice use of "expectorated".
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...err, which was the first? I seem to be blanking here. Most of them go strait to smiting Tirek.
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"There's Nopony I'd Rather Be Than Me".
Wait a sec, can't she only use her bending through her magic? if the crystals are anti-magic, wouldn't that cancel out her magic, thus canceling her bending? I mean, Twilight couldn't teleport herself outside of the space, so that would imply that anything within it wouldn't be able to use magic properly. Are you saying that Cadence can bend without needing to use magic, or is this just plot armor?
Dammit, Tatsurou, what is it with you and having to have everyone get sexed up in your stories? First it was Mai and Zuko trading... items, then it was Azula getting down with Fire Nation Admirals, then Jin joined in on Mai and Zuko's fun, that joke about those two dragons, then you had half a "Where are They Now?" chapter devoted to the main cast's sex life, Professor Zei's getting down with kitsunes, and now it's motherbucking Sombra with motherbucking Radiant Hope... I've read porn without plot stories with less porn than this story. Geeze! (Nah, I'm just kidding, that's most likely what's not happening... although I am confused, Radiant Dawn wasn't in the Crystal Empire when it came back. Yeah, she was friends with the umbrum at that time, remember?)
... Who wants to bet that the Fiery Joker's just going "OH MY GOSH, SOMEONE'S TAKING SOMETHING I SAID SERIOUSLY!"
... But she hasn't said anything yet, she just accurately gauged a person's modus operandi. Sure, it SOUNDS like she doesn't agree with it from the "inferred sharply" bit, but how does she actually FEEL about this. Is it reckless endangerment of ponies' lives to see if a pony was ready in her studies, or what?
Eh, he wanted glory more than anything else; the praise and adulation of being the one to take away the moon rather, not so much the becoming the ruler of the world... Darn it, stop making me compare your characters from the ones from the show; it's getting on my nerves!
Huh, so those spirit particles were just for show, then? Anyways, here's what I think: these events are unrelated, and for three reasons.
Reason #1: Equestria isn't quite a place where murder is a thing.
Reason #2: Cadence was an amnesiac who wasn't even a teenager. Celestia is a leader who's ruled her people for centuries.
Reason #3: If Celestia solved every problem, then no one would be prepared for a problem she simply COULDN'T solve.
I'll admit, it's a dick-move to put the fate of an entire culture in the balance just to teach someone long division, but if no one knows how to do so, then how would anyone know how to divide 734 by 7,982 in a world where calculators don't exist? Unless you're Twilight, it'd be pretty hard. I like that you're saying Celestia is simply going to reevaluate her methods rather than completely forego them, though... Also, cool, she explained it.
Anyways, neat chapter, see you next time.
7096427
Actually, it still is.
What if Cadence' shield failed before Twilight found the Crystal Heart and she wasn't able to get it back up?
What if Sombra had acted as a competent enemy and, once he had a crystal inside, acted to immediately take out those who acted against him, like Cadence and Twilight?
What if he'd come in under the dome and just started killing?
The Elements only work if all six of them can be gathered, and have the necklaces and crown-thingy on them. If Sombra has one of them hostage - or dead - before Celestia gets the message that there's trouble, all of Equestria is screwed, along with the Crystal Empire.
So yeah, it's a pretty big gamble that Sombra - an evil conqueror who enslaved his own kingdom - isn't going to be trying to kill his enemies. Besides that, Spike's the only means they have of contacting Celestia quickly. What if Sombra snags him? Or possesses him?
Or what if he just activates the curse again and casts the Crystal Empire - with Twilight and the others in tow - back into the abyss for another 1000 or so years? What happens to Equestria then?
Oh, go on, Cadance. Certainly one little maniacal laugh wouldn't hurt?
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Her link to the elements that allows her to bend is through her magic, but the bending itself isn't magic. So if she tries to fire a laser, it's going to bounce around inside the crystals since they can't get out. But if she tries to shatter the crystals with Earthbending, they'll still shatter since she isn't trying to send that energy past them. As shown by when Twilight tried to escape them, they're containment, not neutralization.
7096352 Amazon and Barnes and Noble should have the omnibus' and individual volumes for the main series, Micro Series, Friends Forever and Fiendship is Magic. So you're not really missing much or behind if you check for them there.
7096477 But wouldn't the fact she's contained in the first place already imply it's neutralization? Eh, whatever.
So, Radiant Hope, what's up with that?
Interesting so Cadence accidentally unbanished Sombra and the Crystal Empire. Not bad there. Though the only issue here is Celestia and Luna's reaction to Sombra and the Empire as if they never heard of the 2 before now. That goes massively against canon since they both fought Sombra 1000 years ago and were partially the reason empire got banished, being a major loss for them even though they won. Sombra pulled the whole "If I'm going down I'm taking you with me" tactic only in this case he took an empire with him instead of Luna or Celestia when he realized he was gonna lose. Especially bad since it meant there wouldn't be any chance to help him as was Celestia's original plan before he attacked her. Not to mention Celestia was awaiting word of the Crystal Empire's return, IF it ever did anyway hence that guard in the season 3 premiere. All in all not a bad chapter, just a few crucial details missing compared to the show and Equestria's history.
What is she admitting to here?
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Celestia and Luna were aware of the whole Crystal Empire situation.
Celestia just didn't want to let on to Cadence how aware, exactly.
7096230
Austreaoh reference?
7096567
She didn't realize how much pain Cadence was in due to events that happened in the Avatar world.
7096373 Nightmare's. Also the other one to not skip straight to Tirek having his ass beaten, shot, or spanked.
7096575 Ah I see. I thought for a moment you left that out on purpose as if it never happened in this universe despite the fact it had to have for specific events to happen like the empire being banished in the first place. Glad you cleared that up.
7096460 Well, let's consider this. Remember Lesson Zero, and how there was that joke with the sun ticking down like a clock? Wouldn't that imply that Celestia knew what was happening with Twilight in the first place? If such is to be presumed, would it not be plausible that Celestia is well aware of what exactly it is Twilight's doing? There wouldn't technically be a need for Spike if things were to go awry, in such a case.
Well, if Bleach has taught us anything, it's this: Sometimes, even if a barrier seems like it only covers one half of it, it's all-too possible that it affects underneath as well.
Well, if regeneration is as easy as all that, then Radiant Hope wouldn't be necessary for Sombra to make his return in the first place.
It's easy to presume that an evil conqueror can easily (and without hesitation) kill people by the admission that they promote slavery... however, that isn't always the case. There are some generous dictators who ask what the people think before they make a decision. Besides, he had every opportunity to make his army a bunch of unstoppable killing machines, and yet he didn't; he allowed them to be as slap-fighty as one would believe them to be.
Possession doesn't seem like an ability umbrum can do.
You have us on the curse thing, though.
However, you forget one thing, even something that you give admittance to, as seen in this chapter: Celestia can see the future. As long as there doesn't exist a stratum that contains exactly what she saw within the vision, there is nothing to disprove that she didn't have enough information to go by.
Well, whatever, I'm tired, so Imma sleep now. See ya.
-me is attacked by feels
Rolld20.... 20 CRITCAL
-me grabs her heart as she is murdered by feels
Nice.
Also, where is Chrysalazula?
Tatsurou shoots at Darkus & Co. using •Feels Cannon•
SMAAAASH!! Darkus & Co. recieved mortal damage!
Another enjoyable chapter. Good job.
Heh.
Ah.
Well there goes Sombra. Then again, as Sauron as he may be and as much as he planned ahead, he had no way of expecting Cadence to exist, much less her having the ability to bend the 4 Elements of her will.
I see.
Oh my god that is adorable.
Not surprised.
To be fair, she's so used to ruling alone and being alone and having to play Chessmaster for everything, plus being immortal means her brain's wired differently, so, that may contribute to the way she's been doing things...
Daaw.
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Your responses assume Celestia knows exactly how Sombra, his magic, and Cadence's magic all work to every detail...and that Sombra would act the way he did in the show, and that Celestia knows it.
You stated your assumptions as to why it wasn't a gamble. I stated possible outcomes that Celestia has no way of predicting or correcting short of flawless future sight (which would mean she so chess masters that she deliberately throws fights, like against Chrysalis, to give Twilight more opportunities to shine, which is even worse than what I've suggested here) as to why it is a gamble. Your counter argument assumes far too much foreknowledge that Celestia has no way to gain, as the show showed us that the visions are not that detailed. Even the one for Tirek only showed her that he was free and feeding...not for how long, or where, or that he was free well before the vision occurred.
bow chika wow wow
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Really? Let's take a look.
Celestia and Luna are in Canterlot. Twilight and co are in the Empire with Shining and Cadence. Rather than trying to break in, Sombra casts the curse again as soon as he realizes forces are being brought against him, choosing to bide his time another century or two to have a better advantage.
How do Celestia and Luna get there in time to prevent that? Also, even if they can, if the curse was a last ditch effort last time, how do they know enough about it to counteract it? And if they do, why didn't they do so sooner?
And all of my points aren't about what Sombra would actually do. But any knowledge of Sombra Celestia would have is based on what he was like over 1000 years ago. He could well have changed since then, and we don't know in what way...nor could Celestia. Ergo, any action regarding his return is, by definition, a gamble. But the faster Celestia moves, the more likely Sombra won't be ready for it.
That was Cadence' point. Delaying until Twilight could get there and be 'tested' is an unnecessary gamble with the lives of those who rely on the Princesses for safety on the line. Your argument assumes the show outcome is not only inevitable, but already known to be inevitable...and that's what's stretching disbelief.
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Your argument is based on Celestia knowing that Sombra is that incompetent. Short of perfect future vision, Celestia has no way of knowing that. Meaning any action is a gamble, no matter what you say.
Yes, the show has shown that Sombra didn't do any of that. But the fact remains that there's nothing preventing him from doing so, meaning Celestia is gambling on whether or not he will. That's my point, even if you aren't hearing it.
(Also, the Sombra war timeline in the Cutie Re-Mark shows that Sombra was winning the war, slowly but surely, implying a certain level of competence after all.)
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That's assuming Celestia knows Sombra's prior defeat was because of incompetency, and not bad luck.
And let's look at that, shall we? It took both Celestia and Luna at their full power just to push him back before...and you think it's good policy for her to let a unicorn with no combat magic training go in with instructions to take him on alone?
There's another reason why it's an unreasonable gamble. Celestia's betting on Twilight's untried and untested ability in a combat/war situation...and the "ticking sun" could easily be written off as an artifact of Twilight's own mind.
Hahahaha! Ol Celly just got schooled! hehehe, awesome man, awesome!
I also agree with some of the comments, regarding Celestia's lessons and what not, those always bugged me as well. :/
NIce chapter.
Considering how it all seems in this story, I hope Azula found peace in the end. I've always wondered which was worse: trapped in a body that's physically disabled, unable to do what others take for granted, or to have our own mind fight you, bring you down and have barriers as powerful as the strongest of stone.
Well, definitely a better resolution to Radiant and Sombra than the Siege arc in the comics.
I'm not particularly swayed by Cadance's argument to Celestia, though. All she does is list several actions where her previous choices screwed up, and then proclaims that she'll continue to make her own choices moving forward. Maybe with the decades plus of additional experience she has under her belt that'll work out, but her examples given didn't exactly inspire a lot of confidence.
I do approve of the idea that unicorns like pointy things, though.
7096578 More like me not having the patience to put down the actual name of a fictitious divine as I usually am prone to doing.
this was a good way 2 get celestia 2 get off her high horse, so 2 speak.
Came in expecting Sombra to be burned, turned out to be Celestia, this is better.
Damn, Celestia got burned! Will Aloe vera even work on her???? Regardless, nice to see Cadence calling her out and using a blunt hammer on her opinions.
I'll admit, I was hoping to see some major flank kicking between Sombra and Cadence... but redeeming him IS interesting and I can't wait to see how that changes things when Tirek appears. I mean, Sombra would probably be a feast for him.
The bit about unicorns and towers is also true for most Wizards. Which is a nice coincidence....
7096218 Yeah, Twilight passing out after finding she had wings would have been totally acceptable. Then she'd go build a book fort to hide in.
7096427 Are you sure they didn't use the Elements against Sombra originally??? And with your DBZ type scenario, I'd be laughing if only Luna is left holding a statue of Sombra and an embarrassed looking Celestia is trapped on the sun since the actual Elements and Tree of Harmony were sick of her tests as well.
That was a emotional chapter with a cute ending.