Ch.1
Running from The Lies
My friends and family betrayed me.
There isn't another way to be so blunt with my statement.
It was all because of that bucking monster feeding them the sob story of her species on the verge of extinction. She manipulated them, thus took my only chance to have a family of my own.
I can never forgive her for this. I will never forgive my loved ones, not even my wife.
They did this to me!
Ever since I saw Cadance give birth to the egg, ever since I realized how much hatred I have for that bug. . .ever since I threw away my life, everything that makes me who I am has been shattered.
I should have known, I should have seen the signs, but I failed. How could I have been so blind by Cadance reason to not start a family?
. . .Why did she do this to me?
I guess I should start back to the day I found out my wife cheated on me. It was then that she and her fellow princesses drove me to the brink of exile. . .the one thing I never expected to do. I wished there was some other way to fix this. . .but there isn't.
No. . .no, there is no way to repair the damage that has been done. How could I possibly think that there is a way to make things right?
How could I have ever thought that my beloved wife was actually a skilled deceiver when it came to such drastic measures?
Why did she do this to me?
. . .
I opened my eyes to find myself lying in front of the fire I made a few hours ago. Looking at my satchel I counted the remainder of my rations, torturing myself with how little I have.
"I have to be past the borders of Equestria by nightfall or the princesses will have gained enough ground to block my route."
I slowly clambered to my hooves and began packing my stuff sluggishly, feeling just how exhausted I was from the long day of running.
Geez. . .Should've waited drinking the last of my whiskey when I got past the border. . ."
As I put the fire out and waited for the first bit of Celestia's sunlight to come over the horizon, I quickly realized there was no wildlife moving around me. I could not hear a single twig or leaf crunching underneath an animal. There was no wind, and I just slept through the nastiest gusts. There should be something.
In fact as I listened for the first sound of the Mist Forest I quickly concluded there was powerful magic approaching me. By powerful I mean it had me fighting for breath.
But there was a big problem to that. . .
The one releasing so much magic had her eyes on me. She watched in the darkness as I controlled my breathing. I had never felt this much power ignite in a pony, but this is a bucking goddess I'm talking about. She has enough magic to wipe out an entire city and not break a sweat doing it.
I knew I was in trouble, but I had to fight back. I had to get away from her before the others follow her trail.
That had to be the reason why she was crushing me with her magic pressure, to signal the others that she has found me.
All of a sudden I heard multiple voices screaming "the princess has found him." But before I could do anything, a small cage of yellow energy fell over me and shrunk to where I had little breathing space.
The maker of this cage stepped into the light of the sun. . .her sun. She looked sad. . .conflicted. . .but that cannot be right. She had no sadness for when my heart was broken by her and every one of those bucking traitors I call my friends and family.
The alicorn noticed me struggling to break free, her angelic voice irritating me.
"Shining Armor, just stop this already." she whispered, her voice balanced between disappointment and anger.
"Buck you," I concentrated all of my magic into the one spell she would never expect me to have mastered. "I'm not going back to the Crystal Empire, nor Canterlot. If you want me to go back YOU'RE GONNA HAVE TO KILL ME!"
Her eyes widened in shock at this, but before she could say or do something else I found my focus point at the highest peek of the forest and pulled myself towards it. My body felt as if it were on fire when I broke down into millions of particles and reanimated myself at the hill. If it wasn't for the many years of enduring pain I would have screamed like a filly.
"Twilight told me teleportation is easy, but that bucking hurt!"
I leapt up from the dry mud I landed in and shook my body of the tingling that came with teleporting. My stomach felt as if somepony twisted it into knots. I wanted to throw up, but everyone saw me just now. Twilight and her friends. Princess Luna. Spike. . .
Even her. . .
"Shiny!" Cadance screamed while taking flight, her horn sparkling a deep blue as she chanted.
Before she could lay out a rune that would ensnare me, I aimed and unleashed a heavy kinetic force spell that knocked the wind out of her, her eyes widening as I took this moment to run deeper into the Mist Forest.
Upon hearing Cadance scream in pain I felt my chest compress and my heart collapse in shame. I vowed to never harm the love of my life, I swore to Celestia that I would never cause her niece any pain. It was the only thing I had left to call myself a good stallion. I could not protect anyone from our enemies, not even my own sister. And now I have nothing for honor.
I hurt my wife. . .No, I hurt the mare that hurt me. I made her feel what it is like to have lost again what was so close to your grasp that you can almost feel it snuggling in your hooves. I made her feel my pain.
"Shining, please stop!" somepony screeched through the forest. "We did not mean to hurt you!"
All of them were possibly horrified or disgusted for my assault on Cadance, but she deserved it.
I know that is wrong of me to say, but she really deserved it.
They seemed to snap out of their bewilderment when I turned away and ran over the hill to my next destination. As if some mystical force took over my body, every fiber of my being accelerated and did not stop; even though I was thinking differently, something was making this happen.
I ran and never looked back, because that would show weakness.
"G-gotta get to t-the border," I stammered between deep breaths. "If-if I can reach t-the border I-I will be home free. Celestia and L-Luna will not dare cross borders to retrieve me."
All of the daylight was quite blinding as I darted around trees and bushes. I felt my eyes dry out with each second of the mountain wind and sunlight burning in them without mercy.
"Where? Where is the town?" I asked myself, trying my utmost to stay focused and calm.
"Shining Armor, cease your running at once." As if I ever needed to guess who that is. I looked to my right for a surprise attack by the Princess of Night. She dove through the trees with her magic flared, her eyes burning with anger.
"She sure is persistent. Celestia chose her right for this." I slid under a broken tree, dodging Luna's sweeping tackle to my side. I'm not sure what happened next, but the best way to describe it is the blue alicorn said many foul things to herself, while pounding the ground with her hoof.
If I didn't know any better I would say she is having a tantrum.
"On second thought, maybe she should have chosen someone else to chase me."
The screaming died in the distance and I aimed for the clearing ahead of me. Heavens be with me at this moment.
"I'm almost there, just need a little more time and I'll be—" I broke off when I leapt through the opening, before skidding across the ground to what must be the most shocking moment in my entire life.
I grimaced at the swords and spears pointed directly at me and watched as their commanding officer dove in front of me, wearing my old armor in front me.
"How dare he!"
"Shining, surrender now and come back to the Crystal Empire, quietly." Flash Sentry demanded. He tried to approach me with most of Canterlot's guard backing me into Celestia and fellow pursuers, but one glare from me and a deeply infused channel of hatred and magic was enough to make them stop dead in their tracks.
Flash, however, was unfazed by this revelation. It wouldn't surprise me, though. He has seen enough of it to be fearless.
"Dark Magic," he whispered, almost as if he were disappointed. "What will you do next?"
"Move—" I lowered my horn as it seethed with the rage of my marriage being a lie. "—Or I will show you why I was the most talented combatant in the Royal Guard."
"Then I am sorry, but we have orders to bring you back. . . even if it means breaking every bone in your body. . ."
Just as they were about rush me, the color of true magic shifted into a hazy aura of red and black and grasped every guard by their manes. I lifted them into the air and compressed their weapons to dust, causing them to gasp before scream in agony. I threw them in different directions. Flash experienced the worst of it, though. His right wing went crashing into a boulder and flexed backwards.
I could hear the bones crunch and pop as he fell to the ground screaming in agony. His other wing folded tightly in the cut of his armor and his eyes dilated, just as they should in that circumstance. I am certain that his wing is broken in multiple places, although the given response indicated that.
I am not the kind of stallion to enjoy the pain of others, but this pathetic excuse of a captain was somewhat enjoyable in the perspective I am seeing. Flash Sentry had asked Twilight's hoof in holy matrimony just weeks ago, and she was the main reason Cadance kept secrecy about giving birth to a Changeling.
This is not Dark Magic corrupting me. This is pure revenge for having my marriage twisted into a lie right after I devoted my life to that cheating horse. I love my sister with all my heart, and I could never take my rage out on her.
Flash Sentry, however, is a different story. He's a male, and I can inflict Twilight with pain by hurting someone close to her. . .Just like she did by suggesting Cadance to lie about her pregnancy.
"That felt a little good," I whispered, before turning away to resume my escape. "But I don't have time to get even. I'm on a tight schedule."
I took the momentary silence to catch my breath and keep the Dark Magic under my control, only to have it give me another sharp headache.
"Twilight," Flash screamed through his pain. Surprising, really. "He's over here, hurry!"
I merely stood there for a moment. . .before leaving a fake magic trail and sprinting to my destination.
The only train that leads out of Equestria, Mist Mountain Express.
Leaving those bastards to writhe was more than enough to have the princesses and element wielders stop long enough for me to get out of the forest. But how long would it be before I'm found again?
How long did I have until she found me?
Would I ever have peace, or will she pursue me to the ends of the planet?
And so I ran as fast as I could, never looking back to see if anypony ignored the injured to keep me in their sight. Thankfully the only thing pursuing me is the wind nipping my neck.
Or so I thought. . .
"Shining!"
The clearing darkened to what had to have been Luna's magic ensnaring me into some sort of illusion. The world went black and my hooves slowly froze in place, causing me to stumble against a tree. I was neither afraid or nervous of Luna, but this was not a good sign. Hence why I stopped running.
Unfortunately it was not Luna.
I spun to my attacker. My horn flared ever so slightly with the darkness as I saw the pink pony use her power to set runes around us. She was still as beautiful as ever, but I could not see that beauty the same way I do about her appearance. On the inside, in my eyes, she was nothing more than an ugly horse that has taken my heart and shattered it.
And that is why I CAN love and hate her at the same time.
She looked surprised when my horn curled and sharped, blazing in dark colors when I released my hatred again. She was hurt by this, even more than when she mistakenly dumped me in high school for false rumors and yet the slightest twitch in my glare was all it took for her to know how furious I am.
The Alicorn snapped out of her runic chanting and lost control of the atmosphere when I snarled at her. Light returned as she unfurled her wings and took a step forward with my our wedding bands on her hoof.
"Shining, don't. . .don't do this," she requested, tears in her eyes as she slowly approached. "Don't leave me. Please come home."
She looked desperate when I increased the flare and aimed at her chest. Then again, I would probably be the same way if my spouse threatened me.
"I have no home!" I growled, launching a small beam that just grazed the side of her mane. "I have no home with you or anypony in this bucked up family, just myself!"
"That is not true," she yelled, heartache and disbelief obvious in her expression as eyes watered. "You have an empire that needs you and a beautiful wife that wants you to come back home with her."
"No, I do not!" I barked. "You are not my wife, because I refuse to let you lie and deceive me anymore!"
"Dark Magic," she whispered, before approaching. "Shining, you've allowed your hatred to take hold on your magic. You're ill."
Before she could take another step towards me, I shoved her back with another kinetic force spell and sealed our distance with a dome of my own, burying myself in this corrupted magic as she slid across the ground, fighting to stay on her hooves.
"I am not ill, you cheating horse!" I screamed. "Now get the buck out of my way before I get really angry!"
I threw another kinetic spell at Cadance, but she strafed to the right and lowered her horn. Love Magic was obviously about to happen, but I know better than to let that garbage hit me. I know better than to let her attack, because my magic, light or dark, will not stop it.
It was only once I recharged my core that I fazed through my barrier and threw it at her. The beam she used shot through the hollow ball but failed to touch me, for I was faster than her.
I somersaulted to the left and teleported behind Cadance, using the dirt under my hooves as an added distraction. She had no way to dodge both without giving me another chance to get away. There were only two options to this: Block the shallow barrier or get out of the way.
Either way, my escape is inevitable.
"Shini—" I did not have to look back to understand why Cadance went silent. She was foolish enough to turn from the attack and try stopping me.
She screamed "My eyes!", and then screeched after my attack hit her in the back, causing her to fall directly into a shrub that is full of thorns. Disgust fills my stomach as I look from the corner of my eye to see her standing up with tears washing out the dirt.
"Stop!" she tries to charge me, but the thorns have her tail and mane tangled. "Wha—NO! Don't you dare move, Shining Armor!"
I leave the Alicorn to untangle herself, knowing this will be the last time we see eachother.
"Goodbye. . .Cadenza."
"Shining, wait!" is all I hear in the distance, before embracing the shadows of the mountainside. "Shining. . .SHINING!"
***
Mist Mountain Express
I threw my belongings against the wall and crashed with little care of other ponies hearing me, although I should take into consideration the colts and fillies around me that are scared to see angry I am.
Colts and Fillies. . .Foals. . .Little Ones. . .
I shut the door to my room and locked it before anyone could bother me about my ill behavior. They can buck off for all I care. None of them know the nightmare that is my life.
"Freedom," I whisper, smiling for the first time in days.
I curled under the blanket as fast as I could and reached for the newest edition of the Weapons Informer Magazine, finding where I left off in the Longsword Section.
I actually felt my exciting compelling me to buy one of these babies when I get into the Gryphon Kingdom. A Longsword is an odd choice for a stallion like me, but it is something I've always wanted to own since I saw my commanding officer use one during the breakout in Tartarus.
I'll never forget how General Blackfire cut down Tirek by taking away his horns. She should have been the mare I married, but, unfortunately, she is in a relationship with Princess Luna.
"Filly Fooler,"
The thought of her sweating in armor carried me to relaxation and another place I will not explain. It helped me get over having to run and fight for my freedom.
"I'm finally done," I told myself, but it wasn't as easy as letting go.
Exile is an easy thing to do when you nothing to live for, but my current situation has plenty of reason for me to rethink about my decision. That, however, would just take me back to the one thing I do not want to feel.
. . .A Broken Heart
And of course I have to torture myself with the not so fond memory of this all starting back at home.
"Why can't things just be simple?" I asked myself.
. . .
Cadance told me during our teenage years that she was not going to live forever unless I am there for her. She could not go a day without me at her side. Father Time would never claim her, and it would never claim me if I devoted myself to her, we would still exist in the eternity that her aunts said would be hard when I die.
There was so much heartache and anger when Cadance was denied the spell that would make me immortal. It was the first time I ever heard her say she hates Celestia.
But, thanks to a little thing called negotiations, we got what we wanted out of this deal. Sure it was a pain in the flank to have Celestia tell my parents what is going to happen, but everything turned out okay. Mom was upset at first; at least for twenty minutes.
Binding her magic with mine is what Celestia called it.
But I was furious to find out the bargain we agreed to was ended by that bug.
I had lost my one chance to have a family with Cadance. We spend years planning this out, and that thing ruined it all with her inability to die off.
Would I have understood if the princesses told me straight away what needs to happen?
Not at first, but I would have considered giving up my chance to build family. Yes, yes I would have let this happen. I would have given Chrysalis the opportunity to rebuild her species.
But now I have nothing, she had stolen it from me. I felt sick to my stomach. I could not look at my wife the same way.
And in that moment. . .I lost myself to rage.
There were Crystal Guards circling me, but no one tried to stop me. Everyone was here when I threw my ring at Cadance. . .and her aunts just stood there to hear me, to feel how much of a pair of failures they truly are to making things right.
"I have waited for us to have a foal for years, but you decide to sacrifice your embryos to Chrysalis so she can have a daughter!?" I yelled furiously. "Did you ever think that maybe this is something worth telling me!?"
Cadance was already in enough pain from having an egg fall out of her loins. But upon hearing my words and seeing the ring land in the blood she produced, whatever pain she had left seemed to have died.
"I know this upsets you, my love, but let me explain myself!" Cadance begged at the edge of her bed, frightened tears dripping into the bloody sheets upon picking up the ring with her magic. "Shining, I am sorry for doing this to you. But there is still a way for us to have a family. We can adopt a colt or a filly!"
"No, I have to preserve the family name!" I replied scathingly. "I told my father that I would give him and mom a colt or a filly. I promised them a grandfoal. But that is not going to happen because you gave up our chance to have a foal to that sadistic horse!"
"Shining Armor," Celestia said sternly as I turned around, not just to pack my things but also leave this country to find out the hard way what has happened. "You have every right to be angry with us, but being foolish will not fix anything."
"Foolish!?" I barked. "You're one to talk about being foolish. You're the one who was too stupid to see how lonely Luna was when you reigned over Equestria as the most loved pony. Buck, you can't even prevent a disaster from happening, so you send my sister into perils that can kill her. And you're insinuating that I am being foolish!"
Celestia did not say a word after that. She just stood there, a disappointed look adorning her face.
What for?
Who has disappointed her?
Me?
Cadance?
Herself?
Who cares. . .
"Shining I beg of you, don't go!" Cadance pleaded desperately. "I swear to you I will fix this. I will use as much magic as needed to give you a foal. I'll fix myself. I'll give you a son or daughter, just please give me a second chance!"
There it is. . .that idea of fixing our problems by giving me whatever I want.
Well not today.
It was incredible when we were high school students falling in love with one another more and more on a daily basis, but after growing up I began to realize how much it affected me. I felt like some dumb puppy that can have his frustration quelled with a treat. We never fought, just argued every so often. But whenever there was argument between Cadance and I there was a bed to suffer our love-making in the end.
I should have stopped it when I still had time.
I felt Twilight's wing trying to gently curl around my leg, but after grasping the cold fact that I can never have foals with Cadance I pushed her away and ignored Cadance' sobs.
"Shining, please!" Twilight cried. If anyone suffered the most out of this. . .Twilight was the one. "We're sorry for hiding the truth. We just wanted to—"
"Don't talk to me, you lying, backstabbing, pampered brat!" I growled hatefully, throwing the birthday gift she gave me, a new crown, to her. "You are the same as everyone in here. And that make you dead to me!"
After seeing Twilight fall to her haunches and sob to Celestia, I went to my room, packed my things, and planned my leave for the middle of Luna's night. It was best and only part moment to leave this deceitful family.
Night guards lazing around on their patrols.
Everyone is asleep.
Perfect.
In all honesty I had thought to have been in the clear when I reached the border of the Crystal Empire . . .but after Cadance' screech across Equestria.
"SHINIIIING!"
"She must have woken up early!"
The many sounds of ponies to find me was almost frightening. I could hear the crystal armor of those I trained clanking and scraping across the meadow as I ran for the woods.
Day after day passed me by with no rest, relaxation, or a moment to breathe without someone finding me. I could feel Cadance and the others closing in on my location every night. And having camp set up was not the best idea.
Luckily I had one advantage that no one, not even Celestia herself, can use against me.
Surviving on so little.
. . .
"Room Service," I heard on the other side of my door, knocks in the background of her voice.
And so I stood up and approached the door, hoping that maybe this untidy junker of a train will at least have tolerable food. I sighed deeply into the window and turned the knob as she repeated "Room Service" with a deeper tone.
Clearly I was supposed to respond by yelling back, but what's the point?
I've yelled enough already, so I might as well open the door and tell her to go away.
"Keep your bonnet on," I grunted, before opening the door. "I'm here now, but I don't want anything. So would you please—"
I barely managed to blink before the mare in front of me threw her hoof to my cheek. I gasped as the redness stung and she barged into my room, locking it with green magic.
Wait. . .green magic?
She couldn't have been more than two feet away from me when her eyes flashed a deep hazel and her body was engulfed in flames.
She glared at me and hissed ever so slightly, before pushing me onto the bed.
"You really are the biggest moron in Equus, you know?" she barked.
I had to grit my teeth in order to stop myself from flinching at the pain.
"Chrysalis!" I growled, seething with fury as she sat next to me.
"It's your fault Cadance had to give birth to my egg," she said mockingly, shaking her head in disappointment as those reached me. "But I guess you're like all stallions, ignorant and full of themselves."
I blinked in uncertainty. "My fault?"
With slight anger in her voice she slid closer to me and hissed. To my relief it was only a hiss and not a bite my neck or some sort of hypnotic spell, and so I glared at her, confusedly.
Only to freeze when she pointed at the door and giggled like the monster she is.
"Did you really think you could escape us?" she mused.
I turned to the door, and my eyes widened in shock of the many eyes looking through the window.
"Are you bucking kidding me?" I asked angrily, before punching the wall.
"Cadance has you tracked very easily—" Chrysalis scooted closer. "—But I'm not here to help them drag you back to the Crystal Empire. I'm here to let you know that running away is stupid, because Cadance giving birth to my egg is entirely your fault."
"My fault!?" I snapped. "How is it my fault that cheating horse popped out your disgusting egg out of her marehood!?"
Ultimately my anger got the best of me and I stood up to finish this abomination off with everything I have. But, as always in my life, the answer stops me before I make that move.
"It's very simple," Chrysalis quipped. Suddenly her playful attitude turned into a foul nature of ill intention, a scowl that made me cringe on the inside. Her hooves moved to the alcohol shelf to my right, and she poured herself a glass. "You, you stupid dolt, killed my children and my ability to reproduce."
End of Chapter One
Just so we are clear on what this is about.
This chapter is just a little something that's been eating me away for a little while. I've been trying to find a way to write this but never could because of my current situation.
But I have it done now, so I hope enjoyed this chapter.
And yes. . .Damn me and my cliffhanging! (Evil Laughter) 
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Liked it, faved it, waiting for the next chapter.
But if i may say the ending of the first chapter is a bit off putting.
Like how can she play that card, when she got what she deserved for what she tried?
I hope that Shining won't give into false guilt when he is not wrong.
Depending on how the next chapter will be, i may unfav this story.
Sorry.
But then again considering your type of stories and Zamairiac im pretty sure i won't unfav this one. :P
For a moment there I felt like I was reading a mash up of my various stories. Carry on though, I'm intrigued :)
6410228
Yeah, Chrysalis is definitely in the wrong. It'd be really annoying if she tries to make it sound like he's the bad guy and she was just the poor, misunderstood tragic hero and Shining buys that story.
Why are they treating him like a fugitive though, straight up to sending the guard to apprehend him broken bones and all? He's done nothing wrong or illegal, he's just leaving a home and family he feels betrayed by. He's in an unstable emotional state and just wants some space and some time to himself. They're treating him like a prisoner who's escaped rather than a scorned husband and brother. Also, why is it that Cadence didn't discuss this with him first? That's like the number one thing you do when you're in a relationship - discuss major decisions and changes with them - especially when it comes to children and reproduction. Cadence as the Alicorn of Love should know that; it shows blatant disrespect and distrust in Shining Armour that nobody tells him about what has happened, or even let him know about the idea before they go through with it.
6410318
The flow of this short story is inspired by you, but I assure it is not a "Lunar Chrome" story.
Remembert that guy?
Oh. Yeah. That's right, you stupid, ugly, worthless bitch. Blame Shining for all of that, why don't you?!
Because if I remember correctly, you were the one who decided to abduct Cadance, imprison her down in the Crystal Cave (and to probably starve to death ('cause you really just cared soooooo damned much!)), take her place and impersonate her, brainwash her fiancee, try to take over Canterlot (and then presumably the whole of Equestria), which got you and your slimy little abominations blasted out of Canterlot by Shining and Cadance to wherever, which obviously killed a whole bunch of the little bastards and rendered you sterile.
Yeah, you're Little MIss Innocent, and so none of that was your fault, and so Shining is totally, totally to blame for all of that.
Right. Suuuuuuure he was.
Typical villain mentality. Always blame the other guy; never, ever blame yourself.
You stupid, selfish bitch.
I hope that Shining doesn't fall for this load of bullshit.
I really do.
Anyway, great first chapter, hun! It was well worth waiting for, and I can't wait for Chapter 2 to find out what Shining's response to her load of horseapples will be.
He oughta just laugh at her, and throw what I just said right back in her ugly face.
Something along the lines of "Oh, you mean because you decided to invade our country, use our people as a damned food source, you filthy, ugly bitch? Sorry if I don't have any sympathy about your current situation, then."
And dang you and your cliffhangers! Just when it was getting good!
But you've whetted my appetite for more, so that's good.
And as I said above, I can't wait to see what you have in store for us in Chapter 2 and beyond!
I like the story
6410952 The funny thing if this wasn't Celestia and their eternal "forgiveness" (Except for Shining... Who they are hunting down...) Chrysalis would just be hunted down and killed for her crimes of: Attacking the Monarch, Subduing the Capital, attacking National Heroes, planning to turn the kingdom into a Farm, taking the Monarch prisoner, and many, many more crimes.
6410952
No, no, no, my friend. Shining Armor is at fault for her children dying.
Just remember that Shining Armor is showing signs of malice and wrath already.
Trust me, there is a twist that will be revealed about Shining Armor and the changelings.
6411245 That was exactly my point.
Which is why, out of all of the villains and enemies that the show has introduced so far, I hate Chrysalis and he changelings the most.
Followed very closely by Starlight Glimmer.
6411277 Okay.
Well, that was just my opinion, anyway.
And do tell. Looks like you've got a bit of a roller coaster ride planned for us with this one.
As I said earlier, I can't wait to see what happens next!
6411323
I cannot tell you how Shining Armor is at fault. You have to read the next chapter when it comes out. :)
6411408 Well, that's fair.
Nor would I want you to.
Finding out is half the fun, no?
And when you publish it, I shall do just that.
Btw, have you noticed anything weird about any of the chapters that you might have read this morning?
Because I sure have!
6411458
To be honest I have not read anything. I've been doing everything I can to write some more and get more chapters uploaded.
That twist. loving the feelings of betrayal and that no one is right. waiting eagerly now.
6411521 That's okay.
Mainly because it was my own flub-up for hitting the little "arrow in a l'il box" thing up in the upper right and corner of the story itself, and turning on something or other.
But it's fixed now, so it's no biggie.
As ever I would like to see what this story of yours has to offer.
More than seeing your wife give birth to an egg?
There's so much foulness here that I can hardly fathom it.
Short of physical abuse, there are no acts in a romantic relationship more horrifying and revolting than betraying the trust of your partner and cheating on them. Even if actual sex was somehow avoided in impregnating Cadance, the difference is next to nil. It may be worse, fact--at least normal infidelity only involves sex.
Women have the right to their bodies. But part of being married is realizing that what each side does affects the other, and that together they are more than just two individuals who like each other. She gave up all her embryos (was Chrysalis so needy she couldn't leave any?) to bear somepony else's child. Cadance and Shining Armor have been planning to make a family for an age--but due to her decision, he has been forever denied blood children. At this point, if he wanted children he would have to leave his wife or have sex with another mare (and judging by his response here, he wouldn't find that an acceptable substitute). She didn't just decide what to do with her own body, she destroyed Shining's future.
What did they expect would happen from this? Were they going to keep him in the dark forever? Did they think that nothing would ever happen to reveal this? What would they do when Cadance has no more excuses to keep from making a foal with him? What about when after they--he--try and try to make a baby but never succeed? Would they say she's infertile? What excuse would they make for this?
Were they trying to do the whole "It's better to ask forgiveness than permission" thing? Because that does NOT work when it comes to extramarital affairs. Sex outside of their marriage needs permission and consent to keep the trust and love alive. To cheat is a betrayal of the heart of the rankest and lowest sort.
How did they hide the pregnancy? Did they just let Shining Armor think it was his? When the time for childbirth came, did they tell him it was stillborn? Would the changeling have quickly hatched and assumed the form of a foal? Would they take an orphaned child and substituted it in as their own?
And what if they did adopt? As two immortals, it is likely that their children would be very long lived, if not immortal themselves. But if they adopt normal foals, then they will raise them and love them and watch their own children die. No parent should outlive their children--it's one of those things that are undeniably the most justified reasons for the immortality blues, and Shining Armor will know, as he buries his adopted kids, that he would never have had to experience this if his wife hadn't done what she did.
I don't understand Celestia. Shining had a point--earlier, she acted as though his wife cheated on him in one of the worst ways was a minor offense (ha!). Her dismissal of his feelings was just so... what happened to her empathy? Twilight confuses me too. She knows Shining Armor better than anypony else. She should know that he would likely accept this if they had actually talked to him. How could the Princess of Friendship betray her BBBFF like this, to the point that she was the one who pushed to keep him in the dark? Did she not want him to know that he would go without children? How did she of all ponies think he would never find out?
He's in the wrong, too. But especially when he saw Cadance's attempts to make a solution as a gift to pacify him. She's just trying the basic problem-solving method of finding the middle ground (or as much as she could) to make something happy come out of this.
Unless dark magic twists memory or makes you see things differently from reality, his reaction really doesn't look influenced by dark magic (and there's nothing in the chapter that suggests that he's studied or used it before today). It all falls under what you might expect of someone who suddenly found themselves in this situation. He was... extremely harsh with his words, perhaps more than the situation demanded, but it wasn't something to treat like corruption from dark magic. And all he did after that was leave--which is a pretty common reaction to finding that your spouse cheated on you.
Although you'd normally go to family or friends for comfort rather than leave the nation... of course, that's a pointless endeavor when those are the ones who helped betray you in the first place.
Sending the military out after him was a major overreaction. The populace is going to think he's a criminal, even though he isn't (although after attacking the Princesses, he certainly is now), and there's no way this won't be smeared all over the news. Hounding him, a soldier, like that is going to make him feel threatened for himself and his freedom, and it is only natural that he lash out. There was nothing in their pursuit that said "come back home to our love and explanations" save from Cadance (and all she offered was repeated claims of love that she had to know would fall flat to him after what she did); but there was a whole lot of "return to the Empire to face judgment" vibes.
But what he did to Flash and Cadance... he actually seemed to think clearly after using dark magic, for the most part, but you can definitely see its influence on him. Brutalizing Flash to hurt Twilight, and doing... whatever he did to Cadance's eyes? And liking it? *shiver*
But to me, Shining Armor is in the lesser wrong. What Cadance did is revolting. I believe in second chances--even for infidelity, in the rarest circumstances--but unless there's a huge change or big reveal, there's no way Shining Armor should let himself hook back up with her.
It's interesting what you did with the alternate Tirek history and characters. It seems kinda odd to just throw in that sort of thing out of nowhere--will it be important?
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What do you mean he's "showing signs of malice and wrath already"? It's been years since the Canterlot Wedding, "already" doesn't apply to that (unless he killed them now, somehow). Even if he was wrathful, he couldn't possibly corrupt Cadance's love magic, and there's no way love magic would curse someone by making them infertile (unless it was just the effect of too much magic in her?).
Why does Chrysalis care enough to hunt him down for a talk? How is Cadance bearing someone else's child his fault? Even if he did play a role in their deaths, that doesn't force Cadance to make the final decision. Was this supposed to be some sort of penance on her sort? How is it "stupid" for him to run away from a supposed love who decided to give up her body to someone else and keep it hidden from him? Why does she say that he's ignorant and full of himself? He actually seems quite knowledgeable about the situation (how did he learn all this, anyways? He seemed to know everything from the moment he saw the egg, but he didn't know anything about Chrysalis and the egg until then.
Assuming the love bomb is responsible for killing off her hive (and she should frankly have been prepared for the possibility that everybuggy might die when she decided to bring all her children to war), why would this surprise Shining Armor? If he knew that the changelings were on the verge of going extinct, then he'd have to realize that blasting them with a magical explosion would contribute to that (unless he's in disbelief that magic based on love would do that--although he seems to have a pretty bad opinion of love magic now).
Sorry, I'm ranting. Please feel free to ignore most of the above questions. A goodly number were rhetorical. Have a fav.
I love it.
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Love bomb, no and yes, but Shining Armor contributed to the endangerment of Changelings, somewhat intentionally.
6413551 Even if he did 'intentionally' kill the changlings, they were at war with Equestria. In war, people die. Chrysalis is the only one at fault in that situation for attacking in the first place and placing all her subjects at risk.
I'm getting the vibe that she showed up later asking the Equestrians to save her species or something, but she is the one who endangered them, not Shining. Then Cadance performs the betrayal, and it is entirely on her, not on Shining for protecting his country.
If Chrysalis tries to pull a morality card here, Shining really needs to beat her upside the head.
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You're thinking one-sided, I believe. Try and think outside the perspective crime and punishment falling on the one who started it all.
Think of it like this, in the reality setting of what Chrysalis meant. . . . ."Two negatives do not make a positive."
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Don't take this entirely as Shining Armor being the victim, because he played an unknown role to her desperation.
You'll understand what I am gettinga at in the next chapter.
6413969 Well, I'll just have to wait and see about what role he played, because just looking in from the Love Blast at the wedding, I really can't fault him for defending himself, his family and the rest of the ponies of the city
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Oh, I forgot to counter your statement of the military pursuing Shining Armor being an overreaction.
It's not an overreaction, actually. That is really an option you would find in Royal Affairs. And given that Shining Armor is a Prince-Consort, but still a prince, it is only wise to send the Royal Guard to search and retrieve a royal that has been captured or has run away from home.
I have to agree with Shining Armor on this one, hell if it was me I would just kill Chrysalis right where she stands, go back and crush that changeling egg so it is never fully born, and if I am able to take it a step further, forcibly remove every single changeling egg that is inside Cadence and burn them so the changelings are permanently dead. The shit he went through man, that is rough. First his friends, family and wife all lie to him and kept him in the dark and when he finds out and lashes out they all act like he is the monster. No they are the monsters for even thinking of such a thing.
6413551 She attacked, she invaded, he defended himself and his own. The risks of permanent damage was there, and she signed her own waiver. Live by the bow, die by the arrow.
Neither you nor anyone has the right to blame the guy defending his own home.
(1) makes
Okay I've just finished reading this chapter and I'm starting to get the feeling that something else is going on here. The big overarching problem that I'm seeing is that Shining want a child but the princesses won't let him. I have to wonder now is there something about Shining Armor's bloodline that will have an effect on the story in the future? I also wonder who the mysterious voice is, and why everyone seems so keen on simply manipulating him to get him to behave and tow the line. I don't know the full story so I can only see this from Shining Armor's side of things, I can't wait to see how this story ends.