The Last Changeling War

by Coyote de La Mancha

Coda: My Heart Is Healing.

It was a week after the Inter-Kingdom-Let’s-Have-Peace-Everypony-Galloping-Gala-Celebration-Extravaganza-Yay (named and arranged by Pinkie Pie, of course) before Cadence was finally strong enough to travel.

Early winter had not yet come to Voe Valley, and the leaves were still changing from their customary shades of emerald into fiery red, yellow, and orange. The breeze wafting through the meadow was warm and the sunlight was cheery, broken up by the trees’ canopy along the clearing’s edge. It was the perfect weather for a picnic, or for visiting the graves of family.

Or, in this case, for both.

In the distance, Flurry Heart was happily giggling and chasing butterflies through the air, an occupation rarely possible in the frozen land of the Crystal Empire. Meanwhile, Cadence and Shining Armor walked together through the trees’ shade and the lush grass, enjoying the sanctity of the place, her new horn shining with a mithril hue in the sunlight.

The matter of Cadence’s horn had been a painful one for the entire Crystal Empire. Once the news was made public, the outpouring of support and love had been, even for her, overwhelming. And the Crystal Ponies’ determination that whatever could be done, should be done, was unanimous.

So it was that, despite her protests, Shining Armor had carefully removed a small sliver of the Crystal Heart itself. The empire’s finest surgeons had then implanted the fragment directly into the bone within the stump. Then, a prosthetic horn of purest mystical silver had been grafted on, encasing the fragment and sealing it into what remained of her horn. The prosthetic, in turn, had been carefully engraved and enchanted by the most knowledgeable healers available, in accordance to the research of both Sunburst and Twilight Sparkle.

In theory, over time, her own powers should combine with those of the Crystal Heart and allow her horn to re-grow, either absorbing or supplanting the prosthetic as it did. And the Heart itself had already regenerated what small material had been taken from it, proving at least part of the theory behind the transplant.

But there were no guarantees.

Originally, Canterlot had been going to host the celebration. But, Cadence had still been too weak to travel. So, at the insistence of her husband and her fellow princesses, the gala had been moved to the Crystal Empire.

She hadn’t been able to attend long. But it had been a wonderful occasion, just the same. She’d been able to tough it out long enough to see Sunrise Shimmer knighted, both by Celestia and by Shining Armor. And seeing the barely contained joy of ponykind’s newest defender, as well as the pride of her friends and family, had been a wonderful sight.

Of course, that much Cadence had been expecting. But she’d been surprised to learn that Equestria had been accepting changelings as citizens, apparently for some time. All of them, with only one exception, having taken mystical oaths as part of that acceptance. The fact that there even was an exception had left her even more surprised.

Well, perhaps ‘surprised’ hadn’t been quite the right word.

‘Shocked’ might be better.

But the pieces had fallen into place right after the knighting when that one exception, Thorax, was formally announced as the Equestrian ambassador to the Changeling nation.

Cadence had sent Aunt Celestia a suspicious look at the announcement. And Celestia, in turn, had given her an expression of absurd innocence. Because of course she had.

But despite her exhaustion and Shining Armor’s inevitable worry, Cadence had also been able to make a few rounds as a monarch afterwards, however briefly. And in the process, she’d checked in on a few hearts that she’d been concerned about.

The conversation between Fleur de Lis and Thorax had been stilted at first. But as the two old friends had carefully caught up, Cadence had found herself glad for both of them. While she had to acknowledge her own discomfort at the idea of changelings living among ponies, with their queen gone Cadence had determined that such left-over feelings were far more her problem than theirs.

Of far more concern had been Fleur and Fancy Pants... but while there was still a great deal of awkwardness and uncertainty between the married couple, there was still love there. The occasional glance or touch, the smile shared now and then.

Thinking back, Cadence smiled as well. They’d be alright.

And best of all, Cadence had gotten to see her suspicions confirmed about Sunrise, Twilight, and Aunt Luna. She’d had to retire right afterwards, and admittedly had been glad for Shining helping her up the stairs. But seeing the three of them together had been well worth the strain. And even now, the image of them warmed her heart. They made a splendid troika.

Warm sunshine dappled the green, flower-swept field as she and her husband continued their walk, tracking their daughter’s location through her laughter while they talked. And, as they did, Cadence eventually explained to her husband the true intentions behind Chrysalis’ ill-fated war.

“That was her plan?” Shining gaped when she was done. “But that’s…”

“Insane,” Cadence nodded sadly. “Yes. But only because Chrysalis was insane. Mad, broken from birth… an incomplete travesty of life never meant to survive.”

At length, they reached their destination. The gravestone was plain and small, easily lost amidst the lush plant life in the small copse by the meadow’s edge. Yet, to Cadence, that only seemed fitting. Especially after such a barren lifetime of pain.

Mira Pisaurina

Love Is Never A Mistake

But now, Mira no longer slept alone. The Princess of Love looked at the second of the two markers which she had placed there only that morning. Its fresh grave sheltered by the trees around them both, the stone identical to the first but for its engraving:

Chrysalis

Not All Wounds Can Be Healed

“To think that this, of all things, should be Mira’s legacy,” she sighed. “What a waste. What a sad, terrible waste.”

Shining Armor reached over and hugged his wife, prompting her to look into his eyes and the love they held.

“Chrysalis isn’t her legacy, sweetheart,” he said. “You are.”

She smiled, despite her heavy heart.

“I love you,” she said.

They both embraced.

“Unfortunately, it isn’t that easy,” Cadence said sadly into his mane. “In their own strange, twisted ways, both the creatures who lie here… they were both family to me. Mira, an adoptive mother, however abusive; Chrysalis, a younger sister, however injured. And I tried my best to reach out to each of them, even at the end, but…”

“…but they both rejected the hoof you extended,” her husband finished for her. “Mira out of despair, and Chrysalis out of hate. But that was their failing, not yours. You can’t save everyone.”

“Maybe,” Cadence sighed. “But it’s wrong not to try.”

She pulled away slightly, still embracing him, and looked again at their daughter, laughing and chasing butterflies.

“The only other option is to decide ahead of time that some souls are too traumatized, or just too evil, to ever be reached,” she said. “And you can't do that without also abandoning someone in need.”

They sat together in the grass she’d played in as a child, watching the butterflies flit among the flowers growing there, surrounded by birdsongs and rustling leaves. Listening to their filly’s mirth as she flew and tumbled throughout the meadow that had been Cadence’s only solace a lifetime before.

“When Flurry’s old enough, I want her to know about them both,” Cadence decided at last. “And I mean everything. Bluebottle, my Becoming, Chrysalis’ role in our wedding and this terrible war, how they lived and why they died… everything.”

Shining Armor frowned in confusion. “What? Why?”

“There are plenty of ponies back home who will tell Flurry about my mom,” Cadence explained. “They’ll remember her courage, her strength, her love… her compassion, as a pony and as a ruler.”

“But my real mother never taught me about anger, or terror, or the chain of abuse. Those things I learned from Mira. And afterwards, Chrysalis taught me about pain, and how it can lead to hate.

“Someday, I’ll step down from the Crystal Throne, and Flurry will ascend as the new Crystal Princess. But even if that wasn’t the case, I wouldn’t want her to grow up hobbled by a sheltered morality.”

Shining nodded in understanding. “Things can seem simpler from the palace parapets,” he said.

“Exactly. It’s so tempting to just condemn our enemies as being evil, and then dismiss them. It’s easier. Granted, it’s also safer, both physically and emotionally. But it’s still a limited perspective, a blindness that can lead to injustice.”

She looked out past him then, past the meadow and towards the cliff face beyond. She couldn’t see the old cave from where they were, or the treacherous mountain path that led to it. But she remembered every stone.

“I’ve only had a few enemies in my life,” she sighed. “But every one of them, once their armor was peeled away, was another soul in torment. And all of them, if things had gone differently, could have been friends.”

“Even Sombra?” he asked gently.

She closed her eyes in pain as the memories assailed her, and Shining Armor put an arm around her while she struggled.

For as long as Shining Armor had known her, Cadence had insisted that any set of values, in order to be true values at all, needed to be tested in fire. Especially those of ponies who ruled, and most especially her own. It was one of the things that Shining loved about her. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t be there for her while she examined her resolve in the flames.

“I… I don’t know,” she said at last. “If there was one creature I couldn’t forgive or love, it would be him. He murdered my mother; caused my exile; and plunged my people into years of slavery, terror, and pain.”

Then, she opened her eyes again, looking back at the twin gravestones.

“But, even then, nopony just decides to be evil,” she said. “I’ll never know what shaped him into the stallion he became, but whatever it was…”

She fell back into silence, lost in her own thoughts.

The two of them walked on, ultimately finding their errant daughter asleep in the tall grass. A tiny, curled-up figure of white and pink, covered in butterflies, waving their multi-colored wings gently in triumph.

The two exchanged another smile. Cadence good-naturedly shooed the polychromed conquerors away, laughing a little as they swarmed about her before scattering to the trees and blossoms. Then, Shining Armor reached out gently with his magic, enveloping the filly in a rose-colored glow, depositing her gently onto Cadence’s back.

Cadence turned to begin the long trek back to the balloon that had brought them, then sighed, looking down at her hooves.

“I don’t know,” she said again. “I don’t know if I could ever forgive Sombra. Not after everything he’s done.”

Turning to face her husband again, she added, “But if he ever were to return somehow, and there was even a chance he wanted forgiveness, and love… I think I’d owe it to the pony he might become to at least try.”

Shining Armor smiled. Walking up to her, he kissed her gently on the base of her injured horn, then looked into her eyes with pure adoration.

“That,” he said softly, “is your mother’s legacy. And Mira’s. And Chrysalis’.”

He lovingly smoothed her mane away from her eyes before adding,

“And yours.”

Around them, the breeze gently wafted, mingling the scents of flowers, soil, green grass and turning leaves. The promise not only of life, but of a new season, and the futures that might follow.

Somewhere, a songbird trilled.

They kissed, and Cadence returned his smile.

“Let’s go home.”

Author's Note:

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“I’ll never know what shaped him into the stallion he became, but whatever it was…”

Comments

[FanOfMostEverything]

A very suitable eulogy for your Chrysalis, delivered by the only mare who could. And your Cadence is one of the best on the site, tested in the fire and not found wanting. Thank you for a gripping epic.