Love is Patient, Love is Kind...
Something was not right. Ella stood on the streets of Cloudsdale, staring at the front of the two-story cloud house that she was informed belonged to Flash and his mother. She had managed to hitch a ride up to the sky-bound city on a sky chariot with some of the exceedingly generous allowance of bits that Celestia had allotted to her since her arrival in Equestria.
Flash's hometown was even more incredible up close than what she had beheld at a distance. As she had approached the city, the sheer scale of it boggled Ella's mind. It looked as if someone had uprooted an entire mountain, hung it in the heavens, and with painstaking detail, carved an entire civilization out of it. There were immense buildings, elaborate towers and countless columns, and all of it formed out of clouds bound with rainbows and the all elements of the weather itself. The style of the marvelous architecture reminded her of some ancient Greek city, though arrayed from a dream and held aloft by imagination. And all of it constructed by ponies, or more specifically, the pegasi.
Twilight hadn't been exaggerating in her lessons when she had explained to her how there were few things the sky tribe couldn't do when they set their wills to it. They were a proud race that were proud of their abilities, and were not at all shy about making that ability visible for all to see.
Ella had also noticed how the buildings also contained solid matter such as wooden doors, glass windows, and other solid fixtures. Material that was enchanted, according to Twilight, to function seamlessly within the greater parts of the cumulous constructs.
But her otherworldly surroundings were not the present object of her attention. There was something else, something so mind-blowing that Ella did not consider it possible even by the insane standards of this magical world that routinely made sport of the the very laws of physics as she knew them. There was something inside of Flash's house, something with a magnitude of presence so great that it had practically numbed her senses from the moment she had first set foot in the city.
It was power. Pure, raw, unimaginable power. Celestia and Luna, God bless them, were many things: beautiful, powerful, simply awe-inspiring beings unlike anything she had ever encountered. But this? Whatever was in there was on a higher plane of existence altogether. It was a glowing, molten inferno of such incandescent fury that Ella was left wondering how in the name of sanity the house, the city could possibly contain such a force without being vaporized out of existence.
Adding to that bewilderment, was that none of the flying, pastel denizens of the town seemed to take any notice of the veritable birth of another universe in their midst other than to cast a curious glance at her as they flew by the spot she was presently rooted to, unable to move. But how could they not notice?! Clouds could not contain a volcano!
Ella swallowed, her throat dry. What...what is it? What the buck is it?!
Willing herself to move, Ella began to slowly advance towards the door, each step requiring her full focus, feeling increasingly lightheaded the closer she got. She felt like a flag caught out in a hurricane, a kite in a storm. It took everything she had to simply hold herself together, feeling that if she faltered for a moment, the very fabric of her being might be rent asunder by the immeasurable pressure issuing from the space before her.
Raising a trembling hand to knock, Ella stumbled forward as the door suddenly swung inwards. She bounced off of something that was as soft as a cloud and yet as unyielding as a mountain before falling to her knees. Feeling as if her head were made of lead, Ella slowly raised her face only to meet the light violet eyes of a majestic pink alicorn gazing down at her with a look of surprised curiosity.
She was beautiful. No, fairer than the heavens and all the stars they contained. Her fair scent was like the smell of every fragrant flower of the field, her sweet love the delectable taste of every savory food, her dazzling countenance more radiant than the sun itself, made so by the blazing fire of creative life that formed the very beating center of her luminous being. This was no mere equine. Here, was a flame cast from the very Hand of God.
"Um, hello. It's Ella, right?"
The girl gaped like a fish out of water for a few seconds, trying, straining to form some words of grace which alone might be worthy of utterance in the presence of what was clearly a precious creature sent from the very courts of heaven itself.
"H-hi...yoU'rE...pReTtY poNy..." Thump.
Princess Cadence, Alicorn of Love, Sovereign of the Crystal Empire and of all the Northern Tribes was truly, not at all concerned with the slack-jawed gawking of the locals as with a haste not at all unbecoming of the dignity of her regal personage, quickly seized the unconscious human, dragging her into the house and slamming the door.
"Ella? Ella, I need you to sit right here. Can you do that for me?"
A burst of hysterical laughter was the reply. "Sure! Wow, that couch is made of cloud! Is everything up here made of cloud?"
Ella couldn't remember the last time she felt so alive, so full of energy and power. She could feel it, a strength that thrummed from the tips of her fingers to the very ends of her hair, so invigorating, so empowering was the sensation that it made the entire world around her feel as if it were made of cardboard.
Though at the same time, one could say that she felt a bit tipsy, and by tipsy, drunk; as drunk as a skunk. But Ella was the fun, happy kind of drunk. The type who suddenly and inexplicably loves everyone around them and made very well sure to let each and every one of them know just how much she loved them.
The pretty pony helped her to sit down before taking a few steps back. "How do you feel?"
"FINE!" Ella blurted. Cadance blinked.
"So," Cadance began, "I'm guessing you came here looking for Flash, am I right?"
Ella nodded a bit overenthusiastically, "Oh yeah, he's a silly boy and I really wanna tell him how much I love him. Did you know he can shoot lightning? I know he can shoot lighting. It goes all...'pew, boom...'" She said while wiggling her fingers for effect.
Cadance blinked, "Uh, yes. Ella, are you sure you're okay?"
Ella laughed, "I'm friggin' fantastic! I feel greeeaat...Did I tell you how beautiful you are? You're like an angel from heaven. Can I pet you?"
Cadance sighed as she stood back up and stepped towards the girl.
"Ella, hold still. I need you to focus."
"Boop." Ella said, touching the Alicorn's muzzle with a single finger.
Cadance went cross-eyed at the surprise boop before shaking her head, wrinkling her muzzle.
"Ugh, you're as bad as Flurry Heart, Hold still Ella, if you do, I promise you can pet me."
"Really?!"
"Yes, really..." Cadance said while charging her horn. She touched the girl's forehead with it, casting a sort of sobering spell of her own design that she had been forced to craft after more than a few awkward encounters with unprepared changelings. The effects were immediate.
Ella inhaled sharply as if slapped, "WhOA! Hell! What the hell?!" She looked up and felt her stomach sink into the floor.
Cadence smiled at her, "So, do you still want to pet me?"
Ella felt her face flush with the heat of embarrassment, her cheeks matching the color of the Alicorn’s coat, utterly mortified now that she was fully conscious of exactly how she had been behaving. It was like waking up after a wild party, but instead of hazy recollections, remembering every detail with painful, near photographic clarity. “Uh...hi. I’m, I’m sorry.”
Cadence gave her a friendly smirk. “Hi ‘Sorry,’ I’m Cadance, nice to finally meet you!”
“Better?”
Ella stared hard at the thick, ceramic mug of warm tea clasped tightly in her hands as she sat on a cloud sofa opposite of Princess Cadance, concentrating with all of her might to not crush it like an eggshell and scald her lap for the third time. The Alicorn of all Things Wonderful, Life-Giving, and Delicious had been gracious enough to restore it and cleanse her each time with her magic, but she did not want to inconvenience the heavenly being again.
Ella took a breath, slowly counting backwards from ‘ten’ before exhaling. “Mmm-hmm,” she murmured to the Princess with a small nod. Twilight had taught Ella all about the Alicorns as part of her crash-course of lessons on Equestria. But hearing and experiencing were two very different things in this case.
Ella had no idea that Princess Cadance was going to be here, and even if she had, it still would not have prepared her adequately for the encounter. As a result, the unprepared channels of the changeling human’s soul had been blown wide open like an unsecured hatch in a squall by the avalanche of pressure given off by the Alicorn’s tremendous magical signature, treating Ella to a practical force-feeding of pure, unfiltered love-themed magic.
Trying to regain control of those channels in the presence of so much raw power felt akin to trying to dam the full force of Niagara Falls with all the structural might of a marshmallow. Thankfully, the moment had passed, and with the Princess’ and Bright Skies' help, she now felt in control once more, if still a little woozy.
Ugh, may I never be hungry again. Ella thought as she carefully set her mug down on the small glass coffee table in front of her, choosing instead to focus on her lap full of warm pony. A sleepy, contented hum emitted from Bright Skies as the young woman began to softly stroke and scratch behind one of the pony’s velvety ears.
The pegasus snuggled in closer, nuzzling her cheek more deeply into Ella’s lap while her forelimbs tightened their covetous grip on the human’s thighs. The pony had surprised her earlier by hopping up onto the couch next to her and settling into her lap after Ella had accidentally crushed her tea mug for the third time, still shaking with an overabundance of love. The pegasus' comforting presence was an immense help in both calming her nerves and helping her to regain control of herself.
Adjusting her senses ever so carefully, Ella looked closely at the pony resting her head on her lap, carefully observing the mare’s spirit. She couldn’t tell whether Bright Skies was awake or asleep as her side slowly rose and fell with her breathing. What she could see however, was how badly the pony’s heart had been wounded. A dark core marked the center of her aura, with several violet tendrils spreading out from it to the edges of her spirit like so many veins from a heart.
The taste and scent of her emotions were very bitter, like unripe bananas and vinegar. And yet, thankfully, it did not appear to be getting any worse, with several hues of pink and healthy blues already beginning to seep back towards her center, no doubt due to Cadance's efforts who had managed to get here and help the poor mare hours before had Ella shown up. But strangely, the dark center in Bright Skies' aura didn't seem to be from something recent, but older. It was like an old wound had suddenly and violently been dragged to the surface before being brutally torn open.
“What do your eyes see, Ella?” Cadance asked.
Ella shook her head, almost wanting to cry in empathy, “She’s been hurt, real badly. I’ve never seen such a wound since…since I got my magic. It’s even worse than the one I saw in…” she trailed off, remembering her promise.
“Flash,” Cadance finished for her with a nod. “And it’s a safe bet to say that if you could see him now, he’s probably similar to what you’re seeing here in Bright Skies, maybe worse.”
Ella frowned as she considered the implications. Twilight had explained to her when she had first arrived in Equestria, the nature of the unique bond shared between Flash and his mother, that their souls were interlinked. It was how Flash had first gained his magic, and that what happened to one of them always affected the other.
“Then, what happened?!” Ella quietly exclaimed, “I can’t imagine Flash would deliberately hurt her, he’d sooner saw his own leg off!”
Cadance shook her head, “Not deliberately, no. But last night, Bright Skies confronted him about his current state, and in the heat of the moment, he said something very…regrettable.”
Ella saw a crimson flicker of wrath pass through the mare’s aura, like red-lightning illuminating the dark, distant thunderhead of an approaching, terrible storm. It faded as quickly as it appeared, but had the chilling effect that the human suddenly felt very small and vulnerable in this pony’s presence, as if she were standing in the presence of a tall, looming mountain that might accidently fall on her if she wasn’t careful.
Ella swallowed nervously, Why is it that the most cutesy things in this world are always the most terrifying? “So, what do we do now?”
“Well, if we’re going to help Flash, first, we need to find him.” Cadance said as she rose to her hooves, stretching her wings for a moment before folding them back into place. She gave a sympathetic glance down at Bright Skies, “Fortunately, we know somepony who can tell us exactly where he is.”
Ella looked down at the mare in her lap, one of her ears flicking in seeming response to the attention being directed at her.
“…Mmm…please don’t kill him,” Bright Skies sleepily murmured, “He’s still my baby…”
There was an audible crack as the Alicorn dipped her chin to one side. "Nothing...permanent, I assure you..."
Ella glanced up as the sky, feeling increasingly nervous at the ever growing number of pegasi who were slowing down to catch a glimpse or outright gawk at the strange pair walking down one of the sidewalks of the neighborhood.
An alicorn princess and an alien, not the most inconspicuous pair, I get it, but TAKE A PICTURE WHY DONCHA?! A camera flashed from somewhere in the crowd in answer to her thought, causing her to sigh and hold her head.
"Sorry again about the door," Ella said, sheepishly casting her gaze to one side. She had accidently torn the brass handle clear off of the front door of the house as they had left, not realizing how much her strength had increased from her present love-high. Cadance had kindly repaired it without a word.
"Not a problem," the Princess replied with a small chuckle. "I imagine it's still quite the experience trying to adjust to having magic after living your whole life without it, am I right?"
Ella nodded shyly, still feeling a little intimidated in this creature's presence. "Yeah, it feels so weird and yet at the same time, familiar, like I've always had it. And 'no', by the way."
Cadance raised an eyebrow, "'No' what?"
"No, female humans do not normally have eyes and fangs like this."
"How did you know that I was thinking that?" Cadance asked, sounding impressed.
"I didn't, but your emotions showed me that you were curious about something, so I took a guess." Ella said with a small smile.
Cadance paused mid-step at that, turning to look Ella straight in the eye. Ella held her gaze without flinching, which required more nerve than she knew she possessed. A handful of tense seconds ticked by, and just as Ella thought she might melt into a drooling puddle on the street, a wry smile slowly curled the alicorn’s lips.
“You know? I think you’re going to do just fine here, Ella. And that you may be just what Flash needs.”
Ella swallowed nervously, “Yeah? And what is it that he needs?”
“To get out of his own head,” Cadance said, casting a glance to the ever increasing rubber-necking they were attracting. “That, or a slap upside it, take hold of me!”
Ella obeyed without hesitation, quickly placing a hand on the princess’ neck. The pair vanished in a burst of light-blue magic, appearing an instant later on a remote cloud which gave them a spectacular view of Cloudsdale from a distance, hanging in the clear blue heavens like a bejeweled mountain adorned with rainbows.
“Thanks,” Ella said as Cadance lowered the wing she had placed against her back to steady her. I’m never going to get used to that. She thought, trying to shake off the post teleportation jitters while slowly sitting down. Ella took a moment to soak in the magnificent view before speaking.
“Why Princess, why is Flash taking what happened to Bright Skies so hard? I get that she’s his mother and all, and what happened to her was terrible, but why is it tearing him up so bad? It’s like he’s losin’ his mind.”
Cadance sighed as she sat down next to her, suddenly appearing very tired while settling onto her belly, her forelimbs crossed before her. Ella began to realize just how much the Princess' efforts with Bright Skies must have taken out of her.
"We'll get to that, but first," She gave Ella a friendly glance, "Tell me a little about yourself, Ella. Tell me what happened when you met Flash."
Ella nodded, and after taking a moment to gather her thoughts, she began to share with the Princess a little about her background before telling her all about her experience with Flash. She left nothing out, humbly sharing every detail, the good and the bad alike. From her time with him on Earth though her time with him in Equestria, making sure to include the reasons why she had initially rejected him, how her own personal insecurities had led her to deny her own heart, before finally confessing to how she truly felt about him when Telson had confronted her the previous night. Ella sighed as she finally finished, feeling almost as if she had gone to confession.
Ella watched as Cadance slowly closed her eyes, a pensive look on the alicorn's face. She waited patiently for the pony's judgment, for judge her she would. A few tense moments passed, and Ella curiously noted how the alicorn's long horn shone momentarily with a light blue glow before she opened her eyes. The young woman felt a wave of relief when the Princess turned to regard her with a warm smile that reached her beautiful eyes.
"You're a remarkable woman, Ella." She said, "Where others may try to conceal their flaws, you readily admit to them."
"Thanks...I think?"
Cadance giggled sweetly, "It's refreshingly humble," She continued, "And just as impressive, is that you don't allow your flaws to stop you from beginning anew once you've been made aware of them."
Ella felt herself flush slightly at the praise, "Yeah, well, quittin' just ain't in my vocabulary. But what about Flash?"
Cadance's eyes suddenly appeared sorrowful for a moment before turning her head to regard the horizon.
“Flash,” She began, “Didn’t exactly have what you could call a normal childhood.”
“I can’t imagine why.” Ella said with just a hint of sarcasm.
“I mean, besides the obvious,” Cadance added with a tired laugh.
“What do you mean?”
“Flash, was the kind of child who didn’t allow himself to be a child for very long. Since the day he got his cutie mark, he gradually began to deny himself many of the ordinary pleasures children generally have, forcing himself to grow up quickly. While other foals played, he worked and studied. Where others his age played with toys, he trained and disciplined his body.”
“But why?”
“Flash loves Equestria, he loves the ponies who took him in and raised him, even more than his own life. And in that love, was born a near obsessive desire to repay us, to give his life in service to protect the ones who had done so much for him. For most of his young life, he has done little else but prepare himself for that role, and believe me, it shows. He’s not only the first non-pony to ever be a member of the royal guard, but one of the youngest commissioned officers in its history. He was top of his class, his marks and training record are superb. There's not a doubt, even among his detractors, that he earned his place in the guard. But that's why he's taking this present situation so hard. In his mind, despite all of his preparation, sacrifice, and effort, he failed, and failed the one who matters most to him."
"Bright Skies," Ella murmured.
Cadance nodded, "Exactly. He's been wounded to his very soul, and even though his mother's condition is not his fault, he doesn't see it that way. It was her blood on his hands, so as far as he's concerned it is his fault. He failed as a son, and he failed his purpose, so in his mind, he cannot forgive himself."
Ella sighed, holding her head in her hands. "And right when he was just looking for some comfort, I went and slammed the door in his face. Great, just great."
A fluffy wing softer than the cloud she was sitting on wrapped around her shoulders, she looked over at Cadance who gave her a sympathetic smile.
"Don't be too hard on yourself, you can't rush into a relationship if you weren't ready for one."
Ella blushed slightly, "Well, I think I'm ready for one now. So, what should we do?"
"We need to jog his memory, remind him of all the good he's done."
Ella nodded, "I getcha, so how should we approach that? Should we be subtle? Or..." Cadance shook her head,
"The time for subtlety is over, Ella. I think it's time for a more, direct approach." Ella slowly nodded,
"Yeah? Glad to hear that. I've never liked beatin' around the bush. So, how direct are we talkin'?"
Cadance smiled slyly, a smoldering look in her glittering eyes, "Well tell me, what were you wearing when Flash first saw you?"
Ella, glanced down at the ocean blue blouse and black skirt she was wearing before looking up at Cadance and smiling,
You know? I think Princess Love-Horse and I are gonna get along juuust fine...
Well hello my friends, and welcome back!
It's been a long deployment, and it's not over yet, but we are getting closer to returning so, 
.
I pray that you've all been well. So yeah, new chapter. Took me long enough, hopefully the next one will be out considerably sooner. (Definitely
)
Don't have a whole lot to say right now, but I wanted to give a shout out to my good friend Venerable Ro once again for his wonderful advice, encouragement, and patience. He was the one who encouraged me to bring in love horse when I was unsure of the concept along with a slew of other good thoughts and brainstorming, cheers mate!
Glad to be back with you my friends, God love you!
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Good recommendation by Ro, and I think it's a good representation of Cadence. Glad to see you back safe from deployment, looking forward to the next chapter
10979010
Thanks! Deployment not quite done yet, but getting there!
Ponies yo, they are indeed very pretty.
Boop indeed. Who wouldn't boop such a vision of loveliness?
Boi, you in a heap of trouble.
You're welcome! Talking to you has been a pleasure, I'm happy to help out.
10979077
All the boops, all of them I say!
Angry love horse is break you horse.
10979077
The pleasure is all mine.
Ohhh flash pray to what ever gods you worship for mercy cause dat girl will give you none.... Me thinks there’s gonna be lots of “denial “ just none of them verbal
That should be spelled subtlety. It's easy to get the two mixed up. But subtly is an adverb, while subtlety is a noun. Subtlety is the state of being subtle.
Sorry. I had to get that out. Otherwise I wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it.
It's great to see a new chapter. I hope you're doing well. I'm looking forward to the next update. Flash and Ella are great characters. I feel like I'm kinda invested in their lives.
Good to see you back with another chapter, Destiny, and good luck with the rest of your deployment! God bless!
10979474
Good catch, fixed, and thanks!
10979741
Thank you very much.
10979744
You're welcome
Do I even wanna know what inspired half of these jokes?
(No offense, I've become cynical as of late.)
Aw, lighten up Cady! She just got back in touch with her inner child.
Welcome back to reality, Ella.
10979893
Ouch.
Ladies will scheme.
Good to see you!
Since you asked, have some (amateur)editing.
Cut the "un" off of unbecoming.
Add "al" to hysteric.
10981208
Fixed, thanks!
The 'unbecoming' was intentional as it's meant to be sarcastic, that her haste was not at all unbecoming (when really, it was lol)
Nice chapter and good characterization of Cadence.
10983600
Thanks!
Ah, the unexpectedly hilarious consequences of being effected by changeling shenanigans. I did not expect this, and I am very delighted you chose to surprise me in this manner.
You write changeling perspective very, very, very well.
The analogy is good. You used the wrong 'dam.'
"Good" doesn't mean "safe." It just means that the danger will only be directed to the appropriate target in the proper degree.
This was an excellent chapter. Your descriptions are always a joy to read, and I love how Cadence plays off Ella here. I always felt Cadence as a good character that the show never really took advantage of; much wasted potential. Characterizations of her like this - powerful, motherly, fierce, and sisterly without any contradiction (because they all complement each other when harnessed correctly) - shows what the character ought to be. It made the chapter fun, but also showed gravitas. It sort of makes me think of Aslan in Narnia (though, obviously, she and Aslan are NOT equivalent).
10988675
I am beyond delighted that you approve.
Thank you! I try.
Whoops. Fixed!
AMEN.
Thank you for such a wonderful comment and helpful feedback. Yes, I was unsure how my portrayal of Cadance would be received. I tried to be a faithful as I could to what little of her we can see. So glad you enjoyed this. Next chapter will be coming out soon!
Can't tell you how happy I am to see you again, been missing you.
Mmm, reminds me a bit of the new She-Ra, the whole love eventually conquers all and a Hero being too selfless is dangerous to themselves, that they need to put their own needs before others for their own well-being sometimes.
Oh DC, I know it may not apply to the whole story, but I wish there was a comedy tag on this. I know there's a limit to the tags, though.
And the interactions between Ella and Cadance just kept getting funnier.
Then your trademark lickety-split tone shift hit (not a complaint, actually a compliment), and they got down to business.
11874389
Gotta have some fun.