CH 39.3 Misplaced Reactions
Cadance sat gazing through the window, her eyes blind to mundane things. Instead, she watched the coloured light and lines that made up her domains. She knew what she was doing might be considered spying on an official meeting. Yes, she was not invited to, but she did not care. She was keeping an eye out for Twilight.
Her aura lifted an exquisite wine glass. She ideally wondered what was more expensive, it or the liquid now within it. She cared little for the nobles and their pettiness. No, the connection between Twilight and Celestia held her attention. So far, in a bit more than an hour since she arrived, it had been slowly improving. The worry on Celestia’s side was fading, and from Twilight, the trust was returning. It was nowhere near the level it had been. A few little motes of humour dance back and forth their Heartline. Cadance smiled if they could share one of the virtues of harmony, then there was hope for them.
“Do you think Twily will be alright?” Shining Armor asked for the ninth time in the last half hour.
“Yes, Shinny, Twilight will be fine,” Candace said, resting a wing over him for a moment.
“I wish we could be there to give her support.”
“I know.” Cadance offered him a reassuring smile. He was not the only want that wanted them to be there right now. “But we are the rulers of the Crystal Empire and not of Equestria. We are visiting foreign dignitaries and not a true part of things here any more.”
Shining glanced out at Canterlot below them. His eyes found a guard patrol resplendent in their solar armour. Cadance did not need her emotional sense to know he missed being the Captain of the Guard. He was a good stallion, one of the best, but her Shinny was not born to be a ruler. His talent, his calling, was protecting his charges. With the amount of bureaucracy being a ruler often required, it was hard to be the hero he wanted to be.
White-hot anger, rage beyond anything she felt before slammed into her senses. Overwhelming almost everything else. Cadance staggered to the side. The sound of her glass of wine shattering on the floor reached her ears as the world tilted around her. “Cadance!” Shining Armor called out. His strong hooves held her as the world faded to black.
She reached and gripped Shining’s hoof, needing the reassurance. Needing to know he was still there. Slowly she breathed in. These were not her emotions. She would not be controlled by another’s feelings, no matter how powerful. Shining Armor spoke again, but his words were little more than the tickling of his breath against her coat.
“YOU DARE TO THREATEN MY DAUGHTER!” Twilight’s voice roared. Cadance could feel echoing down the Heartline connecting to her sister even as her ears rang from its sheer volume.
Everypony in Canterlot must have heard that. She thought. She knew immediately if Twilight was using the Royal Voice something major was happening. She needed to get her body to cooperate. She tried to stand but her limbs had no coordination. Apart from the fact her mind was still somewhat clear, It felt like she had far too much wine.
Get us there. Cadance pleaded in her mind, hoping one of her fragments, any of them would be able to aid her. Moments later, she felt her body roll, her legs lifting her off the ground, in a smooth motion.
The flickering firelight rippled along the golden mirrored surface of that hated infernal blade. She well knew its bite. She would need to be careful. Nova glared at the monster that killed her sisters, rage burned hot in her veins. She would kill her. She would rend Celestia apart with her own hooves. Something nagged at her mind as her body tensed, unfamiliar wings ignored as an irrelevant distraction. She would pay, and pay in blood. Her muzzle twisted into a snarl. Grey, Rule Breaker, Dancer, Sunchaser and Little Star would all be avenged.
Strong hooves gripped her. She thrashed, her hoof lashed out at the white muzzle in front of her. Impact rang through her leg. A plane of magic blocking her strike, She tried, again and again, and again. Cracks slowly formed in the obstruction.
Somepony was shouting at her, repeating something again and again. Something screamed inside her mind. This is not right. My muzzle is not white. I don’t have any blood sisters. I was born with my wings. Celestia has not killed my sisters. I do not hate her. This is not me. Her hoof lift one more time, and she looked at it. It was pink, very, definitely pink and not lavender or white. I’m not Nova. the realisation shocked her.
“Cadance?” Shining Armor asked.
Cadance looked down slowly, reluctant to see what she might have done. Shining Armor lay pinned beneath her, his shield spell fractured and cracked all over. “Oh Shiny, what have I done?”
Shining Armor's body untensed as he allowed his damaged protections to dissipate. His eyes shined with his love for her. Yes, there was confusion and worry, but nothing could rock the foundation of their love. “Nothing, I’m fine, but what happened to you and what about Twilight?” He asked, his hoof pointing to the window.
“Twilight!” Cadance’s eyes snapped to the window. The large hole blasted through the magically warded roof did not bode well. Smoke rose lazily from the roof opposite as if a dragon was taking a nap within the palace. Its surviving golden roof molten and slowly sliding down the wall.
She shook off her disbelief at what she was seeing and quickly rose, pulling her husband to his hooves, not caring about hiding her strength.
Grief, panic, sadness, and overwhelming guilt flooded in from Twilight. Another pulse of magic assaulted Cadance's abused sense. For the first time since having her leylines cleaned, perceiving a teleport hurt. She had no doubt Twilight was not in Canterlot anymore.
Cadance sank onto her haunches.“Twilight...”
Shining Armor pulled her into an embrace. "Whatever happened, we will both be there for her."
"I..." Cadance felt her throat go dry. She did not want to let the next words slip past her lips, but Shining was Twilight's brother. He deserved to know. "I think she killed somepony."
"We need to find her."
"I don't know where she teleported to." Cadance looked down. "With that much power and that much emotion, I'm not even sure she knew where she would end up."
Shining Armor turned and headed for the door. "Then we go to Celestia."
"There is no need for that.” Luna’s controlled tones interrupted. Metal clad hooves clicked on the marble floor as Luna emerged from a shadow. “Twilight is learning an important lesson."
"You call that a lesson?" Cadance had to call on all her many years of diplomatic training to keep her voice calm, her expression professional. The terrible emotional pain Twilight had felt still compelled her to find Twilight and comfort her as if she was the foal she used to sit.
A sad smile graced Luna's muzzle. "Yes, one I wished she learned another way."
"Princess, what exactly happened?" Shining Armor asked formally, but with steely resolve. Cadance could tell he would not take half-answers or evasions this time.
Luna told them.
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Oh look, more fallout. Why not, let's just get everyone involved in this while we're at it.
You are all thinking it. Hopefully she just cleansed the city of a few problems.
so Cadance has fragments now. interesting.
and darn you for dragging this on.
10539341
I suspect that in time fragments will rather be her thing. Her unique bond to the Crystal Empire presents certain fascinating opportunities.
10539399
curious to what kind of fragfments she will have. Twilight has the record right now.
10539456
I really don't think we have enough information about the vagaries of the process, Nightmare was an accident, Celestia's are utilitarian, and Twilight's are the result of malicious interference.
Honestly it seems like the sky's the limit. Perhaps a whole city's worth to populate that gargantuan bastion of hers?
10539478
Do the hundred or so Chrystal sentinels that protect Cadence and the empire count as fragments?
I doubt Candice will die here but really, that was the pinnacle of stupidity on her part, there comes a time where it is the guard's duty to get the innocent and themselves away from the raging alicorn; but never is there a time to charge blindly into death by the raging alicorn. There is no doubts that mistakes were made here today: underestimating the power of Nova's rage; a suicidal guard; inaction on Luna and NMM's part; and Celestia for letting it get this far (I actually think she want's a war at this point). However, I feel that there is no lesson to take away from this, actions have consequences, whoopty-fuckin-doo so does inaction. there was no 'right' course of action here but there was certainly a wrong one, and I say Candice found it.
I pray that she lives. Iff she does, then something may yet be learned today.
Uh... does mean that he now knows about fragments and Night and everything else? Because if it does, that could imply that he's now at risk of having a Celestia event happening to him for knowing too much (as a non-alicorn). ...sure, let's just get Cadance (and Twilight and maybe Luna?) have to protect Shiny from the Sunbitch. Although, I don't think Celestia would directly go against him in the open, I don't think she's that stupid to try and erase his mind after this, and if she did, that would likely result in all out war between her and Cadance.
Where the hell is my popcorn?
10539295
somepony call the Foal Free Press, I think we have an exclusive.
The countdown to Shining getting his own Brain Companion™ has begun.
Also, I wonder what's going on with Twilight's parents? I don't think we've seen them at all in this story.
Sigh, the Tartarus is this "lesson," Luna?
10539718
Honestly, I would assume learning that if she loses herself like that, she's bound to cause collateral damage... and likely cost herself things she cares about anyway. I'm assuming Luna is seeing this incident as Twilight's version of her own falling to the Nightmare, so to speak.
10539709
We saw them already
Also ... 4
10539923
Wouldn't she already learn this growing up? She lost control and turned her parents into potted plants
i've had this theory for a while now... this just adds to it, in an earlier chapter little star called blueblood a bully who picked on little fillies- despite never having met him prior.
Her muzzle twisted into a snarl. Grey, Rule Breaker, Dancer, Sunchaser and Little Star would all be avenged.
my theory, one which anyone can read thru and find evidence for- is two fold first, twilight will die in this story, period- and little star is going to take her place. 2- little star is the innocent child, the fragment created by the alicorn only spell... harmony may have given them a daughter, but it did so by reviving a fragment of the original twilight. i suggest little star is basically twilight before celestia ruined her.full power and potential not tampered with.
also keep in mind part of the 6 are in the current twilight, which is also possibly how little star came to be.