Chapter 17: TRUTH
YFEVJKP
<<<Later - Canterlot Castle>>>
Andromeda
It had been several hours since… I don’t even know anymore; and both me and Cadance were being checked over by doctors in Celestia’s main room. Mum was worried sick about both of us, for obvious reasons; those being that I just brought Cadenza back from the dead, and I just brought Cadenza back from the DEAD! It didn’t end there though.
My… episode had obvious drawbacks. Other than the extensive damage to the room around us, a fact which I would not stop apologising about for quite a while, I had also suffered magic burns, over-heal burns, burns in general, magical… issues of which I didn’t understand, and to top it all off… I had somehow managed to grow a pair of wings; in adition to my horn regrowing to it’s full length... though I could almost swear it wasn’t ever that long. This is all… not something I thought could happen.
Apparently it means I’m an ‘alicorn’ now, just like Mum and Cadenza (whatever that’s supposed to mean, nopony ever really explained what an alicorn is to me). I’m also apparently the first alicorn stallion- at least, to anyone’s present knowledge. Oh boy… at least I don’t have to worry about not using my magic anymore. It feels like the looming presence I have felt for so long is finally gone. It’s been there for such a long time that I didn’t even really notice it anymore, at least, until just now. Like a hum on a frequency that’s barely audible such that you don’t even notice it until it’s gone.
I didn’t know what was going on anymore. I didn’t know what had happened, nor did I understand it. And I didn’t know what I was going to do now. So I just sat there patiently and waited for the doctors to finish the tests.
They soon finished, spoke with Mum for a minute or two, and then left with some samples. Mum walked over to the two of us as we sat on the edge of the bed (it had been comfier than the scorched lounge chair). We remained in silence for a while, no one really knowing what to say.
“What’s a… phylacternum?”
That was one of the many words I overheard the doctors mention but didn’t understand. Apparently, the absurdity of the question combined with the stress we had all been under for the last few hours made Cadenza think it was funny and start snickering, trying to hold in her laughter, soon followed by Celestia, and eventually myself until all of us were laughing uncontrollably. This moment of joy and peace after everything we just went through was a miracle, and exactly what we needed. It couldn’t last forever though...
“I… suppose I have some explaining to do to you, Andromeda.”
I looked over at Mum again now that we had calmed down from our fit of laughter. “I-it’s ok. I suppose, I have some explaining to do as well…” Mum and Cadenza looked at me with saddened expressions.
“It’s alright, my son. None of this was your fault; you could not have done any more than what you have. I am just glad that we all made it through this unscathed.”
Cadenza turns to look at my back again, making me feel embarrassed. My new wings were something I had never had to deal with before, having been a unicorn my entire life, and suddenly having a pair appear out of seemingly nowhere has made me rather self-conscious about them.
“Well, almost,” Cadenza thankfully turns her attention away from my wings, “But hey, at least you’re an alicorn now! A proper prince!” She noticed my expression change and frowned. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s just…” I look up for a way to put this into words. “It’s just, I don’t even know what being an alicorn means, I don’t even think I know what an alicorn is!”
“Perhaps we should take things one step at a time then,” Mum joins us on the bed and cuddles up to the both of us. The warmth and love I can feel from being in her embrace is soothing; erasing the worries from my mind.
“While ponies usually come in one of three varieties; earth pony, pegasus, or unicorn; there is also a fourth variety, an exceedingly rare race of ponies known as alicorns. Alicorns are… somewhat difficult to create, and naturally born alicorns are even harder to find.”
“I was born an alicorn! Wasn’t I, auntie Celestia?”
“Yes you were, Cadance. Though your alicorn nature was hidden soon after your birth until you were ready for the responsibility.”
“…but, what is an alicorn?”
“Oh! I can answer that one! An alicorn is a being that unifies the traits of the three pony tribes. They can use their horn to wield magic like a unicorn, they can fly on their wings like a pegasus, and they possess immense natural strength like an earth pony!”
I kind of see what they were getting at, but it felt like there was more to be said. Mum nodded before picking up where Cadenza left off.
“Yes, that is true. However, an alicorn does not merely possess the traits of the three pony tribes, but a variation that is far more powerful than most ponies could ever achieve in their lifetime. It is theorised that this is because of the balance between the magic of the three pony tribes that alicorns seem to exemplify, although that is merely speculation and tangential.”
I nodded in response. The explanation Mum gave me seemed to explain everything I wanted to know. I looked up at Mum again. “But…”
Mum smiled and nuzzled my cheek. “But what about how everyone addresses us?” I nod. It was something I had been wondering for a while about Cadenza; but after we had calmed down enough for the medical ponies to check us over, I heard them addressing Mum as ‘Princess’ or ‘Princess Celestia’ or even ‘your highness’… I didn’t understand it at all. Mum nuzzled me again before pulling away to look at me.
“It is exactly what it sounds like.” Seeing my bemused, yet curious expression, Celestia giggled. “If I am completely honest, despite knowing you would eventually find out, I tried to hide it at first. I did not want to separate the two of us any more than the physical distance between us, and I understood that if you knew, it would only have driven us apart further than what you might have already thought.” Mum, no... Princess Celestia nuzzled my cheek again lovingly. “I did not want you to think that titles or status separated us. I wanted to be with you, not as a princess, but as a mother. To not have you react like I was royalty, but as if I was a friend; family.”
“You wouldn’t believe some of the stunts Auntie pulled to hide it from you.”
Celestia looked over at Cadenza. “I think that’s exaggerating it quite a bit.” Cadance chuckled in response.
I took in the scene around me. It shared so many similarities to what I had been told a family was like… to what I thought a family would be like… and yet, these two ponies were some of the most powerful ponies on the planet, rulers of an entire country, nobles of the highest order, and yet they spoke as if none of that even mattered. As if it didn't even exist. Celestia noticed the conflict on my face.
“I know it is a lot to take in, and it may take some time to adjust, but just remember this: no matter what, you are, and always will be, my son, my little ray of sunshine, and I will always be your mother, for as long as you will have me.”
I smiled up at the pr– at Mum. I could tell she meant it; that no matter what happened, we would always be a family; regardless of title or status.
“And don’t even think about calling me princess either, Andy!” Cadenza shouted from beside us, causing us all to laugh. Tears welled in the corners of my eyes and soon began to fall. “Andy?”
“Andromeda, my son? What is wrong?”
I looked up at the two of them, before pulling them into the biggest hug I could give. “Thank you… thank you so, so much.”
And we stayed like that for the rest of the evening.
…well, the rest of the evening wasn’t that long, only about ten to fifteen minutes. But the peace and the silence was-
“Of course, since your Mother is a princess, that means that you’re a prince too.”
...
I… I think I need a moment to process that one…
Mum lightly slapped Cadenza over the head with a wing. “Hey…!” Cadenza replied playfully.
“I think it might have been best if you left that one until he has further recovered.”
“Pfft. He’s had time, and I just couldn’t wait any longer!”
Uhm… I… Uh… “Can… can someone… explain… please?” I think the confusion and befuddlement I was feeling were clearly evident in my expression, as Mum soon picked up on it.
“Well; Cadance is somewhat right, though not completely. While, yes, as my son you would be granted the honorary title of ‘prince’, it would be in name only, just like Cadance’s brother, prince Blueblood. The title would hold no meaningful value.”
“Ugh. No need to bring him up.”
“However, that being said. It is somewhat of an unspoken rule in Equestria that alicorns are inherently considered royalty, despite their lineage.”
“…so… (uhm…)?”
“While, as my son, you would receive the honorary title of prince; as an alicorn, you would receive the proper title of ‘Prince of Equestria’, whether you were my son or not. Actually being my son only cements things further.”
Celestia nuzzles me and gives me a kiss on the cheek while I take all of this in. Cadenza is clapping in the background. “Congratulations, Andy! Welcome to the club!”
I… honestly have no idea on how to react to that. Literally hours ago I was Andromeda Solstar, unicorn son of Celestia-the-pony-Solstar. And now… now I’m Prince Andromeda Solstar, alicorn son of Princess Celestia. It… it's quite a lot to take in.
“What, nothing? You’re not even going to faint on us?”
“I have no idea how to react… so, I guess I’m just not reacting at all.”
“That’s quite alright, my son. Sometimes, you just can’t rush these things. Maybe, sometime in the future, it will catch up with you and hit you all at once with the realisation of what it means. I know that’s what happened to Cadance, myself, and my sister once we found out the exact same thing ourselves.”
“It took me a few months to react fully to the news. It finally hit me when I was walking around Canterlot one day with Celestia and everyone was bowing down to us, then I looked up and saw the castle for the first time, and it all hit me like a stack of bricks. I was a Princess, the co-ruler of an entire country. How in Tartarus did I end up here?!?”
Celestia chuckled quietly to herself. “Yes, I still remember the expression you had plastered on your face for the rest of the day.” Cadenza blushed and Celestia laughed at her reaction. I couldn’t help but smile. Celestia looked at the grandfather clock off to the side of the room.
“It is beginning to get late, and none of us have eaten yet. Do you wish to stay here, or shall we go to the dining room? I’m sure Twilight wishes to see you both after what happened, and Blueblood will want to make sure Cadance is alright too.”
Cadenza nods vigorously in agreement “Yeah! Let’s go!” I nod a little less enthusiastically.
“I’ll go with you to the dining room; but, can I get something first on the way there?”
<<<15 minutes later>>>
The doors to Celestia’s... our private dining room opened, revealing Twilight and Blueblood were already seated for some time and had been waiting for them to arrive. When they heard the doors open, the two of them immediately ran forward, tackling Prin- Cadenza to the ground. I had to step out of the way, hiding behind Mum when they did so to avoid being caught up in the scuffle.
“Cadance!” They both shouted as said pony fell to the floor under their combined weight.
“Be careful you two, or you might end up sending Cadance back to the emergency ward.”
Celestia’s comment made both of them get off of Cadenza immediately, which only served to make Celestia laugh at their antics.
“Mum…”
We all had a laugh, and concerns over Cadenza’s health were soon satisfied. We all sat around the table in the center of the room soon after for dinner. I sat a little bit closer to Mum than usual, her wing wrapped around me, though it was more from the uncomfortable amount of attention on me rather than the anxiety I would have felt when I was first brought under Celestia's care. Sitting on a chair not designed for alicorns with their wings covered by a thick green blanket probably didn’t help either.
I had asked Mum for the blanket specifically, since I didn’t want to walk around with my wings visible for the whole world to see. I would have to get over it eventually, but right now, I was overly conscious of the two new additions weighing down my back.
“Pri-… uh, I-I mean-“ Twilight started talking before remembering I was in the room and stuttering as she tried to correct herself.
“It’s alright, Twilight, he knows.” Celestia calmed Twilight’s hurried attempts at fixing what she’d said.
“Y-you told him?”
“We… weren’t really given much choice, to be completely honest.”
“Is- is that what all that commotion was about earlier?”
I felt my ears flatten back against my head in shame as the thought hits me with a degree of shock. I wouldn’t have even thought of something like that! Oh dear, did everyone overhear our conversation? How many? Did it disrupt others?
…no, I have to trust mum wouldn’t do something like that, not to me… I hope.
“No, no, no. Nothing like that. It’s just…” Cadance paused and looked at me for confirmation on whether to continue.
“We’ll tell you later, I… I’m not really comfortable with the subject right now.” I look down a little bit. After a day like I’ve just had, more things on my metaphorical plate right now would be too much.
And then… Blueblood. “So what’s with the big green eyesore on your back? What, did you get cooties and tried covering it up?”
I give Blueblood my patented Stare-of-Questioning™ (thanks for the idea, mum) as I answer. “Hey, green is my favourite color. Don’t diss the green, Bluey.” Everyone else snickered at my new nickname for Blueblood, which only annoyed him further. He rolls his eyes.
“Whatever, you don’t need it anyway; I can practically see you sweating under that thing. It’s not like you’re hiding a pair of wings under there.” Cadenza and Mum immediately went quiet, along with myself. Twilight had been nervously playing with a fork during Blueblood's comment and soon realised she was the only one still making any noise in the otherwise silent room, since Blueblood was still silently awaiting a response from us, and set down her cutlery as quietly as possible while glancing at the others seated at the table.
“What? What’s with all the silence...?”
I looked at Cadenza, then at Mum. Blueblood and Twilight shared a look amongst themselves. I decided I should face the inevitable sooner rather than later, they were going to find out eventually and it was probably for the best they found out up front. I timidly looked away from Twilight and Blueblood, and let part of the blanket slip; just far enough to show them most of my right wing, before pulling it back into place.
Blueblood and Twilight gasped as their jaws dropped. Twilight spoke up, since Blueblood was still trying to process everything. “How-“
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Did…" she took a moment to pause, considering if what she was about to ask was insensitive or not, or whether it should be asked at all in front of the princess, "Did it hurt? T-the transformation, I mean.”
I nod slightly. “Like Tartarus.”
The two of them sat there in stunned silence as dinner was brought out for us and we began eating.
“I… I guess that means now you’re a-“
“I don’t wanna talk about it.”
The rest of the dinner went by in relative silence, and soon everyone went their separate ways for the night. Since Cadenza’s room was on the way back to our temporary accommodation, Mum and I walked her there and said our goodnights at the door.
“Oh. And... Andromeda? Thanks… thank you, for… doing what you did. If you ever need something, I’m here for you.” I gave a tired smile and an appreciative nod to Cadenza before I left with Mum so we could get some sleep ourselves in one of the guestrooms just down the hall. We said our own goodnights and snuggled close as we fell asleep. Despite the lack of comfort I was currently feeling from having wings where there were none before, and thoughts of today’s events racing through my mind, I fell asleep quickly into a deep, yet for once, peaceful sleep. And for the first time in a very long time, my dreams were not plagued by even a single nightmare.
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This is good,
Quick Question, Did his transformation restore his horn? Based on my understanding of how harmony magic is usually portrayed to work I think it should have, but it's up to you really.
I’m, what? How did Cadence, what? What?
You didn't color the dialogue
More positive comment here rather than just pointing out a flaw, while I do think that overall the feel of the last four chapters was a little off, and sorry I wouldn't be able to give you specifics, I did thoroughly enjoy them.
His initial confusion of going from seeing Cadance in the park to the hospital immediately after was well portrayed. I had to reread that section three times over to understand what was happening and I think that perfectly reflects the amount of confusion Andromeda was feeling.
10777287
Yes, his horn was completely restored. Need to make a note to fix that- or make it more clear at least.
10778248
...oops.
10778254
Chapter 14 was clunky exposition, 15 was something I didn’t know if I could pull off- and I’m still not happy with it, and 16/17 were written... uhm... 2018? 2019? Something like that. I plan on going through the whole book top-to-bottom by the time I’m nearly done and fixing what I can- and even then maybe some more changes afterwards.
Also, thanks for the help (and compliment). You’ve been exceedingly awesome. Have yourself a cookie. 🍪
10779283
🅱🆁🆄🅷 you got my attention
10779297
Ay yo thanks bro we can split it, I got the milk
10779302
Alright then, time to break out the side-dish. Sequel-teaser pie with a hint of spoiler for good measure. (because, yes, this is already planned and in the works as we speak- though I am yet to finish writing book 1)
Lose and win or win and lose?
Andromeda Solstar must soon choose.
When his true parents are no longer at bay,
He and his may rue that day.
For if friendship is magic, what is fiendship?
A curse upon every do-gooder’s lips.
Stolen heart, mind, and soul,
A dying child’s story, once more told.
Will [REDACTED] survive their fight,
Or will this be their final plight?
😉🤫
10777487
If you’re referring to Cadenza... Cadance being born an alicorn rather than ascending, it’s the logic in this story due to her ancestor- Queen Amore -being an alicorn (at least in this canon), and so she inherited her ancestor’s blood, and the right traits made themselves present in her such that she was born an alicorn, and thus heir to the Crystal Empire.
(Man I cannot type for crap today)
10779415
I was mostly asking about how Cadence went to the hospital. I’m kinda confused about that.
10779444
To give the overview:
Andromeda’s insticts were correct all along. They knew something bad would happen if he left the castle; and it did. Andromeda didn’t hear the latch undoing itself when he had his headache crossing the street, but he sure as hell noticed when the cart slammed straight into Cadenza as she walked over to him, fatally wounding her. He barely managed to carry her back to the castle- he is only a colt after all, and she’s an alicorn. But no matter what he did, it was already too late for her, and so she died right in front of him.... only for him to bring her back.
10779545
Ooh.
10779388
Did you mean to type “fiendship”? And did you mean to type “He and his may rue the day”? Or are those typos? And I ain’t touching those spoilers
10779701
Fiendship, as in the IDW comic series “Fiendship is Magic” about the backstories of some of equestria’s greatest villains.
Oooh I can't wait!!!!
Great story so far. I was on the edge of my seat throughout the whole thing. Can’t wait to see what happens next.
“YFEVJKP”
Shifted by 17
We get:
HONESTY