Love's Rebirth
She was a broken soul, her world shattered by the Mad Queen's reign. Where once had been an overflowing font, not even a trickle left her shattered heart.
Broken Heart was the name she went by these days. Atop her head rested a shattered horn, the barest stump showing where once had been the proud tool of a powerful magician. Upon her back was a tattered cloak, covering the mangled stumps of her wings. The Mad Queen had been thorough after her capture and the fall of the Crystal City. She had denied the Queen, refused to bend knee to the monster her sister in law had become, and the Queen took everything from her in answer.
Her husband was only the start, the once great stallion burned by her magic to the point of a becoming a mindless husk, eagerly following the Queen's every command. The fact that her own husband, the one she cherished more than life itself was the one to remove her feathers broke what little of her will remained. Then the Queen had, in a surge of power, ripped the enflamed limbs from her body before throwing her back in her cell.
Broken Heart did not die, her physiology did not allow for that, nor did the Queen allow her that respite. She was given elixirs that kept her from bleeding out, potions that prevented infection even as her body desperately tried to close the wounds through natural healing processes, the only option left to it. Perhaps at full power she could have saved her wings and horn, but she had not the strength or power to do so. Her talent, her pride and joy, was meaningless. She no longer could see it, the connection between lovers, the bonds of family, the ties between friends that, if properly nourished, could bloom into so much more. No, Mi Amore Cadenza died that day, the mare who was left, that was finally allowed to leave the dungeons by order of the Mad Queen, was Broken Heart. It fit her now, as even the heart upon her flank was broken, the image seemingly shattered like glass.
After wandering the lands for so long, she watched as the world changed. She heard legends of the one who brought low the Mad Queen, and her wounded heart leapt for joy. Then she heard the stories of Him. Tales of a creature whose love transcended Race, Age and Culture. Tales of one who loved all who asked for such a blessing. She told them that it was a lie, that no creature loved in this age, that all love was a lie they told themselves, to better aid in their rest. To her surprise, the speaker turned to her and removed its cloak. A changeling sat before her, chitin shining in the light of the tavern, mane not ragged like the creatures she had seen at her wedding so long ago but glistening with a light of its own. In the demon's eyes were shining beacons of hope, not empty pits of hunger. It spoke to her then, claiming that none knew her words were false better than her race.
Still Broken Heart persisted. She continued in her claims that no such creature can contain so much love. That He lied to His followers just as the Mad Queen had done. Some of the listeners became enraged, incensed that she spoke of Him with such hatred, that the mare compared Him to the Queen. But the changeling merely smiled sadly at her, and told her to see for herself. His home was open to all travelers. If the mare truly believed her hatred was justified, that her words were true, she could speak them to their Father herself. That He listened to all who came before Him, and that even His enemies were allowed audience by His laws. She could speak to Him in person, and find if He truly was the demon Broken believed.
Speaking with one of His children, the lost soul did turn her sights to His holy city, intent on denouncing His Love, revealing to the world the lies she believed He spoke each day.
Soon Broken found herself arriving at the large city in the Kharazi Jungle. The changeling had even offered to pay her way, so certain was she of her words, and Heart traveled comfortably to this city. Upon reaching it, she found her way to the center of the city, to an old temple with the largest changelings she had ever seen standing silent vigil over the doorway. But they were different; where most were creatures of chitin, these bore fur in places. They stood almost a full stride taller than most ponies, sleek bodies encased in dark plate armor covered in strange runes and their bodies bearing none of the holes that normally marked their race. Upon their backs were four diaphanous wings, revealed when they shifted to allow her passage, not even looking at the mare, much less physically checking her for weapons.
Soon she found herself in a reception area of sorts where a gnoll of all creatures stood watch, a notepad gripped in her paws, her clothing of better make than most common ponies of Equestria could afford in a year of hard work. The creature spoke to her, not in the harsh broken speech she expected, but in fluent and clear Equish.
"Are you hear to see Him, dear? Oh, my! You're the one Gem sent word of, aren't you? The mare who said all love is a lie." The creature smiled sadly, baring its fangs in a manner that, while it was by no means aggressive, left Broken feeling uncomfortable. "Oh, I'm sorry dear, I know some ponies that come by get antsy when my race smiles." She giggled into a paw daintily, before looking to her schedule again. "He was interested to hear of you, dear, and asked us to see you in when you arrived. Go ahead, the Shadows will lead you there."
About to ask what lunacy the mongrel was spewing, she suddenly became aware of two presences at her side, and turned to find two more of the large not-quite changelings silently passing her on either side. They slowed a few paces ahead, waiting for her to collect herself, before continuing on through the temple's hallways.
So it did come to pass that The Broken found her way to our Father, and He welcomed her into His Home. He listened to her words, heard the pain in her voice, the agony which had left her in such a state, and He saw it, the name she once carried proudly before all races. He saw all of this, and wept.
She walked up to the large doors, and the Shadows stopped before them, standing at either side of the obsidian portal. Their horns glowed in the darkness that shrouded the temple, and the doors opened to allow her passage. Steeling herself, Broken Heart entered the throne room, ready to end this farce once and for all. She would not let others be led astray as she had, she would not allow others to know that pain. There was no happiness to be had down that path, only lies and false promises.
Entering the large hall, smaller than the one she remembered in Canterlot, she saw him sitting upon his throne, eyes closed as he walked the realm of dreams. Broken had seen her other aunt, Luna, do such a thing a few times, but had not dreamed herself in ages. The rune etched into the remains of her horn prevented that. It was a blessing all things considered. If not for the lack of dreams she would have had no sleep at all in the years after her release.
Finally she reached the dais that the dark alicorn rested upon and had begun to speak, when he opened his eyes and stepped down to approach her, his face a mix of sorrow and regret. He was large, bigger even than Celestia had been at the height of her power. Reduced in power as she was, Broken heart was only the size of a small filly, never growing beyond as her growth was as stunted as her power. She barely came up to his fetlocks. Suddenly his horn glowed, and to her disdain her cloak was lit by the same dark aura. Even amidst her protests, his magic pulled back her cloak, revealing the gnarled limbs that she was left to bear, the remaining muscles twitching from exposure to the air. The feathers had never grown back, leaving only scarred flesh.
"Why do you lie to them?" She demanded, trying to draw his attention. "Why do you tell them you love them? You fill them with false hope, you lead them-" the mare's rant was cut off as he sat before her, a single hoof eliciting a gasp as it ran across her scared wings, before his eyes fell upon her shattered horn. He caressed her, drawing his hoof gently across her forehead, outlining her horn. Finally he stood and circled her, setting his eyes upon her cutie mark. "Cadance." He said, his voice barely a whisper. Before the mare recovered, he pulled her into an embrace, nuzzling her lovingly as his wings held her close, his tears dampening her fur. She heard him weep, asking her to forgive him for not finding her sooner, and was confused. That was when she saw it.
The glow was faint, a hollow memory of what she once had seen amongst others. But it was there. Love.
The mare attempted to push away, certain that it was a trick, but he merely spoke to her, his soothing words melting her fears and doubts like her aunt had done for Broken decades ago, and her parents had done so long before that. A-A lie. It had to be a lie. It was, as it couldn't be anything else. So why was she crying into his barrel? Why couldn't she control herself? Her confusion only fed her fear, and she clung to the alicorn even harder.
Our Father did hold her in His wings, and knew that she could be saved. He did take The Broken under His care, and after seeing to her needs, He brought her before our Mother, she who was raised by His love, who He did give to us, as He did give us unto her.
She was cared for personally by the dark alicorn, his own hooves running the wet washcloths over her ragged fur, His own magic holding the brushes and soaps as he cleaned her mane. She felt safe. For the first time in years she felt safe, though she tried to deny it. Then he started trimming her mane. It confused her, as He left it fairly short, almost shorter than most stallions would keep it. Why? With the confusion she had something to latch onto, and she attempted to ride it back to her mission, but a single nuzzle of assurance destroyed what concentration she had gathered. Against her will, her body relaxed. It knew she was safe, even if her mind refused to accept it. She tried to deny it, told herself that Father was lying, that He- no, wait. Cimmerian, he was not her father, he was, he was a charlatan. He used his ponies, he lied to them, Father protected them, he let them think things were okay when they weren't, He would keep her safe. Being set upon his back, she found herself drifting in and out of consciousness, barely aware of the passage of time, before she heard doors being opened. Large doors, that led into a truly beautiful room, that smelled of safety, of peace.
Suddenly the gentle swaying of his steps stopped, and she raised her head to see what was going on. On the bed before her, eyes closed in meditation, sat the second largest equine she had seen, barring the one she currently sat upon. She was a pure-blooded changeling, but bore no holes upon her body. Her form was full but graceful, much like her aunt's had been years ago, though once again the creature looked larger than Celestia. The plates upon the shape shifter, the few she could spot, were dark blue, an almost midnight ash in places, and she swore some of her chitin looked more like fur. She wanted to feel fear upon seeing this creature, but could not. Not with Father so close. He loved her, He would not lead her astray.
For the first time since taking her under his wings, Cimmerian spoke. "I found a candidate for you, Pandinus. I think you'll agree she'll fit the bill perfectly." He levitated Heart in front of him, wings sweeping widely to cover her lower body as he set her upon the floor at the front of the bed. She was left to gaze over his wings, as the enormous mare opened her grey eyes. Yes, grey, not the sickly green of the monster who had attacked her years ago. The changeling queen gazed upon her, causing her to duck further into Father's wings, before her eyes turned to the large alicorn.
"She is broken." She stated flatly, in an odd, buzzing voice.
"She can be healed" Was his response. "All she needs is Love. You know this as surely as I do."
Looking once more upon the debilitated filly, she hummed in thought, before shaking her head and smiling. "Ever the bleeding heart, aren't you? What will you do if you one day find a creature you can't help?"
"I'll give them to you to heal of course, just as I'm doing now. I saved you, you saved me, we save the creatures of this world. That's how it works." He answered with a smile of his own.
The mare giggled in response, before shifting on the bed. Before Broken could ask what was happening, Father lifted her in his hooves, his black wings obscuring her view of Pandinus shortly after a single beat from them drove him towards the bed. As his wings were pulled back, she found herself held over the changeling queen, now lying on her back, as the queen gazed once more at the filly. This time as a mother does a daughter.
"I've been looking for one such as yourself child." The queen said lovingly. "I trust my love's judgement, and will accept you as my own. But first you must be healed, and there is only one way for this to come to pass for such a broken being as yourself."
Suddenly the soft plates of her loins shifted, revealing a small entrance just below Hearts current location. The filly began to panic, also noting the flared tip emerging from a sheath underneath her from Father, but a single loving nuzzle from Father once more shattered any hope she had of successfully mounting any passable resistance. Her body relaxed, even as Father lowered her to the queens body, and she was entranced by a glow she could see from deep inside Mother. Her mind was clouded even further by the scents of the room, and the two creatures she was currently between. Safety, warmth, love, nothing would harm her, all would be well. Mother would heal her, Father would guard her. Never again would she be left alone, never again would pain be her only company. She finally reached the entrance, and her muzzle was pushed inside, eliciting a soft gasp from the queen. The tunnel shifted slightly, and she felt loving hooves shift her broken body, even as her strength left her. She didn't need to do anything more. Father would guide her, and Mother would accept her.
Soon her horn, patched and filed to a soft curve, and her ears were inside, and she finally felt Mother's embrace. The tunnel tensed, before seeming to pull her forward, inviting her deeper into the safety of She who loved her. Soon Broken felt the remains of her wings strike something soft, eliciting another gasp from somewhere up above, this one much more muted. She could hear it now, Mother's heartbeat, promising love and warmth untold. Something shifted her wings, and soon even her rear legs were inside the tunnel, the pulsing pull being the only motion the filly felt.
Her progress was suddenly expedited by a single hoofs distance, as she felt something push against her rear hooves, and heard Mother gasp sharply. She heard muted words exchanged, felt the tunnel shift, pulling her deeper at a faster pace, and the pressure at her rear hooves increased, speeding her journey along. Finally she saw it, a glowing orb in a small chamber ahead of her. It entranced her, drawing Heart to it with the same promises that she'd heard so many times since arriving in the throne room. She touched it, and it held her hoof, drawing it into itself. She panicked momentarily, trying to pull her hoof out, even bracing with her other hoof, but that one too, stuck and was slowly absorbed. Suddenly, not noticing the lack of pressure on her hooves, she was shoved forward as the pressure returned, driving her half-way into the orb. It was filled with a strange fluid, and she soon ran out of breath, forcing her to inhale the substance. It did not taste of anything she could determince, nor did it drown her. She breathed the fluid as one would air. Then she saw it. A single tuft of her right hoofs fur, floating in the fluid. She flailed blindly, swinging this way and that, before the world shifted.
Suddenly her perception of direction changed, and she heard the muted murmuring once more, followed by the sharp gasps of the changeling queen as the chamber she was in began rocking in a steady rhythm. Then the buzzing started, Mother's wings hummed from somewhere above her, the sound echoing through Her body and passing through the fluid surrounding the panicking filly. Broken relaxed, massaged by the vibrating orb, rocked to sleep by the rhythmic sway of the chamber. As she gave in to sleep, the orb hugged her tighter, and she was surrounded by a sea of warmth.
Thus it came to pass that Broken Heart, once called Cadance the Ever-loving, was saved by our Father and Mother, He offering his blessing and protection to the mare, and She taking the filly as her own. Mother worked her miracle, restoring to Broken that which the Mad Queen had stolen from her, and Father did give unto her a new name, signaling the beginning of her second life. One filled with His love, where she would never again find herself without hope, where the very shadows of our world would protect her from harm.
The mare stood once more on a balcony, this one overlooking a kingdom far removed from the first she had set eyes upon. Instead of rolling plains, the princess saw shadowy jungles. Instead of ponies moving from place to place, while gold-wrapped soldiers patrolled the streets, being of all races milled about, and guards of every variety wearing armor defined by their roles patrolled the roads. Sensing her Fathers summon, she flared her long pink horn, and in a flash of magic, she appeared in His throne room. Her colors had changed slightly, the light jubilant colors slightly greyed out in places while darker in others, no doubt her new parents showing through. Waiting for her Father to finish with His current guest, she stretched her wings, long, elegant limbs reminiscent of a pegasus' wings but bearing diaphanous feathers instead of the those that had once adorned them. On her flank her cutie mark once more stood proudly, the Crystal Heart now on a shadowed background.
Noticing the petitioner leaving, she approached, and Father smiled at her, leaving His throne to pull her into a tender embrace.
"Hello, Meter. Thank you for answering my summons so quickly. I have something I would like you to take care of while I overlook preparations for the coming celebration. You know how Discord gets when it gets near the anniversary of his release."
The mare giggled, remembering the spirit of chaos, once considered bane of all ponykind, spreading chaos across the park, to the amusement of children and adults alike. The fact that Cimmerian himself often joined Discords pranks when bored only deepened their friendship, and they became especially close when Kindness had finally passed from old age. The dark alicorn had shared memories and drinks with the draconequus, having himself dealt with the loss not only of his rarely spoken-of first family, but the loss of his original followers throughout the ages. While Discord mostly busied himself wandering different worlds these days, he still dropped by from time to time, often with strange mementoes and presents for his 'brother from another mother,' as Father had oddly put it one time.
"Certainly, Father. I'd be more than happy to."
"Excellent, Meter, you see there has been a few cases of..."
To this day Father watches over his followers. Dragon, changeling, gnoll, pony, griffon, no matter the race, he offers his love to them all, hoping with all of His heart they accept it. How do I know this? Because I too was once lost, and did speak against His love. I insulted Him, I denounced Him, I called Him a deceiver, and He forgave me. He held me tightly, and eased my suffering. He gave me a family once more, a Mother who loves all of Her children, and He guards us wherever we may be, even in the depths of our dreams.
Shadow Meter