"Quick, go to him while you still have a chance," Twilight Sparkle said quietly. She glanced around, but none of the remaining changelings in the room seemed to have noticed her freeing the princess.
Cadance quickly nodded in agreement, and started to stealthily inch her way towards her beloved. Thankfully the changeling queen was too busy laughing at the havoc in the streets below to pay her any attention. Cadance had never thought that she'd be grateful for ponies fleeing in terror, but it was at least giving her the chance to go unnoticed for now. After a few tense moments, she reached Shining Armour at last. He was still completely lost to the magical domination that had robbed him of his wits. When Cadance looked into his eyes, there was nopony there to look back at her.
What good will one last embrace do before the end? she thought bitterly to herself, as tears began to fall freely. He won't even notice that I'm here, and that would just hurt far too much... It had been bad enough when she'd been forced to watch him, and that mule-of-a-changeling Chrysalis, all throughout her confinement in the caves. To do so now, with Shining Armour finally within hoof's reach, and yet him have not even the slightest idea of her presence would just be cruelty incarnate. She stopped and turned back her attention to Chrysalis. Then that, that monster will have won, and there would be nothing anypony could do about it.
Princess Celestia was suspended from the ceiling inside a giant cocoon that was doing Discord-knows-what to her, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony were defeated, the royal guard had been useless, and Princess Luna was nowhere to be found. The shining city of Canterlot would be no more. In its place would be a blasted hive, where ponies were nothing but food to their changeling masters. Like a tumour, the infection would spread, until all of Equestria would be covered in so much muck, ruin and despair.
Then there is still a princess free now, isn't there? Cadance realised. While she had once been a pegasus, she did have now some of an earth pony’s strength thanks to her ascension. Without any kind of training to use that strength effectively though, Cadance couldn’t imagine any scenario where she could actually beat Chrysalis into submission with it. If she could cast combat magic like Twilight Sparkle, then she’d have been able to escape the caves without needing her help, and clearly Twilight’s magic hadn’t been enough anyway in the face of the changeling horde. So what else can I do? she thought desperately.
Her eyes opened wide, as a desperate plan began to form in Cadance's mind. There was just no other option. For Equestria to remain free, sacrifices would have to be made. Shining Armour was a soldier after all. Cadance was sure that he'd understand that. She just wished there could have been another way, or at least obtained his consent for what she was about to do. She fixed the sight of her one true love, along with her hated adversary for that love into her mind, and started to channel magical power through her horn. It was the oldest spell that she knew, but she'd never tried anything like this with it before, and especially not with herself as one of its targets.
"What!" Chrysalis yelled, spinning as she heard the crackling energy build-up forming behind her. "What do you think you are doing?"
Cracks were beginning to spread out across the stone floor under Cadance's hooves as the energy of the spell built up around her. Twilight and her friends hurriedly backed away from the mounting power that was spraying sparks of pure magic all over the place. On the tip of Cadance's horn a point of light grew in intensity that drew the eyes of everypony and changeling in the room.
"Stop, I demand it!" Chrysalis screeched. "I've won, don't you understand that yet?" She began to channel the same spell that she'd used to such effect on Princess Celestia. Several changelings hissed and snarled, then launched themselves viciously at Cadance, seeing her as a possible threat to their queen.
Before Chrysalis could let her stolen magic loose, an incandescent pink light burst forth and outwards from Cadance. The beams found their target in the horns of both Chrysalis and Shining Armour, where they split once more forming a triangle linking the three in an aura of power. The first two changelings that hit the aura crumpled against its immovable force. They fell backwards, completely dazed by the brutal and very unexpected impact.
"Twilight, what the hay is goin' on?" Applejack had to yell to make herself heard over the spell.
“I... I don't know!” Twilight could only stare as her brother's and the changeling queen's eyes opened wider seemingly than what was physically possible. Their pupils had disappeared entirely, replaced by a pink blankness that seemed to writhe and whirl, as she watched.
For several moments Princess Cadance, Shining Armour and Queen Chrysalis were linked in the spell's embrace, and then without warning, the beams dispersed. The energy broke apart and drifted away into a million tiny pink hearts. They were blown out over the city below before fading entirely.
Twilight Sparkle reacted first, running to the side of her brother who had collapsed after the spell had done whatever it was that it had done. Her brow creased, as she started to go through the possibilities in her mind, while she started to help her brother up from where he had fallen. His pupils were back to normal, but she could feel the lingering magic all over him. Whatever it was, she was sure she'd be able to figure it out though.
Chrysalis staggered backwards until she was pressed up right against the balcony. She shook her head to try to shift the thoughts and feelings that were darting through her mind like a multitude of tiny remorseless fireflies. She glanced at Cadance and placed a forehoof against the top of the balcony in an attempt to steady herself.
Cadance smiled back at her, causing the changeling to almost collapse entirely in on herself. Cadance tried to process what exactly what she was feeling for real and what was due to her spell, and then metaphorically shrugged her wings; working all that out could wait till later. For now there were far more important matters to attend to. "Please, Chrysalis," she said, her voice still weak from the toll that her spell had cost her. "End this."
"I..." Chrysalis stammered, seemingly entirely lost for the moment in Cadance's gaze. She shook herself once more, and looked around at the other changelings in the room, who were milling about and unsure of what to do. "You, you and you, go out into the city and tell every changeling to stop what they're doing. You two," she glanced at the pair who had been flanking Shining Armour, "do the same for any in the palace itself. Absolutely nopony is to be harmed or fed upon from this moment on, understand? You will gather the hive and wait for my command in the caves beneath the mountain. Swarm lord," she turned to a bulkier changeling clad in armour that stood taller than the other drones, "you will free Celestia and then find somewhere unobtrusive to wait to attend me."
The changeling lord looked like he wanted to challenge his queen for a moment, and then nodded, fluttered up to the cocoon upon his bug-like wings, and started to rip large chunks of sticky goop away onto the floor below.
"I'm so sorry for what I've put you through," Chrysalis said, glancing out down to the streets below where things were beginning to quiet down. "I don't know what I was thinking, when I went after him instead of you from the start, but now." Chrysalis smiled warmly at Cadance, revealing a whole lot of fangs in the process. "Now we can truly be together." Sickly eldritch energy washed over the queen, removing black chitin and replacing it with white fur. Moments later a new mare stood in the changeling's place.
"Oh my," Fluttershy breathed quietly, at the sight of the decidedly attractive mare shaking her new blue mane out. She was slightly smaller than even Twilight Sparkle, though had a far more toned and athletic figure, while yet remaining unfeasibly cute.
Twilight Sparkle looked up from her still completely insensible brother, to what could have been her brother's twin sister, that she knew full well that they didn't in fact have, and gritted her teeth hard. "Oh you have got to be kidding me..."
"You can call me Gleaming Shield if you like," the new mare whispered huskily, as she advanced on Cadance.
"Darlings, we don't seem to be in danger anymore, so would it be terribly gauche of me to drool?" Rarity asked. With the exception of the changeling lord who had paused in dismantling the cocoon to facehoof, Pinkie Pie who was laughing so hard she might sprain something, and Rainbow Dash who just looked puzzled, everypony else was ignoring her to stare for one reason or another. "I'll just go right ahead then," she added quietly, as nopony was paying her attention anyway.
"Oh my," muttered Applejack under her breath. She'd lived a life of totally unblemished heterosexuality up to this point, but 'Gleaming Shield' was making a great case for some flexibility on that viewpoint. She fanned herself with her hat and tried to think about the sight of Granny Smith on bath-day.
"Now that just isn't right," Spike reckoned out loud, from the statue he'd taken refuge behind. Seeing a mare version of the stallion he'd always looked up to and respected was odd enough, but that she possibly had an even nicer coat than his beloved lady Rarity, now that was just unacceptable. "Changelings really are evil," he said to himself.
"Is there any chance you would come away with me if I asked, even after all I have done?" Gleaming Shield said, after pausing in front of Cadance. "I would make you a queen."
Cadance leaned down and lightly nuzzled the smaller unicorn mare. She was inwardly amazed that she'd done it entirely without hesitation, intellectually at least, given she knew what this mare truly was beneath the pretty guise, and exactly what she had done. No repressed shudders of revulsion, no urge to wince all over, not even the imminent desire to turn tail and flee. It had been... nice in fact. She inadvertently glanced at the real Shining Armour, and refused point-blank to compare the new feelings this changeling was inspiring in her. Still looking at him reminded her exactly how wrong being with this affectation truly was.
She took a reluctant step back, and said, "Not now, my love. Now you must please change back to your true self. For me."
"Did Cadance really just say what I think I just heard her say?" Rainbow Dash asked Pinkie, who nodded in answer and then started to giggle even harder than she had been. Dash shook her head. "As if this day couldn't get any more random." She sighed.
"What do you reckon Twilight would do if I threw her a 'Happy-finding-out-about-your-sister-that-you-also-totally-failed-to-mention-along-with-your-big-brother' party?" Pinkie finally stopped giggling long enough to ask.
"I'd say it was nice knowing you, Pinkie" Dash replied, rolling her eyes.
"I have had a good run anyway," Pinkie Pie mused sagely.
Chrysalis swayed after hearing Cadance's words, almost seemingly several sheets to the wind on hard apple cider for a moment, and then nodded. There was another flash of green magic and Chrysalis stood once more next to Cadance. "Sho what'sss," she slurred, still high as a kite on the effects of the new freely given love pumping through her body. "So what's," she managed to say, after trying again to compose her words and stand a bit more steadily, "going to happen with us now?"
"I toss your rotten hide out of Canterlot," said a shaky voice from behind them. Shining Armour had a hoof propped over his sister's shoulder and was just about standing up. Then he noticed Cadance and slid off soundlessly back into a heap on the floor. "Twily please," he just about managed to croak out, "just what in all of Tartaurus is that pink horror?"
"Brother, that's Princess Cadance," said Twilight quickly. "You're supposed to be marrying her today, remember?"
"Marrying?" He grimaced, as a fresh wave of pain washed over him. "I was marrying Cadance, wasn't I?" His voice was getting stronger. "But Cadance wasn't real, Twily, I know that now. She did something to my mind which meant I couldn't see her for what she was."
"That's right," Twilight said, employing her practised younger-sister-knows-best smile. "I did try to tell you, remember."
"Yeah," Shining ruefully acknowledged. "You did, but that's a monster or something that must have slithered its way out of the Everfree forest. Can't you see it over there, Twily? It's vile... Save yourself, before they get you too!"
"It's Cadance! You must remember her!" Twilight insisted. "She used to foalsit for me, so you've known her for years now."
Shining Armour looked uncertain for a moment, then visibly winced again in horror as he caught sight of his former beloved out of the corner of his eye. "Won't let them touch you," he muttered.
Twilight jumped up, glaring daggers at the princess. "Cadance, just what in Equestria did you do to him?"
Chrysalis stomped forward, getting right between the two ponies, but a gentle touch of a pink wing pulled her back. "What I had to," Cadance replied softly. She looked down at the stone floor, not yet wanting to meet Twilight's accusing eyes.
There was something between the sound of a thump and a splat, as the cocoon finally parted. After a heavy, but somewhat squishy landing, Princess Celestia hauled herself onto her hooves. The changeling lord took one look at the expression on her face and promptly vanished as fast as his shimmering wings could carry him. The alicorn of the sun twitched violently all over, as she shook the foul changeling fluids off that caked her usually pristine body. Her horn flashed orange and she stood renewed once more, though now accompanied by the reeking smell of burnt ashes. Her hooves tapped out a little dance as she composed herself and mentally banished the feeling that she had been drowning, covered in spiders, worms and a thousand other nasty crawling things.
"You will pay for what you have done, changeling," Celestia hissed, as her horn ignited in cleansing fire. Her wings were still twitching, as the sensations of that cocoon were proving tricky to entirely shake off.
Gone was the normally serene, benevolent ruler that the ponies in the room had known. This was the Lightbringer Ascendant who stalked forward, leaving flaming hoofprints that glowed on the stone floor and left cinders where carpet had been.
It was Cadance this time that stepped forward, placing herself between Celestia and Chrysalis. "It is over, Princess."
"I..." Chrysalis drew herself up, gazing at Cadance's behind for the strength to do what she knew she now had to do. "I unconditionally surrender, and will do whatever I can to make things right."
The Lightbringer Ascendant paused, and Princess Celestia raised an eyebrow.
"Princess Celestia, please, you have to kill it!" Shining Armour called out hoarsely. "Burn it to cinders!"
"Brother!" Twilight said, trying to calm the terrified stallion down.
Celestia shook her head, the serene ruler of Equestria returned once more in full. "I don't kill, my Captain, and certainly not one who has surrendered. The changeling will pay for her crimes. Please do not be afraid of that."
"Not the changeling!" he yelled desperately. "That damned thing next to her!" He pointed an unsteady hoof accusingly at Cadance.
"Oh Cadance," Celestia said slowly, "what have you done?"
You're welcome, and oh dang. This... is gonna hurt. poor Shining... I'd feel more sympathy if you had a distinct personality, mind.
Wow ... interesting story, and I can't wait to see what in the 7 hells of Tartarus just happened to Shining Armor.
Could it be? Do my eyes deceive me? The one ship the legends spoke of?
CadalisChrysadenceChrysalis/Cadance? Is it real?Please, dear author, do go on. Without the bad end thing, would you kindly.
Also, someone should get on that Twilicorn/Cadance as well. Just sayin'.
3257181
It looks like Cadance picked up Shining's feelings toward her and swapped them with Chrysalis'. Chrysalis now loves Cadance the same way SA did and SA reviles Cadance as his hated enemy.
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I'm really not planning to add a Dark or Sad tag to this one, so you don't need to worry about that
Oh I do know the timing is bit a suspect, but I swear that this coming out on the same day as the IDW comic with how Shiny got together with Cadance, really is just an amusing coincidence.
This is going to be quite interesting.
It is a little messed up that Shining got the short end in all this, hopefully Cadence will learn the consequences of what she wrought...or else... since there's no dark or sad tags I'm guessing everything's gonna be fine in the end
I always thought Cadence's mind magic made her horrendously dangerous. So she swapped her feelings towards Shining Armor and Chrysalis in her mind and then took Shining Armor's feelings towards her and put them in Chrysalis, which somehow led to his feelings towards Chrysalis replacing his to Cadence... or are those Chrysalis's original feelings towards Cadence he's experiencing?
Though I always thought the episode should have ended with Shining Armor and Cadence not getting married because he'd been pursued by Chrysalis through their whole relationship, I can't deny that Love-Eater/Love-Mage makes a lot of sense, really, Enough sense that I do have to wonder why she didn't go after Cadence from the start. Maybe Chrysalis can only take female forms (or is only willing to do so) and didn't think that would work on her? That might be true in this fic, anyway, since she stayed female.
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I know. It's just hard to care about him because he's a cardboard cut out. Chrysalis got the most character development of the new characters introduced that episode and she didn't get that much.
Sorry I didn't get around to doing a more thorough treatment of this chapter. I've been massively busy, then massively sick. It's looking good though! You really are a wonder at making unique, oddball ideas work.
You're welcome?
Well. That escalated quickly. I am intrigued by this scenario and curious as to what kind of spell Cadance cast. Please continue.
eh ship off Shining with one of the other mane 6 well 5 considering twilight is out and we can call it even. Thinking Applejack or Rainbow Dash.
3258575 I think I know what type spell cadance cast and I don't think its to much of a spoiler to say it was a love transference spell. She took the love shining armor had for her and gave it to Chrysalis. This would mean that Cadance no longer loves shining armor and Shining armor thinks of cadance how Chrysalis thought of Cadance.
Uhm, I think you forgot the AU tag...
Other than that, very interesting start. Too few stories out there explore Cadance's love magic and its implications and applications.
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No worries man, and I hope you're feeling better soon.
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I did think about it including that tag I'll admit. I really don't think it's a big enough proper shift from the show canon to merit it though.
That's a interesting way. Gonna wait for more
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Yeah, you need that AU tag
I am now fully confused but rather intrested...please take me further into the maddness
3259170>>3260821
Done and done.
I am excited for this to continue.
Ok this is really good and that says a lot from me. I stay clear of mare on mare shipping but this is very good and will get a like and fave from me. I can't believe I said that either but damn this is very good stuff!
Ohhh... this is unique. Let's see where it goes.
One thing that I forgot to say yesterday: By starting the story this way, you have a reasonable divergence from canon but you've put extra obstacles in your path as far as happy romance goes-- you'll have to convince the audience that Cadence isn't just sacrificing herself and Chrysalis isn't just being taken advantage of, deal with the reactions of the other cast members, and so on.
You did a good job with Random Elements, so I look forward to seeing you meet the challenge.
Chrysalis X Cadence? Well I'm all aboard. That sounds amazing, and I don't really give a damn about Shining Armor. The sacrifice is totally worth it. Probably going to dump big feedback on this soonish.
What a shipping pair that is uncommon?
Your got to be kidding me.
All of my yes, screw Shining Armor. Please continue.
Ugh... Pinkie giggling and cracking jokes really turned me off of this.
shinny has NEVER hit me as a smart one but JEEZE
3273469
But that's what Pinkie ALWAYS does.
3273551 cadence cast a spell that turns all his hatred onto her. Its actually very common in stories with magic in them.
If a mare is in love with another mare, she's gay.
If a mare is in love with Gleaming Shield, she's pony.
If a stallion is in love with a mare, he's straight.
If a stallion is in love with Gleaming Shield, he's equine.
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an emotion transfer spell, created by the changlings to create a diversion long enought to escape, when a pony does it, the resultis a permanant forme, of course, this means that everything is out of whack, and that is bad, which means something must restore continuity before a big rip happens, or kill cadance, the caster, seeing as how love is her life force, and that would also result in a comatose chrysalis, but, that's how the world is to be.
This....
This is Glorious!
well... this is off to a great start^^ Rarity and AJs reactions were just priceless^^
I must say I'm looking forward to find out what exactly that spell was. Onwards!
Awwww man. A www man. Aw man
I read another ChrysaDence shipfic a couple days ago. I didn't even know this ship existed until then but now it's my main ship and this story makes that ship true justice like the other shipfic I read.
I give this story a 27.5/10 rating for being one of the rare ChrysaDence shipfics on fimfic that are also really sugoi.
......................... It's a chrysadence story!!!!!!!!
I never knew it would end up like this!!!
I don't usually comment on stories before I finish them—especially not complete stories—but this first chapter had me grinning ear to ear. Hopefully the rest is as good.
Normally, I would catch up to the latest chapter of a story before commenting, but...that is one novel way to resolve the Changeling Invasion. And it certainly makes more sense that a spontaneous love bubble ejecting a an army of love-devourers from the city.
Have you checked downstairs?
Didn't expect that. Promising start through...
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I have a feeling I'm not going to like this.
The concept seemed weird which is why I put it on my read later. I wondered how you'd justify the ship, and having read the first chapter...somehow it's worse than my thought that Chrysalis had brainwashed her.
The ramifications sadden me.
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Why downstairs? Unless just because thats where Cadence was?
The idea of Pinkie laughing hard enough to sprain something amuses the shit out of me tho xD
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While I might treasure my good memory as much as I treasure my fantastic reading skills, I went through enough stuff between now and then to remember what I was thinking at the time. Sorry.
I am entirely okay with Princess Cadence romancing Queen Chrysalis instead of Shining Armor.
I never really liked Shining Armor. He shows up fifty-one episodes into the show along with an ENTIRE FREAKING PRINCESS that no one had ever heard of, and I thought that it was stupid that neither had ever been referenced, but it was possible that they existed in the background without Twilight telling any of her state-mandated best friends about them. She did forget about her friends in Canterlot for five seasons, after all.
Then I saw him very quickly uninviting his little sister from the wedding from a miscommunication, regardless of severity, and I thought, this guy sucks. Fuck 'em.
Then I thought, Hang on... Twilight absolutely does not have the personality of a mare who grew up with a supportive big brother, with how perfectionististic, neurotic, and hero-worshipping she is about Celestia.
Then I thought... How odd is it that this stallion, who was dumb enough to oversee the biggest security breach in the history of civilization, managed to become Guard Captain? I'm sure his position had nothing to do with Twilight being Celestia's protege, or the fact that it would have been Celestia herself who sent Cadence to babysit filly Twilight in the first place for them to meet, and that it would look much better for a princess to marry a high ranking military officer than some random guy.
Then I watched "Friendship is Witchcraft," where Twilight is singing that song, "I gave you my heart and then you turned around," showing flashbacks about a slightly different version of Shining dude, and I realized... Wow, I actually hate this guy.
I bet that in every one of the alternate timelines that Starlight created where Twilight didn't become Celestia's student, Shining Butthole didn't become Guard Captain either.
Well, she replaced Shiny with a better model. :V