FimFiction Link - Short ID: 283811/a-crystal-facade
Published: Aug '15
A Crystal Facade is an 8k Darkfic in which Cadance is evil. Right at the start we're told of her being able to quench/flare up all emotions rather than just love. I can honestly say I wish the story had focused on that wholesale. It does play a pretty big role initially but once Cadance goes batshit (because she lost Shining and is also a descendant of Sombra) it goes back to more of a background, passive thing she does when around the Crystal Ponies. Oh and uh, it's also used in the epilogue, but I'm getting ahead of myself. So yeah, Cadance goes insane after the griffons kill Shining and starts to terrorize the CE. It's really hard to take it seriously because she's just so cartoonishly evil. Throwing ponies out windows, threatening the families of her staff/the staff themselves if they can't reach her unreasonable demands. It's why I wish it had focused on her ability to manipulate emotions. Her being insidious while the Crystal Ponies were unaware would've been super neat to read in comparison. Anyway; finally Twi comes to confront Cadance, Cadance gets turned to stone.
A few years later her son (she'd been pregnant with twins and only became aware a few months after Shining died) frees her so that she can help fight against the changelings and save his sister. In the epilogue, the changelings got merc'd, Cadance apologized and now her son rules the Empire. All's well... and then, of course, the bomb of her magically manipulating, raping, and then erasing the memories of her son. Said rape led to her becoming pregnant again. Yeah.
All in all, just too over the top to really do much for me.