Cadence wandered through the dark halls, the silence comforting her more than any kindness could at that point. Princess Celestia had tried to comfort her. It didn’t help. Princess Nightmare Moon praised her ferocity. It didn’t make her feel less disgusted with herself. Shining Armor… he just stared at her, his eyes as cold as his now loveless heart. Nothing they said would help.
 
Her head was slumped as she slowly walked, paying no mind to her surroundings. Then she heard it. A small cry. It was weak and tiny, but definitely there. Was it another prisoner of that wicked changeling queen? They had yet to find all her victims. With a vigor she hadn’t known she had, Cadence raced down the hall, up the flight of stairs and over the debris that littered the hall. It was an older part of the castle, the years hanging on the air like the dust that coated everything. Still, that tiny voice called out to her. It was…
 
A baby!?
 
Cadence didn’t stop to think why there was a baby in such a place or who’s baby it was. Her heart told her she had to help it. It was all alone in a cold and dark place. It must be scared. She knew how terrifying being in such a place could be and she was an adult. For a foal it would be…
 
Cadence entered the room, looking around. She knew the sound had come from here so where- There. In the corner, a crib. It was dark and very sharp, as if it was carved from stone or a gem. Either way, the sound a whimpering came from it. Cadence got closer, a faint smile on her face. She wanted the foal to be calm, seeing a smiling face would do that. Except… It wasn’t a foal.
 
It was a tiny changeling.
 
She quickly grabbed it with her magic about to choke to life from it when it opened its eyes and gazed at her. It had pupils, like a pony but very clearly was a changeling. For those few moments, they stared at each other. Cadence, with her panicked rage dispelling into a calm determination, quietly carried the grub to the window, pushing the panes open with her hooves. The cold night air chilled her to the bone as the full moon watched, waited, for her to do what she must.
 
At the very least, she would not have a child blood, even the blood of a filthy parasite, on her hooves.
 
All the while, the grub watched her, its eyes sparkling with curiosity. When the cold wind hit it, it shivered and reached out to her. Cadence frowned at this but it just smiled back. Just as she had hardened her heart enough to drop it from the window, it changed. Green flames surrounded its small body to reveal… a filly. Small a cute with a pair of wings and horn to match it’s… mother? It was like looking into an alternate fate. One where she and Shining had… could-
 
“But such things are not for those who are broken.” She said to herself.
 

 
So I was listening to a song called After All (though I think it had another name since it was an animatic I was watching.) and got inspired to draw this. It’s from the musical Ever After and for some reason, I thought of Thoughtful Reflection and Cadence. As such, here is a pic of their first meeting after Cadence discovered the grub in Chrysalis’s old room.
 
Mind you, she just escaped from he queens clutches not even a few days before this so seeing another changeling is bound to trigger so resentment within her. Yet despite the desire to kill the thing, she can’t help but hesitate as it reaches out to her so trustingly. It smiles and laughs as it tries to get her to hug it.
 
Minutes after this scene, Celestia would burst into the room to pull the child from Cadence’s grasp, saving it from being flung out the window. She would try and adopt Thoughtful herself but Cadence would demand to have him placed under her and Shining.