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Description
Patrol had been running smoothly.

Shining Armor and his guard had pushed through the heavy snow that howled on the cold winds of the Frozen North, making sure the borders of the Crystal Empire were secured. He had his best soldiers with him, and while they hadn't come across anything yet that evening, Shining still held his breath. He knew better than anyone what sort of threats lay out in the frigid wasteland that could spring up on them at any moment. Naturally, when one of his scouts cried out ahead of him, Shining Armor wasted no time. He charged through the blizzard, prepared to meet something dangerous head-on and defend his guard and kingdom to the bitter end if need be.

He hadn't been prepared to meet a baby, however.

His scout directed him to a small foal- no older than a few months, at best, lying partially face-down in the snow, looking small and weak. Shining Armor's eyes widened in alarm before he stepped into action, kneeling above the baby and placing a delicate hoof over its back. The gentle rise and fall of the foal's breathing swept relief over him as Shining then proceeded to immediately bundle the child up in his warm robe, pressed to his chest, as he barked orders to some of his guards to look for any clues that could help them find out just why exactly a small, defenseless baby would be here of all places, in the blistering and deadly lands of the Frozen North.

~~

When she had been roused from her chambers by a guard regarding Shining Armor's early return back to the Crystal Empire, Cadence had feared the worst.

It was night, and the hallways of the castle were deadly silent. Outside, the stars twinkled, a warm breeze rustled through the kingdom, and all was well in the world. Cadence's heart pounded as she rushed as quietly as she could towards the castle doors, her thoughts racing with all the different, terrible scenarios that she always feared whenever Shining Armor went on patrol outside the Empire's borders flashing in her mind. It wasn't until she was able to distinguish his dark silhouette in the hallway ahead of her that Cadence allowed herself to take in a few calming breaths before meeting him halfway, already reaching out to press kisses onto him. He had snow all over him and he breathed heavily as they pressed their foreheads together in a silent greeting. Cadence furrowed her brow and looked him over for any injury after pulling back from their embrace.

"What happened? I thought you and the guards were going to stay overnight in the observation towers outside," Cadence breathed quietly, rubbing his shoulders to offer him warmth and comfort. She had hardly noticed his folded robes, or that he was holding something close. Shining Armor took another heaving breath before revealing the swaddled bundle in his hoof.

Cadence gasped.

She stared for what seemed like hours before she reached out towards the baby girl, taking her gently into her own hooves and pressing her close. Her eyes were wide in shock as she looked up to Shining for an explanation. He raggedly sat on the floor, shaking his mane to get rid of some snow.

"We found her way out past the border. She was just... there, Cadence. No tracks around her, though the snow could have hidden any hoof steps. She was just lying in the snow- still."

Cadence swallowed, brushing the small foal's mane out of her eyes. She was warm. Breathing quietly. Absolutely no signs of her being frozen to death whatsoever. It was then Cadence noticed a small...protrusion on her forehead. Something cold and hard, something that should definitely not have been there. Before she could inspect the foreign thing further, the baby began to stir. The little thing yawned and nestled deeper into Cadence's hooves before settling back into her sleep. Cadence blinked, a sudden wave of emotions flooding her. She sniffed and fought to regain her composure, not taking her eyes off of the baby, her voice quiet and shaking.

"H-have you sent out-"

"I have guards still out there investigating any signs of where she might have come from, and I have another patrol looking into all the orphanages in the kingdom to see whether or not anypony is missing. No reports in yet, I'm afraid," Shining responded, pressing close to his wife to comfort her rattled nerves- he knew how she felt. They both stared down at the baby as she slept, her tiny face peaceful in Cadence's hooves. They both couldn't help the small smiles creeping onto their faces the longer they stared.

"It's a miracle she's alright- no signs of frostbite or even of pneumonia," Shining Armor mumbled quietly.

"She's a blessing," Cadence murmured lovingly.

Shining Armor looked at his wife carefully, pain clutching at his heart. He frowned sadly before speaking in a hushed whisper.

"Cadence, we don't know if..."

Cadence shut her eyes tightly and breathed, pulling the baby against her chest gently, remembering... her. She had been this small once, before the incident. Cadence had nothing to hold in her hooves for a while afterwards. Aria had been a miracle then, and this time they had both done everything within their power to keep her safe, and safe she still remained- older and better cared for than she had been.

Still, she missed holding a foal in her hooves, missed pressing a baby to her chest. The soft breathing and the gentle mumbles warmed her heart and filled the air with music she just adored. Cadence looked back at the foal once more, her eyes misting over a little with tears.

"I know, Shining. But, for the night, she's our blessing, okay?" she looked up at him pleadingly, a broken smile playing on her lips. Shining couldn't help the tears pooling in his own eyes as he sniffed, drawing his wife and the baby in a warm embrace, nodding weakly.

"Of course," Shining croaked quietly.
--

*EDIT 11/5/19*
Howdy, folks. This one's been a long time coming.

As some of you may know, when I first posted this piece, I shared some details about Flurry Heart's place in Harmonyverse, or, lack thereof. Initially, I had shared that, unfortunately, Flurry had been mysteriously kidnapped and had tragically, but, cruelly, I admit, passed away, all while being a baby. It was a decision largely made from my distaste for her in the first place, and one that I've come to really regret, not only because of the weak/lazy story-telling this provided (in my eyes), but also, and more importantly, because of the gruesomeness of it all. My dislike for Flurry wasn't really a justified reason to have her killed off, especially at such a young age, and I've come to realize this decision being wrong- have realized it since the beginning, really, but because I had wanted to stick with my guns, I kept with the idea, even though shortly afterwards I came to really regret it. I began workshopping the idea a while afterwards, and I've since come up with a new route to deal with Flurry Heart in a way that is still consistent with the story I had wanted to tell, and most importantly, one that doesn't involve an infant fatality. It didn't take that much thinking to find another idea, which really taught me a lesson, I think, back then- just because I really don't like a character doesn't mean I should just write them out completely. I can always find more interesting ways to deal with them, make more complex, narrative decisions that can challenge my perception and regard for them, enough so I can make better, more interesting stories.

The way I dealt with Flurry was too dark, which isn't really the brand I'm going for in Harmonyverse. I'm not saying things are always going to be rosy in my verse, that there won't be extreme consequences sometimes for some characters, but in this case, I recognize that I took things too far. I apologize to anyone who was unsettled by my initial decision and I ask that you view my mistake with some understanding- I was still trying to figure out what to do, narrative-wise, and I wasn't as good a storyteller then like I hoped I was. I'm still learning and working to get better now, of course, but I jumped the gun too soon on this one.

As for Flurry's place now in the Harmonyverse canon- she is still currently out of the picture. Not dead, but still currently missing. She had been kidnapped without a trace one night, never to be seen again. The effects of her disappearance still caused a deep sadness to run through the Empire, and it still greatly impacted the royal family, causing the near fall of the kingdom as mentioned below, but, rest assured, Flurry isn't gone completely. As to where she is and what happened to her, you'll all just have to wait and see, but for now, Flurry's disappearance is still canon during the Crystal Empire story arc of Harmonyverse.

Again, I'm very sorry to those of you who I may have disturbed with my dealings of Flurry. It wasn't cool. I hope the story I have to tell now, which has been in the works for a while (I've just kept on forgetting to update this piece), will satisfy you more now than before. Thanks for all your support and understanding, everyone.

*END EDIT*
---

Flurry Heart was the first daughter of Cadence and Shining Armor, born shortly after show events (she's not canon in the show's timeline in Harmonyverse). She was the light and pride of the Empire, as the entire kingdom simply adored the baby princess, just like her parents did. Still, the happiness surrounding the regular unicorn baby (she wasn't an Alicorn here) would not last for long.

After only a few months after her birth, and despite all the protection put upon her since then, Flurry Heart had been kidnapped. She was gone without a trace one night, never to be seen again. The tragedy shook the Empire, but more so, of course, the royal family. Cadence was left almost a shell of who she was for a long while, devastated and in shock at the disappearance of her first daughter. Shining Armor grew cold and distant, his heart broken and weighed with guilt, since he felt personally responsible for the lack of care and protection that could have prevented Flurry's kidnapping that night (though Flurry had been well protected).

The travesty weighed on the hearts of the whole kingdom, and with love being replaced by grief to such a severe degree throughout the Empire, especially from Cadence herself, the Crystal Heart weakened to the point of almost shattering- had it not been through the intervention of Cadence's faithful student, Sunburst , the kingdom would have been lost in the raging cold of the Frozen North. Sunburst was able to bring both Cadence and Shining Armor back from their sorrows, and just like he had been able to restore the Heart, the royals were then able to restore the Empire after a while to look toward the future. Years passed, and while the kingdom and the royal family had learned to not let the memory of their daughter be touched with misery but with love instead, all returned to normal (as normal as it could be, of course), until the happy announcement that Cadence was once again pregnant. With the birth of Aria Valor, joy fully returned to the Empire once more. Both parents had Aria under constant protection and supervision while she grew up, and though everything proved to be safe as she grew older, Cadence and Shining still couldn’t help but be more vigilant and protective with their second daughter. A few years pass once again normally and much more happily until, one day, Shining Armor finds a strange baby in the Frozen North- bringing our story to the present of this piece.

After Shining Armor's guards report back to him with nothing, and after all possibility of the baby being claimed by others grows very unlikely, Cadence suggests they keep the mysterious baby, and so Princess Aurora Cadenza is adopted into the royal family. Her older sister by 4 years, Aria, is ecstatic that she'll be getting a baby sister, and, once again, all seems right in the world for the Empire. Still, there are more secrets Aurora is hiding aside from her strange origins, one of them being the strange crystal-like shard embedded in her forehead- a protrusion Cadence has already tried to remove safely with the help of experts. After many failed attempts, the shard was deemed harmless enough and didn't seem to bother Aurora anyway, but is still hidden away from public eyes nonetheless. The mystery behind the shard is something she, the royal family, and her Crystaller, Sombra, will solve in due time- but that's a story for another day!

Phew, sorry for all the spiel! Got carried away, heh. Enjoy, gang!

Art and Harmonyverse belongs to me.
MLP:FiM belongs to Hasbro.
Background was modified for my purposes.
Texture used.

Also, check it out Nautilus18 ! Finally got this baby done. You are now officially relieved of duty, my friend.

Description
Patrol had been running smoothly.

Shining Armor and his guard had pushed through the heavy snow that howled on the cold winds of the Frozen North, making sure the borders of the Crystal Empire were secured. He had his best soldiers with him, and while they hadn't come across anything yet that evening, Shining still held his breath. He knew better than anyone what sort of threats lay out in the frigid wasteland that could spring up on them at any moment. Naturally, when one of his scouts cried out ahead of him, Shining Armor wasted no time. He charged through the blizzard, prepared to meet something dangerous head-on and defend his guard and kingdom to the bitter end if need be.

He hadn't been prepared to meet a baby, however.

His scout directed him to a small foal- no older than a few months, at best, lying partially face-down in the snow, looking small and weak. Shining Armor's eyes widened in alarm before he stepped into action, kneeling above the baby and placing a delicate hoof over its back. The gentle rise and fall of the foal's breathing swept relief over him as Shining then proceeded to immediately bundle the child up in his warm robe, pressed to his chest, as he barked orders to some of his guards to look for any clues that could help them find out just why exactly a small, defenseless baby would be here of all places, in the blistering and deadly lands of the Frozen North.

~~

When she had been roused from her chambers by a guard regarding Shining Armor's early return back to the Crystal Empire, Cadence had feared the worst.

It was night, and the hallways of the castle were deadly silent. Outside, the stars twinkled, a warm breeze rustled through the kingdom, and all was well in the world. Cadence's heart pounded as she rushed as quietly as she could towards the castle doors, her thoughts racing with all the different, terrible scenarios that she always feared whenever Shining Armor went on patrol outside the Empire's borders flashing in her mind. It wasn't until she was able to distinguish his dark silhouette in the hallway ahead of her that Cadence allowed herself to take in a few calming breaths before meeting him halfway, already reaching out to press kisses onto him. He had snow all over him and he breathed heavily as they pressed their foreheads together in a silent greeting. Cadence furrowed her brow and looked him over for any injury after pulling back from their embrace.

"What happened? I thought you and the guards were going to stay overnight in the observation towers outside," Cadence breathed quietly, rubbing his shoulders to offer him warmth and comfort. She had hardly noticed his folded robes, or that he was holding something close. Shining Armor took another heaving breath before revealing the swaddled bundle in his hoof.

Cadence gasped.

She stared for what seemed like hours before she reached out towards the baby girl, taking her gently into her own hooves and pressing her close. Her eyes were wide in shock as she looked up to Shining for an explanation. He raggedly sat on the floor, shaking his mane to get rid of some snow.

"We found her way out past the border. She was just... there, Cadence. No tracks around her, though the snow could have hidden any hoof steps. She was just lying in the snow- still."

Cadence swallowed, brushing the small foal's mane out of her eyes. She was warm. Breathing quietly. Absolutely no signs of her being frozen to death whatsoever. It was then Cadence noticed a small...protrusion on her forehead. Something cold and hard, something that should definitely not have been there. Before she could inspect the foreign thing further, the baby began to stir. The little thing yawned and nestled deeper into Cadence's hooves before settling back into her sleep. Cadence blinked, a sudden wave of emotions flooding her. She sniffed and fought to regain her composure, not taking her eyes off of the baby, her voice quiet and shaking.

"H-have you sent out-"

"I have guards still out there investigating any signs of where she might have come from, and I have another patrol looking into all the orphanages in the kingdom to see whether or not anypony is missing. No reports in yet, I'm afraid," Shining responded, pressing close to his wife to comfort her rattled nerves- he knew how she felt. They both stared down at the baby as she slept, her tiny face peaceful in Cadence's hooves. They both couldn't help the small smiles creeping onto their faces the longer they stared.

"It's a miracle she's alright- no signs of frostbite or even of pneumonia," Shining Armor mumbled quietly.

"She's a blessing," Cadence murmured lovingly.

Shining Armor looked at his wife carefully, pain clutching at his heart. He frowned sadly before speaking in a hushed whisper.

"Cadence, we don't know if..."

Cadence shut her eyes tightly and breathed, pulling the baby against her chest gently, remembering... her. She had been this small once, before the incident. Cadence had nothing to hold in her hooves for a while afterwards. Aria had been a miracle then, and this time they had both done everything within their power to keep her safe, and safe she still remained- older and better cared for than she had been.

Still, she missed holding a foal in her hooves, missed pressing a baby to her chest. The soft breathing and the gentle mumbles warmed her heart and filled the air with music she just adored. Cadence looked back at the foal once more, her eyes misting over a little with tears.

"I know, Shining. But, for the night, she's our blessing, okay?" she looked up at him pleadingly, a broken smile playing on her lips. Shining couldn't help the tears pooling in his own eyes as he sniffed, drawing his wife and the baby in a warm embrace, nodding weakly.

"Of course," Shining croaked quietly.
--

*EDIT 11/5/19*
Howdy, folks. This one's been a long time coming.

As some of you may know, when I first posted this piece, I shared some details about Flurry Heart's place in Harmonyverse, or, lack thereof. Initially, I had shared that, unfortunately, Flurry had been mysteriously kidnapped and had tragically, but, cruelly, I admit, passed away, all while being a baby. It was a decision largely made from my distaste for her in the first place, and one that I've come to really regret, not only because of the weak/lazy story-telling this provided (in my eyes), but also, and more importantly, because of the gruesomeness of it all. My dislike for Flurry wasn't really a justified reason to have her killed off, especially at such a young age, and I've come to realize this decision being wrong- have realized it since the beginning, really, but because I had wanted to stick with my guns, I kept with the idea, even though shortly afterwards I came to really regret it. I began workshopping the idea a while afterwards, and I've since come up with a new route to deal with Flurry Heart in a way that is still consistent with the story I had wanted to tell, and most importantly, one that doesn't involve an infant fatality. It didn't take that much thinking to find another idea, which really taught me a lesson, I think, back then- just because I really don't like a character doesn't mean I should just write them out completely. I can always find more interesting ways to deal with them, make more complex, narrative decisions that can challenge my perception and regard for them, enough so I can make better, more interesting stories.

The way I dealt with Flurry was too dark, which isn't really the brand I'm going for in Harmonyverse. I'm not saying things are always going to be rosy in my verse, that there won't be extreme consequences sometimes for some characters, but in this case, I recognize that I took things too far. I apologize to anyone who was unsettled by my initial decision and I ask that you view my mistake with some understanding- I was still trying to figure out what to do, narrative-wise, and I wasn't as good a storyteller then like I hoped I was. I'm still learning and working to get better now, of course, but I jumped the gun too soon on this one.

As for Flurry's place now in the Harmonyverse canon- she is still currently out of the picture. Not dead, but still currently missing. She had been kidnapped without a trace one night, never to be seen again. The effects of her disappearance still caused a deep sadness to run through the Empire, and it still greatly impacted the royal family, causing the near fall of the kingdom as mentioned below, but, rest assured, Flurry isn't gone completely. As to where she is and what happened to her, you'll all just have to wait and see, but for now, Flurry's disappearance is still canon during the Crystal Empire story arc of Harmonyverse.

Again, I'm very sorry to those of you who I may have disturbed with my dealings of Flurry. It wasn't cool. I hope the story I have to tell now, which has been in the works for a while (I've just kept on forgetting to update this piece), will satisfy you more now than before. Thanks for all your support and understanding, everyone.

*END EDIT*
---

Flurry Heart was the first daughter of Cadence and Shining Armor, born shortly after show events (she's not canon in the show's timeline in Harmonyverse). She was the light and pride of the Empire, as the entire kingdom simply adored the baby princess, just like her parents did. Still, the happiness surrounding the regular unicorn baby (she wasn't an Alicorn here) would not last for long.

After only a few months after her birth, and despite all the protection put upon her since then, Flurry Heart had been kidnapped. She was gone without a trace one night, never to be seen again. The tragedy shook the Empire, but more so, of course, the royal family. Cadence was left almost a shell of who she was for a long while, devastated and in shock at the disappearance of her first daughter. Shining Armor grew cold and distant, his heart broken and weighed with guilt, since he felt personally responsible for the lack of care and protection that could have prevented Flurry's kidnapping that night (though Flurry had been well protected).

The travesty weighed on the hearts of the whole kingdom, and with love being replaced by grief to such a severe degree throughout the Empire, especially from Cadence herself, the Crystal Heart weakened to the point of almost shattering- had it not been through the intervention of Cadence's faithful student, Sunburst , the kingdom would have been lost in the raging cold of the Frozen North. Sunburst was able to bring both Cadence and Shining Armor back from their sorrows, and just like he had been able to restore the Heart, the royals were then able to restore the Empire after a while to look toward the future. Years passed, and while the kingdom and the royal family had learned to not let the memory of their daughter be touched with misery but with love instead, all returned to normal (as normal as it could be, of course), until the happy announcement that Cadence was once again pregnant. With the birth of Aria Valor, joy fully returned to the Empire once more. Both parents had Aria under constant protection and supervision while she grew up, and though everything proved to be safe as she grew older, Cadence and Shining still couldn’t help but be more vigilant and protective with their second daughter. A few years pass once again normally and much more happily until, one day, Shining Armor finds a strange baby in the Frozen North- bringing our story to the present of this piece.

After Shining Armor's guards report back to him with nothing, and after all possibility of the baby being claimed by others grows very unlikely, Cadence suggests they keep the mysterious baby, and so Princess Aurora Cadenza is adopted into the royal family. Her older sister by 4 years, Aria, is ecstatic that she'll be getting a baby sister, and, once again, all seems right in the world for the Empire. Still, there are more secrets Aurora is hiding aside from her strange origins, one of them being the strange crystal-like shard embedded in her forehead- a protrusion Cadence has already tried to remove safely with the help of experts. After many failed attempts, the shard was deemed harmless enough and didn't seem to bother Aurora anyway, but is still hidden away from public eyes nonetheless. The mystery behind the shard is something she, the royal family, and her Crystaller, Sombra, will solve in due time- but that's a story for another day!

Phew, sorry for all the spiel! Got carried away, heh. Enjoy, gang!

Art and Harmonyverse belongs to me.
MLP:FiM belongs to Hasbro.
Background was modified for my purposes.
Texture used.

Also, check it out Nautilus18 ! Finally got this baby done. You are now officially relieved of duty, my friend.