Cadance exhaled tiredly as she climbed up the long winding staircase of living wood leading to the entrance of Thicket's Throne room.
With Gloriosa Daisy detained by Portunes, Cadance and Bramble made their way back to the castle to check on everyone.
She placed her hood on the door, ready to push it open, only to stare blankly when it fell off its hinges and crashed onto the floor.
Stepping over the broken door, the two royals took a look at the room.
"Bluey..." Cadance voiced as she stared at her cousin leaning against the wall next to a large hole where a window was supposed to be, a Golden spider-looking creature resting next to his legs, as he let out a puff of smoke from the cigarette in his mouth.
"Yes Cadenza?" The Unicorn raised an eyebrow at the Alicorn, watching as the Young Deer beside her stepped over the broken pieces of wood and glass as he looked at a Wooden Statue with a flaming blue skull for a head, sweeping at the floor with a broom.
"Do you mind telling me what happened here?" She turned her head to look at the old Deer snoring on the floor, and at the headless corpse beside him. Ignoring the stains of blood that seemed to paint a portion of the golden spider next to her cousin's legs.
"I got rid of the problem," Blueblood shrugged as he puffed another cloud of smoke before widening his eyes as if forgetting something.
"Do you want a smoke?" He took his cigarette and held it out to her.
Cadance stared blankly at her cousin before she sighed tiredly and walked over, leaning on the wall next to him before letting gravity slide her down into a sitting position beside him.
She leaned her head to the side, letting it rest on his shoulders before she grabbed the cigarette and placed it in her mouth.
And promptly spit it out as she started coughing, keeling over from her attempt to smoke.
Blueblood stared at the cigarette that fell on the floor, "That was a gift from Princess Moonbeam," he said blankly before shooting a beam of magic at the cigarette, burning it to ash.
"You- Cough Cough -You smoke that?" Cadance asked hoarsely as Blueblood started rubbing circles on her back.
"Only after sex or a finished job, Yes." He told her, letting the princess cough onto the floor beside him.
"This is horrible."
"You get used to it."
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"Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, Prince Blueblood Platinum, It is with great Honor... That I hereby grant both of you the privilege of freely entering and leaving our great Kingdom," King Aspen said as he sat on the grass outside his Tree Castle, the throne room currently undergoing renovations.
"We are grateful for that, Your Majesty," Prince Blueblood bowed to the Deer king, causing the Deer to wave him off.
"Do not be grateful, Platinum, I am not doing this out of the kindness of my heart," Aspen shook his head before he turned to his son, "My dearest Bramble, Would you mind stepping away for a few minutes, I must speak with the ponies in private," Aspen paused before he looked at the open area where he sat, "Well, as Private of a talk as we are capable,"
"Father..." Prince Bramble started to speak before he shook his head as he looked to the other royals around, "Never mind, We will speak of today later," The Young prince stood up and bowed his head to the guests before taking his leave, Leaving only Aspen, Cadance and Blueblood on the grass.
Aspen smiled as he watched his son leave before he shook his head tiredly as if attempting to clear it of cobwebs, "What was it that we needed to speak of?" He asked aloud, the red crystal heart around his neck shone as a flower grew beside him, a cloud of magical pollen puffing onto his face to clear his mind.
"The Event from one-thousand years ago, You didn't remember it, but you recognized the Pony of Shadows," Blueblood tried to remind the king.
"Also Gaia, and the Hearts of the Everfree, we need to know about those," Cadance added, hoping to get more information for herself.
Aspen sighed, his body hunching forward as if he was visibly aging, "Gaia... My Dearest Gaia..." Aspen shook his head to reorient his mind before once more opening his mouth, "The Heart of the Everfree isn't a single treasure," Aspen started, his hoof moving to rub against the Red Heart around his neck, "But a collection of three."
"So there are three Hearts?" Cadance repeated.
"Yes... The Hearts of the Everfree, Are the crystalized promises the Everfree forest had with us Deer, the trust the woods have given us. One Heart belonged to the King," He gently rubbed the Crystal around his neck, "One belonged to the Child," His eyes briefly turned to look at Bramble from afar, the young prince trying to listen in on the conversation despite the soundproofing barrier that now surrounded the royals.
"And the last one?" Cadance urged the King to continue lest he once more get swept by old age.
"The last Heart belonged to the Queen, The one who was chosen by the Forest itself to protect it," Aspen started rocking his body side to side, "The Everfree Forest is more than a magical forest, This place is a self-contained ecosystem of symbiotic relationships, We Deer use the Hearts to protect the forest, and the Forest in return protects us with its magic." The Deer King turned to look at the Unicorn.
"You only found Thicket because the Forest allowed you to do so," Aspen told the Prince, his eyes meeting Blueblood's for a moment before he looked away, returning to his explanation.
"But that still doesn't explain anything, How did Gaia take over Gloriosa's body, Why did she act as if she knew Bramble, this still isn't adding up." Cadance pointed out, trying to steer the Deer King in the direction of the answers she wanted.
"Gaia... Gaia Everfree was my wife, The Queen of Thicket, Who ruled this kingdom over one thousand years ago... And she's also Bramble's mother." Aspen resumed the side-to-side swaying of his body.
"But Bramble's still a teenager," Cadance pointed out.
"...It's because of Platinum." Aspen almost seemed to spit out the word, "That lying prince, He's the cause of all of this!" The king violently stood up, almost falling over as he started to pace in circles around the courtyard, "The Pony of Shadows! I know his name! BUT WHAT WAS IT?!"
"Your Majesty-" Cadance tried to get the Deer's attention, but he was ignoring her, lost in his own broken memories.
"He's the cause of all of this! He has to be! There's no other option! My Gaia will never attack us!" Aspen stomped his legs on the grass, "WHAT WAS HIS NAME!?"
Cadance stood up, attempting to calm the king down, trying to steer him back to the conversation they were just having.
But Blueblood pushed him further.
"How is he involved? What is his relation?" The Prince asked, pushing the Deer towards the answers he wanted to receive.
"How is he involved? HE KILLED THEM ALL!" Aspen roared, the Heart of the Everfree around his neck shining in red light as the flower once more puffed pollen onto his face, visibly calming down the King, "On the night where the Sun banished the Moon! Platinum Manor was BATHED IN BLOOD!"
"Where is the Manor?" Blueblood stood up and started walking closer to the King, "Why did he kill them? Who did he kill? How is this related to Gaia and the Hearts?"
"Ah- Umm- Platinum Manor! That cursed place!" Aspen shook his head violently from side to side, almost threatening to poke the Pink Alicorn's eyes out, "HE HAS GAIA! I must save her!" Aspen cried loudly, his mood once again swinging all over the place, "I shall take you there, We can save her- save Gaia, Free her from his torture! PONY OF SHADOWS! WHAT WAS HIS NAME!?"
"Aspen calm down!" Cadance yelled, her horn glowing light blue as she cast a spell in an attempt to get the Deer to relax.
Only for him to fall asleep, snoring loudly as his body hits the grass.
"Darn it!" Cadance cursed before she turned to her cousin, "Did you manage to get anything useful out of that? I have no clue what he tried to say, his explanation didn't go anywhere,"
"Yes I did," Blueblood walked up to stand beside her, looking down on the sleeping King, "If we want to get answers that make any sort of sense, we'll find them in Platinum Manor,"
"Platinum Manor, where your ancestors lived before they all disappeared..." Cadance whispered, "Do you know where it is?"
"No clue, But he-" Blueblood pointed at the sleeping Deer, "Said he'd take us there, so he obviously knows. What I'll do is come back here once everything is ready, and then I'll finally get some answers,"
"Don't you mean We?" Cadance raised an eyebrow.
"...Let's discuss this later, For now, we need to start heading back to Canterlot, we still have a lot of work to do,"
"...Okay," Cadance shrugged and turned away, "But don't you try and leave me out of this, Gaia said something about my mother, so it's my mystery to solve now too."
"Fine."
And so After making sure the King was taken care of, The duo left a message with the young prince, notifying him that they'd be back sooner rather than later, and to let his father know of that. The two Ponies started making their way back to Canterlot.
Intent on compiling a list of all the information they already gathered.
"I wanted to ask this sooner, but then Aspen went on his weird tirade, but what is that Spider thing you're carrying?" Cadance pointed out once they left the gates of Thicket.
"That's just Comet, try to ignore her," Blueblood told her, ignoring the golden plant-spider that was lying on his back.