a lot of ya'll wanted an AU ending to this:where shining armor and cadence did end up adopting pandorahere ya go~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"Pandora." None too gently, Skyla nudged her sister with her wing. "You should be. We need to inspire morale in our subjects.""What's the point, Sky?" Pandora mumbled. "Flurry's gone, and it looks like she's taken half the love and light of the Empire with her. Look at the crystal ponies-look at their dull, lifeless coats. We cannot force them to feel any better about the loss, no more than we can force it in ourselves."Skyla watched her younger sister carefully. "...She'll come back, Panny. Old Flurry Fart is a prissy princess that's spent her whole life being waited on by servants in a crystal castle. She won't last three days on her own-she'll be back here before you know it, probably bawling over a muddy mane and chipped hooves." Skyla managed a reassuring smile.Pandora didn't return it, and instead looked far off, into the horizon. "....What if she doesn't come back?"Skyla lifted her head. "Thenshall assume her duties as acting princess. And I'll do a better job than shecould." Her voice was sharp with bitterness."And what about me?" Pandora said. "What'srole in this place, Skyla?""Notagain." Skyla bit back a huff, rolling her eyes. "You know your part, Pandora. You're a princess. Andonly third in line for the throne. I was second. Now the weight of the world has fallen onshoulders, all because my spinelessalicornof a big sister couldn't tough things out.don't get to complain, Panny.have to help lead a nation. Allhave to do is sit there and look pretty."Pandora winced, and her gaze dropped to the ground."....I'm not even very good atSkyla snorted in frustration. "C'mon, that's not true, you know it isn't. You're very pretty, Panny. A very pretty Crystal Princess.""....Thanks, I suppose. You too." Pan said quietly, before busying herself examining her own hoof. A thought suddenly occurred to Skyla."So...you've been holding that unicorn form for a few weeks now." She said cautiously. "Pandora, it must be starting to hurt by now.""Wha-n-no, it'sPandora immediately lied, panicking. She immediately forced a broad smile. "It's absolutelySky. I could keep it up forever, if I needed to." As she spoke, the magic maintaining her form suddenly glitched, and she flashed back to her true draconequus body for a split second, before regaining her unicorn form. She broke into a fit of nervous giggles, trying to pretend as though nothing had happened.Skyla frowned. "You don't need to hide yourself for us." She flared her wings, suddenly commanding. "Enough is enough, Pandora. No more hiding. Show your true self this instant!" She barked. Pandora immediately cowered, backing up until her rump hit the side of the balcony."N-now?Pandora's eyes went wide with terror. "In front ofOh, Skyla,I can't-""What are you even afraid of?" Skyla pressed. "None of the crystal ponies would dare make fun of you, not when I'm around. You've got as much right to be here, unashamed, as anypony else, and I'll fight the first pony to disagr-" Skyla's rant stopped dead at the sound of a frightened sob.Pandora pleaded, eyes glittering with fresh tears. Her legs were shaking so badly they threatened to buckle, and she seemed to be desperately trying to make herself look smaller. "I c-can't...Skyla, I can't be that....thatagain, I can't handle everypony staring at me every second, I....a-and Sunburst's inhibitor ring only works on my unicorn form, when I'mI can't control my magic as well, and you know that I get thoseto cause c-chaos-""Calm down-""I'llsomepony!" Pan cried. "You'vewhat sort of magic I'm capable of-and it's notit's...it's evil, intoxicating stuff, and it'll m-makeevil t-too-"Skyla snapped. "One more word of that and I'm going toyou.I do not need another sister falling apart on me. Pull yourself together, and stop sniveling. You are not"You don't know that." Pan said darkly. "When I'mI want to do bad things. I want to...make things explode, and invert gravity, and-""So we'll talk to Sunburst about letting you play around with your chaos magic. Within limits, of course. You're not the monster you've made yourself out to be-you wouldn't be my sister if you were evil, Panny." Her arms went around the unicorn in a firm hug, and Pan buried her face against her sister's chest. For a long moment, the two simply held each other, feeling the other breathe."......Skyla. I've been trying to contact my father." Pandora whispered, a quiet confession. "...Myfather.""Don't be foolish. He fled this dimension a long, long time ago, Panny." Skyla said sternly."I know." Pan nodded. "But....but I thought, if I could maybe just meet him.....maybe meet somebody else like, then maybeSkyla squeezed Pandora tight. "Enough ofYour father isYour mother is Queen Cadence. You are Princess Pandora-my little sister-and there is nothingwith you that you need someone toPandora rested against Skyla's chest, and her breathing finally began to calm. ".....Thank you.""You're welcome." Skyla released her. "We can visit Sunburst later-but right now, we're free to raid Flurry Fart's stash of cookies in the kitchens."Pandora's face fell. "I miss her, Skyla."For just a moment, Skyla became sad, vulnerable. "....I know. I miss her too." She walked over to Pandora and draped her wing over her, the way she used to when her sister was a tiny draconequus cub, afraid of the thunder outside. "....But right now, we have to be strong in her place. Our kingdom and our subjects are counting on us. Can you be strong with me, Panny?"Pandora lifted her head and smiled at her sister, weak, but genuine. "....I'll try my best, Sky."~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~so ya'll wanted to see how pan would turn out if she was raised by Shining and Cadencewell those two raised Flurry Heart and Skyla so they don't have a good record for raising daughters that don't turn out to be neurotic messesMost likely, Pandora would be a complete mess if she was raised in the crystal empire. Without her parents to help her with her magic, and surrounded by pretty crystal ponies, Pan is terrified of her true self and works very hard to blend in with the ponies. She feels quite isolated and confused, and is often too scared to venture far outside the castle. She has a borderline phobia of her chaos magic going wild and doing something destructive, so she suppresses it until the magic boils over and she loses control of it, in a vicious cycle. Lately she's taken to wearing magic-inhibiting jewelry and letting Sunburst cast suppression spells on her, but she's still very afraid of herself and what she's capable of. Skyla and Flurry were pretty much her only companions, so she was very hurt when Flurry left. Skyla is very protective toward her little sister and is pretending there isn't a problem.In this AU, Twilight talks with Discord about Shining and Cadence's offer to adopt Pandora, convinced that its for the best. Discord, guilty about dumping a random egg on Twilight in the first place, begrudgingly agrees...and their daughter is given away. However, Discord isn't as good at coping as he though he'd be, and he and Twilight start having bitter fights, and their relationship suffers. He ends up simply leaving the dimension in his depression, and Twilight throws herself into her work to distract from any feelings of loss. Twilight is awkward and distant whenever she interacts with Pan, although Pan longs to know her mother better.Pandora may start experimenting with her chaos magic. The presence of such chaos may then attract Discord...and Pan will meet her father for the first time, the only being like herself. Where things go from there is up to ya'llcharacters shown: