The Portal’s a crucible for hearts too fierce to fade. Griffons, yaks, buffalo, merponies, kirin—they’ve all drifted through, chasing love or a shadow to slip into. The Portal, on Ponyville’s edge, was one of the first to fling its doors wide for humans when others sneered. Now it’s a legend, where a mare might bear a human’s foal—always a filly, pure pony. Human colts are plenty; pony colts, rarer than a phoenix’s song. These rumors pack my place to the brim every night.

I’m Crimson Brew, earth pony, dark coat, gold mane, mixing drinks with a barbed quip and keener gaze. I’m blending a cider now, bottles dancing in the air thanks to this human-made collar’s telekinesis. Humans, always weaving wonders. Tonight, the bar’s alive, but one table steals the spotlight—Princess Cadance, Alicorn of Love, nursing a drink, her wings tight with stress. An alicorn drowning her cares in Ponyville? That’s a tale worth hearing.

I’m Cadance, Princess of the Crystal Empire, Alicorn of Love, and tonight, I’m just a mare with a headache and a heart too heavy for my crown. I came to The Portal to escape, to sip something sharp and dull the edge of my anger. Twilight Sparkle, my sister by law, my friend—or so I thought—has turned Ponyville’s love into a battlefield. I’m furious, and it’s taking every spark of my magic to keep my composure. When I confronted her, when I dug through Celestia’s records, I learned the truth: her questions, those wretched testimonies, were a blade disguised as curiosity, crafted by a human ambassador to tear these bonds apart.As the Alicorn of Love, I see what others can’t. The bonds of love are threads to me—golden, pulsing, tying hearts across worlds. Some shine bright, unbreakable; others fray, thin as gossamer, trembling on the edge of breaking. In Ponyville, I see both. The couples here, mares and their human mates, carry bonds stronger than I ever dreamed, yet so many are fraying, not from betrayal but from pain. Twilight’s questions—“Why a pony and not a human? Do you feel you’ve betrayed your kind? How can you justify your life here?”—cut deep, over and over, until the humans’ hearts bled doubt. They look at their mares, their loves, and see the ambassador’s accusations staring back. It sparks anger, not at their partners, but at the wounds those words reopen. They shut down, lock their pain away, and their mares ache for the warmth they’ve lost.

Yet these threads, even frayed, warm me. When I trace them, when I feel the stubborn love beneath the cracks, my magic swells—a glow in my chest, a pulse of light that makes my wings tremble. These bonds, human and mare, feed my power, their calidez wrapping me like a hearth’s embrace. It’s hope, raw and fierce, and it humbles me. I saw it tonight with Cheerilee, that gentle teacher. Her bond with Anon glows, a fierce gold, but it’s frayed at the edges. She stood close to Smilly Patch, her smile hiding a hunger for the fire they once shared. Anon’s eyes were steady, but his heart’s a storm, locked tight to shield her from his anger—anger at Twilight’s questions, at the doubt they sowed. Cheerilee’s frustration burns; she longs to soothe him, to break his silence. My magic flared at their thread, its warmth a reminder that love endures, even now.

I never thought a race could be so stubborn. Humans… they’re beyond anything in Equestria. The stress of work, providing, raising foals, and now Twilight’s probing would’ve shattered most pony bonds long ago. Not these. They endure, humans swallowing their pain to protect their mares, carrying wounds they won’t share. The mares bear the cracks—frustration, sharp as thorns, at their partners’ silence. They want to heal, to hold, but the humans’ isolation, born of those cruel questions, keeps them at bay. It’s not rejection; it’s love, twisted by hurt.

And yet… I envy them. By Celestia, it’s hard to confess. I love Shining Armor, my heart, my shield, but our days are stolen—ruling the Crystal Empire, guarding Flurry Heart, navigating envoys from worlds beyond. We’re partners, parents, rulers, but lovers? That flame’s been dim too long. I remember nights in Canterlot, his laugh, his touch, the way we’d steal moments under starlight. Now, it’s duties, schedules, stolen glances. These couples, human and mare, don’t need my magic. Without the Alicorn of Love, they’re rekindling their flames, stubborn, fierce, alive. Their threads, even frayed, burn brighter than mine.

I’m here for a month, a rare break in Ponyville. Flurry Heart’s my joy—she’s out there now, giggling with Smilly Patch and other foals, her wings buzzing as she chases new friends. Her laughter soothes me, but it doesn’t fill the ache. Shining’s tied to the Empire, holding the line while I’m here. I wish he were beside me, sharing this—sipping cider, watching our filly, stealing a moment for us. Twilight’s mess brought me here, but maybe Ponyville’s heart will teach me how to rekindle my own.

Crimson Brew here. Cadance’s got a fire in her, even with that crown weighing her down. The Portal’s buzzing with cracked hearts and stubborn loves, but those threads she sees? They’re still glowing. Will the Alicorn of Love find her own spark, or just keep marveling at Ponyville’s? I’m pouring cider, waiting for the next tale. Who’s it gonna be?To be continued.