Her Shield, His Heart

Cadence sat on the white and blue patterned bed sheets. Several books on meditation had been taken down from the mahogany bookcase on the right side of the room and were scattered all around her, several being open. A candle on the dressed facing the bed cast its light on the room and reflected on the mirror. A ring of candles surrounded the bed. The windows were closed, the blue blinds blocking out the noontime sun.

The flickering of the candles was the only light in the room. They cast eerie shadows on Cadence. The alicorn's eyes were closed, her breathing steady. In. Out. Inhale. Exhale. With every inhale she intoned "in" and with every exhale she intoned "victus." Together, the word meant victory in Ancient Crystallish. Her mind was focused on victory and on the coming battle. Outside the palace the air crackled with negative energy. Since the reemergence of Sombra and the confrontation with the dark king, the Crystal Pony's morale had sunk to an all-time low.

The streets were nearly empty. Only a few walked out. Shining reported that some members of the Imperial Army had fled for lands farther north, unwilling to face the the one they called "The Great Terror." An aura of fear and unease had settled all throughout the city and it had only been a day since Cadence had fought him. She had eaten only once today, at breakfast. Then she had retired to her chamber to meditate. All of her mental energy was focused on keeping the field of energy around the city. She could feel Sombra or, at times, his shadow beasts, slam against it. She could feel the loathsome power emanating from him. Only her shield could keep him out. Only she could face him.

She felt the weight of that thought and it nearly sent her off kilter. The fate of what remained of a once-great empire rested firmly on her withers. With every blow against the shield, she felt a physical blow against her. She steeled herself and channeled more energy into it. Sombra would not and could not enter the city. She was the Empress. The welfare of the nation, of thousands of lives, was her responsibility. She wouldn't let anypony down.

Sombra's main weapon was thoughts of despair. He whispered to her to just give up. That nothing she could do would stop him. He was older than her. More powerful than her. A god himself, though a misshapen and misbegotten one. She growled and sent waves of love against him. He hissed and drew back. That morning, before the sun had even risen, Shining had gone out to patrol the border where the city met the frozen planes of the Northern Wilderness. Together, they had the strength to defend an empire. The power of their love had once turned back an army. The thought cheered her heart.

                                                                                                                                ...

Shining marched at the head of the army. Behind him, the sun shone down upon glittering suits of armor. Before them, stretched a seemingly endless plain of ice, frost and snow. Their armor was covered in snow as flurries occasionally drifted down. In the North, it was always frozen. Shining shivered. His was a southern race. His ancestors had fled this kind of weather and he just wasn't used to it. He shivered as a wind cut against his cheek. The imperial soldiers seemed to not be having a problem. They had been marching on the border for hours.

Suddenly, a shadow beast in the form of a wolf made from living darkness lunged at him. He charged forward, his horn lit and he fired a blast that sliced through it. It whimpered and dissolved. Suddenly, hundreds of shadow beasts came down from the hill. The air sizzled and crackled with the firing of his spells. He was the only unicorn present, but he knew how to fire up to ten spells in a single second. The Imperial Guard charged forward with their spears, which were made of an enchanted metal that cut through the shadows like they were flesh.

One guard cried out as a shadow wolf tore into him. His companion sliced through it. Shining cried for them to keep advancing. Little by little, they started to gain ground. More and more of the beasts were cut down by Shining's spells and the Guard's spears. The army advanced together, their spears cutting down the enemy. The snow was kicked up by their charge as the army lunged into the enemy's ranks. The last of the beasts vanished into the snow. These skirmishes had been going on all morning. Shining surveyed his stallions. The injured were already being tended to by medical ponies who were carrying them to the medical tents that had been set up.

"This section looks clear." He told the lieutenant, a heavy set blue crystal pony by the name of Sapphire.

Sapphire nodded. "This is as far out as the border goes."

Shining looked out onto the snowy plains. "Let's return to the city."

The army reversed course and began to march back towards the city. Shining continued looking around, making sure there were no beasts laying in wait to attack them. Everything was flat and white. Flurries of snow kept coming down from the Heavens. Everything looked the same. He could barely keep track and feared he was going to get lost in the endless expanse of whiteness. There was nothing that distinguished one part of the expanse from the other. Sapphire knew where he was going and Shining had to trust him. There were no Sombra supporters in the Guard. Sombra had had loyalists, but they had fled or were in the dungeons awaiting trial. The penalty for supporting a foreign tyrant (Sombra had apparently not been a native of the Empire) was death. It was taking Cadence quite some time to wrestle with the moral implications of having them beheaded in the traditional manner or sentencing them to life in the dungeons.

If Shining was in her place, their heads would have been on pikes by now. He'd never had patience for complicated moral dilemmas and treason made him viscerally ill though he had lent a sympathetic ear when Cadence had talked to him about it.  After nearly two hours of marching they had come within sight of the spires of the city. The shield let them through. Shining felt like every part of his body was frozen. His armor had ice crystals forming around it. The one thing he most wanted right then was a hot shower and a ticket back to warm, sunny Canterlot. By some miracle, the city itself had a pleasant temperature causing the ice on his armor to melt. He wondered what sort of magic kept the ice and snow out of this place.

The citizen's watched the soldier's come with fear. Many darted from their path and into shops or their homes. Shining sighed. He wasn't used to regular ponies being afraid of him. Things would change in time, he hoped. He made his way to the barracks. After assigning three units back to the border and stripping off his armor he went directly to the showers. Before he could get there, an old, grey crystal pony shuffled up to him. Shining stopped in the hall as the pony bowed. Shining recalled that his name was Silver Scroll.

Silver rose. "Your Highness, you need to speak with your wife."

"What about?"

Silver shuffled a hoof. "She has been in a deep state of meditation since after breakfast. Six solid hours. She needs to eat to restore her strength, but she won't open the door or answer us. We are very worried for her health. She shouldn't even be capable of holding up the spell and she needs to eat something."

Shining nodded. "Those high level spells do take out a lot of energy. Don't worry, I can get through to her. Which way to the kitchens?"

"Right this way." The seneschal walked down the hall then took a left. Shining followed him.

                                                                                                                           ...

There was no space. There was no time. There was only the eternal flow of energy, of life. She could feel it all around her, flowing through her. She was one with it, a part of it. She was Love, the force that bound all things. She Loved all things and was Loved by them in turn. That Love fueled her, empowered her. She had become Love, That Which Binds Together All Things. Her soul had expanded, covering the city. Every part of her was in the shield, her only desire to protect them the way in which a Mother protects her children.

Sombra was a meek, pitiful dot. He continued slamming against Her, the fool. Each time he did so he burned for when he touched Love-He Who Was Devoid of Love-his very being burned. She Hated him for he was trying to harm that which she Loved. She rejoiced in his suffering.The Hatred fueled her to for it was Hatred inspired by Love. She heard a voice. It was not Sombra, not his evil tones. No, this was the voice of the the One Who Was the Other Half of Her Soul. He was calling to her. She felt his hoof on her shoulder. Worry was in his voice. She opened her eyes.

                                                                                                                                        ...

Shining stepped back as Cadence opened her eyes. Her eyes were glowing blue. Her horn crackled with magic. Her very body crackled with energy and her mane was floating like Celestia or Luna's. After a few seconds, her eyes returned to their normal color. Shining felt a strong urge to fall on his face before this being of raw power and worship Her.

Then he remembered that this being was his wife, even if it was another form of her, her true, Divine form that she rarely showed.  The last time she had shown it, it was at the wedding and then she had annihilated an army.His knees trembled from the residual power in the room. The candles had long ago burned out. Shining used his magic to open up the curtains and let in the light. Cadence stood off the bed and nuzzled him. He returned the gesture.

Her horn was still glowing. "Something wrong, Sweetie?"

Shining used his magic to pick up the bowl of tomato soup he had laid on the table. "I made you some soup. Silver Scroll said you need to eat."

"I'm not hu-" A large growl cut off the statement. "Alright. I'm a little hungry."

Now that the glamour had passed, he could see that bruises and cuts that covered her fur. She laid on the bed, tomato soup in her magical aura, and he slid onto the bed beside her.

"This reminds me of when I had the flu that time and you brought me soup. Remember that?" She nuzzled against him and sipped the soup. His cooking skills had improved over the years. This soup didn't taste like tomato-flavored water. She sipped it more, relishing the sweetness of the basil and tomato. Most of all, she relished the love that had been put into it.

He wrapped a hoof around her, drawing her close. "I do remember. Your little sneezes were so cute."

She giggled. "You think everything I do is cute."

"That's because you're adorable." He kissed her cheek.  She kissed his ear and then returned to sipping her soup.

He ran a hoof down her mane. "When was our last date?"

She shrugged. "Too long."

Shining worked his hoof down lower, stroking her back. "Twilight should be here tomorrow. I know her and her friends will kick Sombra's butt. Want to have a celebration date afterwards?"

She snuggled against him. "It's a date."