The Yard

Shining Armor smiled as he opened the tri-fold page in the Playcolt magazine. The magazine was a gift from Shining Armor’s father, one of the many hand-me-downs he had received, along with a razor blade and cologne, all to get him started on ‘the road to stallionhood.’

For all the virtue his mother claimed he had, Shining armor had been looking forward to enjoying the magazine for a few days now—more so since it was the first time he had to himself all week.

He looked around his dark room, making sure that he really was the only pony around. Who knew what would happen if his mother walked in on him? Worse yet, his younger sister. Boy, that would be an awkward conversation to have. He turned and used his horn to shut off his lamp, grabbing his flashlight and retreating under the sheets of his bed, much like Twilight did when she had a very good book she wanted to read in secret.

He flipped through the first pages of the magazine, staring at suggestive poses and explicit pictures of models in skimpy lingerie. He paid none of the articles any real mind, his full attention set on the beautifully alluring mares. A blush spread across his cheeks as he felt his body warm up. Wow, dad was right. This stuff is hot!

He moved his left hoof from under the sheets toward the nightstand. He felt past the lamp and the alarm clock, searching for the box of tissues he usually kept there. He furrowed his brow as his hoof met nothing. Huh, that’s weird. He poked his head out and looked at the stand. No tissues. I could have sworn I had some tissue earlier today. he shrugged. Oh well. Not like they’re that important anyway

The grin returned to his face as he slithered the bottom half of his body back under the sheets, he spat on his hoof and reached under the sheet, bringing the magazine up to his eyes. He flipped the page to a particularly attractive mare, the corners of his mouth rising.

Suddenly, the door to his room flew open. “Shiny!” the diminutive voice of a filly no older than ten called out.

Instinctively, Shining Armor covered himself with his blanket. “TWILY!” He fired his horn and tossed the dirty magazine aside in a pink flash. “H-haven’t I told you before to knock before entering my room!”

Twilight took a meek step back. “I-I’m sorry, big brother!”

Shining Armor sighed, keeping quiet as he glared at his younger sibling. Whatever excitement he had built up over the magazine quickly faded, along with it’s more noticeable aspects.

Shining Armor noticed the saddened eyes of his sister. He sighed and stood from his bed, but not before making sure he was as calm as possible. “Twily, I-I—” he exhaled. “Look, I’m sorry for yelling at you okay? It’s just that, you can’t just knock my door open like that, okay?”

A single sniff left Twilight’s nose. “Big Brother… it’s just that, I… I had a bad dream and Smarty Pants was not strong enough to fight it off.” She moved closer to her brother. “I was so afraid Big Brother. You’re the first pony th-that came to mind, and I… and I…”

Even though Shining Armor wanted to nothing more than to turn his little sister around and send her back to her room, he knew better than that. as if this night wasn’t already awkward enough. “Twily, I just… well, maybe if you just….” Oh hayfeathers. He sighed in defeat. “Okay, you can stay here for the night.” He snapped a hard look to Twilight. “But don’t go making a habit out of this, okay?”

At her brother’s words, a wide beam formed on Twilight’s lips. Before Shining Armor had a chance to register it, she had wrapped herself around his left foreleg as tight as her hooves would allow, essentially turning the filly into an adorable lavender tick.

Shining Armor patted his sister’s back and sighed. “It’s alright now. Big bro’s here to keep you safe and sound.” He pulled his foreleg close and wrapped his other around her, holding on tight and gently rocking back and forth. “Safe, and sound,” he said, giving an extra tight squeeze.

“Thank you Shiny!” Twilight squeaked.

Shining Armor couldn’t help but feel the corners of his lips rising at the little nickname Twilight had come up for him. He released his grip, and his sister fell off his foreleg and collapsed onto the bed. He moved to tuck her in, but Twilight stood up and crawled onto her brother’s back. She yawned and circled around, curling up into a ball, almost like she was a cat.

“Shiny, why were you looking at those mares in that magazine?” Twilight suddenly asked.

Shining Armor’s eyes opened wide. Ugh, I am not giving her the talk!

“Because they, er—” Shining Armor struggled to find the proper way to describe them. Many adjectives came to mind, but none were appropriate for Twilight. Finally, he settled on the simplest terminology he could think of. “—pretty”! Shining Armor once again  ruffled Twilight’s mane. “They were pretty ponies. Very pretty ponies. They get to play, uh—” he had to pause again to find the proper way to describe it. “—dress-up! Yeah, Dress up. Other ponies get to look at them and… uh… m-make them feel appreciated! Yeah, that’s it—very appreciated!”

“Oh,” Twilight said, allowing Shining Armor to relax a bit. She shifted her front hooves and rubbed her cheek with her hooves. “Am I a pretty pony?”

Shining bit his lip as her pupils grew wide. His spine shivered as a few thoughts flitted through his mind. Oh hayfeathers! I can’t just say she isn’t pretty, but this is going into a place I don’t like! “O-of course you’re pretty, Twily!” he finally said. “You’re the prettiest little pony I know!”

“Yay!” Twilight struck her hooves together, a wide beam forming on her face. “Maybe someday, I’ll be be on one of those magazines!”

Shining Armor’s eyes widened at his sister’s words. His blood turned cold as several unpleasant images crossed his mind. He took a deep sigh and ground his teeth together. “I don’t doubt that one bit,” he barely managed to say. Oh dear Celestia… what have I done?

Twilight yawned and closed her eyes “One day, I’ll make you proud Shiny. One… day….” Twilight slurred her last few words as she finally fell asleep.

Shining Armor smiled. “Goodnight, Twily.” He whispered as he used his magic to shut off the light. As he did, a light snore escaped Twilight’s lips, followed by the barely intelligible words “I love you…”

After a few minutes, Shining Armor heard nothing but snoring. At last, he allowed himself a sigh of relief. Finally. He lay next to his sister and closed his eyes allowing his mind to slip away. As he did, he smiled to himself guess I’ll have to wait a little more to enjoy dad’s mag…

The alarm clock blared. Shining Armor groaned as he stretched his right hoof to shut it off. He stopped when he felt a weight over his chest keeping him from stretching fully. He looked down and saw a small purple mass. Oh right, forgot about her. He lit his horn and wrapped Twilight in a veil of purple energy. Gently, he placed his sister down next to him. You would think the blaring alarm would wake her up.

With Twilight moved, Shining Armor moved to shut off the alarm. Another yawn and set of stretches later, he was up. First thing he did was head for his restroom to brush his teeth. Next came a wash of this face. He considered showering. Nah. It’s the weekend. I can shower later.

By the time Shining Armor had exited his restroom, Twilight was wide awake and waiting for him. He didn’t get a chance to say anything as his sister pounced on him, knocking him to the floor.

“Good morning!” Twilight wrapped her brother in a tight embrace.

Shining Armor couldn’t help but laugh. “Morning, Twily.”

“Last night was amazing!” Twilight said.

Shining Armor coughed, eyes widening at what his little sister had just said. “Uh…. yeah…” He quickly wrapped her in his magic grasp, allowing him to stand up. “Honestly though, I don’t think you should make a habit of coming to me when you have nightmares.”

“Are you kidding? From now on, you’re my go-to pony when nightmares come around!” Twilight wrapped her forelegs around Shining Armor’s foreleg. “You’re strong and brave. You’ll never let anything bad happen to me.”

“Uh… sure.” Shining Armor rubbed the back of his head. you won’t be singing that tune in a couple of years. He felt the corners of his mouth dropping at the thought.

Twilight tilted her. “Something wrong, big brother?”

Shining armor’s cheek flushed. “Nothing wrong!” He wrapped Twilight in his magical grasp and placed her on his back. “Say, why don’t we go say morning to mom and dad? I’m sure they’re expecting us by now.”

Twilight beamed. “Okay!”

Shining Armor softly sighed. Little sisters are going to be the death of me one day.

It took the pair less than a minute to head down the stairs and enter the kitchen. There, Twilight Velvet and Night Light were already waiting for their children to show up.

“Ah, about time you two came downstairs,” Velvet said. Twilight hopped off from Shining Armor’s back and took her seat on the table.

“So, champ, how did last night go?” Night Light nudged his son as he took his seat.

Shining Armor’s felt his cheeks growing warm. “Uh, what?” He quickly glanced to his mother, he was, thankfully, facing the kitchen.

“You know,” Night Light gave his son a wing of his left eye. “Your little release session?”

Shining armor turned away from his father. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Night Light laughed. “Of course you don’t.” He grabbed his son’s neck and rubbed his mane.

“Dad! Stop it!”

“My colt’s becoming a stallion! What father wouldn’t be proud of that?”

“Enough of the male bonding you two,” Velvet said, turning around and emptying some fried hay and eggs on all the plates on the table. “You’ll have plenty of time that for that later. Right now, it’s breakfast time.”

As the family sat down to eat, they talked about many things. Naturally, the biggest subject was Twilight’s studies with the Princess. That subject took up most of the conversation. However, that changed when Night Light cleared his throat.

“Everypony, I have an announcement to make.” Night Light turned to face Shining Armor and Twilight. “Your mother and I have been invited to a ball this evening. It’s kind of last-minute, which is why we didn’t get a chance to tell you both earlier.”

at the words, Shinning Armor almost spat out his orange juice. He caught himself before that, swallowed the drink, and turned to his father. “But dad! I can’t babysit Twily tonight. You know I’m going to hanging out with my bros all night!”

Night Light laughed. “Yeah, I know. You’ve got a campaign to finish, and I definitely wouldn’t want your friends going out to a risky dungeon raid without their tank.”

Shining Armor laughed. “You know me well dad.”

“But if Big Brother isn’t going to watch me tonight, then who is?” Twilight asked.

“Well, we’ve hired a babysitter for that,” Velvet said. “She’s a very nice filly, has an impeccable record, and came recommended by the princess  herself.” Velvet turned to her son. “Her name is Mi Amore Cadenza.”

Again, Shining Armor almost spat out his orange juice. “C-cadence, h-here!?”

Velvet and Night Light looked at the each other other, grins forming on their lips. “You know the princess?”

Shining Armor gulped. “K-kinda. She’s a classmate at Canterlot High.” at his own words, his cheeks started to get rosy. “She’s… something else.”

Velvet and Night Light could only giggle at their son’s sudden bashfulness.

Twilight fiddled with her spoon before setting it down and looking over at Shining Armor. “Aw, but I like big brother foalsitting me.” She stuck out her bottom lip and flopped her ears to the side. “Shining… can I come with you? I wanna play!”

Brief thoughts on the monsters his dungeon party fought on a nightly basis flashed through his mind. Big, scary monsters. Scary monsters that might give Twilight nightmares. “No. Twilight, you won’t like it, trust me.” he patted Twilight’s head. “Big scary monsters and nerdy boys—nothing a pretty filly would like.”

“What does ‘nerdy’ mean?” Twilight said, batting Shining’s hoof away.

Night Light chuckled. “A nerd is somepony who likes reading lots of books!”

“I love books!” Twilight exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with her earlier enthusiasm. “That means I’m nerdy too! Come on, Shining, you gotta let me go now!” She grabbed onto his foreleg and dug her muzzle into his side, rubbing her cheek against him and trying to nuzzle him into submission.

Shining Armor shot a glare at his father, who merely winked and chuckled. He sighed as he detached Twilight from his side with careful, yet forceful magic. It’s going to be a long day, isn’t it?

“Big brother! You promised to read me Arcane Secrets, Mumbo Jumbo, and Other Zebra Mysteries!”

Shining Armor rolled his eyes. Yep, it sure is.

The doorbell rang.

“I’ll get it!” Twilight said as she galloped down the hall, beating her parents to the door. She bounced up and down, reaching for the doorknob. Her horn sparked, but her grasp of telekinesis wasn’t strong enough to pull on the door yet. Night Light adjusted his tie as he escorted Twilight Velvet down the hall, following their daughter in hot, albeit slow, pursuit.

Twilight Velvet pulled her daughter away from the door with a spell and clicked her tongue. “Now now, Twilight. What have we said about answering the door when we aren’t there?”

Twilight looked down at her hooves and pouted, drooping her ears and sticking out her bottom lip. “Don’t answer the door for strangers.” Velvet sighed as her husband caved, patting his daughter on the head and moving toward the door.

Velvet smiled at her daugher and squeezed her close. Twilight pushed against her mother and purred, waiting for Night Light to answer the door and invite the stranger inside. She couldn’t help but bounce at her mother’s side, trying to see past her father as the tall teenager walked inside.

“Come here, Twilight,” Night Light said as he led the foalsitter behind him. “This is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, your foalsitter for the night. Say hello!” He stepped aside, revealing Princess Cadence herself. She smiled and gave a confident wave.

Twilight cocked her head and flicked her eyes up and down, giving Cadence a once-over. Other than Princess Celestia, she had never met another alicorn. Will she let me touch her wings?

Twilight crept forward, her belly brushing against the floor, stalking Cadence like a lion cub. She approached Cadence’s hoof, and gave it a tentative touch, almost as if testing if the alicorn was, in fact, real. She backed away, holding up a single cautious hoof, and her mind whirred with calculations. Her parents held their breath, unsure if their antisocial daughter would accept the foalsitter.

Twilight leaped up and wrapped her forelegs around Cadence’s neck, squealing in delight and nuzzling her new foalsitter. Night Light and Twilight Velvet sighed, their shoulders’ tension melting away.

Cadence giggled and lifted Twilight up to her eyes with magic, her eyes dazzling in wonder. “Oh my, aren’t you the cutest filly ever!” she pushed her nose onto Twilight’s and nuzzled her. Twilight squealed and rubbed her cheek against Cadence, to her parents’ joy.

“Remember,” Velvet said as she opened her bit-purse. “Bedtime at nine, and make sure she doesn’t sneak in a book to bed. Lock the bookcase and study if you have to.” She levitated a hoof-full of bits and placed it on the table next to Cadence. “Here’s a few bits if you two decide to go out or order something. Make sure Twilight eats her vegetables, and that Shining isn’t late to his party.”

“Shining?” Cadence asked, scratching her chin. “That names seems oddly familiar.”

Night Light nodded. “That’s our son, and one to be proud of! I’m sure you’ll get along, but he should be out of your mane soon enough. Speaking of which,” he said, turning to his wife and taking her hoof in his, “we should probably get going. Goodnight, princess, and take care.” The two adults waved goodbye and hopped through the open door.

“Bye daddy! Bye momma!” Twilight shouted.

“Bye Mister and Missus!” Cadence shouted, waving as well. “Don’t worry, Twilight will be just fine!” Using her magic, Cadence creaked the door shut. Then she kneeled down to eye-level and stared at her ward.

“Hey Twilight!” Cadence said, wagging her tail like a cat. She waited until Twilight mirrored her, as most tend to do. “I hear you like books. I like books too! Want to read something fun?”

“Yeah! Yeah!” Twilight bounced ahead, toward the stairs. Cadence followed, chuckling. Twilight waited at the first step, buzzing with anticipation. Cadence rolled her eyes, remembering the first time her aunt introduced her to the royal library. Not so different, are we? The princess is a real chooser.

Cadence placed a hoof on the first step, intending to lead the filly rather than the other way around. A subtle way to assert leadership, and keep the filly under control. Otherwise she would bounce all over the place, making it impossible to study for her chem test. Or at least she would, if somepony hadn’t arrived.

The tell-tale sound of hooves descended the stair caused Cadence to freeze. A familiar stallion came into sight, and stood before them on top of the stairs. The geeky, yet well-built unicorn gave a sheepish smile, his cheeks reddening at the sight of the princess.

“Uh, hi Cadence. Fancy seeing you here,” he said, backing up a step. “Glad to see you—I-I mean, nice of you to babysit m-my sister.” he rubbed the back of this neck. “So, uh, yeah…. Hi.”

Cadence’s wings shuffled as her mind processed what stood before her. Shining Armor, from school. The Shining Armor.

Twilight looked up to her, a confused frown on her otherwise cheerful face.

“Oh my,” Cadence said, before her cheeks fired up like a furnace.

Twilight wasn’t sure why, but as she alternated her stare between her foalsitter and brother. As she did, she felt a stone drop in her stomach. She shivered, and then proceeded to bounce up the stairs, chasing after her retreating brother.

“What’s wrong, big brother?” Twilight asked as she latched onto Shining Armor’s foreleg.

“N-nothing, Twily. I’m just…” he sighed, used his magic to teach her little sister, and crouched so the two were at eye level. “I’ve known Cadence for some time now, and I-I’ve never had the courage to talk to her directly. I’m just a… little nervous, I guess.”

“Nervous?” Twilight repeated, glancing down the stairs at the princess. Something tugged at her chest, and she felt her eyes narrowing. Something… something wasn’t right.

Cadence… is making Shiny uncomfortable? She frowned, unable to comprehend the feelings rushing through her. Is Cadence a… bully?

Her eyes narrowed and she grimaced. I don’t like bullies.

Not. At. All.

For the next two hours, Twilight, Shining Armor, and Cadence enjoyed their small game night. The princess suggested several board games, all age appropriate for Twilight, of course.

In the end, it didn’t matter what game the trio ended up playing, because Twilight won without any problem. She won on Clouds and Pegasi, always pinned the tail on the Earth Pony’s flank, had no issue mopping the floor in Chutes and Stables, and had more than driven Shining Armor and Cadence to bankruptcy in Consortium. All she needed was a bushy mustache, a monocle, and top hat and she’d be ready to take over the world.

Shining Armor noticed something strange though. No matter what game was played, Twilight seemed to be antagonizing Cadence, to the point that she had deliberately raised her taxes while playing Consortium. He had never seen his sister act so… viciously. It was a bit unnerving really. It was like she was a high schooler already, and competing with another mare for a higher social class. Not that Shining thought he had figured it out, considering he was currently a level twelve paladin questing with his friends every weekend.

Cadence didn’t seem to mind, or didn’t care. In fact, the princess bore a wide beam on her lips for the duration of the games.

Twilight moved her piece to big red ‘GO’ block and collected her four-hundred bits. She placed the money on her frighteningly large pile of bills and grinned at Cadence. The princess moved next, her roll having her land on a triple-owned property in the palace grounds, literally the most expensive part of the board. Twilight took disturbing delight in taking the last of Cadence’s money. She even asked for interest. Since the princess had no more bits on hand, she had to sell off her last patches of property, officially forcing her to claim full bankruptcy.

Twilight cackled. “Sorry princess, but if you have no money or properties, then you lose!” She pointed her hoof at her. “You loooooosssseeeee~”

Cadence smiled and rolled her eyes. “Oh well. You win some, and you lose some.” She turned to look at Shining Armor, her eyes growing soft. This in turn made his cheeks grow rosy for what must have been the dozenth time that night.

Noticing this, Twilight shoved the Consortium game aside and brought forward a game of chess. “Princess, how about a little game of chess?” She grinned. By the looks of the princess, she’s never played chess. If she’s having trouble playing Consortium, she’s so going to lose in chess!  She giggled. This will teach her not to make big brother feel uncomfortable!

Cadence looked down at the chessboard before her and smiled. “Okay!” she lit her horn and turned the board around. “I call the dark pieces. I always play with the dark pieces.”

As soon as Cadence finished her words, her expression changed. Gone was the carefree, almost goofy, smile she had wore. Her eyes sharpened and her face steeled as she made the first move. Moving the pawn in front of her king.

Ha! she’s already left her king exposed. This is going to make winning to easy. Twilight moved the pawn in front of her rightmost bishop. “Your move, princess.”

Cadence grinned. She moved her queen all the way to Twilight’s side of the board. “Checkmate.”

Twilight bit her lip and stared at the board, seeking some sort of escape. Her mind whirred, analyzing every detail and possible outcome. None existed. She bit down bit harder, her tongue tasting copper. Defeat was difficult in the face of the enemy. There was no way to win. Alas, there was only one option for Twilight. She flipped the board, smacking Cadence’s face.

Cadence yelped, more out of surprise than pain, as Twilight stomped off. Shining Armor shook his head, unable to believe his sister had acted out so abruptly. He stood up and caught up to the scampering filly in two steps.

“Twily!” Shining Armor shot a stern glare at his sister, blocking her path with his foreleg. “Why did you do that!?”

“Because Cadence cheated!” Twilight replied, stomping her hoof and averting her gaze. She glared at the floor, refusing to speak any further.

Shining Armor tried to lift her chin, but the filly kept turning away. He growled.“I don’t care! That’s no excuse to flip stuff into pony’s faces!” He turned to the princess. “Cadence, are you alright?”

Despite having every right to be mad, Cadence gave Shining Armor a wide smile. “Oh, I’m fine. I’m just glad it was a board game, and not a plate of food like last time. They can be quite finicky; you know how foals can be.”

Shining Armor’s eyes widened. Cadence had sure dealt with some rowdy children. He turned back to Twilight. “Twily, apologize to the princess. Now.”

“Actually,” Cadence started, “That’s no—”

“No!” Twilight shouted , turning away from her brother and flicking her tail in dismissal. “The princess cheated!”

“Twilight!”

“Well, I don’t thin—”

“I don’t play with cheaters.” Twilight said, sneaking a glance behind her.

Shining Armor furrowed his brow. “Twilight Sparkle,” he commanded, speaking deep from his chest. “Apologize. Now.”

Twilight flinched, having never seen this side of her brother. Her nerdy, bookworm brother suddenly became an alpha male. A jarring and sudden transformation.

Something’s wrong, Twilight mused. Why’s big brother defending the pony that made him feel uncomfortable? She had never read about it in her books before. Twilight trusted nothing more than her books, and Shining Armor. Even so, her muscles were locked in frozen fear.

Cadence rested a hoof on Shining Armor’s shoulder and gazed down at the trembling filly. “Maybe you’re being a little hard on her? She didn’t do any harm, she’s just confused and scared.” Shining blushed, but refused to let his posture slacken. Twilight wasn’t going to grow up to be a spoiled brat under his watch.

Shining Armor turned to the princess. “I don’t think so. She has to—”

The doorbell rang.

Cadence, Twilight, and Shining Armor all turned to face the door. At first, the trio seemed confused as to who would it could possibly be, especially since it was getting late. It only took Shining Armor a second to remember his plans for the evening.

He rushed to the door and opened it. Three uber-nerds stood outside, all wearing what looked like makeshift homemade armor made of pots and pans.

“Hey bro, we’ve been waiting for fifteen minutes. We were start—is that Princess Mi Amore Cadenza in your house?”

Shining Armor glanced back at the princess. “Yes. She’s foalsitting my little sister.”

One of the nerds, the one wearing a makeshift viking cap made out of a soup pot, nudged him on the shoulder. “No wonder you forgot about our campaign tonight.” He looked to his two companions and cleared his throat. “Still, we have a quest to accomplish!” He placed a hoof on his chest. “For the glory of the Sunlari!”

Shining Armor laughed, his cheeks once again turning rossy. He turned back to Cadence and Twilight, giving the pair a wide smile. “Okay gals, I’m off to my, er,” he paused to think of the correct word.

“Glorious quest to defeat the evil overlord known as Lord Duskblack and his army of zombies, vampires, and daemo—”

Shining Armor jammed a hoof into his friend’s mouth. “We’re going for a nice little, you know, boring game. Certainly nothing exciting going on here.” He turned to face his friend. “Keep it down, or my sister will not stop begging to come along!” he whispered.

“You know, we are in need of a second healer,” one of the other ponies, the one with the add-on sharp ears and a robe that seemed to have been made of a towel, said. Shining Armor snapped a glare at him.

Before any more words could be said, he walked out the door, dragging his three friends using his telekinesis. The door closed behind him, leaving Cadence and Twilight to look at each other with confusion.

That didn’t last long, however. Cadence’s face turned to one of joy as she slowly walked towards the living room, her every move more of a dance than a hoofstep. Twilight could only stare, nonplussed. If big brother is gone, then why is she happy if she can’t torment him? Is she going to torment me?

Cadence hummed a cheerful tune, skipping back to the living room. Twilight stared at the door, then at her foalsitter. Her prodigious brain could handle books three times her grade level, but nothing Cadence did made sense to her. Deciding this was one particular puzzle she had to solve, she walked up to the princess and stood in her way, eyes narrowed.

Cadence’s reply was expected. She smiled and patted Twilight on the head. Twilight replied with a scoff. “Don’t think I’m not on to you, princess. Don’t think I haven’t noticed it yet.”

Cadence’s smile faded. “Is it that obvious?”

“You’re hurting my brother, aren’t you?!”

Cadence held a hoof to her mouth, her eyes open wide and her wings fidgeting at her sides. “No, of course not!” A moment of silence passed between the two, until Cadence’s eyes sparkled and her muscles relaxed. She smirked and looked down to the foal. “I see, you were just being protective.”

“Of course,” Twilight said, taking a step back. “I like my big brother!”

“I, uh,” Cadence leaned closer to Twilight and whispered, “I do too.” she nodded, cheeks growing rosy.

Twilight wasn’t sure what happened, but something changed in her. A strange feeling, like a dragon’s energy grasping her heart and squeezing it. Cadence’s words reverberated in her mind, and each echo pounded into her skull. Invisible fire licked Twilight’s coat as she began to gasp for breath.

Cadence had turned and skipped back to the remaining mess of their game, humming a merry tune. Something clicked in Twilight’s mind. She narrowed her eyes and glared at the princess.

She… she has got to go!