"Cadenza?... Cadenza!" A light crimson unicorn mare screamed as she raced through the light yellow corridors of her home.

Her name was Princess Ruby of the royal unicorn house of the Crystal Empire, the great-granddaughter of the late Princess Amore, she was the wife of Prince Wrath of the royal house of Soliel, and mother of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Prince Blueblood Soleil. She was beautiful, with a beige coat and a hot pink and deep purple mane and tail, she wore her mane in a traditional crystal style, high and proud. It sometimes would look like she was balancing a mountain on her head.

She held a small, light blue bundle close to her chest like it was the most important thing in the world to her. In a way, it was. Screeching around the Corner, the mare rushed forward to where a light pink door stood at the end of the hallway. She forced open the door, falling down in the process. She quickly stood back up and checked her bundle. Looking around the room, she raced to where a bed sat at the end of the room. Using her free hoof, she shook the bed in an almost savage way, gaining a groan as a reward.

"Cadenza!" The mare gasped as she saw her daughter awaken from her slumber.

"M-mother?" Cadenza managed to say sleepily.

"Get up now!" Ruby commanded, dashing to the large white crystal wardrobe on the other side of the room.

"Why?" Cadenza whined, pulling off her light pink sheets.

"I can't explain that now!" Ruby replied as she flung a long, flowy white dress at the pink pegasus. "All you both need to know is you have to leave!"

"Leave?" Cadenza shot up and seized the dress.

The princess paused and nodded, her perfectly styled crystal mane turning colorless. She soon rushed over to where Cadenza now stood and helped her get her dress on. She then gave the bundle to the pink pegasus, who looked confused.

"Mother!" Cadenza screamed.

The crimson unicorn looked behind her, her daughter's eyes staring into hers. Sighing she came forward and wrapped her daughter in a hug.

"What am I going to do with Bluei?" Cadenza asked.

Ruby paused and looked into the eyes of her daughter. She knew one day this would happen, but why had it happened so soon? Why couldn't she have a few more years with her foals? Fighting away those feelings, she focused on only one thing - survival. They had already taken her husband, her younger sister, and the last of the crystal guard's... what was to stop them from taking her daughter and son as well? She had watched them in the streets surrounding her home, picking up anypony who couldn't get away quick enough.

She had seen what they did to them once they were captured. Those horrible helmets, she thought. She just couldn't shake the image of her children wearing those things from her mind. All that mattered to her was that her children survived, her bloodline would survive. Two hopes would survive. Hopes for the future, a future without "King" Sombra or the Umbrums. A future where either her daughter, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, or her son, Prince Blueblood Soleil, would rise up and take back their rightful throne.

She had secured the future just in time. Her wedding to the prince was only six years ago, six years when this was a laughing matter. A joke. A lie. Yet, here she was preparing to send her own flesh and blood away. She turned back to face them. She smiled sweetly.

"Hold still," she said as she placed a necklace around her daughter and a bangle around her son. "This is something you can both remember me by."

"Mother-"

Ruby wiped away a tear from her daughter's face. She weakly smiled once again and she placed her son on Cadenza's back. Her lip trembled as she embraced her daughter for what would be the very last time. She desperately fought back tears, hoping it would make the separation less painful. Breaking the almost scared hold, Ruby forced open the large bay window that sat in the daughter's room.

"- I'm not ready, mother," Cadenza wept.

Ruby dared not look back at her daughter, she instead focused on the blood-red sky.

"Go, or they'll take you and Bluei..." Ruby paused, surrendering herself to the lump that had grown in her throat. "Go, Cadenza."

Cadenza stepped forward and looked at her mother one last time. Spreading her wings, she leaped into the air, Blueblood safely on her back. Ruby watched as her daughter and son raced towards the last of the lands free from Sombra's rule. Sniffing, she turned to close the windows and walked out of the room, closing the door behind herself. Cadenza hadn't gone far though, she hid just out of sight of her mother, hoping this would be nothing but a mistake and she would be able to go back home.

Ruby breathed in deeply. Marching down the stairs, she found herself in the main hall of her home. She jumped slightly as the front door was forced down by some of Sombra's guards. They all wore the same armor and cold, unfeeling eyes. Ruby watched as the cruel and monstrous king himself walked forward. He smirked as he saw the princess forced to the ground by his guards. He slowly waltzed over to her, taking his time, milking this achievement for all it was worth.

"Princess Ruby!" Sombra greeted her as if they were old friends. "It has been far too long since I last saw you, you would be surprised to know just now long it takes to hunt down a whole family, first Amore, then Prince Eros, then Princess Opal, then your own father and mother - they put up no fight - then your husband, Prince Wrath. you could've done better!" Sombra laughed in a mocking tone.

Ruby stared right into his eyes, not daring to let any emotion show. "Sombra," she hissed in response.

"Why such a hiss?" Sombra asked, tapping on the princess's golden crown. "Were you not impressed by my entrance? It took months to organize just for you, and that delightful little filly."

Ruby sneered at the heartless king, she already knew about his 'obsession' with her daughter. Obsession was an understatement really it went far beyond that. "Not. One. Bit," she snarled as she looked into Sombra's toxic eyes.

In one powerful and heartless blow, Ruby's head fell to the old floor, landing with a truly grand thump. Sombra smirked as he heard the last few breaths of life leave the body of Ruby. Her blue eyes turned to face him, asking why, Why had you done this? Sombra, almost as if on instinct, gave another kick to the unicorn's head, this time, successfully hitting its target.

Sombra looked around the room. She must have taken the foals, the Umbrum King thought. Walking back out the door, Sombra smirked. He took about five steps out of the house, making sure the filly saw him completely. That stupid filly had been dumb enough to try and watch. He gazed into her shattered eyes, forcing his image into her mind for the rest of her short life.

"Goodbye, little Cadenza... Until we meet again." Sombra watched as she took off at full speed.

He smiled as he watched his guard's race into the air after Cadenza and Blueblood. He knew the filly wouldn't be able to fly very long or far and that colt was only a unicorn, incapable of flight or the illusion of flight with magic at his young age. Sombra began to hum as he walked with a confident swagger back to his black chariot. Finally, he thought, he had won.

Cadenza screamed as she narrowly dodged another attack. She gasped as she found a gash going up her front left leg, forcing herself to numb the pain, Cadenza raced forward with the crying colt on her back. She bit her lip as she turned around to see the trio of guards following her.

BANG!

One of the guards ramped into Cadenza's side, making a sound like lightning come from the filly's wing. The trio watched as Cadenza screamed as she fell to the ground. Seeing their job done, they flew back to Sombra.

Author's Note

I want to thank HailKingSombra for very kindly editing and proofreading this for me. This story will be set in phase one, and, I did change Cadence's mother's name, just to stop confusion, originally she was named in tribute of Princess Amore - one of my favorite ponies from the comics - then I just ended up getting confused.