"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.
Somewhere, deep inside a forest that was long since forgotten to King Sombra and his guards, the figures of two ponies carefully crept towards an opening in the forest that was bathed in the mighty sunlight and calmness of a soft yet commanding wind. Suddenly, and without any warning, a body fell from the sky and landed with a mighty THUMP!
"What was that?" A mare's hushed voice hissed.
"Do I look like I would know?" The second voice, a stallion's voice, hissed back.
The two owners of the voice eventually made their presence known. The mare's voice belonged to a light brown earth pony mare with a light brown mane and tail. She was named Windy Willows. The stallion's voice belonged to a beige earth pony who had a white mane, his name was Timber plank. The two wondered out into a small clearing in their home of the woody forest.
"Is that a-" Timber was cut off by Windy.
"-It is!" Windy suddenly rushed forward.
The mare came to a halt, just next to two seemingly sleeping bodies. She winced as she tried to get a better look from a distance. One was a pegasus filly with a coat of pink and a multicolored mane. The other, a unicorn foal, a young one by the looks of things, was cuddled up next to the mare.
"What...happened to them?" Timber asked as he came forward towards Windy.
"They fell out of the sky, Timber. They look hurt," Windy stated. "We have to help them!"
"No!" Timber stood in front of the mare. "We have no idea who they are! They could be spies from the unicorn tribes or worst!" he paused. "This one is a bloody unicorn!" Timber hissed. "How do we know this isn't a trick? Don't you remember what happened at the mountain base with our brother tribe?" Timber cried.
"Of course I remember that Timber," she paused. "I was there," she said somberly. Windy shook her head. "We have to at least try to help them," Windy hissed at the beige earth pony. She carefully stepped forward until she could just touch the pink pegasus' shoulder. Windy gently rubbed the pink filly's shoulder. "little one?" Windy whispered. "Little one!"
The pink filly suddenly gasped and sat up, sending Windy racing back to Timber. Peaking around the beige stallion, Windy smiled as she saw the young pegasus filly hide behind a tree.
"There, there," Windy cooed at the pink pegasus. "There is no need to do that. We, or just me really, want to help." Windy smiled as she reapproached the pegasus. "My name's Windy Willows," Windy pointed to herself calmly. "the stallion over there is Timber Plank," Timber huffed and tossed his face up to the sky. Windy sighed and looked back down at the pink pegasus. "do you need help?" she asked quietly. "Do you two have a name?"
The pink pegasus looked up at Windy and nodded. "My name is..." she took a breath in, she knew she could not use her real name, what if these ponies were evil or on Sombra's side? "Mia Denza," she finally said. "The colt's my brother," she paused, trying to think, "Ivory Star." she smiled as she nuzzled the white colt.
"Such lovely names," Windy smiled. "well, Mia Denza, Ivory-" she smiled once again. "come with us."
. . .
It was nightfall by the time the small group returned to Windy's and Timber's home base, "The Swamp" as it was affectionally known as. The homes of the earth ponies who lived there were carved out of old, giant tree trunk that had long since rotted away, leaving an ideal place for the earth ponies to live, raise their young, and heal. Windy smiled as Denza began to look around at all of the surroundings and earth ponies, who looked at both her and the foal on her back with great suspicion.
"You know, Denza," Windy smiled at the pink pegasus. "maybe tomorrow I could give you a tour. Our home used to be much bigger, we use to own the whole of the Everfree, until that witch arrived here!" Windy hissed slightly.
"Everfree?" Denza gasped. "As in "Everfree forest"?" she asked.
"Yes....?" Windy trailed off. "Why? Have you been here before?" she asked. "Did we even make it on the map?" She thought.
"NO!... sorry, I didn't mean to yell," Denza sighed. "by any chance, would you happen to know of a faraway place called The Crystal Empire, and possible where is?" Denza asked quietly as she and Windy climbed up to Windy's home in a hollowed out birch tree.
"The Crystal Empire?" Windy laughed. "That place is full of nothing but posh crystal ponies, why would you want to know where that place is?" Windy asked as she made a second bed for Denza and Star. "Do you come from there?"
Denza shook her head. "No, I.. I used to have family there, but not anymore." she quickly answered.
"Lemme guess, King Sombra?" Windy raised her left eyebrow in a joking matter as Denza slowly nodded. "You don't 'ave to worry about him being here. He never leaves the protection of his precious empire!" Windy remarked coldly. "The Royal Sisters keep him away and at bay wherever they can." Windy smiled.
"Royal sisters?" Denza gasped. "As in, Princess Celestia and Luna?" Windy nodded.
"You sound like you've never heard of them before," Windy stated. "have you?" she asked.
"I have, many times actually, our mother used to tell stories of them." Denza smiled as she looked over at Star, who was fast asleep.
"Who is, or was, your ma?" Windy asked.
"She... I don't like talking about her." Denza looked down to the ground.
"It's okay, Mia. I lost my Ma too. When that witch came, my mother was one of the few who went out to defend our territory... she just never came back. We don't know what happened to her." Windy frowned.
"Tell me, who is this 'witch'?" Denza asked as she lied down on the floor.
"You really want to know 'bout her?" Windy asked coldly.
"Yes, If I can help in any way, I will. Since, I'm guessing Bluei and I are going to be here for quite some time." Denza said miserably.
"Who's "Bluei"?" Windy cried.
"Oh, my brother. Bluei's just a nickname." Denza smiled.
Windy raised her eyebrow at the pink pegasus. "That's a strange nickname, I thought you would 'ave named him something more like "Starry"," Windy answered. "Just saying." she smiled sweetly. "Anyways, back to the witch. From what we've discovered from patrol troops and reports, her name is Prismia." Windy stated. "She's a unicorn with a coat as black as night and a mane as wild as the seas, with twigs and leaves and spiders living up in it," Windy spoke. "She's also a sorceress. A wicked one as well." Windy paused for a long time.
"Once she came to our village, she did somethin' with her horn and poof whoever was unlucky enough to find themselves in her path became "empty". Like, not even love ones could help them, they would go a bit crazy as well - like, something had drained out all of their joy and replaced it with nothingness." Windy sighed.
"She could be using the ponies she finds as 'fuel' for her magic. Unicorns do need to 'rest up' if they want to be at their full potential." Denza explained.
"You know a lot 'bout unicorns, Denza, for a pegasus, that is," Windy said. "Your brother's a unicorn, so, it would make sense for you to know a lil', but not that much. Ponies will get suspicious, Denza. It's best you don't talk 'bout your brother too much 'round here." Windy explained as she looked out of her window.
"But, If I can help, I can't be silent," Denza stated firmly. "You have to be heard to be taken seriously."
"I wouldn't be quotin' that Star Swirl the Bearded. He's seen as a mad wizard to some ponies, being able to open passages to other realms and all that jass." Windy cut in.
"Alright." Denza sighed.
"Best you get some sleep, tomorrow you'll have to earn your keep." Windy rhythmed as she blew out the single candle the brightened the room.
No, no. This wasn't happening, this couldn't have been happening. I got away from Sombra, but how is he here now? NO, NO, NO!-
Denza woke up in a cold sweat. She looked around herself, at first stunned by her new surroundings. She was so used to a warm, feather bed and a warm room. Not that she was ungrateful for being taken in by Windy Willows and a reluctant Timber Plank. The pink pegasus slowly rose from her bed on the floor of Windy's home inside a birch tree. She sighed as she found no sign of Windy or anypony else, apart from her brother, who was lying on his side in the fetal position.
"Guess you had a nightmare too," Denza spoke to her brother as she placed him on her back. She smiled as she felt the white colt awake. "come on, Bluei, let's see what we can do around here." Denza smiled as she opened the door of Windy's home.
"Oh, Denaza!" Denza turned to her left to see Windy carrying two water buckets on her shoulders. "You're awake." the light brown mare smiled.
"Yes, I am," She answered. "is there anything I can do?" Denza asked as she placed her brother on the floor.
"Why, yes. Since you're a pegasus, you can fly. We need somepony to set up the fruit bat traps around our farms, could you do that for me?" Denza immediately nodded. "Great! I'll hold Star for you." Windy said as she picked up Ivory Star, Denza's brother.
Denza smiled as she trotted over to were a large, hoof-made, brown net. In all truth, it was pretty badly made, almost anything could get through the holes of the net and into the farms.
"Have you ever lifted a net before?" Windy asked the pink pegasus.
"No," Denza said dryly.
"I knew it, those hooves were far too polished and clipped." Windy smiled. "You must've come for someplace fancy," she spoke as she helped Denza with the net. "you must've had good parents as well, your not skinny like other foals who've wondered through our home. Where did you come from?" Windy asked. "You're far too brightly colored to have come from the north, nasty things would've eaten you in seconds, was one of your parents a northern?" Windy asked.
"Yes, my uncle was, at least, I think he was...why do you ask that?" Denza stated as she looked down to the earth pony.
"Well, you're brother's as white as snow, I just presumed he was a northerner," Windy explained.
"He is... we are from the north." Denza smiled. "We had to leave quickly though." she sighed.
"Well, you're gonna be safe here... ain't no Sombra supporters here!" she cheered.
"Really?" Denza asked, her smile widened as she took to the air.
Windy nodded. "If they are any, they would 'ave to answer to ma daddy, the chief!" Windy smiled.
"You're... your father is the chief?" Denza said with disbelief. "But, you're not being helped by ladies-in-waiting or anypony else." Denza shook her head.
"I don't need all that stuff!" Windy declared. "I can defend myself, feed myself, wash, and get my own food!" the earth pony said as she planted the net firmly in the ground and then covered it with some dirt.
"Really? I've never seen you get helped by the others, do they not 'accept you'?" Denza asked again.
"Nah, they just know I can do it by myself," Windy replied.
"Denza, if you don't mind me asking, why are you a pegasus but your brothers a unicorn? I mean, I know sometimes unicorns and pegasi have foals together, but pairing's so rare, ever since that commander sent that rude statue to Princess Platinum, is been like a cold war between those two." Windy said.
"Our mother was a unicorn, our father was a pegasus... the paring is rare, yes, but, two ponies can still love each other, even if the entire world thinks otherwise," Denza explained.
"What book of Star Swirl is that excerpt from?" Windy asked the pink pegasus.
"Excerpt? I didn't use an exert, I just said what I felt was right in my heart." Denza said as she settled back down on the ground.
"DENZA!" Windy suddenly screamed as other ponies came rushing forth.
"What is it?" Denza asked as she looked around herself, only to find herself surrounded.
"Your - your cutie mark! It's glowing!" Windy screamed as covered her eyes.
Then, almost as soon as the event had started, it stopped. Without any explanation. Denza looked around herself, all the ponies in the village had circled around her as if she was some sort of 'show' or 'amusement' to them.
"Denza? Are you alright?" Windy asked.
"Y-yes... what just happened?" Denza asked as she looked at all of the earth ponies that now surrounded her, each wearibng a more dissparoving face than the last.
"Your cutie mark just started glowing!" A random earth pony yelled.
"Really?" Denza looked to Windy, who simply nodded.
"It started as soon as you finished talking, then, it just stopped," Windy said.
"How'd she do it?" Timber plank suddenly appeared by Windy' side.
"I-"
"-We don't know, Timber," Windy answered for Denza. "It just... 'happened'. She said uncertainly.
"Maybe she just needs rest, we've never encountered a pegasus this young before, maybe it's just a sign of tiredness." Windy tried to explain as she came around the front of Timber, still carrying Star on her back.
"I'll escort you back, just in case somethin' happens." She said aggressively.
"Timber-"
"- Just in case, Windy." He replied.
. . .
Inside Windy's home, Denza lay on Windy's faded pink bed. Timber, Windy, and another earth pony, who Denza guess was a mare, just by the shadow she cast, were talking just outside of the tiny tree. Denza gulped as the door was suddenly opened, by Timber.
"Come." He said without any other words.
Denza shyly followed, bearly even raising her head from the ground. She felt a tiny bit better as she found the beautiful smile of Windy. The light brown earth pony nodded to Timber, who snorted and left the three mares alone.
"Denza, this is my good friend, Blueberry," The other much older mare, with a light blue coat and dark blue mane and tail, stepped forward. "she's the pony 'round here with the best knowledge on magic and outbursts - like the one you had earlier," Windy explained.
"Nice to meet you," Denza greeted the blue mare, who did not speak back.
"She wants to ask you if you have ever experienced anythin' like this before," Windy said.
"Well, when I was young, this thing would happen at least every month," Denza said.
Blueberry turned to face Windy. "Could be a curse." She muttered under her breath to Windy.
"Has it happened anytime else?" Windy asked again.
"Only when a couple would argue or a foal would cry, or anything else like those things," Denza explained.
The blue mare turned to face Windy again. "Not a curse." She mumbled.
"Okay, so it's not a curse," Windy smiled at Denza. "does your brother have any reaction to the same things?" Windy looked down at the white colt, who hid behind Denza's front legs. "He's a unicorn, so I would expect the reaction to be much stronger," Windy said.
"No, Bluei, to the best of my knowledge, has never had a reaction like I have, he does get shy thought, very often," Denza added, as she looked down and smiled at her brother, who smiled back.
Windy turned to face Blueberry. "Hmm." Was all she said.
"What do you think might 'ave triggered it?" The light brown mare asked the pink pegasus.
"Well, In my family, some of us have strong reactions to love. I don't know if Bluei has the same reaction, though." Denza said.
"Oh, Interesting, very interesting," the blue mare said in a tone that would belong better with a chant.
"What do you mean 'interesting'?" Windy asked her friend.
"Strong magic, alicorn magic." She said in an almost hostile tone.
Denza felt her stomach turn, what would these ponies do if they found out she was a princess? "Alicorn magic? You're joking!" Denza tried to laugh it off.
"Denza, who are you, who really are you?" Windy asked softly.
Denza sighed. The jig was up. "Alright, If I tell you, do you swear not to hurt my brother or I? Or turn us over to Sombra?" Denza looked to them with pleading eyes.
"We swear," Windy said, crossing her heart with her left hoof.
Denza took a deep breath in. "My name isn't Mia Denza... It's actually Princess Mi amore Cadenza... My brother's name isn't Ivory Star, his name is Prince Ni eros Blueblood Soleil." the princess looked to the ground, shame written all over her face.
"Wow, didn't know we were playin' host to a prince and princess," Windy smiled. Cadence then looked up, surprised by Windy's reaction. "do you think she could do it?" Windy turned to face Blueberry, who looked at Cadence with suspicious eyes.
"Yes, yes. She fits the bill," Blueberry answered. "go on, go on." she chanted again.
"My mother is, or was, Princess Mi amore Ruby, or at least, she was...." the pegasus gulped. "my father was Prince Wrath Soleil." She answered. of the royal unicorn house of The Crystal Empire."
"Ah, Soleil blood, the sun princess' blood." Blueberry continued to chant.
"She could do it, Blueberry, she could do it!" Windy asked excitedly.
"Do what exactly?" Cadence asked the two mares.
"Defeat Prismia!" Windy cheered.
"What? No, I can't do that!" The Pegasus screeched.
"Denza, err, I mean Princess Mi amore Cadeza, We need you, Prismia is becoming far too strong... the necklace you wear around your neck, it's just like one she has," Windy said.
"She has a necklace like me?" Denza asked, suspicion rushing into her, there was once a second necklace that her mother owned, but, one night, she awoke to find it missing. The name did certainly sound familiar, it was a popular name for fillies back in the Empire, but, elsewhere, the name was pretty much unknown.
"Yep, just more... dark and moody." Windy smiled. "Like it was... 'corrupted' or somethin' like that, I don't really know what am talking 'bout though." She said.
"I can't, I won't. I am not about to go a fight somepony who I only know a little about... if war and heated is what rules around here, how can we ever expect peace and acceptance to be born?" Cadence's cutie mark sparkled again, causing the prince to jump forward and do a barrel roll.
"That proves it!" Blueberry sudden rumbled, like a raging bull. "The princess of LOVE!" Cadence took a step backward as Blueberry came far too close.
"Blueberry, what do you mean?" Windy pulled back the mare.
"She's love, in its purest form!" Blueberry barked.
"Okay, Blue, settle down," Windy calmed the other mare. Windy sighed before she spoke again. "Princess, please, as the daughter of the chief, I implore you to help us," The mare pleaded. "we don't know how many more ponies Prisma is gonna take and transform into 'dead' ponies," Windy said. "We're not asking you to go up to her and be like 'Hey, I'm gonna kill ya" Or somethin' like that, just, try to reason with her." Windy smiled.
"Don't we want her dead?" Blueberry suddenly screamed.
"Shh! We're not asking you to do that." Windy stated.
Almost a minute went by before Cadence replied, she bit her lip and looked between Windy, Blueberry, and her brother. Finally, she answered;
"Alright, I'll try to reason with her." she smiled.
