The Rhythm Of The Dance

Chapters

Episode II: The Rising Drumbeat
Episode III: Fortissimo
Episode IV: Nocturne
Episode VI: Tremolo
Episode VII: The Deceptive Cadence
Episode VIII: A Hollow Symphony
Epilogue: Lingering Notes
Episode I: The Rhythm Of The Dance
Episode V: Scherzo

Episode II: The Rising Drumbeat

Episode II: The Rising Drumbeat
~BlackRoseRaven

Cadence really wasn't sure what to do: she and Shining Armor had healed from their ordeal with the Phoenix Guild, but as much as she wanted to just charge off to the Crystal Kingdom... well, at the same time, she really didn't. Not because she had so much she treasured here in Canterlot: she loved this town, and she enjoyed being a princess, even if... well... it required so much work. And swallowing back that other side of her.

She sighed a little, slumped over the railing of a balcony, gazing silently down into the pavilion that sprawled out beneath the castle. She could see a few unicorn guards, lighting their way with magic as they calmly patrolled; she wondered if Shining was down there, or if he was still stuck on desk work because they were 'concerned for his injuries,' which was a really nice way of saying 'we don't want to risk you getting ambushed again.'

With Sombra defeated and driven off, the remaining Phoenix Guild had quickly dispersed throughout Equestria. There was a small chance that Sombra himself had been destroyed, but... Cadence knew this was too good to be true. Considering his ability to regenerate from even the smallest point of shadow...

“Why did Luna and Celestia turn him into shadow, anyway? What was even the point of that?” mumbled the mare, brushing her curly locks back out of her face, and then she winced when there was a chuckle behind her.

She blushed as she looked over her shoulder to see none other than the Princess of the Night standing behind her. Her blue-green eyes were amused, and her flowing, starlight mane made her sapphire coat seem to all but glow as she responded gently: “I have always thought it somewhat silly myself, but it was what was required at the time to banish Sombra away. I will not pretend to completely understand my sister's reasoning... Celestia, after all, has always kept her own counsel.”

Cadence nodded a little, smiling faintly over her shoulder at Luna before she turned around, unable to help from lamely glancing up. Her diadem was missing, as was her peytral and the rest of her royal accoutrement, while Luna had her own pretty vestments all on and neat and polished...

“Don't worry, Cadence. The night is my realm, not yours... you're off-duty.” Luna said gently, giving a slight smile, and the rosy mare nodded with a small, relieved blush. “Although my sister has been worried about you these last few days... and of course, so has Twilight Sparkle.”

Cadence laughed a little, then she shook her head and said softly: “She was so mad at us. Well... her brother thought he got the worst of it. But you know Shining. He can be a bit of a drama queen, especially when it comes to his little sister.”

Luna laughed a bit, then said wryly: “Well, from what I have seen of stallions, they have not changed much since the old days. They were always full of pride and bravado, but the smallest splinter or the tiniest fright, and there they go, running off to the comforts of the nearest mare.”

Cadence smiled despite herself, and Luna hesitated before asking almost impulsively: “But those talents you displayed, Cadence... more, the dreams that you have been having as of late. They both fascinate me so. If you would be willing to... perhaps... help me understand some of your skills... perhaps I could help you better understand your dreams.”

The rose-colored winged unicorn couldn't help but cock her head curiously, and Luna blushed a bit as she scraped a hoof against the ground. “It interests me, Cadence. You're the opposite of most ponies I encounter: in your good dreams, you're... living a simple, happy life. An old-fashioned life that I recognize more than most ponies of this day and age would.

“But in reality, you are a princess... and a warrior, too.” Luna smiled slightly, tilting her head towards Cadence. “I have never seen any pony move the way you did. And your weapons are... well, they strike me as strange.”

Cadence smiled a bit at this, nodding a little as she looked down and rubbed slowly at a foreleg. “Well... you might be right about that, Luna, I am a little bit strange. I don't know where all these skills came from, though, or why I... am the way I am. But I know the... the bad dreams have something to do with it. The good dreams are just fantasy, the bad dreams... they...”

“Nightmares stem from fear, and trauma, and...” Luna smiled a bit, looking down silently and nodding briefly. “Other things that we would rather forget. I've respected your privacy, Cadence, since these nightmares are more personal to you than they are the ghosts of campfire stories and arguments with other ponies... but...”

“Yes, I trust you, Luna. You and Celestia have been like sisters to me, ever since... I arrived here.” Cadence smiled a little, bowing her head forwards before she hesitated and added: “I want... I really want to return to the Crystal Kingdom. They've grown strong and happy, and they rule themselves well, but... the answers I'm looking for, that I need... they're there.”

“And you know they'll welcome you back, Cadence.” Luna said gently, before she smiled slightly and looked knowingly at the mare. “But that's not what you're nervous about, is it? It's telling Celly your plans, isn't it?”

The rose-hued pony cleared her throat and shifted awkwardly, before she said finally: “It's just... she's done so much for me, Luna. She really, truly has. You all have, but... Celestia was the one who took me in, helped me... find myself, introduced me to Twilight Sparkle and in a way, Shining Armor... and she's always covered up for me. Even when I went to save Shine, she covered up for me...”

Cadence strode slowly past Luna, and the Princess of the Night turned to follow beside her, smiling softly even as the rose-colored mare continued worriedly: “And now, after all that, I'm telling her... I'm going to go search for my destiny? I'm going to abandon everything she taught me? I'm going to go running off into the Crystal Kingdom looking for... oh, I don't even know what yet, and I'm taking my husband with me?”

Luna only laughed quietly and shook her head slowly, and Cadence looked over at her uncertainly before the sapphire mare said kindly: “Cadence, all my sister truly wants from you... is for you to find where you belong. You have done many good things for Equestria, and you work well alongside us; when you were in charge of maintaining the Crystal Kingdom with Shining Armor, you handled yourself wonderfully.”

The pink mare sighed a little, then she nodded a bit and murmured: “Don't get me wrong, Princess Luna. I do enjoy it. Even if it's... it's a little hard for me to maintain such a degree of... dignity... all the time. But I feel... I feel the Crystal Kingdom calling me.”

“Then you should return there, Cadence... but if you truly are worried about needing a better reason that your instincts alone, then let me help you with your nightmares.” Luna said softly, and Cadence looked uncertainly at the Princess of the Night. Part of her felt like Luna was pressing the subject a little... and another part of her wanted to clutch those nightmares close, hide them from the eyes of other ponies until she could better understand what they were.

No, it wasn't even that, was it? It was that she didn't want to seem... vulnerable, even to a Princess of Equestria like Luna was, even to a pony she could treat as friend and sister and mentor. Cadence smiled faintly at this, shifting a little, before Luna said quietly: “I don't mean to... push too hard, though, Cadence. I just want to help you, however I can. I'm very eager to prove that I can be as helpful as my sister.”

“It's alright, Luna. I do appreciate it.” Cadence hesitated, and then she smiled a little, asking: “Do you have any duties to attend to, though? I'm not the most important thing in Equestria, after all.”

“But you are my friend. A friend who just went through a rather traumatic event, at that.” Luna replied gently, and the sapphire mare shrugged awkwardly before the sapphire mare added: “And besides, it's not that late yet, and you and Celly tend to handle most of the laws of the land. My sister and I always agreed that was much more part of the day than night, after all.”

Cadence smiled despite herself, nudging Luna gently with one wing as she said mildly: “Anything to pass off the paperwork, huh?”

Luna smiled slightly in return, a mischievous twinkle in her eye as she replied pointedly: “I have been away from Equestria for a thousand years, Cadence. It's only right that I sit back and allow other ponies handle the serious, important business while I continue to... adjust.”

“Right. By eating a lot of candy and reading all those silly romance novels of yours.” Cadence responded easily, and Luna gave a little huff as she rose her head primly.

“Need I remind you that most of those 'silly romance novels' came from you, Cadence? Furthermore, they are most certainly not all romance.” Luna said pointedly, and Cadence coughed before the sapphire mare suddenly turned down a side hall, and the rose-colored winged unicorn followed with a tilt of her head. “But I still desire to see you in action, Cadence. I can't believe I slept through all that madness.”

“You do have a tendency to sleep through things, Luna.” Cadence couldn't help but say, and the sapphire mare gave her a pointed look, but her fellow princess only hummed and looked forwards innocently before she frowned a little. “Wait, we're not going into the barracks section, are we? Shining gets really annoyed when I use the training rooms... says I tend to make the boys uh... jealous.”

Luna simply shrugged, responding reassuringly: “Well, most of them will be either on duty or at home by now, Cadence. And let those few who are there stare if they will, Cadence. Your skills are certainly nothing to be ashamed of.”

Cadence only smiled awkwardly, and then she sighed a little and shook her head slowly, murmuring: “I'm not even entirely sure where these skills come from, Princess Luna. And... well... Celestia has always warned me that I should try and keep myself in check...”

“Yes, but Celestia worries about every little thing, Cadence... and if I may be frank, cares too much at times that we maintain our 'dignity.'” Luna smiled slightly and shrugged a bit, before she said softly: “Although... I suppose mares like you and I are prone to worse failings, so it's not like we can pick on Celly too much.”

Cadence laughed a little at this, even as she felt absurdly touched at how easily Luna included her as a 'mare liker her.' It made her feel warm and welcome inside, and the rose-hued pony nodded a little before mumbling: “I... thanks, Princess Luna.”

“Just Luna. And Celestia might not express it as often as I do, but I know she'd prefer if you were less formal with her as well, Cadence. She can... 'take a joke,' as I believe the expression is. She is fun, if you catch her in the right mood.” Luna paused. “Or get her drunk.”

The rose-colored winged unicorn couldn't help but give an amused smile over at Luna, who shrugged easily and smiled amiably back, and they walked the rest of the way through the castle in silence. Thankfully, the training room that Luna led them to was almost empty, only a few of the Royal Guard working with weights or at the far side of the room, and Cadence sighed a little before she said finally: “I don't know what you want to see here, Luna.”

“I'll create a sparring dummy for you, Cadence, so you don't have to hurt anyone. But I want to see the way you fight.” Luna replied, and when the fellow mare bit her cheek and looked at her pointedly, Luna sighed and gestured towards the empty boxing ring, saying mildly: “This may strike you as funny, Cadence, but in the old days my sister and I often attended many tournaments. Many of these memories are still fresh in my mind.”

Cadence frowned a bit at this even as she hesitantly lifted herself up to the edge of the ring, and then she looked questioningly over her shoulder. But Luna only smiled in return, shaking her head briefly before she said softly: “Come now, Cadence. The question my sister always had was never where you were from... it was when.”

The rosy mare looked down for a moment... then she gave a faint smile and sighed softly, nodding a little as she slipped up into the boxing ring and cracked her neck. Her wings spread and flapped once before she brushed her curly mane back, grimacing a bit at how starchy it felt: but, being set on fire would do that to your hair. “I... don't even know what to say to that, Luna. My mind's already foggy and confused enough as it is.”

“I know. So, like I tell Celly, work out your stress.” Luna smiled slightly as she flicked her horn, and Cadence was surprised as a wooden practice dummy suddenly leapt up into the ring with her, crashing down and glowing faintly with the Princess of the Night's magic. It clicked as it straightened, and Cadence whistled slowly and smiled a little as she set herself.

As her mind focused, she was able to tune the entire world out: there was just her and this toy, and Luna's voice floating in from the sidelines. She didn't feel the curious gazes of the Royal Guard, or the soreness that still lingered in her stomach, or anything else: instead, her mind had already processed the size and depth of the battlefield, was measuring the opponent and studying the way it moved, was judging how hard her hooves would have to hit it to damage it and how she could disable it...

Then the mare's eyes narrowed as the puppeted dummy sloppily charged at her: its creaky joints made it bob uncertainly up and down, and the fact that its legs weren't all exactly the same length probably didn't help much either. Cadence smiled slightly, letting it leap at her even as she felt the magic that powered it flicker: Luna had hesitated.

But Cadence didn't: she leapt straight up and slammed a front hoof into the back of the dummy's wooden skull, knocking it crashing down on its stomach in a prone heap. Then her wings flapped, carrying her neatly backwards to land against the ropes of the boxing ring, leaning back and smiling slightly at the puppet as she said mildly: “Luna, I can only work with what you give me.”

Luna smiled wryly at this, and a moment later, the puppet sprung suddenly upwards. But Cadence was ready, balancing herself against the ropes as she kicked both rear legs up and wrapped them tightly around the puppet's throat before twisting firmly to the side, dropping off the side of the ring to slam the construct down on the mats. This time, it reached up and seized into her legs as it continued to roll, however, and Cadence was almost surprised as it jerked itself around and flung her across the ring.

Cadence twisted her body without thinking, back hitting the ropes as her rear hooves slammed down, making them creak and bend further before she launched herself off the wall as the puppet began to leap at her again. Instead, her knee slammed into its face, knocking its head back before she dropped both front hooves in a tomahawk to its skull, crunching the construct down into the floor of the ring.

She punched down into its back before it could recover, then neatly used her front hooves to spring off the puppet, landing behind it with a slight smile. And some instinct called a warning to her even before she knew what was happening as she dropped flat on her stomach, both rear hooves of the puppet donkey-kicking the air where she had been a moment before.

Before its legs could drop, Cadence rolled over, hooking one leg out at the same time to yank more than kick the puppet sprawling, the rose-colored rolling neatly into a straddle overtop the construct's back before she slammed her front hooves smoothly down, smashing apart the vulnerable joints connecting rear legs to the main puppet.

The construct bucked helplessly, magic sparking out over its lower limbs as it tried to feebly drag itself out from beneath the mare, but Cadence swiftly spun around and seized it by the back of the wooden skull, slamming its head down into the matting and pinning it there as her other front hoof smashed once, then twice into the thicker hinge that served as its shoulder. It flailed helplessly before attempting to buck her off again, and this time Cadence let it throw her, seizing its front leg as she dove forwards over it and twisting savagely.

The limb was torn completely off the puppet, Cadence rolling quickly to the corner of the ring as she tossed the useless hunk of wood away, and the construct was left with one twitching foreleg, Luna's magic slowly sputtering out around it. Then the rose-colored mare blushed as the world around her faded back in, losing that sense of focus and discipline as she heard a few loud cheers for her from the now-gathered soldiers.

Luna, meanwhile, was smiling slightly, rubbing thoughtfully under her chin before she murmured softly: “I must admit... I'm impressed, Cadence. But you seemed... different, for a moment there. Like you became someone else.”

“I... well...” Cadence shook her head, laughing awkwardly and rubbing at her flushed cheeks. “It's hard to explain. I... I just go into this zone when I'm... doing that kind of... thing.”

She halted lamely, rubbing at her muzzle, then she cleared her throat and looked awkwardly around at the soldiers before hurriedly turning back towards the puppet, lifting it quickly with telekinesis as she mumbled: “I'll just. Um. I'll just put this over here.”

She floated it hurriedly over to a rack where several other training dummies were placed, and dropped it in... then turned beet-red when it banged loudly backwards in the shelf and knocked several of the other puppets loose. She stared at the jumble, then spluttered for a moment before Luna said soothingly: “I'll clean it up, Princess Cadence. Besides, we have business to deal with now: why don't you wait for me outside and I'll join you in but a moment?”

“I. Well, yes, I... okay.” Cadence mumbled, even as she quickly gathered up the limbs she had broken off the construct. But Luna was quick to gently take these from her psychic grip, and Cadence sighed a little before turning and awkwardly hopping out of the ring, smiling lamely at the soldiers and dropping in a little curtsy to them before she hurried towards the doors leading out.

Cadence sighed tiredly as she turned the corner and dropped back against the wall, reaching up and banging her hoof against her forehead. Some princess she was supposed to be: her power to channel the energy, the magic of 'love' wasn't exactly your every-day ability, sure, but apart from that... she had never exactly been talented when it came to spellwork. Even just moving things around, well... Shining sometimes called her a magic klutz. And she kind of hated that he was right.

“Him and his. Hair.” Cadence glanced up and absently blew at her own curly locks, then she mumbled a little to herself before glancing up with a small smile as Luna emerged and gazed at her kindly. “I. Thank you.”

“For what? Thank you, Cadence, for indulging my interest.” Luna replied gently, and then she gestured calmly to one side with her head. “Let's go and find some privacy before we continue our business. I don't think you want to be exploring these thoughts in public.”

“Well... okay, but...” Cadence bit her lip, hesitating before she asked with maybe a little too much hope, a little too much eagerness: “Did you recognize that style at all?”

Luna looked thoughtfully over at the pink winged unicorn, then she simply shrugged before saying finally: “You were fast, and fluid. But it's made difficult by the fact that you were playing a little, weren't you? Still... the way you moved, using your hooves so much instead of any kind of horn foiling, how your movements were designed to leave them open to hoof-to-hoof combat, not magic... well, it did remind me of old times a little.”

The sapphire mare smiled slightly as her ethereal mane wafted upwards with the faintest pulse, and Cadence studied her curiously before Luna chuckled and said wryly: “Just old thoughts. But as is so rare for me... good memories, not... bad ones...”

She fell silent, then shook her head and looked thoughtfully over at Cadence. “I wonder what you would have done to Nightmare Moon. You certainly wouldn't have gone Celly's route, I know, but I may be missing a leg or two in the here and now.”

“Oh come on, Luna, you know I wouldn't do that to you... besides, I'm sure Twilight or Celestia can reattach limbs.” Cadence said helpfully, and Luna laughed and shook her head, giving the rose-colored winged unicorn a look of entertainment.

They walked on, enjoying each other's pleasant company: Luna was a little bit awkward now and then, maybe being too direct in asking some question or other, or not really understanding where social boundaries were, but she was friendly enough. Cadence knew her awkwardness was chiefly because of two things, anyway: one, she wanted to make a good impression on people, and two, she hadn't had a lot of time to practice modern day social skills, and when she got nervous, she tended to revert back to old court standards.

They made it to the privacy of a den on the upper levels in good time, and Luna smiled as she latched the door to make sure they weren't disturbed. It was nice here: a pretty fireplace, bookshelves, big, comfy couches and chairs... and Cadence climbed into one of the latter, sitting back and gazing over at Luna as she strode past.

The Princess of the Night gave her a slight smile before flicking her horn, and flames burst up in the fireplace before the mare turned fully towards her fellow princess. They studied each other for a few moments, and then Luna said softly: “I don't need to be able to see into your dreams to know how much these thoughts and nightmares have been troubling you. You've been worried and forgetful. You haven't been attending the Royal Council these last few days, and normally you would always be there, taking part. And Shining Armor, of course, has been just as distracted.”

“Well, that's not my fault. That's his. And his hair.” Cadence defended lamely, and when Luna gave her a pointed look, the rose-colored mare sighed a little and nodded awkwardly, dropping her head as she mumbled: “Okay, maybe it's my fault a little. I... he spends too much time worrying about me and trying to take care of me.”

“You're lucky to have him.” Luna said softly, and Cadence smiled faintly and nodded again, lowering her head. There was silence for a few moments, and then the sapphire mare looked up and said gently: “I can join you in your nightmares and help guide you, but I can't fight them for you.”

“I don't... I want to do this myself, Luna. I appreciate it, but... these nightmares are more than that. There's a door to my memories there... it feels like there's a part of my past that keeps bubbling up, again and again...” Cadence hesitated, bit her lip, and then she turned curious eyes towards the sapphire mare, asking suddenly: “Can you make them... more real? Can you strengthen them?”

Luna looked dumbfounded at this request, and Cadence blushed before explaining hurriedly: “Part of the reason they're so hard for me to fight is because, well... they're so ethereal. It's all just... I catch glimpses, I hear voices, I know it's related to...” She swallowed, stopping herself before she could blurt out something she was afraid she'd regret. “If you... if you can make it more real, I mean, make me experience... more of it somehow... maybe I can actually fight it. I can't fight smoke, but something solid... maybe I can deal with it myself.”

Luna was silent for a few moments, and then she bit her lip before saying hesitantly: “I... believe it is possible, but... it would be very dangerous, Cadence. What you're asking me to do is... an attack on your mind, essentially. And if you fail to stand up to the assault, or the memories are of... events better left forgotten... what I will be doing is essentially torturing you. No, maybe we should talk to Celly, or at least let Shining Armor know-”

“No!” Cadence burst out, and Luna reared back in surprise at this outburst before the rose-colored winged unicorn blushed, then dropped her head and mumbled: “I mean... no. Please, Luna. I can survive this. And I need to know... I need answers. No matter what I have to go through, the torture of not knowing is far worse.”

The Princess of the Night laughed quietly at this and shook her head slowly, saying quietly: “I've said that myself before, Cadence... and I cannot begin to tell you how much I regret... what I learned. But... if you're so intent on this... will you at least consider allowing me to inform Shining Armor? Your husband has a right to know.”

“He does. But I'll tell him myself what I went through... after we're done.” Cadence smiled faintly, reaching up and brushing her curled locks back. “I cant have him worrying about me while he's on there on patrol, Luna. Look what happened last time.”

The sapphire winged unicorn sighed after a moment, and then she finally nodded briefly before murmuring: “Very well. Close your eyes, Cadence, and relax as much as you can... and do not fight the darkness. Let the darkness rise, and swallow you up...”

Luna's horn glowed, thrumming with eerie energy, and Cadence trembled as her eyes closed, then clenched, her horn sparking and her body shivering before she leaned forwards as Luna's voice scraped through her brain, terrible and beautiful images forming in her mind's eye: “Blot out the light. Let the light be swallowed... let your memories rise. Feel every edge, relive every pain... watch even joy blacken; watch happiness turn against you, making it hurt more every time it's taken away...”

“No...” Cadence whispered, shifting and moaning as the darkness squeezed her, crushed her, suffocated her.. and then two monsters lunged at her from the darkness, all fangs and teeth and skull, and she shrieked as her eyes snapped open...

And she was sitting back in a place she didn't recognize, made of sandstone and dry rock. Cells lined one wall, and there was only one large archway leading in and out, up a flight of spiraling stairs that light shone down from like a path to Heaven...

But a gargling filled her ears, and Cadence looked sharply to the side as she saw distorted images. They moved and writhed together, but gradually turned solid... and she couldn't repress her cry of horror, stumbling backwards as she suddenly saw not just static and smoke, but a unicorn soldier being throttled by a chain wrapped around his throat, held tightly in the hooves of a brawny earth pony.

No... there were two earth ponies. And they were both grinning, mouths filled with teeth that had been filed and broken into fangs, their bodies huge and muscular and tightly covered by almost-leathery black hide. Furs half-covered their forms, but did little to hide the branding of runes that covered one side of each pony: one had scarred shapes all down his left side, and the other the same mirrored over his right.

She couldn't see any emblem, any cutie mark, but... could monsters like these even have such things? They didn't even look like they were pony anymore, they were all muscle and teeth and their eyes, their deep dark hollow awful eyes were...

Staring right at her.

Cadence trembled: she was small, and weak, and they were huge, and monstrous. She felt like a child again... she was a child again. A little foal, faced with two monsters as the twin earth ponies turned towards her... and as they did so, the nightmare overlapped with a memory of a not-so-distant past as she saw two ghoulish cadavers transformed into bodyguards for a cruel king, and then one of them said in a strangely-soft, almost-pleasant voice: “Sibling, look at her.”

“Look at her, sibling.” agreed the other: and Cadence trembled and stared, seeing both the hideous things she and Shining Armor had fought as well as these monstrous, barbarian ponies... and oh Horses of Heaven, she didn't know what scared her worse. “Shall we kill her?”

“We shall kill her.” Left said with something like tenderness in his voice. The twins looked at each other, then they both smiled and nodded at the same time, and Cadence stumbled backwards before she stared as they began to approach, moving in perfect time: if not for the different furs and broken restraints that decorated their bodies, she would have been convinced she was seeing double, some kind of illusion, some trick of light and mirrors...

Cadence felt her body turn to run away, even as her adult mind screamed that it was the worst thing to do, but she was helpless to control her foal's body... and a moment later, a strong hoof slammed down on her back, cruelly crushing her into the rock floor. She squealed and shrieked, and the brothers laughed... and oh, even their laughter had an awful, mocking synchronization to it, filling each other's time to create one long string of 'huhahuhahuhahuha-'

Focus! Cadence screamed at herself mentally, trying to make this foal body do something, anything... but a moment later, she was dragged up into the air by her tail before one of the twins flung her across the room, sending her smacking painfully down... but in the corner of her eye, she saw the stairs. She saw the way out, and her bouncing body managed to roll as she locked her eyes on this, spinning around and bolting for the exit.

But she only just managed to reach the first of the steps when one of the twins leapt past with a hiss, slapping her like a cat and sending her rolling backwards into the room. Both of the stallions laughed again, and Cadence's mind was going wild with fear, making them loom bigger in her eyes, turning them into horrendous beasts and not just earth pony barbarians, her mouth going dry, her eyes bulging with fear...

Fight it... fight it! They're just ponies! Cadence cried desperately through her own mind, forcing her eyes to look at them, to stare at them even as the two monsters leisurely made their way towardsher, to box her in and stand over her. But as she forced herself to look up at them, their size returned to normal, their shadows no longer seemed to writhe of their own accord, and the haze of fear slowly began to lift from her mind to let her think.

“Sibling, shall we keep her?” asked Right suddenly, looking curiously over at his twin brother, and the other stallion licked his lips slowly and thoughtfully, eyes narrowing greedily as the filly whimpered and slowly dragged herself backwards.

“We shall keep her, sibling.” Left confirmed softly, hungrily after a moment, and then he lowered his head, eyes locked on her, mouth falling open as drool dripped from his jaws. And Cadence whimpered again as she dragged herself further backwards, gritting her teeth even as she forced herself to focus on that monster slinking slowly closer, as his twin eagerly paced back and forth behind him...

And then she saw it: her chance, as his eyes closed and his nostrils flared and his head rose ever so slightly, and Cadence poured all her strength into making this stupid filly body of hers move, react, and fight. And to her shock, fight it did, as she suddenly brought both rear legs back before kicking Right directly in the mouth as hard as she could.

Right screamed, teeth shattering like brittle white ice, lips exploding like overripe tomatoes, and Left yelled as if he felt his brother's pain, leaping up to his side as the bloody-faced twin scampered backwards with his front hooves covering his muzzle, shoving himself away on his belly from the little filly.

Left snarled at Cadence, then dove towards her, snarling: but the filly was already forcing her body to move and react, even as she didn't know whether or not it was memories propelling her, or all the focus and desperation she was focusing on now, to combat these nightmares: she thought it might be a little bit of both.

Her wings flapped hard as she launched herself into Left's face, then shoved off it as hard as she could, almost arcing over his head... but then a hoof caught her in midair and slammed her down into the ground, and Cadence cried out before shrieking again when she was viciously stomped on, Left growling down at her as Right shook his head back and forth before hissing: “Kill her!”

“Kill her.” rumbled the twin in agreement, looking across at his brother as he rose his hoof, and Cadence cursed as she scrabbled forwards. The monster snarled and attempted to crush her down into the ground, but the filly managed to dodge out of the way this time before she leapt out of range when Left tried to jump on top of her.

He crashed down and skidded forwards, looking up at her... and Cadence leapt at him, full of anger and pain and hate and retribution. Her hooves were small, but it only made it all the easier to slam both sharp front hooves into the target of one eye, and the monster screamed as he jerked his head backwards. Right growled and ran in, mouth still dripping blood, but as Left grabbed at his own eye, Cadence bolted beneath him and leapt nimbly away when Right grabbed at her.

He almost bowled Left over, the brothers both shouting and cursing as Cadence bolted towards the stairs again. And this time, she made the bottom step... a moment before Right crashed down on top of her, smashing her into the steps and knocking her senseless with his heavy body. Cadence gurgled... and then her mind filled with panic as she felt him crushing her down harder, his hot breath washing out over her face before she could move, one of his forelegs wrapping around her to prevent her escape as he hissed: “So stupid, little girl...”

“Little girl, so stupid!” agreed the other in a rumble, and then the pressure, the horrible heat of that body was suddenly gone... but only so teeth could bite savagely down into the back of her neck, making Cadence cry out in agony as she was flung back into the room. And this time, instead of letting her hit the ground, Left caught her by the face... and then slammed her down once, twice, thrice into the ground, glaring down at her furiously.

She was rattled and bloody and broken. She was helpless, unable to defend herself against these monsters, losing the fight to memory and nightmare. Cadence whimpered brokenly in the body of a filly, unable to make it move any longer, feeling terror and revulsion and despair eating up her insidesas Left and Right bracketed her, closed her in, huge male bodies crushing her little helpless filly's form, and oh, god, she felt a hoof seize her wing and twist, and she felt another grabbing her leg, running up it as Left kept her suspended in the air, and they were moving her around like a toy, hurting her, examining her, they were going to do things to her and she was powerless and helpless and nothing but prey and oh no no no-

“Put her down.” said a quiet voice, and light and hope flooded Cadence's mind as she looked up in shock, and... and such brightness was shining out of the stairs now. Such warmth, that made the nightmares lose their strength and restored her own, as both Left and Right looked up with growls.

She stared as a figure, a unicorn, calmly strode out of the light... and oh, she felt both wonderment and terror, relief and despair, as the stallion rose his head fearlessly, looking across at the two earth ponies with... no, no hatred. Not even anger, or contempt, or disgust: he looked at them with calm pity in his eyes.

“That is my daughter. Put her down.” he said quietly, a natural command lacing his words. Both Right and Left growled at him, but he didn't flinch, he didn't fear; he stepped forwards, his long black mane tied tightly back, his white coat still seeming to glow with the light that seemed to cascade around him. A simple crown rested on his head, and a regal cloak fell around his body, although it only seemed to magnify the light that he exuded with the way it made radiance almost frame his form.

Cadence tried to speak... and then the twins threw her savagely into the ground. It was only reflex that saved her, letting her get a forelimb down first that saved her from breaking her skull open against the ground. But she forced herself not to cry out in spite of the feeling of her leg breaking, breathing hard before she looked up and shivered with loathing as one of the twins said softly: “Shall we kill him, sibling?”

“Sibling, we shall kill him.” the other nodded slowly... and then both monsters lunged suddenly, viciously forwards towards the white unicorn. But they were far from catching him off guard: with a flick of his horn, the unicorn blasted them both backwards, before he made another short, easy flick, and Cadence gasped as she was snared in a bubble of magic, pulled swiftly to safety in the grips of a protective sphere of... of warmth, and love.

She floated beside him... and trembled as she turned her eyes on him, staring at this handsome, powerful stallion as he looked calmly across at the earth ponies. She wanted to cry out so many things, to shout, to scream, to tantrum, to... to somehow warn him in this memory of what the future held, as if that could change reality... but then he looked at her, with his calm, dark eyes, and he gave the smallest of smiles before reassuring her gently: “Calm now, Cadence.”

And in spite of everything, she couldn't help but feel... soothed. Almost at peace, even as both Left and Right leapt up and roared as they charged again, barbaric and cruel and moving with almost supernatural speed. And her father, the King, met them both with a startling gentility, flicking his horn first towards Left and blinding him with a flash of light, then tilting his head towards Right.

One of the manacles around Right's legs glowed brightly, and the monster staggered stupidly as this suddenly jerked his limb in the wrong direction, falling flat on his face as Left howled like an animal and shook his head wildly, bounding back and forth as if he could throw off the blindness. And the King shook his head slowly before he said softly: “Poor fools.”

Both Right and Left looked up with snarls, then lunged with matching roars, moving almost as one, and in Cadence's eyes they became monsters again, became a black wave of darkness... but calmly, without fear or anger or so much as a flinch, the unicorn simply flicked his horn and countered with a simple spell.

The manacle on Right's foreleg glowed brightly as a similar manacle on one of Left's rear limbs lit up, and then a tremendous force seemed to seize both stallions, yanking them around in midair before they could collide with the King. Instead, their glowing manacles slammed together and fused into one, and the two dropped into a pile on top of each other, yelling and roaring and cursing as they flailed and shoved at each other helplessly.

“Let go of me, brother!” Right wailed, and then he snarled and snapped his jaws at the King, attempting to drag himself forwards... but Left kicked out wildly and tried to roll onto his own hooves, and he only succeeded in dragging Right out of range again, as the unicorn simply looked down at the two with pity, without batting an eye. “Let go!”

“Let go! Brother, let go of me!” Left shouted, trying to shake Right off as, more by his own movements than his twin's, he dragged his sibling half-onto his back and twisted his leg awkwardly up behind his own body. He gave a half-whimper, half-growl, and then a moment later, both Right and Left were rolling on the ground and shouting at each other, forgetting the King completely as they clawed and bit at each other like animals, bound together by the manacles and losing themselves in stupid, blind struggle... even though both of them wanted the exact same thing.

Cadence stared in disbelief, and the King shook his head slowly in... sympathy, it seemed, as he said softly: “Look at them, Cadence. Little more than animals. When I saw what they were doing to you, I had to work hard to resist lashing out at them... but look, what good would laying further harm on their heads do? They don't understand. They've forgotten their noble heritage... but even that isn't entirely their fault. These savage earth ponies that have been raiding our beautiful Crystal Kingdom... they were twisted by greed and the evils they have seen. We should not blindly hate them, my darling, even when they hurt us... even for taking Shieldstrong's life, even for what they have done for you, even when they attack and pillage and burn. We should pity them.”

Right and Left rolled back and forth, screaming at each other, their argument made all the more horrific by the way they constantly repeated each other's words. And the King simply looked at them with sympathy in his eyes... this loving, wonderful stallion, who ruled the Crystal Kingdom with a heart so pure and good it protected their ancient home from the most dangerous evils that wandered these wilds...

Cadence could feel her body healing inside the warm bubble, and the King looked over at her with a kind smile, his horn glowing faintly as she felt him focusing more of his magic strength into the bubble: into protecting her and healing her, as he said softly: “It is the animal in us that demands we hurt others when we hurt ourselves. If we are to prove that we are better than animals... better than those we strive to protect others from... we must rise above the animal. To fight, to hurt others... it is a last resort. And if you have the choice, Cadence... never kill. Cripple, break, maim or terrify... but even the lives of these barbarians, these beasts-dressed-as-ponies, their lives are sacred too. All life is to be protected. Kill only when you have no other choice.”

The filly trembled a little, and she felt pain and pride, love and hate, and... so many other emotions, as she stared at the King... and as the King smiled, memories overlapped, and it was Sombra standing there. It was Sombra, with his curved horn and his glowing eyes... but what hurt the most was that he still wore her father's expression, he still spoke with her father's voice as he said softly: “I will always love you.”

She wanted to tear her eyes away. She wanted to cry out, that it was all unfair, that this was all wrong. She wanted to struggle, or scream, and yet... she couldn't. She couldn't do any of those things, as she stared at her father... and then he turned towards her, and the world turned black as he caught the sphere in his front hooves and his horn glowed, his features becoming animal, his eyes glowing as he black veins spread through the previously-welcoming orb of warmth, as she felt pain and hate and fear sizzle through her body as he rasped: “My daughter...”

Cadence screamed... and then there was a snap, a sense of vertigo, and a moment later, she was laying in a stunned heap on her back, the chair she had been laying in disarray on its side. And Luna was standing over her, trembling as she grasped her shoulder, the sapphire mare whispering: “Cadence... I had no choice but to break the connection, your mind was overloading... and... I saw...”

The rose mare slapped Luna's hoof away, glaring up at her, eyes overbright with tears that refused to fall as she opened her mouth to snap at her... but then Cadence trembled before swallowing back her words, closing her eyes and bowing her head as she whispered: “Sorry. Thank you.”

“I... 'twas not my intent to gaze deep into thy mind...” Luna stopped, then shook her head quickly and mumbled: “I mean... I'm sorry. I didn't... mean for that to happen. But your mind began to overload and I did not want to risk...”

“It was mine to risk, Luna. It... it was mine to risk, but...” Cadence breathed slowly in and out, then she closed her eyes tightly and nodded a few times all the same, murmuring: “But I... know that's not entirely fair to you and... I appreciate your help. I just... I just didn't want this to be true...”

She shivered a little, then closed her eyes and dropped her face against her hoof, breathing slowly in and out as Luna stepped hesitantly back, studying her uneasily. Then Cadence shook herself again before looking up and asking quietly: “Can we do another session?”

Luna looked at her with disbelief, and Cadence smiled faintly, tears glowing in her eyes as she whispered: “I have to know more. I have to know what... changed my Father. I have to know why Left and Right... what role they played in this. I... I want to see my childhood, know where I come from...” Cadence trembled, fighting back tears before she slammed a hoof against the ground and shouted: “Even if all the good memories... seeing my Father so pure and good hurt so much more, him rescuing me was just a cruel joke, knowing what he's going to become... what he has become! But I need to know!”

“Cadence...” Luna stopped, then she shook her head slowly before saying quietly: “I can not and I will not bring you into another nightmare of memories. Especially not with you so highly strong, your emotions so volatile. It would be foolishness... as it was, you were... injured.”

Cadence shook her head shortly... then frowned when Luna pointedly rose a hoof, and the rose-colored mare hesitantly rose her own hoof to touch her nose. And then she stared as she drew her hoof back and saw fresh blood: her nose was bleeding. Yes, now she could feel the wetness... taste it, too, on her lips, as Luna said almost pleadingly: “We should tell Celly about this. Please, Cadence... she will not judge you, and she-”

“No, I... no. This... this is something I have to do for myself. The answers... I know all the answers are in the Crystal Kingdom.” Cadence said quietly, shaking her head slowly before she closed her eyes tightly, trembling and scraping a hoof slowly against the floor. But after a moment, she forced herself to relax as she breathed slowly in and out, looking up and giving a more-honest smile, even as her body trembled... even as her mind and her heart and her very soul ached. “Thank you, Luna... and... I... I will talk to Celestia, I promise. But... I know that I have to do this, too. I've put off finding myself... for too long.”

Luna sighed softly at this, looking down silently for a few moments before she looked up and asked finally: “Will you at least accept our help? Perhaps... we can send Twilight Sparkle with you. Would that not be acceptable?”

“No, it wouldn't be.” Cadence smiled faintly, looking down and shaking her head slowly, closing her eyes. “Shine would go crazy, trying to look after both of us at once. And more than that... Twilight belongs in Ponyville, where she's working so hard and... I think she has a great destiny ahead of her. She should focus on that.”

“I agree.” Luna sighed again after a moment, studying the mare across from her before she finally gave the smallest of smiles. “Then you will at least allow me to walk you home, and help you to sleep... a dreamless sleep, this time. You need to rest before you go pushing yourself any further than you already have.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Cadence looked down and nodded a little before she closed her eyes and sighed softly, mumbling: “Okay. I know that I should let Shining at least finish his shift and get a few hours' of sleep before I go dragging him off on another adventure, anyway.”

“I'm not going on another adventure.” Shining said grumpily, glaring over at his fellow Captain, but Clarion only gave him an amused look, before the ivory unicorn added pointedly: “Also, seriously. Stop... escorting me everywhere. Or at least stop walking so close to me. Ponies are going to think we're having an affair.”

“Well, don't worry, Shining. With all the primping and preening you do, I'm sure plenty of ponies already know that you're a colt cuddler.” Clarion said kindly, and Shining slowly turned a sour look on the fellow Captain, who added positively: “But that's perfectly okay. It also explains why your wife is more of a stallion than you are. And why you always smell like... lavender? Lilacs?”

“Shut up, it's. Cadence's shampoo. I. Totally ran out of my... Wild Musky Dog for Real Stallions.” Shining defended awkwardly, and then he cleared his throat and added hurriedly: “And I would have used sandpaper but. You know. Cadence complains.”

Clarion rolled his eyes, then he looked mildly back and forth as they followed a well-trod path around the edge of the Castle's grounds, before he announced: “Captain Prince Shining Armor your lordship sir, you appear not to be in danger.”

Shining Armor sighed tiredly, and then Clarion became a little more serious, glancing over at him and adding quietly: “But as much as I may poke fun at it, don't let down your guard. The Phoenix Guild has dispersed, but...”

“Yeah. I know, Clarion. Thank you.” Shining Armor grimaced and looked down, muttering: “What hurts the most, though... what bothers me the most, is that I lost all those good ponies...”

Clarion sighed at this, and then he said gently: “And why I harass you, Shining Armor, is to try and keep your damn mind from going back there again and again... even though I know I can't stop it. Losing soldiers like that, in this day and age, an age of... civilization and peace, where our duties are to maintain order more than fight wars... I know it hurts. And you know that of all ponies, I'm the one who can understand you most right now.”

Shining Armor finally looked silently over at Clarion: a unicorn who was a little larger than him, but who had a prosthetic front leg, powered mostly by his own magic, lost in an ambush by a rampaging dragon that had claimed his entire unit. His coat was a deep green, pockmarked with scars and grafts, his mane and tail little more than white bristles...

“I know. I got off lucky, I know that, too.” Shining Armor halted, then he smiled a little and nudged Clarion before looking over his shoulder, at the half-dozen guards they had in tow. Most of them were almost asleep on their hooves, in spite of the fact that Canterlot was still in a state of alert, but Shining had already seen several Night Guard winging over their heads, keeping an eye on them from above. “Maybe you want to pick on them for a while, though.”

“Yeah, you're not getting off that easy, your lordship majesty honor sir. Besides, these kids I'm going to run ragged once they're put under my command instead of yours. I'm just here as a friend, to walk you around the lawn. Make sure you don't go missing again, so your wife doesn't have to show all of us up saving you.” Clarion replied comfortably, his hazel eyes flicking absently up towards the night sky. “So when are you leaving?”

“I am not going on an adventure.” Shining complained loudly, and then he cleared his throat when several of the Royal Guard following them looked up, the ivory unicorn hurriedly turning his eyes back ahead and using his magic to light the way as he muttered grumpily: “Look, Cadence and I have talked about this already, and we decided running off to the Crystal Kingdom wouldn't be right. We both have our own duties to attend to here. We have things we have to do. We have-”

Clarion's horn suddenly flickered, and the scarred pony looked sharply up before he roared: “Changeling! Spread out and search!”

Shining Armor stuttered to a halt, staring with disbelief at his fellow Captain, even as the soldiers behind them immediately snapped to attention and then broke off in pairs, hurriedly scanning the area around them with magic. Clarion, meanwhile, was looking back and forth as he muttered: “Oh, that's the last thing we need. Maybe they sent a scout to see how vulnerable we were after the incident with the Phoenix Guild...”

“How the hell did you even detect one? Have you been scanning the entire time?” asked Shining Armor, doing his best to keep his incredulity out of his voice. Clarion only gave him a slight smile, however, and Shining grumbled under his breath before his own horn lit up with a faint radiance, the light around him dimming even as he quickly scanned the surrounding area himself. “Also, shouting to alert us of one scout? Not very smart. Come on, Clarion, next time work it into conversation or something.”

“I apologize your majesty lordship sire. I suppose we humble soldiers just aren't aware of all the diplomacy we should go through in dealing with foreign invading entities, Prince Captain cuddlebutt.” Clarion replied wryly, and then he added in a lower voice: “And the scout didn't run, Shining. Scan to your one o'clock.”

Shining frowned as he did this, and his eyes flicked upwards, towards a short, stocky guard tower framed against the night sky. It was currently out of use... but he detected life there, all the same. And yes, it felt like a Changeling... except... “I'm going to check it out. Don't follow me, even if I give chase: secure and hold down the perimeter. I'll send up a flare if I need help.”

“Alright, Prince Shining Armor, I'll certainly let you wander into certain danger alone to get kidnapped again, that sounds like a marvelous idea, your lordship.” Clarion said blandly, and Shining glowered over at his fellow Captain.

“Clarion, just trust me on this. I'm not pulling rank on you, but I am asking you to give me the benefit of the doubt here.” Shining muttered, and Clarion frowned at him... but then sighed tiredly, shaking his head slowly before he straightened and smiled wryly.

“Alright. Captain Armor, you check out the tower. I'll lock down the perimeter with the others. I'm not too good on steps with this leg of mine, anyway.” Clarion said finally, glancing down and flexing his synthetic limb a few times, and then he turned around and shouted: “Form up and fall in! Wingbeat, Iron, head back to Canterlot and report to the Commander we've made contact!”

Shining Armor smiled despite himself at how professional Clarion was with the troops... which was funny, considering that when it came to getting things down, the scarred Captain was anything but. He did always get the job done, however, and that was what counted... something Shining himself had taken a long time to learn.

The ivory unicorn shook his head briefly as he reached the bottom of the guard tower, forcing himself to focus. Then he frowned a bit at the door: from the signs on it, the lock had been disengaged manually. He leaned forwards, studying this... then stared as the door swung back and open, a mare leaning nonchalantly against the edge of it as she said in a silky voice: “Hey, handsome. You miss me?”

“Oh great.” Shining Armor scowled and straightened, narrowing his eyes across at the mare: she was a gorgeous red, with pink-edged wings and a mane that was a swirl of white and crimson streaks. A large, emerald jewel was secured to her forehead by thin golden chains, and reflected the almost poisonous light of her green eyes.

She smiled at him tenderly, and Shining Armor looked at the door before he asked distastefully: “Can we trade places so I can slam the door on you?”

The mare laughed loudly, then she almost slithered forwards, sinuously twisting around his body before she whispered teasingly in one of his ears as their sides pressed together: “Oh, what's wrong? I know you missed me, Shining Armor. You always do.”

“I need an adult, Clarion! I need an adult!” Shining Armor yelled loudly as he threw his head back, consternation filling his voice, and the mare laughed loudly again before she hopped easily away from him, landing just inside the guard tower and spinning around with a sultry smile.

She reached up and calmly flicked the scarf she was wearing back over her shoulder, asking with almost a pout despite the teasing tone of her voice: “Are we really going to do this again, Shine? Come on, can't we not go through this one time?”

“You're a criminal. And you annoy me. And you make Cadence really angry. I don't like it when Cadence is angry, she makes me sleep on the couch and try to cook my own meals and she eats a lot of junk food.” Shining Armor replied pettishly, as Clarion lumbered quickly up beside the stallion, the fellow Captain's eyes narrowed and his horn already glowing.

The mare barely paid the newcomer any heed, however, looking with mocking sympathy at Shining Armor as she said kindly: “And I bet she doesn't let you use her shampoo or bath salts either, does she, poor baby?”

“That's... completely beside the point. Why the hell does everyone have to make this about my hair?” the ivory unicorn grumbled, glowering at the mare, and then he turned his eyes to Clarion, purposefully taking his attention off of her as he said pointedly: “You do the same thing.”

Clarion looked sourly back at Shining Armor, not speaking... well, probably not even fully comprehending what was going on. Admirably, he still tried to play along as he remarked: “Well, she does have a point, captain my captain my prince.”

“I'm glad you agree with me, Captain Clarion, of East Gamma Division, sole survivor of Charghast the Vile's attack.” the mare said sweetly, and Clarion looked towards the mare with shock as Shining winced, looking up as well, both making that silly mistake of focusing all their attention where she wanted it... and the mare simply smiled as she rose a hoof to press against her temple, adding in a friendly voice: “Let's chat again sometime.”

Then a bright green flash blinded both Clarion and Shining Armor, and the two unicorns shouted and staggered before Clarion's prosthetic limb gave out from beneath him, sending him spilling to the ground. Shining Armor cursed at this, then leapt forwards even as the green static disoriented him, charging into the base of the tower and then stumbling hurriedly up the steps beyond.

He managed to shake off the worst of the haze that had consumed his mind as he looked up with a curse, and he saw the mare already standing at the top of the curling wooden stairs, tipping him a wink before she leapt up through a trapdoor and out onto the top of the tower. Shining Armor cursed at this, putting on an extra burst of speed, not wanting to let her get away as he hammered through the trapdoor...

And then he winced when a pair of forelegs wrapped around him from behind and yanked him back on his haunches, a warm body sliding up along his back as something nuzzled into his neck, before the mare's voice whispered: “Always so eager.”

“Dammit.” Shining Armor mumbled, and he took a slow breath, dropping his head forwards as he said moodily: “Look. Turn yourself in. I can get you help. How long do you think you can keep playing these games for before you get caught? Changelings are easy to detect.”

“I'm only half-Changeling. And well, Shining Armor, you're the only stallion who's ever managed to... catch... me...” She teased, leaning up and nipping the end of his ear gently, and the ivory unicorn winced a bit even as he wheezed slowly. “Won't I always be your special, your lovely, your greatest... Miss Take?”

“Well, when you put it like that...” Shining mumbled... and then he suddenly bucked forwards as he seized one of the forelegs around his neck, yanking her over his shoulders and flinging her across the top of the tower. But Miss Take laughed and easily caught herself, gracefully spinning around to catch herself on her hooves before she grinned widely as Shining Armor charged at her.

He swung a hoof out, and she dodged backwards before he grabbed at her... and she laughed as she almost slithered beneath him, lunging through his hind legs and then stepping back to bump their rumps together before he could turn around, the stallion wincing as Miss Take teased: “What is that silly saying your wife does? Something about... bumps, and shakes...”

Shining Armor spun around, slashing his horn out... and the jewel on Miss Take's forehead glowed, a green flash lighting up the night around them and canceling out his magic, leaving the stallion dazed as the mare laughed. “Oh come on, my darling! You know better than that!”

“I am not your darling.” Shining Armor muttered, leaping forwards and swinging a hoof out at her, and Miss Take easily avoided it before he made a wild grab... and was surprised himself when his hooves actually seized into her. But then Miss Take laughed and grabbed his shoulders, yanking herself forwards and burying her face against his neck, turning his grapple into an embrace as he stared down at her stupidly before slapping at her wildly and trying to shove her away with a curse.

Then, before he could react, Miss Take suddenly dropped and slid down between his legs, and the stallion had enough time to look dumbly down before she suddenly reared back and sat up, hooking his hind legs against her shoulders. And as his rump was hauled high into the air, his face swung down and smacked painfully into the ground before the mare's body whiplashed forwards and slammed Shining Armor over her head and down onto his spine.

He lay on his back, stunned and gurgling... and Miss Take let herself fall forwards, propping her head up with one front hoof as she half-laid over his lower body, smiling as she gently traced shapes with her hoof along his chest. “I know you love Cadence, sweetie. And you know I don't mean to hurt you, but we all know Chrysalis played a role there too, didn't she? How much of what you two experienced was real?”

Shining Armor scowled up at the sky, but he didn't bother moving, doing his best not to rise to her bait. But Miss Take only smiled slightly, continuing tenderly: “Darling, loves come and go. You and Cadence are a great pair, my sweet, sure... but you're young, too, and you've married based on a great flare of love and... a desire to prove to the world that Chrysalis certainly couldn't have orchestrated the whole thing, oh no no no. Well, I, more than most, understand that the hottest loves often burn out the fastest... it's hard to keep that heat going for long without turning everything to ashes in the process.”

The ivory unicorn grumbled moodily... then winced and looked down as Miss Take gently kissed his stomach, her eyes half-lidding as she looked up at him with a slight smile. “And it would be silly, my darling, for you to pretend that you don't like me. That you don't enjoy these games we play. And if I didn't think so much of you, my pretty stallion, I would be worried that you're not just with Cadence out of obligation and friendship and some dying fumes of love, but because you happen to enjoy being a rich prince, free to do whatever you want, riding on the coat-tails of her achievements and the... grand adventure she wants to take you on.”

Shining cursed, then attempted to snap his rear legs up around her, but Miss Take shoved herself off the ground and flapped her wings hard, floating in the air above him with a teasing smile as the unicorn glared up at her and snapped: “I love her! You're nothing but a criminal, a... a thief who hides her real face! And you... you're... you clearly lack self-esteem!”

Miss Take mockingly covered her own mouth, and Shining Armor huffed a bit as he said almost sulkily: “Well, it's true. I'm just... I don't believe in calling mares names.”

“Yes, but hitting us is fine?” teased Miss Take, and then she sighed and shook her head slowly, hovering calmly in the air before she suddenly tensed a little... and a moment later, launched herself sharply upwards.

A Night Guard narrowly missed her, the bat-winged pony cursing and starting to twist around... and one of Miss Take's rear hooves slammed into his face, knocking him senseless. She used the kick to redirect her momentum, eyes flicking up as a second Night Guard flew at her: without hesitation, her wings snapped shut and her forelegs reached up as the guard tried to grab her, then gaped in shock as she seized his front legs instead as her body dropped, using both her weight and gravity as she twisted and flung the soldier out of the air.

He crashed down into the edge of the battlements with a loud crack of metal helm against stone, then collapsed senselessly to the ground below. And a moment later, Miss Take landed in front of Shining Armor, the stallion staring at her before her tail swung upwards and gently stroked beneath the ivory unicorn's chin as she tipped him a wink. “Looks like it's time for me to go, darling. Give Cadence a little kiss for me, won't you?”

“Wait!” Shining Armor shouted, as the mare began to leap away, and Miss Take paused as she landed on the battlements, looking curiously over her shoulder before the unicorn asked sharply: “How did you know about-”

“All this? Oh please, Shining Armor, all of Equestria knows by now about the Phoenix Guild's attack. Although only a precious few know that Sombra was behind it...” Miss Take gave him a second slow, knowing wink, as Shining Armor mouthed wordlessly. “And fewer still know that you're planning to go to the Crystal Kingdom to clear all this mess up. But sweetie... I have sources that even the Princesses don't.”

She paused, then smiled tenderly, leaning forwards and adding kindly: “Here, darling, I'll do you a favor since you and Cadence seem so indecisive. I'm going to go rob the Canterlot Bank now. Then I'm going to go to the Crystal Kingdom. And if you don't get there in time, I'm going to steal that gorgeous Crystal Heart, because I do ever so need a new accent piece for my living room. That giant gold statue you helped me steal looks so lonely in his little corner. A magic love artifact should help warm him right up.”

“I didn't help you steal it! I caught you black-hooved, turned my back on you for one second and you... ran off with it somehow!” Shining Armor shouted in a strangled voice, glaring up at her furiously. “And this isn't a game!”

“Life's a game, my pretty stallion. And as I recall, I made a little wager with you that I could steal it and escape in thirty seconds, and you said you'd turn your back on me for ten.” Miss Take smiled tenderly, a strange softness in her eyes even as she stretched out like a cat. “Don't lie to either of us, darling. You gave me enough time to make my escape. You just didn't know I lied about needing at least thirty to take the statue with me. But you always have been naïve, my darling.”

Miss Take paused, then added in a half-playful, half-chastening voice: “And 'black-hooved' is a racist expression, Shining Armor. It relates to the days before earth ponies had rights and worked in muddy fields all day. Were they ever caught stealing they were said to be 'caught by the mud on their hooves,' which eventually was shortened to 'black-hooved.' Really, darling. You're better than that.”

Shining Armor mouthed dumbly at this, and then Miss Take spread her wings and primly launched herself into the air, spinning around once to blow him a kiss and singsong a loud 'ta-ta!' before she all-but-vanished into the night sky. The ivory unicorn was left simply staring after her, not even sure what to say... hell, not even sure what to feel.

Then he winced as the trapdoor nearby banged open, and Clarion huffed grumpily as he managed to half-crawl up onto the rooftop, dragging his prosthetic leg as he grumbled: “Oh, and of course you've already gotten beaten up. Perfect.”

“I'm not beaten up! She... ran away. To. Oh hell, we have to go report this. Miss Take is going to rob the Canterlot Bank.” Shining Armor said tiredly, and Clarion frowned in surprise before he sat up and flicked his horn sharply.

A purple flare of light launched high into the air, and Shining Armor followed this streak of light with his eyes in spite of a nagging feeling in his stomach. A reluctance, even as Clarion looked over at him and said quietly: “Pull yourself together, Shining Armor. It's not like you to-”

“I know. I'm sorry, I've just... dealt with her before. And I hate feeling that this is... useless.” Shining Armor muttered, even as several Night Guard descended quickly on their position. And in spite of his misgivings, the ivory unicorn looked up and said calmly: “Priority one alert. Canterlot Bank is being robbed as we speak by a wanted criminal, Miss Take. Alert the Royal Guard and then have the Night Guard blanket the skies and cut off her escape. Do not attempt to engage her at the bank, prioritize blocking all exits out of Canterlot.”

The Night Guard looked like he had his misgivings, but he saluted all the same and then shot up into the air to spread word. Clarion, meanwhile, was frowning over at Shining Armor, saying slowly: “'Do not engage?' As in, just let her rob the bank, and then try and catch her afterwards? But I am glad you at least emphasized how dangerous and ruthless Miss Take is supposed to be. You know. How many ponies she's disabled with her bare hooves, how she uses antimagic charms, made sure they wouldn't just think she was some thief or something stupid like that.”

“You're a little cranky, Clarion, aren't you?” Shining Armor said ironically, and then he reached up and grumpily rubbed his back, adding grouchily: “Furthermore, Miss Take has never killed anyone. Which I know, because she didn't kill me, she just... threw me around a little.”

“No, no, never. Just metaphorically killed them. How many ponies has she left in coma or maimed, again?” asked Clarion sourly, and Shining Armor grimaced a bit before the scarred Guard Captain added dryly: “And I thought you said she didn't beat you up.”

“She didn't. She. Threw me into a... rock. I landed on a rock.” Shining Armor said awkwardly, rubbing slowly at his back again as he looked back and forth over the top of the tower, and then he sighed a little and turned his eyes back to Clarion, saying finally: “I'm not protecting her.”

“I never said you were.” Clarion replied in a softer voice, and there was silence for a moment before the scarred unicorn sighed a little, dropping his head. And thankfully, also seeming to let the subject drop for now as he muttered: “You and your damn hair. Always getting all the hot mares interested in you.”

“Yes, but please allow me to point out that I'm married and you've seen what Cadence can do when she gets mad.” Shining Armor said tiredly, and Clarion finally gave a bit of a smile, the two looking at each other before the ivory unicorn glanced at the scarred stallion's prosthetic limb. “Do you want me to fix that for you? By which I mean, I can kick it or something.”

“If you spent less time primping your mane, your princeliness, you might have plucked out less of your brain.” Clarion replied dryly, and then he reached up and absently hammered at his synthetic leg, muttering: “No, your marefriend's little antimagic trick fried it. I'll have to bring it to the Magic Academy and get them to take a look at it.”

Shining Armor grunted, then scowled suddenly and said flatly: “She is not my marefriend. I'm married. To Cadence.”

“That was a bit of a delayed reaction.” Clarion said dryly, and then he shook his head briefly before turning towards the trapdoor, flicking his horn to yank it back open as he added: “And you sort yourself out, Shining Armor. Just because you're a Prince now doesn't mean you have to go acting like Blueblood, trying to grab up every mare in your path.”

Shining Armor glowered at this, saying stiffly: “I love Cadence. I am married to Cadence.”

Clarion simply shrugged, then he turned and began to limp down the steps, Shining Armor following after the scarred unicorn. But he wasn't able to stop himself from glancing over his shoulder and up through the still-open trapdoor...

Their walk back to Canterlot Castle was a long one, with Clarion having to drag his front leg along and Shining not in any great rush himself. He definitely wasn't interested in helping protect Miss Take, not in any way, but... he already knew that any attempt to catch her was useless. She was sly, and fast, and seemed to enjoy the games of cat and mouse she played with the Royal Guard...

He remembered, not all that long after Chrysalis had been first defeated, when he'd first met Miss Take: as in, when he had been sent to investigate a possible Changeling sighting, and he'd seen this gorgeous Pegasus mare being attacked by several drones. He and a few other guards had driven them off – and only afterwards he'd reflect that it had been far too easy – before they'd taken this poor, scared mare to Canterlot Castle so they could make sure she was safe and find out why Changelings had been attacking her...

And an hour later, that pretty mare had ransacked the treasure vaults, demolished a hoof-full of soldiers, and he was fighting her with all his strength as his soldiers hurriedly closed the emergency doors at either end of the hallway. He had a sword on his back, but he was only using his hooves: it was important they take her alive, find out just who and what she really was...

And he still didn't know how it had happened, but she had vaulted him suddenly, and he had spun to face her... and his own sword had been pressed against his throat, leaving him staring and her smiling coyly. Their eyes had met, staring at each other for the longest time... before she suddenly spun around him, keeping the sword at his throat with one hoof while the other clung to him, almost draping herself over him as she'd threatened to kill him unless they let her out of the castle.

She used him as a living shield – and a riding horse – to get to the western wing of the castle, on the highest level. The whole time, she'd chattered away amiably, like this was all fun and games to her: Shining had yet to realize that it was. That she didn't get any thrill from the pack of treasure on her back, she didn't care about riches or money... just about the thrill of stealing it, and the challenge it presented to her. Winning the game she set up with all her own unknown rules.

She'd gotten her back to the window, then suddenly shoved him down, pinning him to the ground before a flash had blinded all the soldiers that had been escorting them, and she had simply seemed to vanish. The open windows pointed to her having left through them, and as Shining Armor crawled to his hooves, he'd shouted to go, to get her. All the soldiers had listened to him, leaving him alone in the hall... except the moment he started to regain his composure, readied himself to join the rest of the guards in the search, Miss Take had suddenly dropped her head in front of him with a bright grin, winking at him as she hovered upside down.

He remembered gaping, and then she dropped in front of him, grabbed him, and kissed him. And because his luck was just so fantastic, Cadence burst into the hall to make sure he was okay after hearing from another guard what was going on.

And Shining Armor, tactical genius, first class officer, Prince of Equestria, had stared in horror as the Pegasus only giggled before he'd blurted, of all the goddamn things: “It's a mistake!”

“That's my name, darling. See you soon, handsome.” Miss Take had called brightly, and then she'd vanished. And Shining Armor had slept on the couch that night. And he'd been forced to make his own dinner for a week. And Cadence had hidden all their nice soaps and bath things and used his toothbrush to scrub out the sink. And the toilet.

Clarion cleared his throat loudly, and Shining Armor was brought back to reality as they crossed the threshold into the castle. Then the scarred stallion asked mildly, before Shining could even think of anything to avoid what he knew was coming: “Trying to figure out how you're going to tell your wife about your marefriend, your prince highness lordship?”

“She is not my marefriend. And... well, I... I'm certainly going to tell Cadence that there was a problem but...” Shining shifted awkwardly, looking back and forth through the halls before he sighed half in relief, half in annoyance as a grizzled unicorn rammed through the doors at the end of the corridor and strode towards him, muttering: “Look sharp.”

“You look sharp. You're the Prince.” mumbled Clarion, and then he quickly put as serious an expression as he could on his face he forced himself to straighten, saluting and saying crisply: “General Archon, sir.”

“At ease. Both of... you.” General Archon scowled a little at Shining Armor, who forced himself to keep his eyes respectfully forwards as he saluted, even though the immolating orange glare of the General always made him want to curl up in a hole and hide. Archon was an old war-horse, after all, not like a lot of Celestia's officers, who usually favored more-cautious tactics... instead of what usually amounted to setting everything in sight on fire. “Shining Armor, I take it you failed to capture the Changeling?”

“Yes, sir.” Shining Armor said as blandly as he could, and then he bowed his head awkwardly: mostly so he could look away from the large, orange-and-yellow unicorn made of bitterness and anger and incendiary magic. “I apologize, sir. If our forces fail to catch her in Canterlot, however, we do have a lead on where she will be heading next, sir.”

General Archon scowled, then he said icily: “I don't need your false respect, princeling. You are still under my command while you wear that armor. Where is Miss Take headed?”

“The Crystal Kingdom.” Shining Armor said quietly, glancing up and grimacing a bit, and General Archon frowned deeper. “I... I will pursue her myself. Princess Cadence and I were supposed to head there shortly anyway.”

There was an awkward moment of silence, and then General Archon snorted before saying moodily: “Then I will inform Princess Celestia that I will lead this operation into the northern lands. Your multiple failures to apprehend a dangerous Changeling criminal have gone from embarrassing you to embarrassing our entire organization.”

Shining Armor simply forced himself to smile, nodding awkwardly and mumbling out: “Yes, sir. It won't happen again, sir.”

General Archon glared him down into the ground, then he tossed a disdainful look to Clarion, who saluted again before the large unicorn simply snorted and turned around, striding back the way he'd come. Clarion and Shining Armor looked at each other for a moment, and then the scarred stallion said dryly: “Nice knowing you, Shining Armor. But I don't expect you to come back from the Crystal Kingdom now. I doubt after Archon kills you he'll have the courtesy to send you home, after all. He'll probably just leave you hanging from a post. Assuming there's enough of you left over to hang.”

“Oh, well, Clarion, thank you, thank you so much for that imagery. Look, okay, Archon hates me, I get that. I'm the little Prince Captain and that tends to rub people the wrong way sometimes.” Shining Armor said dryly, lowering his head a little before he hesitated and then said finally: “But it's a good thing, really. If. Something awful happens, I can push Archon in front of me. And he'll just. Burn it to ashes, take all the credit, get another medal and maybe give that creepy little smile he always does whenever he sets something on fire.”

Clarion looked dryly over at Shining Armor, who looked dumbly back before the scarred pony sighed and shook his head, reaching out to pat him on the shoulder. “I'm going to go get my leg fixed. And look, my honest advice for a moment here... be honest with Cadence about your marefriend Miss Take showing up. Because you know how she feels about her.”

“Yeah, I do. That's. Part of why I don't want to tell her right away.” Shining Armor said finally, and Clarion gave the stallion an amused look before he shook his head slowly and turned, limping off down the corridor as the ivory unicorn added hurriedly: “And she's not! I hate her more than I hate... uh... apparently everything because I can't think of anything else I hate!”

Clarion ignored him, and Shining Armor sighed tiredly before he dropped his head, shifting a bit from hoof-to-hoof. He was married to Cadence. He loved her, and he would be beside her forever... he was sure of that. He really was, a hundred percent sure of that...

He sighed again, then looked back and forth for a moment before turning and listlessly dragging himself through the halls as his mind turned to Cadence... and he realized there was a whole different reason she might end up being less than thrilled with him now. He had kind of just gone and... decided for them that they were going to go to the Crystal Kingdom here and now, after all. Cadence had wanted time to think, but he had half-panicked and half let himself be led along by... a mistake.

He smiled wryly at this thought, then mumbled: “But I did make one, didn't I? One hell of a mistake. One hell of a Miss Take. Miss Take is one hell of a mistake. Dammit, it's just that... stupid Changeling influence...”

Shining Armor halted and hammered at his head a few times, and then he grumbled under his breath before sighing and continuing through the familiar labyrinth of Canterlot, smiling awkwardly now and then at ponies he knew but... not really in the mood to stop for conversation beyond saying there had been a security alert, and the Royal Guard was dealing with it.

He made his way up to the quarters that he and Cadence shared, here in Canterlot Castle: not as nice as their little home in the city itself, but it was easier for them to stay here in the castle when they were both supposed to be on duty. Although his hooves felt heavy as he made his way up, and for some reason, he kept wanting to turn the other way, go down a different path, not... head right back up to Cadence right away.

Guilt, probably. He hated the thought of burdening her even more, bringing up Miss Take... the cunning half-Changeling who showed up now and then purely to cause some petty little drama before dashing off into the sunset. Shining Armor couldn't help but reflect moodily that at least Cadence got a dangerous, terrifying monster for an archnemesis in Sombra: he got a crazy mare who was obsessed with ruining his marriage and liked to steal shiny objects.

He reached the door to their apartment, and lingered for a few moments outside before finally reaching up and pushing it open. And he blinked in surprise before smiling a little as a distinct, sweet scent touched his nose: “Cadence? Is that your blueberry tea?”

He walked inside, heading through the little entrance hall to the kitchen, and he found his wife sitting at the table with a steaming cup in front of her, the mare smiling faintly as she glanced up at him. He frowned worriedly, leaning forwards as he saw the strain on her features... but the rose-colored winged unicorn simply shook her head quickly and murmured: “I'm fine, Shine, don't worry about me. What happened to you, though? You're all dirty and your mane's all a mess.”

Shining Armor smiled awkwardly, and then he hesitated and bit his cheek before stepping forwards and slipping into the chair across from her with a sigh. She frowned, leaning forwards... and Shining Armor shifted a bit, looking at her uncomfortably.

She just looked so tired, so... hurt and out of sorts. He studied her silently for the longest time, and then he said finally: “You're going to be mad, but...”

Cadence tilted her head, shifting a bit in her seat, and Shining Armor met those big, pretty eyes of hers, so... worried. There was something in the depths of them that scared him to see: some fear she had bottled away, some... knowledge that was cutting her up inside, and the stallion bit his lip before he said awkwardly: “We're going to the Crystal Kingdom tomorrow. I... General Archon is sending us. A... patrol found out that someone's going to go after the Crystal Heart.”

“Horses of Heaven, not again. I wish they'd put that thing somewhere more secure.” Cadence mumbled, shaking her head briefly before she gave a small nod and smiled faintly at him, reaching out and silently taking one of his hooves. “Well, Shine, that's... that's okay, actually. I was hoping to. And I know you can't exactly control what General Archon orders... come on, I don't come across as that needy and controlling, do I?”

“As long as it's not morning.” Shining Armor said mildly, and then he smiled a bit when she leaned forwards and whacked him with her other hoof, but she was smiling as well as he asked hesitantly: “What about you though? You look tired yourself, Cadence... and that's me trying to be polite for 'you look like complete hell.'”

“Yeah. I know.” Cadence mumbled, and then she shifted a bit before sliding out of her spot and walking over to him, burying her face against him and sighing softly as she hugged him fiercely, murmuring: “I'll tell you after I get some sleep, okay? I really don't want to think about it right now. I really just want to be here with you, and... safe.”

Shining Armor softened, wrapping his forelegs around her and hugging her close as he nodded. One hoof silently stroked through her mane as he cradled her against his body, and Cadence smiled faintly as she rested her head against his neck, breathing slowly, inhaling his familiar scent: that mix of stallion and all those silly soaps of hers he liked.

And for a little while, nothing else mattered and everything was okay, as Cadence rested against him, and Shining Armor held her close to his strong, armored body. Mistakes were forgotten and shadows were rendered harmless, and Cadence was finally able to slip down into a comforted sleep that even Luna hadn't been able to help her achieve with all her magic, while Shining felt his strength and resolve renewing, taking relief in her solace.

But both knew, in their heart of hearts, that nothing would truly be okay until they reached the Crystal Kingdom: only then would both Cadence and Shining Armor be able to find whatever destiny was waiting for them, and whether or not they were meant to face it together... or if it was going to draw them apart.

Author's Note

So I wanted to start with something easy to get back into ponies, and this story has always kind of had a "to be continued" feel to it. So I've decided to use it as kind of a "update between projects" thing, where I'll add another chapter to it after I finish the multitude of other things I've got to do, as a kind of pause. Each "episode" will expand on the arc, but I'll try to frame them as self-contained little adventures so each piece feels like a story on its own and there's less of a cliffhanger waiting for the next part.

Episode III: Fortissimo

Episode III: Fortissimo
~BlackRoseRaven

Cadence and Shining Armor both looked awkwardly at the train: the Friendship Express was the easiest way to get to the Crystal Empire, especially since the tracks had been extended all the way into the city-state. It wasn't really the favorite way for either of them to travel, but Shining had never loathed the idea of riding it north as much as he did right now.

That didn't have as much to do with the train, though, as it did with the fact that the old grouch General Archon was currently bullying all the civilians and train employees into doing what he wanted. He had gotten the passengers to line up as strictly as his own soldiers, and was currently shouting orders at his engineers and the train staff, who were working as fast as they possibly could to hook up several extra troop transports to the rare of the train.

“Someone should go stop that big bully.” Cadence grumbled, and Shining winced a bit before the winged unicorn slowly turned her eyes towards him, looking pointedly at her husband.

“Uh. I might be a prince, but I'm also just a Captain of the Guard. Archon is a general. The scariest general, as a matter of fact. And he hates me.” Shining said plaintively, and then he gestured at her a few times. “You, on the other hand, are a beloved and respected princess of Equestria. You should totally go say something to him. He won't set you on fire.”

Cadence looked for a few moments at Shining Armor, and then she sighed a little before saying mildly: “Your bravery is really showing, Shine. Truly, anypony can see why you were given all those medals for valor on the field.”

“Yes, exactly. On the field. That's a lot different from off the field, like now.” Shining nodded a few times, and Cadence sighed but smiled despite herself before Shining nudged her firmly with his shoulder. “So go talk to him. Besides, you're much better at being diplomatic than I am.”

The mare gave him an amused look, then she turned her eyes forwards and strode calmly across the platform, putting the best smile she could on her face as she approached. Archon's officers winced and saluted her sharply, but the General himself ignored her... even as he stomped right past when she stopped in front of him, shouting: “Search those earth ponies! You, soldier, double-check the baggage! You, scan the train, and you-”

Cadence pointedly cleared her throat, and General Archon scowled before slowly turning to her, saying moodily: “Your majesty, I am in the middle of preparations. Many of these security precautions are for your benefit. Well. Yours and your husband's, I should say.”

“I appreciate that, General Archon, but...” Cadence briefly thought of her options, realized that appealing to Archon's sense of mercy would be pointless, and so instead... “We're already running behind schedule, after all, and I'm sure that in the time they've taken, your soldiers must have already ensured that these civilians are no threat. Unless you doubt their competence.”

Archon gave Cadence a measuring look, and the mare did her best to keep her head high, her eyes forwards, her expression calm; poise, dignity, grace. And for Archon, a little snootiness: just what he expected in a princess.

Finally, the unicorn growled before nodding moodily, looking over his shoulder and shouting: “Start loading up the train!” He paused, then turned his moody gaze towards Cadence, asking distastefully: “And will you be riding with us, Princess Cadence, or will I only have the honor of your husband's presence?”

“I would prefer that my husband ride with me. I understand you will be busy enough maintaining and organizing your soldiers, after all, there's no need for you to attend to us as well.” Cadence replied equably, keeping her head in its high-and-mighty position even though her neck was starting to hurt.”If you'll excuse us, General Archon, I must fetch my husband and we must board the train. I plan to sit with our fellow ponies for... fellowship's sake.”

Archon muttered something that sounded vaguely like an acknowledgment, and Cadence nodded to him politely before she gestured imperiously at Shining Armor. The stallion gave a slight grin before hurrying over to her... and then he winced and creakily turned to look at Archon as the general said icily: “I will bear in mind that you've decided to take this journey as a prince, Shining Armor, instead of as a soldier. My report to Princess Celestia will be sure to reflect this choice, your lordship Shining Armor.”

“Uh.” Shining slowly cleared his throat, not knowing what he could actually say in his defense, then he simply gave a weak grin before slowly turning around, hissing through his teeth to Cadence as they started away: “What the hell did you say to him?”

“What was I supposed to say, Shine? What did you think was going to happen, having me talk to him for you?” Cadence muttered back as they made their way towards the train. Then both ponies winced when an officer immediately stepped in front of a family of ponies in line for the train, the burly unicorn shoving them all backwards before he turned to salute sharply.

Cadence and Shining Armor both looked awkwardly at the officer, then Cadence sighed as she glanced at the family of ponies who were now staring with disbelief back at them. “Uh... sorry.”

“Ma'am please enter the train ma'am!” the officer half-shouted, and Cadence sighed again before turning and muttering under her breath as Shining followed, looking uncomfortably at the officer: it would be pointless to argue. Archon trained all the soldiers under his direct command like guard dogs, after all... all the individuality, all the fun was stomped out of them so Archon could replace it all with unthinking loyalty and absolute adherence to rules and authority.

“One day, Archon is going to take over Equestria. You know that, right?” Shining muttered, and Cadence snorted in amusement.

“I don't think so, Shine. He'd have to get past us, after all.” Cadence replied after a moment, and then she smiled briefly as they made their way into one of the passenger cars, feeling a vague shiver of... was that excitement? “So we're really going.”

“Yeah. We're really going.” Shining Armor said softly, even though he could barely believe it himself. After all, in spite of how important it had felt to them both, they had also both... needed that extra push. And now, he was being sent there on business... although he had no idea how to tell Cadence exactly what that business was.

He grimaced a bit as they made their way through the passenger cars to the plush first-class seats. But even the comfortable bench-seats couldn't help him relax, even as Cadence slipped in to sit beside him with a sigh of relief, tossing her diadem down on the small table in front of them.

She dropped her head against his shoulder, and Shining sighed as he reached up to gently brush her multi-tone mane back, gazing at her with both tenderness and anxiety. He was worried about her... and admittedly, a little about himself, too. Less about the fact they were probably rushing headlong into danger, and more because he still hadn't mentioned anything to her about Miss Take.

He didn't exactly know how he was going to bring her up, either, and he was feeling more than a little guilty about it. He hated keeping secrets from Cadence, but well. He also kind of hated that horrible look she gave him every time he brought up the weird, obsessive half-Changeling. He really didn't understand why she got so worked up about it, it wasn't like he had any feelings for the creepy criminal stalking him. And it wasn't his fault she kept breaking the law and he kept getting assigned to try and hunt her down, either.

“Shine? What's wrong?” Cadence glanced up, and Shining gave a lame grin and shrugged awkwardly. She frowned at him, narrowing her eyes slightly as she almost pushed their noses together, and he winced back a bit. “Oh no. What did you do?”

“Uh...” Shining was saved, however, by a soldier approaching, and the unicorn instead gestured quickly at this, muttering: “Looks like you have to do your whole diplomacy thing again.”

Cadence sighed, but turned around and smiled briefly up at the officer as he saluted them, before announcing: “Ma'am! I have been ordered by General Archon to stand guard, ma'am!”

“We're perfectly fine by ourselves. Shining and I can look out for each other.” Cadence said politely, but the soldier looked unmoved by this, only turning to glare back and forth through the narrow aisle. “Uh. Honestly. You can go.”

“Ma'am, with all due respect, ma'am, regulations state that a prince and princess must not be left without defense, and I have been given a direct order from General Archon.” the soldier replied crisply, “Ma'am, I cannot disobey the orders of my superior officer, ma'am.”

Cadence couldn't help but make a bit of a face, and Shining Armor frowned himself before he opened his mouth thoughtfully, but the solider immediately cut off him with a brisk: “Sir, General Archon reports directly to Princess Celestia and thus she is the only pony of higher standing in the chain of command, sir! His orders cannot be overruled by your princeship, sir!”

Shining Armor slowly closed his mouth, scowling horribly, and Cadence gave the slightest of smiles, glancing over at him and saying dryly: “So much for throwing your weight around, your lordship.”

“You know, maybe this is why Blueblood is such a jerk all the time.” Shining Armor grumbled, dropping his head moodily to the table with a clunk. “What's the point of being a prince if it's only in name? Everyone makes fun of me, Cadence. I was respected a whole lot more before I became a prince. I became a prince for you. I hope you never forget that sacrifice.”

“Oh, Shining, and it was a mighty one indeed. Now if only I could get you to trim your mane a little.” Cadence said wryly, reaching out and lightly flicking at his hair, and the ivory unicorn huffed and drew his head back, giving her a flat look.

“Why do you always have to make everything about my hair?” he asked mildly, reaching up to absently flick at his own locks a bit, and then he shook his head briefly before glancing up at her from the table and adding: “Besides, I thought you liked my mane longer. You said it made me look like a wild stallion.”

“A wild stallion with a mane that smells like flowers and a body laced with the rugged scent of lavender soap.” Cadence replied mildly, and Shining blushed slightly as he sat up and cleared his throat loudly, gesturing pointedly with his head a few times at the soldier guarding them.

Cadence only rolled her eyes in amusement, though: the soldier, after all, was only looking coldly down the aisle, staring down all the other passengers. “I don't think he's paying attention, honey. Besides, any pony who comes close to you knows.”

“It's... it's the polish for my very masculine armor.” Shining defended lamely, shaking his head briskly. “And your shampoo is the only thing that works for my mane. It's also got a picture of a stallion on it, so... you're the weird one here. Not me. Washing yourself with stallion shampoo.”

Cadence sighed a little... then looked up with a wince as the soldier guarding them held up a hoof when a pony tried to walk past, stepping into his way and saying curtly: “Sir, this area is off-limits.”

The pony stared for a moment, then tried to point past the guard, saying awkwardly: “The only other washrooms are back in coach... I'll just be a minute,can't-”

“Sir. Leave.” the officer growled, and the pony winced before scrambling in a circle and hurrying back down the aisle.

Cadence scowled at the soldier, but the officer simply resumed his cold vigil, and the princess sighed after a moment before she muttered to Shining: “I swear Archon must turn them into robots or something. Just look at him.”

Shining only shrugged at this, replying finally: “Archon is... very good. No, I mean that, honestly. He knows how to train his soldiers. But he's also very old-fashioned and everything is a little... well. Rough.”

“That's one word for it. Although I don't entirely buy that 'old days' excuse.” Cadence murmured, thinking her strange half-dreams, half-memories of the stallion who had to be her father... but then she shuddered and hurriedly shoved these away before they could become nightmares, mumbling: “I just think it's silly, that's all.”

The stallion looked at her curiously for a moment... but then the train rumbled, and he instead turned to look out the window with a slight smile, rubbing a hoof along Cadence's back as he said encouragingly: “Look, we're moving! We're actually doing this, going to... get to the whole root of this thing. We'll find the truth, me and you.”

Cadence smiled wryly, glancing over at Shining Armor even as she laid her head across her forelegs, looking softly up at the stallion. He was so enthusiastic, so positive, trying so hard in his own brave way. Brave and strong but... a little bumbling, too. A funny attribute to give the youngest stallion ever to be promoted to Captain of the Guard, who was so strong and professional out on the field, but when it came to real, everyday life...

But she loved that about him. It was cute... well... when it didn't get on her nerves, anyway. And sure, they had their fights and rough edges and didn't always get along so well, but was there anyone in Equestria who never argued? She doubted it. Besides, they had so many things in common, like... well... fighting, and... pretty manes, and... they both liked Twilight Sparkle.

“That doesn't count. Everyone likes Twilight Sparkle.” mumbled Cadence into her forelegs. Shining frowned at her, tilting his head, and she cleared her throat as she realized she'd spoken out loud, sitting up and meaning to say something encouraging and positive- “Shine, what do we really have in common?”

“Uh.” Shining blanked, staring at her for a few moments before he cleared his throat, then touched his own chest and said seriously: “We're both intelligent, attractive, strong, great in a fight-”

“Shine, be serious.” Cadence smiled a little all the same as she sat up, reaching out and poking his purple-armored chest gently. “Honestly, how much do we have in common? I mean... we're both nice ponies. Nice ponies who try and do nice pony things, who are both dedicated to our country and...”

Cadence bit her lip, and Shining sighed before he slipped a foreleg around her gently, saying softly: “You're worrying too much. And is it really this that's bothering you, or is it the fact that we've started this... quest-adventure thingy, and well... I guess I speak for the both of us when I say we're probably not completely prepared for it.”

The rose-colored mare nodded slowly, sighing a little as she dropped her head before Shining continued soothingly: “Look. We're almost at the root of... all of this. Let's just hang on until we get to the Crystal Kingdom... the answer's there, right? Well, we'll find it together, Cadence, and then we can move on from this and... maybe have ourselves a nice second honeymoon or something. How does that sound to you?”

“As long as you don't try to go surfing again, Shining. It was a little embarrassing for us both.” Cadence said after a moment, smiling briefly as she looked up at the stallion, and he huffed a bit before the winged unicorn nodded slowly and sat up, gazing across at him softly. “Okay. Let's find the answer, and then... find our way back home. I don't think it'll take long, once we're actually in the Crystal Kingdom: I'm already starting to feel like... like I might know where I have to go. I just hope we don't get sidetracked by this business with someone else trying to steal the Crystal Heart again.”

Shining Armor smiled at this and nodded, and Cadence smiled briefly back... but when he turned back to gaze out the window, she lowered her head and rubbed silently at her temples. She didn't want Shining to worry about her... didn't want him to know that as the train began to pick up speed, she could feel herself getting more and more afraid of what they were getting into. That she was terrified of what they might find waiting for them in the Crystal Kingdom... that while she knew she had to find the truth, at the same time she was scared of what was going to happen to her when she did.

And her husband was already back to staring out the window, watching the terrain roll by: Cadence envied him. Able to just look out and enjoy the journey, getting excited like a little colt... and of course, how he could fool himself into believing he was doing such a fantastic job of not letting her know that something was wrong. Or, more likely, he'd done something dumb and was doing his damnedest to try and avoid telling her about it. Which annoyed her, but she trusted him enough to believe it was probably something embarrassing. He usually told her when he did something that she'd be mad at him for.

She decided to leave him be for now, though, instead glancing back over at the soldier and wishing absently he would go away as she fiddled with her diadem on the table. She knew that this was probably Archon's way of annoying them as much as possible, though: if he was really so concerned about their safety, the General would have just sat up here himself with them. Which would have had the added pleasure of making Shining curl in a ball but... Cadence figured that the General had some other plans of his own he wanted to take care of.

They didn't really share any conversation as the train rumbled onwards, rolling down the tracks for more than an hour: the entire time, the soldier simply stood by, occasionally rebuffing anyone who got too close, saluting the patrols that passed by at regular twenty minute intervals, and generally making Cadence wish she could knock him out. But that would probably just cause all sorts of further problems, which she really didn't need right now.

She wished she'd packed a book or something, but... they had kind of been rushed getting their luggage together, and Shining had thought it would be a bright idea to send it all ahead. And sure, he was fine, staring out the window and enjoying the scenery passing by, but she was feeling grumpy and wondering if all stallions could do that whole... zoning out while staring out a window thing.

Cadence slowly reached a hoof up and poked him in the side, leaning back on her other elbow grumpily as she heard the soldier snap at someone else. She decided it was probably better to just ignore him for now and make sure that she sent out apology cards later to the rest of the passengers unlucky enough to be riding with them. There unfortunately wasn't a whole lot she could do to deter the soldier, after all.

Shining Armor grunted and absently pushed at her as she poked him a few more times, and Cadence grumbled and poked at him a few more times, this time using both hooves to tickle up his side and over his back. He flailed grouchily at this, then began to turn... and then both ponies stared as a Pegasus mare easily hopped into the seat on the other side of the table, smiling pleasantly between the couple. “Hello, darlings.”

The ivory stallion slowly paled, mouthing wordlessly, and Cadence did a double take before slowly grinding her teeth together, one eye twitching slightly as she felt a burst of protectiveness and fury. But the mare only winked at them fearlessly, in spite of the fact that this train was full of Royal Guards and... “You criminal!”

“Nice to see you too, Princess Cadence, what a lovely pale shade of green blush you're wearing.” teased Miss Take with an easy gesture towards her. Shining Armor began to lean forwards as Cadence's eyes flashed, but then the Pegasus glanced towards him and added with pleasant curiosity: “Didn't you tell her that I would be joining you, Shining? You silly goose, we talked all about it the other day, right before you gave me the idea to go rob that bank!”

Cadence slowly turned towards Shining Armor, and the stallion shrank back into the corner, grinning awkwardly and slipping downwards until he was almost hiding under the table, saying weakly under his wife's immolating gaze: “It... uh... it's not what it sounds like?”

The rose-colored winged unicorn narrowed her eyes, and Shining gave an apologetic giggle and awkwardly dropped his hooves to tap them nervously together. But then Cadence turned her sharp glare back towards Miss Take, asking with disgust: “I suppose you're the pony who wants to steal the Crystal Heart too, right?”

“And why so angry, darling? You treat me like I'm an even bigger threat than Chrysalis, and that's certainly not true at all. Or do I threaten you, dear?” Miss Take smiled kindly as Cadence spluttered and began to shake her head violently at this. “Now, it's not such a silly thought, is it sweetie? Just look at you, how worked up you are! And, point of order, I said I would steal it if you didn't get there in time. But I guess Shine forgot to mention that, huh? Silly-billy.”

Miss Take tipped him a wink, and Cadence twitched as Shining Armor slumped lower before sitting up slightly, blurting: “The... the guard! Right! Guard, uh, guard, we need the guard!”

“Oh, I took care of him. He was mean.” Miss Take sniffed and flicked a hoof disdainfully off to the side. “But a flick of my flank, and he came running right to me... and long story short, you can fit surprisingly big things in those overhead baggage carriers.”

“You killed him?” Shining asked disbelievingly... then stared when Cadence suddenly grabbed her diadem off the table and threw it like a boomerang at Miss Take.

And, without flinching, Miss Take easily caught this, smiling pleasantly before she absently picked at her teeth with one end of the tiara, saying kindly: “Thank you, honey... oh, I'm guessing no one really knows that the points of this thing are so nasty-sharp, though! Golly, I wouldn't want to make you mad... and all those sharp things in your luggage, too! I would never use sharp things. And to answer your question, sweetie, no, I didn't kill the guard. I just... made sure he'd sleep like a baby until we get to the Crystal Kingdom together.”

Cadence growled low in her throat, and Shining stared between the two mares before he slowly rose a hoof and said awkwardly: “I need to pee.”

“No.” Both mares said in unison, glaring over at him. Then Cadence blinked in surprise and looked back at Miss Take, but the Pegasus only sniffed loudly as she tossed the diadem back down on the table, saying pointedly: “He didn't just lie to you, sweetie. I was under the impression he was going to tell you all about the plans we made.”

“Plans?” Cadence asked moodily, slowly turning her eyes back to Shining.

The stallion grinned lamely, rubbing at the collar of his armor before he cleared his throat and said weakly: “I uh. I should go and... not be... I mean, the other soldiers! Someone... definitely has to distract the other soldiers and Archon, gee, that... sounds like a great job for me to go do while you mares work this whole thing out and-”

Cadence glared at him,while Miss Take giggled and waved a hoof before saying dismissively: “Oh, don't worry your pretty mane over that, Shining, I already dealt with that little problem.”

Shining opened his mouth, likely to make some retort defending his mane... and then the train rocked violently as there was a tremendous boom. Cadence and Shining Armor both leapt up and stared over the back of their seat in shock as ponies yelled and shouted at each other in a panic, then the couple whirled around to glare furiously at Miss Take... except the half-Changeling looked just as stupefied by what had happened as they did.

The rose-colored mare immediately assumed it was a trick, however, refusing to be suckered in as she snapped: “What did you do?”

“Hey, don't look at me!” Miss Take retorted, looking both injured and insulted. “Explosions aren't really my thing at all. Far too messy, all flash and sizzle... usually literally. I took the much more debonair approach and just drugged all their food when mealtime rolled around, that's all.”

Shining and Cadence both stared at her disbelievingly, and then the pink mare snapped before she could stop herself: “That's the tool of cowards!”

“It's also the tool of smart people who don't like leaving permanent damage. Besides, you're only a coward when you use it to kill other ponies.” the Pegasus replied pettishly, flicking a hoof out disdainfully. “Otherwise it's the decent thing to do, in a situation like this.”

“You have a weird sense of decency.” Shining muttered under his breath, and then he shook his head quickly before grimacing a bit as he looked back over the bench, watching as someone charged in through the rear door, shouting and panicking, but still coherent enough that... “It sounds like we lost all the cars past coach. Which means the soldiers are drugged and-”

“Oh no! What about my luggage!” Miss Take exclaimed, looking horrified as she grabbed the sides of her face, and Shining and Cadence both stared at her disbelievingly as the Pegasus mare glared back at them, then said grumpily: “Well, pardon me for caring about my things! Haven't you ever heard of sentimental value?”

Cadence glared... then her own eyes widened, even as Shining Armor said grouchily: “Yes, clearly, that's clearly the important thing right now, the fact that we lost some baggage instead of the fact that the train was clearly just attacked by someone other than you, which really-”

“She's right! Our luggage!” Cadence said urgently, and Shining Armor stared at her with disbelief, mouthing slowly.

“Are... Cadence, you can't be-”

“My gear, you lunkhead! All my equipment, we stored it!” Cadence almost shouted, grabbing Shining by the collar of his armor and shaking him firmly, and the stallion winced and stared at her dumbly. “Oh no, you... no, no, no no no...”

“Oh, you poor dear!” Miss Take said sympathetically, leaning towards her with a worried look in her eyes. “That armor was very precious to you, wasn't it? I hear all sorts of funny things about you warrior types, you know, and I imagine if somepony as silly as Shining Armor treats his armor so well, someone like you must just go to pieces over her... what do you call it, darling?”

“My...” Cadence bit down on the words before she could say anything, instead shaking her head quickly and muttering: “None of your business. Besides, I wouldn't want you to think anything of mine is valuable. You might steal it.”

Miss Take put a hoof over her breast, giving Cadence a hurt look. “There's no need to be so mean now, Princess Cadence. I've never ever not once disrespected you, after all. I think very highly of you! And you can't really blame me for wanting the absolute very best for you and your husband now, can you?”

Cadence grumbled under her breath at this, glowering over at the mare and saying grouchily: “Yes, seducing my husband and stealing things and generally being a giant pain in the-”

“Uh. Ladies? The train?” Shining Armor said awkwardly from his corner, and both mares glared at him for a moment, making him wince even as he held up a hoof and said lamely: “Not to get in the way of your argument or anything, but we're apparently under attack here-”

“We are, but it's an ambush.” Miss Take replied mildly, gesturing at him easily, and Shining stared as Cadence frowned slightly. The half-Changeling looked between the two of them, then she gave a teasing smile, saying softly: “Please. You don't disconnect a train car with an explosion unless you're trying to draw someone out. Probably the only two ponies who would dare respond to such a thing... and, if you'll allow me to make a completely wild guess-”

“Phoenix Guild.” Cadence cut off shortly, and Miss Take huffed at her and crossed her forelegs grumpily, even as she gave a short nod. “But why now? We've been on the alert for any signs of their possible movement against us... and the saner ones must recognize that Sombra-”

“Because ponies who kill other ponies for a living and gobble down all that gross chunky meat as part of their cult rituals are really likely to be sane, sugar. Come on, sweet-pea, you should know better than that.” Miss Take said almost disapprovingly, and Cadence ground her teeth together slowly as she glared at the Pegasus. “I don't think any of their icky guild are really sane.”

Shining Armor looked between the mares, then he sighed and asked almost pleadingly: “Can we go and maybe do something about those 'icky ponies' before they-”

Both mares glared at Shining again, and he cleared his throat and slowly sank into his seat before Cadence muttered: “I am not working with a criminal. An... an outlaw.”

“Now, don't be so prejudicial. I prefer to be thought of as... 'free-spirited.'” Miss Take replied airily, waving a hoof before she winked over at Shining Armor. “Your husband certainly seems to enjoy it, after all. He understands that, now don't you, ShyShy?”

Shining gave a wheezing giggle, then held up his hooves and looked over at Cadence as she twitched and glowered furiously at Miss Take. “Honey, I uh... I think you and I should just go and uh... take care of those. Problems.”

“Yes. We should.” Cadence muttered, and then she straightened and glared across at Miss Take almost challengingly, even as the Pegasus smiled kindly back. “You stay out of trouble. We'll handle this ourselves. Understood?”

“So bossy! Honestly, now, there's no need for that.” Miss Take said with mock seriousness, clicking her tongue loudly and waving a hoof again. “I'll be a good girl and stay out of trouble down here, Princess Cadence. I wouldn't want to trample on your property or anything.”

Cadence glared at the half-Changeling, while Shining gave a weak laugh before he dropped his head and winced when the rose-colored mare glared at him. “Sorry. Your property is coming right along behind you, dear.”

“You're not my property. If you were, I could have stored you in baggage and we wouldn't be having this conversation.” Cadence grumbled, even though she was well-aware that statement likely didn't entirely make sense. Miss Take only giggled, though, and Shining Armor simply winced and dropped his head, knowing better than to argue.

But as wife and husband made their way down the aisle, they both became more serious. Cadence let Shining take the lead as the knot of panicking passenger ponies turned towards them: with his armor and reputation, he seemed like much more of an authority figure, while the fact that she had rescued him had already become little more than an urban legend. “What's going on?”

“The rear cars are gone! They exploded!” blurted one of the ponies, pointing several times at the ajar door leading to the next car.

Shining Armor looked over the ponies: most of them were still in their seats, looking terrified... but clearly expecting someone else to deal with this problem for them. And after a moment, the stallion gave his best self-assured smile, saying calmly: “Please return to your seats. Princess Cadence and I will handle this.”

How the hell the ponies expected them to 'fix' it, Cadence had no idea. Yet all the same, the ponies all looked at them with naïve trust, in spite of whatever worries and fears they had. Very justified fears, at that, considering the fact that part of the train had just apparently blown up...

Yet all the same, the pony that had rushed in opened the door to the rear car, calling with almost-tangible relief: “Captain Armor is here! He's going to fix everything, guys!”

Shining Armor rose his head proudly, and Cadence gave a short roll of her eyes as she followed behind her husband. As much as she loved him... sometimes he could be just a little bit annoying when it came to things like this. And they didn't always agree on the way Equestria seemed to work: how ponies were all taught to trust and follow their strong leaders... but what happened when there were no leaders left, or they made bad decisions?

Cadence only shook her head briefly as they walked through the coach car, ponies cheering and applauding them as they made their way towards the rear door... and Cadence frowned slightly at this, trying to bring her focus away from these... almost-helpless ponies to the rear door. The passengers near the back had been startled, clearly, but not hurt... and even the door itself looked like it was in good condition.

While Shining said some encouraging words and promised that they were going to deal with whatever was wrong and handled all that nonsense he always claimed she was better at, Cadence slipped past to touch the door and close her eyes. She wasn't surprised to find it wasn't that hot, and the winged unicorn frowned for a moment before she grasped the handle and slowly forced the door to slide open.

She winced at the feeling of the wind pulling at her as she leaned down, studying the damaged coupling as Shining continued to distract the passengers. It was blackened and burnt, but not that warped or damaged. And most of the damage was suspiciously straight: a gentle brush of her hoof against the metal told her that this had definitely been cut in advance, and the splintered edge near the bottom meant...

“Someone really knew what they were doing.” Cadence muttered, looking down the tracks and grimacing: she couldn't see the rear cars anywhere. It made her worried... and the winged unicorn shook her head quickly before she turned around-

If she hadn't been expecting it, the assassin would have landed right on top of her: as it was, she was barely able to throw herself to the side before she slammed an elbow back into the face of her attacker, knocking him backwards with a grunt of surprise before she slammed both hooves into the chest of the pony that had tried to jump her.

He was knocked hurtling out the back of the train car, and Shining gaped as Cadence only grimaced over her shoulder, catching a brief glimpse of a Pegasus before he crashed down to the ground beyond the tracks. The mare cursed under her breath: even if she hadn't actually managed to catch much of a glimpse of him, those tactics...

“What was that?” Shining asked disbelievingly, gaping as openly as the passengers. Cadence gave her husband a dry look for a moment, then she simply shook her head before her eyes flicked sharply up to the ceiling as something hammered loudly against it.

She ducked low, and Shining Armor winced and did the same after a moment, the stallion narrowly avoiding a blade that tore down through the ceiling and just managed to clip through his mane. He swore loudly as the passengers shouted in shock... or rather, almost all of them did, Cadence's sharp eyes noted.

She threw herself forwards, cannonballing herself into Shining and knocking him sprawling on his side a moment before a blast of poisonous magic ripped through the air where the stallion had been. Cadence glared at the snarling unicorn that had fired the blast, preparing to leap-

Then there was a loud crack before the unicorn that had attacked them simply slumped to the ground, twitching weakly. Cadence and Shining were both left staring in disbelief as Miss Take smiled brightly from behind the fallen pony, saying kindly: “I hope you don't mind me butting in. But really, that was such a nasty trick.”

Cadence ground her teeth together... then both she and Shining looked up in shock as two large, glowing blades tore through the roof before they both ripped curving swathes through the ceiling, sending an enormous chunk of metal and wood crashing down into the car.

The winged unicorn snapped her horn sharply to the side with a curse, blasting the circle of roof out of the way before she lunged fearlessly straight up even as an assassin leapt down towards her with a glowing katar already drawn back to strike. The weapon lashed out, but Cadence deflected the strike with her horn as her wings flapped hard, letting her kick both rear hooves straight up into the pony's stomach.

The assassin gagged as he was launched upwards before hitting the rim of the hole with a sickening crack: he spasmed as he fell back down, and Cadence slammed both front hooves into his face, sending him crashing bonelessly to the floor and nearly rolling out of the train.

A second assassin leapt down, his own katar poised to strike, but a blast of magic from Shining Armor smashed into his face and knocked the Pegasus off course, sending him crashing into a row of empty seats. His katar pierced only wood, the assassin cursing before Shining Armor tackled him backwards into the wall and slammed a hoof down into his face with enough force to snap his jaw and crack his head off the window.

The Pegasus collapsed to the floor between the seats in a prone heap, and Shining quickly ripped his katar free from where it had gotten lodged in the seats, grimacing as he turned the triangular blade back and forth before muttering: “Well, any stable in a storm.”

“And I assume you two have room for one more, then?” Miss Take almost purred, and Cadence and Shining Armor both glared before the half-Changeling pointed easily at one of the unconscious assassins. “See their bracers? That design means they should be at least second rank, but they're covered in rust and they've lost all their paint. You see, the Phoenix Guild specially treats their bracers while forged so they have a thin layer of very highly-oxidized material on the surface. It doesn't make them any less durable, oh no no, but it does mean that if they aren't treated each and every day, they lose all their color.”

Cadence stared for a moment in disbelief, while Shining looked dumbly up before the half-Changeling added pleasantly, gesturing at the katar in his grip: “And those are normally ceremonial weapons. Dangerous, oh certainly: their ceremonies are closely guarded in secret, but meat-eating meanies like these ponies are certainly can't be expected to have nice, quiet little rituals, can they? Something's wrong with them. And I don't mean the obvious, darlings.”

“Thanks for all that input, really.” Cadence said sourly, and then she shook her head quickly before grinding her teeth together. As much as she absolutely loathed what these strange instincts inside her were telling her to do... “Can you... back us up? Only because you seem to know so much about these guys.”

“Darling!” Miss Take smiled brightly, clapping her front hooves together before she said positively: “Of course, oh I most certainly would be just thrilled to! You and me and darling Shining Armor, we'll be unbeatable, and... cover!”

Several large, crystalline orbs flew in through the hole in the roof, and Cadence cursed and leapt forwards as Shining tried to duck for cover in the seats. But when the orbs hit the ground, the exploded with not fire and heat, but flashes of light and antimagic that sent waves of agony ripping through the stallion despite his attempt to hide behind the seats, crying out as his horn sparked painfully and his weapon fell uselessly to the floor.

Cadence gasped, caught at the edge of the blast and stumbling as the antimagic shocked over her body, but then she gritted her teeth and concentrated, making her horn light up with a pink glow. It repulsed the toxic energies, Cadence cursing as she spun around in a circle, readying herself for the attack that would doubtlessly follow up the attempt to disable them...

And nothing came. She stared at the opening as crucial moments became seconds, enough time passing that Shining was able to blearily raise his head and look dumbly at the hole himself as the antimagic's worst effects wore off.

Cadence opened her mouth... then her ears flicked at a sickening crack before she looked disbelievingly over her shoulder to see Miss Take standing calmly on top of another pony. He was still holding a knife in his jaws, but he clearly was in no position to use it as the half-Changeling almost tenderly massaged the back of his neck. “I remembered we were having a discussion about cowards before. You see the difference between what I do, and what they do? Cowardice is sneaking up on a person when their back is turned. But I'm not a coward because I was sneaking up on a sneak. You see?”

The rose-hued mare only took a slow breath as she glared at Miss Take, grinding her teeth together and not wanting to admit how easily the half-Changeling was getting under her skin. And Shining Armor couldn't help but give an awkward smile before he asked uneasily: “So uh... do you think that's all of them?”

“For now.” Miss Take said easily, winking over at the stallion before she stepped off the unmoving pony and absently brushed herself off. “But I'm certain that very soon, they'll be back.”

“What are you talking about? No, you know too much about their tactics, about what they're doing and-”

But Cadence was cut off as Shining Armor stepped forwards, reaching up and gently squeezing his wife's shoulder as he said pointedly: “I think what my wife is trying to say is that we're very happy for your help but uh... well... this may be just a little bit suspicious...”

“Oh, Shine! So protective of us both!” Miss Take said delightedly, while Cadence looked with frustration over at Shining Armor... although part of her understood what Shining Armor was trying to do. Be the good guy, the hero, the pony to act as an intermediary and work things out between both sides. He was actually a lot better at it than he acted, too... at least, as long as he considered the ponies he was talking to his equals.

Cadence grumbled a little as she stood up, then the rose-hued mare shook her head quickly before asking grumpily: “So are you working for them?”

“What? Of course not!” Miss Take huffed and touched her own chest, and Cadence looked at her suspiciously... then ground her teeth together when Shining Armor only gave a brief nod and an uneasy smile.

Cadence opened her mouth... then realized what she was about to do, as she felt the magic her horn was still enshelled with curdling, sparking... and the pink mare slowly closed her mouth and her eyes, dropping her head forwards and making herself calm down.

Jealousy. Envy. Anger. She felt those things, trying to rear up inside her... trying to worm their way out, corrupting the effects of her magics. And she knew it was because of their... history with Miss Take. And the many mistakes that Shining Armor seemed to always make around her.

Oh, sure. He always said he didn't like her. He claimed to chase her because he was somehow always assigned to capture her. But he also always avoided talking about her, with the excuse that he didn't want to make Cadence uncomfortable or he didn't want to poke old wounds or... a thousand other excuses that were all variations of the same damn thing.

And none of that would bother her so much if he'd just be honest with her. She cared about him, and she would be willing to discuss his feelings and maybe try and resolve this whole mess if he'd just talk about it once, but... Shining wasn't really the talking sort. And even if they could read each other better than your average friends... couple, I mean, couple...

“Cadence, darling, it might not be my place to say, but please come back down to Equestria, sweetie. We need you here now.” Miss Take said kindly, and Cadence twitched before glaring over at the mare, but then she gave a brief, grudging nod. And Miss Take smiled in response before politely bowing her head forwards, saying gently: “Thank you, dear.”

Shining Armor looked awkwardly between the mares, then he cleared his throat and simply stepped off to the side, likely just now realizing that he had nearly been caught up in a crossfire between the two mares. Cadence gave her husband a dry look, then shook her head briefly before she forced herself to focus. Oh, sure, a large part of her wanted to snap and argue and just act like a controlling little filly with her first crush over this whole thing, but...

Cadence forced herself to look over at the half-Changeling, grinding her teeth together before she asked moodily: “What do you know? And be honest.”

“As if I would lie to either of you!” Miss Take put a hurt look on her face, but she had a mischievous gleam in her eyes as she said gently: “When the guild first came to Canterlot, they found little old me. They wanted me to do some scouting for them, and kidnap you. I refused, of course, Cadence, and I will be perfectly honest and say not just on moral grounds. I have two strict rules: I don't help ponies kill each other, and I don't pick fights with ponies who could kill me.”

The rose-hued mare scowled a little, then she turned a moody look to Shining Armor, who winced and awkwardly held up his hooves, saying lamely: “Hey, I never told her about your uh... hobby. And... wait, why do you always attack me, then?”

Miss Take simply smiled kindly at Shining Armor, who looked back at her before his expression soured and he said flatly: “I'll have you know that I'm just as good a fighter as either of you are. I just... I don't like hitting mares. That's all.”

“Well, there's your problem them, my sweet.” Miss Take said kindly, striding over to him and leaning towards the stallion with a teasing smile, her eyes half-lidding. “Because it seems like we mares certainly enjoy hitting you.”

Shining cleared his throat awkwardly and gestured violently towards Cadence with his head, and the pink mare scowled horribly at the two of them before she shook her head shortly and said loudly: “Then how do you know what they're doing now?”

“I don't, not really. But while we were talking I 'borrowed' one of their cute little rulebooks for their cute little club.” Miss Take replied pleasantly, giving a slight smile and tipping a wink towards the winged unicorn. “Or perhaps I should say 'liberated,' considering that you went and... dealt with all those nasty nasty ponies afterwards. They certainly don't have any use for those books now. Really, it was fortunate it ended up in the hooves of a collector of fine things like myself!”

Cadence grunted and Shining Armor sighed, before the stallion asked moodily: “You do understand the difference between right and wrong, don't you?”

“Oh, come now! We've talked about this already, twice!' Miss Take said pointedly, but she sounded no less enthusiastic, apparently not annoyed in the slightest by either pony. “Come on, my dears, as you both say... can't we save this for later?”

“Fine. You said they're going to attack again?” Cadence asked shortly, and then the rose-colored mare grimaced as she looked back and forth at the few passengers that were still in their seats, staring at them with expressions of half-terror, half-amazement. “Uh, maybe we should move, too...”

“Now, darling, where else is there to go? Besides, you shouldn't mind a few curious eyes. I know that I certainly don't.” Miss Take winked over at Cadence as she swayed her body back and forth, licking her lips teasingly... and Cadence really just felt like... punching her. She wasn't even entirely sure why, but just... everything Miss Take did made her want to physically hurt the half-Changeling in ways that she normally wouldn't consider hurting even the most frustrating of ponies.

Miss Take seemed to catch on to this, because the Pegasus gave a long, theatrical sigh before she stepped away from Shining Armor, saying more seriously: “I believe this is what their rulebook calls a multi-point ambush. Except it was very muddled... they're messy, aren't they?”

“Yes, the whole... coming at us through the roof and somehow sneaking past Archon and all of that, definitely shows that they're amateurs.” Shining Armor said drolly, and Cadence gave him a flat look as Miss Take only smiled almost patronizingly at him, which made the stallion grimace and mumble before he could stop himself: “I never imagined you two would agree on anything.”

“We both agree you're a cutie. And that you really need to take better care of your brain, which I know rhymes with 'mane,' but you shouldn't mix the two up so often.” Miss Take said pleasantly, and Shining Armor blinked slowly before he scowled horribly, but the Pegasus had already turned her eyes back towards Cadence almost expectantly.

And after a moment, Cadence nodded slowly before she hesitantly strode towards the prone assassin that Miss Take had brought down. She studied the pony silently for a few moments, then said softly: “His coat colors have faded slightly. And he feels... cold, even though he's still breathing. He sounded perfectly normal, he was able to blend in enough to get past Archon and his troops... but they seem more fragile, like their bodies aren't moving on instinct anymore. Like...”

“They're driving themselves on thought and willpower alone.” Miss Take finished, smiling appreciatively over at Cadence. “They lack the will to live, the drive to fight, all their instinct... instead, they're living on what seems like pure hate for you and your husband, my darling.”

Cadence frowned over at Miss Take, forgetting her dislike of the mare for a moment as she asked uneasily: “But what would do that to them?”

But she already had an idea... and when Miss Take tipped her a knowing wink, she thought that was the same theory the half-Changeling had come to as well. Shining Armor looked a little confused, but the winged unicorn figured that he would catch up sooner rather than later.

Sombra... and for some reason, the mare didn't think it was anything intentional on Sombra's part. Rather, it was likely some kind of side effect of his dark magic: maybe being around him, even while he was possessing another pony, made ponies... more like him...

Cadence shivered a bit, then she shook herself quickly before saying quietly: “If... if there's a second ambush waiting for us up ahead, we should move to intercept it before it can happen. Roof?”

“Good idea. We're on a rather rough incline, and it's only going to get rougher as we move through the mountains: I'm sure they'll attack us when we're slowed to a crawl through these icky barrens, I have almost no doubt of that.” Miss Take said mildly, gesturing easily to the side with one hoof. “Should we get a nip to eat first, though? Maybe something to sippy-sip?”

“I don't think we should get anything to 'sippy-sip.'” Cadence said sourly, glowering a little, but Miss Take only smiled pleasantly and shrugged easily before the winged unicorn sighed and said finally: “Miss Take, maybe you should stay down here, just in case there's-”

“Oh, no, don't worry. I can fix that!” Miss Take said brightly, and the gemstone on her forehead glowed brightly before she closed her eyes and flicked her mane back with a grin.

There was a bright emerald flash, Cadence flinching to the side and Shining Armor almost throwing himself to the ground with a curse. All the same, the minds of both ponies sizzled with a wild array of emotions and feelings, blinding them to the world for a few moments before Cadence managed to shakily pick herself up.

She shook herself quickly out, grinding her teeth together as her eyes flicked back and forth before she asked with what was half-exasperation, half-disgust: “Did you honestly have to hypnotize everyone?”

“I didn't. Rather, it was just a little touch of emotional overload.” Miss Take replied easily, shrugging a bit and looking at her with a slight smile as the strange haze of green faded from Cadence's sight and mind. It let her more clearly process both her thoughts... and understand what had happened to the drooling ponies now sprawled in their seats and over the floor. “It's the best way to make sure no one else has to get hurt. Besides, it's the furthest thing from cruel, really: a few lucky ponies get a nice sleepy-weepy until all this madness is over, and those strange, numbed ponies might get a little bit of the feeling back in their... broken hearts.”

“Broken hearts.” Cadence said moodily, and Miss Take nodded seriously. “What makes you think they have 'broken hearts?' All we've talked about is the lack of instinct, the-”

“The forced reliance on the mind darling! Besides, I'm half-Changeling. I can taste their emotions, and to me, they taste... all bland, broken, diluted. Like white-out. It makes it very easy to figure out which one of them have been taken over.” Miss Take replied happily, as Shining slowly began to pick himself up.

“Wait, you... you can tell who the assassins are?” Cadence asked disbelievingly, and the half-Changeling only smiled and shrugged before the winged unicorn twitched, then shouted: “Then what the hell is the point of... of all of this?”

“I'm being cautious and taking intelligent preventative measures. Also, it's a lot more fun this way.” Miss Take answered with an easy shrug of her shoulders. Then she simply winked before leaping into the air, a single flap of her wings propelling her through the hole in the roof and onto the top of the train.

Cadence glared furiously up after the half-Changeling, then she turned her scowl on Shining Armor, who looked back at her blankly before he asked incredulously: “What did I do?”

“Apart from not telling me it was Miss Take you were chasing, or that this is all one of her stupid games?” Cadence asked sourly, and Shining rose a hoof... but then only looked at her dumbly, unable to come up with a proper response of any kind. Which was probably a good thing, because the rose-colored mare was already mad enough as it was.

All the same, after a moment, Cadence shook herself briskly and swallowed her emotions... or at least, most of her anger. She gestured quickly to her husband, muttering “Well, look. For now let's just... focus. We can't let anyone get hurt by these assassins. Including us.”

“Good plan.” Shining nodded firmly in agreement, smiling supportively... and with more than a hint of relief that for now Cadence was focusing on the mission. He did his best to do the same, clearing his throat before asking: “Should I stay down here?”

“No, you head up to the engine, make sure the driver's okay, and then get on top of the First Class car. I'll be waiting for you.” Cadence answered quickly. She was half-tempted to bring up Miss Take again, but forced herself to drop the subject for now. There would be plenty of time for little fights and dramas later.

Cadence turned and leapt up, flapping her wings to catch the edge of the hole... and then she grimaced as she pulled herself out onto the roof, wincing at the cold wind that tore against her body.

She shoved her mane out of her eyes as she took in her surroundings with a few quick looks: the roof was smeared with ice and snow, but hadn't yet become too slippery for her hooves. They were moving at a good rate, but steady enough she was able to carefully walk forwards, scowling a little as she approached the half-Changeling.

Miss Take smiled at her, and what irritated Cadence most about her big, friendly smiles was the fact that they seemed so weirdly... genuine. The pink-hued mare looked suspiciously at the Pegasus, but Miss Take simply looked affably back before she gestured easily off to the side with one hoof, saying kindly: “Not much to look at, is it? And I assure you, living here is even worse than you might guess from our scenic overlook.”

Cadence looked moodily out over the dark, broken mountains they were slowly rolling through, and then she returned her eyes to Miss Take. She felt like she was being baited, so instead of replying, she said stiffly: “The train is slowing further. More than normal, I think.”

“Yes, I'm guessing due to frost... whether magical in nature or not, I'll leave that for you to decide.” the Pegasus answered in her annoyingly-pleasant way, and then she continued kindly, as if Cadence had actually voiced the question: “And oh, well, I had to grow up somewhere. I wasn't born in the Hive, after all... my mother, as a matter of fact, was of very high rank. But she had to leave the Hive: females, you see, are not born as drones but instead-”

“You're like ants.” Cadence said shortly, and Miss Take blinked in surprise before the winged unicorn looked ahead down the tracks, moodily studying the way the cliffs curves, how the incline they were on became even steeper... and all the nooks and valleys and ledges in the gray, jagged cliffs that anyone could easily leap down from to attack them.

Miss Take looked at her thoughtfully... then she suddenly smiled again, but her eyes were slightly narrowed, her expression a little less sultry, a little more annoyed as she asked pointedly: “And tell me, darling, what do you think ants are like?”

“I think that ants could have a better society than our own... if they didn't spend so much time doing mindless, repetitive tasks and they weren't all barely-functioning slaves to one dominant queen-figure.” Cadence replied moodily, drawing her eyes out over the barrens. “Even if they're all united, working together as cogs in the machine, they're all ultimately only as intelligent as their leader. And about as functional, as well: if she makes a mistake, the whole hive falls apart.”

“Ants live in colonies, dear. And drones are males; ant workers and soldiers are mostly female.” Miss Take said kindly, winking over at the winged unicorn before she stepped suddenly forwards, almost pressing their faces together as she continued to smile, but her eyes went cold. “Changelings, darling, are not insects. More than you'd expect escape the influence of the Queen... and we are not without our own feelings, our own thoughts.”

The two glared at each other for a few moments, and then Miss Take suddenly smiled before stepping back and bowing her head cordially, saying calmly as she glanced over at the jagged cliff: “But we should save this argument for later, perhaps. We're about to be attacked, after all; it would be rude to be caught arguing during this ambush they've painstakingly set up for us, no?”

Cadence nodded shortly, and then she glanced over to the side, muttering: “I hate that I actually agree with you. Fine, let's get this over and done with.”

“Good, sweetie. We can be friends, you know...” Miss Take said gently, as her eyes flicked up to scan along the jagged, rocky peaks. “I would much prefer to have a friendly rivalry over that handsome Shining Armor, rather than fight tooth and nail against you for his hoof.”

“It's a fight you already lost. He's my husband, and you're just a mistake.” Cadence muttered, then she grimaced a bit, adding moodily: “I hate your name, by the way.”

“Yes, and your own is really so darling.” Miss Take replied wryly, and then she lowered her head and added softly: “We all want what we want, my dear. It's foolish of us to deny that pursuit, in particular when I don't think Shining Armor knows what he really wants.”

Cadence bared her teeth, glaring over at Miss Take... but inside her, something twisted. Was Miss Take right? And if not, then why was she feeling so angry, so defensive, so... so afraid of losing her husband to this sneaky exotic seductress...

Miss Take glanced over at her, then she smiled kindly before her eyes flicked over one shoulder, looking into the empty space on the other side of the passenger cars as the train squealed and shook violently, losing traction on the frosted tracks. “Oh, darling, look! They're trying to be creative!”

Cadence winced and spun around, just in time to see several Pegasi swoop up out of the gorge, each flinging a large, dangerous-looking silver hook at the train. Cadence cursed, snapping her horn out and managing to blast one of the hooks away, but the rest of the half-dozen or so crescent-shaped blades hammered down into the roof of the car.

Metal screamed as the Pegasi hauled hard on the ropes to lock the hooks into place, and Cadence gritted her teeth as she ran towards the nearest, grasping it with telekinesis and cursing as she tried to yank it free from where it was wedged tightly in the train. But even as she managed to tear it loose, the other Pegasi had already shot sharply back down into the gorge, dragging the ropes with them, and Cadence winced as she started to brace herself-

“Darling, behind you!” Miss Take called as cheerily as if this wasn't anything more than a relaxing game, and Cadence winced over her shoulder as she heard the sound of wings almost too late, cursing and throwing herself into the air with a hard flap of her own.

She somersaulted just overtop the Pegasus that had attempted to lunge into her, the winged unicorn snapping her horn out as she landed smoothly on her hooves and blasting it out of the air with a telekinetic hammer. She didn't watch to see if it fell or if it managed to catch its balance as she turned quickly around, drawing her eyes sharply along the broken top of the cliff and the members of the Phoenix Guild rushing down towards them.

Cadence cursed as she heard banging against the side of the machine, as sparks flew from the train tracks and it continued to try and struggle its way up through the damaged barrens in spite of the ponies now swarming in on them from all sides. The winged unicorn gritted her teeth as she tried to figure out what they could even do with so many attacking at once...

Miss Take laughed loudly as she leapt up to meet a unicorn that jumped down from the cliffs, the gemstone on her forehead glowing brightly before releasing a toxic flash just as the unicorn's horn began to thrum with energy. The pulse of antimagic knocked the unicorn senseless, knocking him sprawling backwards before the half-Changeling slammed a hoof into the unicorn's stomach and sent him crashing brokenly off the top of the train.

The mare grinned slightly as her eyes flicked to the side, watching as another assassin leapt towards her, this one with a blade raised... but with ease, she slipped beneath it and kicked both rear hooves up into the pony's chest, knocking it flopping backwards to bounce across the top of the train and knock down another assassin that had been about to lunge.

Without slowing, she turned and dove into another pony, catching it by the head and smashing its head cruelly into the metal roof as she leapfrogged it, spreading her wings to flap them and give herself an extra boost. She cannonballed herself straight into another Pegasus, knocking the assassin off-balance before he could bring his crosshatch blades down: a moment later, she followed up with a neat swing of both her rear hooves upwards, kicking the assassin savagely under the chin with both hooves.

He was knocked in a high arc, blood flying from his mouth in a fine spray and hooves swinging limply as he flew backwards. The assassin bounced off the edge of the train, while Miss Take landed smoothly, tossing a teasing smile towards the nearest group of assassins. “Over here, darlings. Try and keep up now, won't you?”

Then, without hesitation, Miss Take kicked one rear hoof firmly backwards, smashing an earth pony that was just climbing over the edge of the train in the face. She looked almost thoughtfully over her shoulder at the hook buried in the side of the vehicle before she said brightly: “Oh, I get it! Very creative, my darlings!”

With that, Miss Take smoothly leapt off the top of the train with a grin, furling her wings tightly against her sides as she dropped and slammed both rear hooves sharply down as she caught the rope in her front hooves, zipping down the line and knocking earth ponies attempting to drag themselves up the length flying in all directions with howls of pain and terror.

Miss Take smiled as she looked back and forth, but her eyes sharpened as she looked back and forth at the sheer numbers the assassins were attacking in. Except they weren't just members of the Phoenix Guild: some weren't adorned in armor or their distinct bracers, but instead hides and thick, ugly leather armor. Mercenaries. How... quaint.

The half-Changeling spun herself around the rope as she flapped her wings hard, launching herself to the next hanging line and landing rear-hooves-first on the face of another earth pony that was climbing the rope. He clawed wildly at the tensile line, swearing loudly before Miss Take grinned and almost daintily flicked one rear hoof backwards, reprimanding: “That's no way to talk to a lady now, young stallion.”

He flailed wildly, grabbing at her hoof uselessly as she levered him away from the rope, and then she almost-gently kicked him loose, sending the earth pony falling with a yell. Other ponies attempting to crawl up the rope flinched and attempted to lean out of the way of the mercenary that had been jarred loose... but a moment later, Miss Take came sliding down the rope herself, smashing ponies loose with all the force of a wrecking ball.

Halfway down the rope length, a Pegasus launched himself at her, meaning to smash her into the wall, but Miss Take reacted with ease, suddenly arching her whole body upwards and scissoring her body over Pegasus before she spread her wings and flapped them hard, shooting back up towards the top of the train.

The assassin painfully crashed into the wall, but flung himself off it and shot upwards after her, joining a mishmashed squadron of Pegasi that was chasing the half-Changeling. Which was precisely what she wanted as she drew their attention, zipping between ropes and knocking ponies loose from the lines, calling cheerfully as she did so: “Try and keep up, darlings!”

Even with Miss Take's distraction, however, Cadence felt like they were going to be slowly but surely overwhelmed: the train had been slowed almost to a stop by the weight, the slope of the cliff, and the damage that had been done to the tracks. And more and more assassins and mercenaries were piling on from all sides: even if Miss Take was distracting the climbers and many of the airborne ponies, plenty were still leaping down from the jagged cliffs and even coming from both in front and behind the train...

A mercenary leapt at her, snarling, and Cadence's eyes widened as a memory overlapped; for a moment, it wasn't a soldier in rough, tanned armor, but instead a grinning barbarian...

She reacted on instinct, catching him by the sides of the neck before slamming him face-first into the train and twisting hard, vertebrae popping and snapping as he gargled for breath and went limp. Part of Cadence was horrified by what she'd done; the rest of her kept her body moving, smoothly leaping over the mercenary she'd just taken down to slam her head into the face of another pony, knocking the assassin sprawling as she twisted and kicked both rear hooves into the face of another mercenary, knocking him flying off the top of the train.

She dropped low even before she was entirely aware of what she was doing, narrowly avoiding a blast of magic before she snapped her own horn out, replying with a ray of pink energy that hammered into a unicorn warrior before he could prepare another spell.

It knocked him skidding backwards, pink-tinged arcs of energy sparking around his body and making him spasm and howl, as if the ray of focused emotion was actually enough to hurt the stallion. Either way, Cadence used the moment of vulnerability to leap in front of the stallion, seizing his horn and using that to yank his head down so she could bring a crushing elbow into the back of his neck, sending him sprawling brokenly.

Two mercenaries began to crawl up onto the train, and Cadence found her body again reacting without thinking, seizing the unicorn she had just taken down and half-flinging, half-sliding him over the slippery roof of the train to send him crashing into the pair and knock them sprawling off the vehicle. She didn't see them fall, and yet her instincts somehow told her what had happened even as she leapt sideways and rolled her body smoothly overtop a Pegasus that tried to swing a crosshatch blade into her.

She landed behind the assassin and snapped both her rear legs around one of his own, twisting to the side to smash him down onto his own before there was a grisly snap as she continued to rotate her body, shattering the lower limb. The assassin sprawled with a gasp, but Cadence had already leapt on to the next, her body almost a blur, her eyes glowing with focus and anger and beneath it all, fear: fear of not the enemy, but terror at how smoothly she moved, how savagely she fought, how easily she killed.

An earth pony swung a kleated hoof at her: with ease, she caught him just behind the hoof and yanked his foreleg out entirely, then slammed her other hoof up in an uppercut that turned bones to splinters. He screamed, and she only yanked him forwards by his broken limb before catching him around the neck and flinging him viciously into another group of ponies, knocking them sprawling in all directions like dominoes.

Calculated instinct told her what to do, and her body was helpless to do anything but act, puppeted by something beneath conscious mind and intelligent thought. All she could do was dance this deadly dance that every nerve and muscle in her body seemed to know, even as her mind cried out against her body's almost-alien fury.

Mind and body were almost disconnected: one fought, the other only watched. And yet there was a strange familiarity about that, too: it was like she had always been of two minds, one physical and primal, the other empathetic and emotional. For the first time in her life, she felt like that strange discipline and focus wasn't a gift, in spite of the fact it was the only thing letting her keep up with the tirade of enemies: she felt like it was something possessing her, driving her, trying to drag her down into some kind of... wickedness.

She smashed a hoof across the face of a Pegasus, ducking at the same time to avoid a sharp counter from one of the assassin's crosshatch blades. The assassin cursed as she fell in a half-sprawl, stumbling before trying to launch herself forwards... and with ease, Cadence caught the Pegasus mare before flipping her smoothly over her body and slamming the assassin viciously down onto her back.

Cadence moved to the next, hitting with a one-two jab, then to the next, smashing her head into it and knocking it flat, then the next, slamming a hoof up under the mercenary's jaw before she leapt into the air with a snarl, a double-kick of both rear hooves sending the earth pony's limp body rocketing into a unicorn just as he unleashed a spell.

A fireball arced through the air, a bright red star that drew the attention of almost all the ponies present before it fell and smashed into the side of the rocky cliff, exploding with enough force to rattle the train and send down a rain of stone and shrapnel.

Cadence winced and flicked her horn to the side, creating a glowing barrier around her body: it locked her inside a bright pink sphere and made her an obvious target, but it was enough to protect her from the avalanche and not even the most determined assassin was able to get enough of their bearings through the storm of rock and dirt.

The train rattled violently, shaking back and forth beneath the hail of stone before Cadence flicked her horn sharply, and the orb of pink energy exploded with a bright flash and a tremendous thoom that blasted a hole in the cloud of dust and smog that had engulfed the vehicle. Cadence quickly caught her bearings, even as she saw Pegasi leaping to the skies to break free from the musty cloud.

The winged unicorn glanced back and forth, her mind managing to take over for a moment and stop her body's killing dance as she gritted her teeth... but the moment she settled on a course of action, her body took it, throwing herself towards the edge of the train and vanishing back into the thick veil of smog and dirt.

Assassin Pegasi were already forming a double line in the air, however, as unicorns shielded themselves or cleared the area around them, shouting orders to stunned and surprised mercenaries. Within moments, the members of the Phoenix Guild had recovered from the avalanche: a moment more, and the Pegasi dropped in formation before they all gave a mighty flap of their wings, blasting away dust and debris with a powerful gust.

Cadence was almost knocked off-course by it... but she managed to catch herself, zigging back in and slicing her horn through one of the thick, tensile rope leading up from the bottom of the cliff, and sending the unfortunates clinging to it falling with howls of terror.

She shot towards the next rope in line, slashing viciously through it before cursing as a unicorn managed to hit her with a bolt of magic energy, knocking her zigzagging off course. She caught herself against the side of the cliff, gritting her teeth... and then staring as Miss Take calmly landed on the shoulders of a mercenary near the top of the rope, a knife gleaming in her jaws.

The mercenary she was standing on shouted at her almost desperately, but the half-Changeling only hummed to herself as she started to saw through the taut line. Several strings snapped loudly before the Pegasus huffed when the mercenary beneath her grabbed wildly at her rear hooves, and then she simply stomped on him, knocking him loose and sending him sliding down the rope.

Miss Take twisted the knife and yanked it to the side, tearing more than halfway through the rope before she grinned over her shoulder and flapped her wings firmly, launching herself out of the way before a Pegasus assassin could slam into her. Instead, the assassin hit the rope, seizing into it to try and catch himself and yanking on it-

There was a loud ripping sound, and the last threads holding the length of line snapped, sending the entire line of mercenaries plummeting to the ground with yells. Miss Take giggled at this, giving a tender smile before she flapped her wings and smoothly launched herself straight up into the air even as several Pegasi shot down towards her, the half-Changeling looking up at them with a fearless, almost-pleasant smile.

They launched at her from all angles, a maelstrom of Pegasi that rained from the sky: Miss Take met them fearlessly, a front hoof striking one, using it as an axle to kick both rear hooves into the face of the next, then using that contact to fire herself like a missile into another.

As Miss Take smashed her way through the assassins, Cadence kept her focus on the ropes, tearing through another before wincing and dropping to avoid a flurry of magical blasts. She managed to curve her flight sharply to the side, but dropped too low, and instead of hitting near the top of the rope, she smashed bodily through a mercenary.

He was knocked flying off the rope, but Cadence was sent off to the side, disoriented, before a blast of fire magic struck her wing, searing flesh and turning feathers to ash. She spiraled out of control, leaving a stream of smoke behind her as she gasped in pain before gritting her teeth and forcing her burnt wing to furl in spite of the agony, flapping her other wing hard to send herself rolling through the air in the other direction.

She swung her hooves out almost wildly, and she narrowly managed to catch the back of one of the mercenaries scaling a rope: unfortunately, all she managed to do was yank him free, the two tumbling free from the line as the earth pony clawed at the air and Cadence managed to wrap a foreleg around his neck.

The winged unicorn slammed her rear hooves up into the earth pony's back, forcing them both to flip upside down so she was standing on his back for a moment before she kicked off, almost floating in the air for a moment as she stretched desperately out...

Her front hooves caught the rope, the mare wincing as she slid down the coil before her rear hooves crashed down on top of a mercenary beneath her, stopping her slide before she gritted her teeth and quickly began to yank herself hoof-over-hoof up the line.

One of the mercenaries above yelled a warning to the others along the rope, and then he simply let himself drop before kicking both rear hooves viciously down at her... and Cadence spun herself around to the other side of the rope, easily avoiding the kick before slamming a punch into the mercenary's stomach, knocking him flopping off the line with a gargle.

The mare spun herself with the momentum of her strike, catching the rope again and continuing to haul herself quickly up it even as the second mercenary slid down towards her. He leaned backwards and caught himself a short distance above her, twining one foreleg and a hind limb in the rope before yanking what looked like a hoof-full of caltrops out of a pouch, grinning as he tossed them down with an easy flick of his wrist.

Cadence did her best to twist herself out of the way, cursing as several of the sharp, pyramidal tacks caught against her all the same, weighted enough that they tore bloody gashes through her bare flesh and lodged themselves painfully into her shoulders and tangled in her mane. She gritted her teeth as she looked up... just in time to see a rear hoof swinging towards her face.

It smashed against her muzzle, and she cried out and nearly lost her grip on the rope, dropping a bit down the line before clutching it fiercely and spitting to the side, forcing herself to look back up even as she felt too well-aware of the other mercenaries crawling eagerly up beneath her. She watched as the mercenary slid down a bit with a second kick at her face, but this time, Cadence caught his leg and then yanked him firmly down.

He cursed, but he had his other limbs tangled in the rope still, and the line snared painfully into them but saved him from falling. Cadence, however, simply yanked down on his rear leg as she snagged into his tail with her other hoof, the stallion cursing and swearing angrily at her as she climbed him like a ladder, blocking his free elbow when he swung it back at her before slamming her own into the back of his neck.

The mercenary slumped, the ropes pulling tight against his limp limbs and letting Cadence quickly scale over him. She looked up... and her eyes widened in shock as she saw the remaining mercenary above had a knife in his hoof and was quickly cutting through the rope.

Cadence cursed and hauled herself up hoof-over-hoof before her eyes widened as she heard the distinct sound of the tensile line starting to tear, and the winged unicorn flung herself upwards as hard as she could, a moment before the rope dropped with a loud snap. It whipped against her body as it passed, tearing a long swathe down her body before she managed to seize tightly into the rear hooves of the mercenary above.

He cursed loudly, one foreleg tangled in the rope and the knife flying out of his grip as he dangled, trying helplessly to kick the mare loose. But Cadence only gritted her teeth and then hauled herself quickly up to his back before launching herself past and to the rope above.

He swiped a hoof up, but only managed to tear loose a tuft of hair from her tail before Cadence slammed a rear hoof back into his face and knocked him free. She didn't watch as he fell, instead hurriedly continuing up the rope as she heard several loud bangs as well as Miss Take laughing...

Cadence caught the edge of the train roof, then hauled herself up with a gasp before wincing as an assassin lunged at her, swinging a crosshatch blade down... but his attack was interrupted as he was blasted off his hooves by a powerful bolt of magic.

She looked to the side, and Shining Armor grinned at her and tossed a quick salute in the mare's direction, calling clearly to her: “Thought you could use a helping hoof!”

“Better late than never.” Cadence muttered as she yanked herself up onto the roof of the train, and then she grimaced despite her best efforts to focus on the task at hoof as Miss Take dropped down beside her with a wink. “This isn't a game.”

“Life is a game, darling, and one that I quite excel at playing.” Miss Take replied eloquently, bowing her head pleasantly before she added in a quieter voice, as Shining spun around when several assassins landed around him, forcing him to slowly back towards the mares: “Their numbers are far from infinite, dear. The band at the bottom of the cliff is dispersing, and there's only a few more above. I'd say... twenty.”

“Twenty against three. Well. Two and a half.” Cadence grumbled, and Shining gave her a half-pleading look over his shoulder. “I hate to say it, but we've been doing all the work here, Mister Youngest Captain Ever.”

“Hey, I... there were a whole bunch of them at the engine. I just saved the train.” Shining Armor said after a moment, then he grimaced a bit as two more Pegasi landed, adding awkwardly: “Well... maybe I should wait until after we finish this to say that.”

“That might be a good idea.” Cadence muttered, looking back and forth: she counted only a few earth ponies, and then quite a few Pegasi... and scattered here and there were unicorns. And apart from the earth pony mercenaries that seemed determined to see this fight to the end one way or the other, all of these ponies looked pestilent and poisonous, their skin stretched tight over pronounced skeletons, the Pegasi seeming to drip ashes with every flap of their wings, the eyes of the unicorns leaking an evil miasma as their horns thrummed with dark energies.

Then one of the Pegasi slowly stepped forwards, baring her teeth as she said in a voice filled with hate, and yet somehow all the same lacking any emotion whatsoever: “We only came for Cadence and Shining Armor. But if you continue to interfere, whore, then we will kill you along with them. Fly away, little insect.”

Miss Take chuckled quietly at this, then she shook her head slowly and said softly: “Now, you should know better than that, dear. I've always been very good to the Phoenix Guild, haven't I? And both of us know that work is never personal, darling... that's how you end up with silly things like this.”

The Pegasus only shook her head at this, then flapped her wings firmly, sending out a burst of ashes and a few rotted black feathers. “So your answer is no?”

“My answer is no.” replied the half-Changeling with a calm nod, even though her eyes narrowed further, her expression darkened ever so slightly more. “All the same, dear, a little respect wouldn't kill you... and even if it did, sweetie, it looks like something else is more likely to kill you first, anyway.”

The Pegasus only gave the half-Changeling a cold look, and then she turned her eyes towards Cadence, saying calmly: “Surrender, and we will give you a quick death. Fight, and we will capture you and draw your suffering out. Look around you: there are few here who were not of First Rank and close to the Praetor. The fodder has weakened you. The hunters will kill you.”

Cadence growled, and Shining Armor snorted as he rose his head and remarked wryly: “You know, that's not the first time we've heard something like that. But we're still here.”

The Pegasus only gave a thin smile, then simply flicked her mane to the side, and four Pegasi immediately all shot past her: two of them seized Shining Armor by either foreleg before he could react, then flung him backward, sending him flipping head-over-heels.

Miss Take and Cadence barely managed to leap out of the way, the stallion's heavy body smashing down with a clang in the space where the mares had been just a moment before. But before they could even land, the other two assassins had already pounced at them, crosshatch blades gleaming and their eyes locked coldly on their chosen targets.

Cadence flicked out her horn, blasting the assassin in front of her out of the air before she smoothly turned and smashed her hoof across the face of a mercenary that attempted to leap at her, before using both front hooves as an axle as she kicked her rear legs savagely up and out, smashing a scissors kick across the face of the first assassin as the Pegasus tried to lunge again. The guildpony was knocked unconscious by the strike, but then a second Pegasus slammed cruelly down into Cadence's back, making her cry out in agony as she was driven to the ground.

Miss Take, meanwhile, had already broken the neck of the assassin that had attempted to attack her, and was smiling calmly as she easily dodged vicious, clumsy strikes from an earth pony mercenary. She let him drive her backwards until she was right beside Shining Armor, and then Miss Take caught the earth pony by one foreleg before yanking him off his hooves and slinging him viciously into the assassin pinning Cadence.

The two were knocked sprawling as Shining Armor rolled to his hooves... then cursed as he felt more than saw the blast of magic coming at them, leaping into Miss Take and tackling her out of the way before a streak of black fire ripped through the air where she had been a moment before. It narrowly missed them, instead striking one of the mercenaries, making him scream in agony as his body burst into dark hellfire before he simply collapsed into a charred, half-melted mess.

Miss Take looked up at Shining Armor with surprise, and then she gave a brilliant smile, looking almost like she'd forgotten the swarming enemies and the chaos all around them for a moment as she said brightly: “You saved me!”

Shining Armor winced at this, then he hurriedly rolled off her before suddenly sweeping the Pegasus up, making her squeak before he leaned forwards and flung her with a grunt at the unicorn who had cast the dark magic at them. The half-Changeling only laughed as she shot through the air, however, before she smashed headlong into the unicorn and drove him to the ground with a resounding crunch.

Cadence leapt to her own hooves with a grimace, then winced when two Pegasi shot down towards her: yet her body reacted on its own, the rose-hued mare flexing and spreading her damaged wings before she leapt upwards and flapped them painfully once to boost herself towards the two. Immediately, both assassins attempted to flank her, the left swinging a hoof in low and the other lashing a crosshatch blade towards her face, but the winged unicorn dodged smoothly to the side and caught the hoof and upper forelimb of the Pegasus to the right before jerking his crosshatch blade viciously down and into the skull of the other pony before either could pull away.

The left assassin crumpled into a bloody heap with a broken skull, while the right yanked his crosshatch blade quickly back with a snarl... and then gagged when Cadence slammed a hoof directly into his throat even as she fell back towards the ground.

She landed, and the Pegasus crashed down on his back a moment later before Cadence leapt forwards and seized him by one hind leg, twisting and snapping it briskly before she quickly hopped backwards... and ended up almost rear-to-rear with her husband, the two glaring in different directions as they anchored themselves in position.

There was silence as the assassin encircled them again: a train car away, they could hear the sounds of Miss Take trying to deal with her own distraction, both vaguely feeling a distinct tingle in their horns as she canceled out magic attacks with eerie flashes of emerald light. And for some reason, the only thing Cadence could think of saying was: “I thought that was our thing.”

Shining Armor rose his head slightly, mouthing wordlessly for a moment before he groaned and then muttered over his shoulder, even as he kept his eyes locked ahead: “I thought you didn't like it when I threw you.”

“I don't. Still. I thought it was our thing.” Cadence replied quietly, and then she winced as, in the distance, she saw a blast of magic somehow make it through Miss Take's antimagic defense, the half-Changeling hissing audibly as she was almost knocked out of the sky by the fireball. “I think we're all starting to run out of steam.”

“I have faith in... both of you.” Shining Armor said quietly, although his voice was laced with hesitance. And yet all the same, Cadence couldn't help but give a wry smile, shaking her head slowly before she closed her eyes and nodded.

But the moment she seemed to drop her guard, an assassin leapt in at her: it was so fast that Cadence almost failed to react in time, dropping low beneath a swipe of a crosshatch blade before her horn sparked and unleashed a sharp blast of telekinesis, hammering the Pegasus into the air. Then she leapt up, seizing the assassin by his rear hooves before swinging him bodily down into the steel roof of the train.

Even as he crashed down, two more Pegasi leapt at Cadence, but she blocked both their swings at her. They were relentless, following up with vicious flurries of blows from their front hooves in almost perfect synchronization, but Cadence kept her balance and, more importantly, refused to let either of them force her backwards.

Shining Armor, meanwhile, managed to catch an assassin by the skull and slam him headfirst into the metal roof, then he yanked him up and slammed a hoof under his jaw, knocking him flopping backwards. But the stallion caught the stunned Pegasus in midair with telekinesis before he gritted his teeth and lashed his head to the side, swinging the body of the pony like a giant club and smashing two more assassins backwards.

Then the ivory unicorn hurriedly flicked his horn upwards, creating a barrier of energy and narrowly blocking a black fireball. The explosion was enough to reduce the wall of magic to nothing but motes of energy, however, Shining wincing away before he forced himself to duck beneath another assassin's attack, then leapt forwards and tackled the Pegasus onto his back, slamming one, two, three hard strikes down into the assassin's face.

The unicorn was smashed off the Pegasus by a vicious kick to the face, Shining cursing as he was knocked sprawling before he covered his face with his forelegs as another guildpony jumped on top of him, pinning him beneath a hail of blows, every punch seeming to smash right into a vulnerable or unarmored point.

He attempted to shove his way out of the pin, but the Pegasus easily knocked the stallion's forelegs wide before seizing him by the head and muzzle, beginning to twist his head viciously to the side. Shining cursed as he grabbed at the assassin's forelimbs, trying to stop him from disjointing his neck as he attempted to focus magic through his horn-

Both of Miss Take's rear hooves slammed into the face of the Pegasus, sending him crashing limply backwards, and Shining Armor looked up in surprise before the half-Changeling dropped her body over his and smoothly rolled him up to a sitting position, spinning him around to brace him like a shield as she whispered into his ear: “Shield, darling.”

Shining Armor began to open his mouth... then he stared in horror as a black fireball shot towards them, the stallion reacting too little, too late: he only managed to half-form a wall of magic energy before the fireball crashed into it and exploded in a torrent of hellfire that knocked him backwards with a gasp of pain into Miss Take.

The half-Changeling caught him and braced him against her own body, however, keeping him upright before grasping his shoulders and kicking both her hind legs up, snapping them around the neck of an assassin that had tried to sneak up behind them. She locked her hind legs into place, then shouted even as she already began to move: “Behind us!”

As Shining Armor whirled around, Miss Take flung herself sideways, adding his momentum to her spin as her powerful legs flexed and snapped the neck of the Pegasus, even as she hauled the assassin limply into the air and then slammed him down into the ground.

The mare landed on her stomach with her body curved in an arc beside Shining, who had already fired a bolt of magic energy at another unicorn. It smashed into the battlemage's face and knocked him backwards with a snarl of frustration, but it did little more than dazzle his eyes as he began to snap his horn forwards-

The spell he had been preparing struck an almost translucent barrier of energy Shining had created right in front of the unicorn: the resulting explosion was tremendous, knocking the unicorn in a broken, unrecognizable heap as Shining flinched only slightly from recoil as his fake wall was destroyed. He forced himself to stagger around quickly again all the same, taking in his surroundings and readying himself to at least try and dodge another spell...

But Miss Take had already launched herself to the unicorn that had hit them with the black fireball, the half-Changeling seizing him by the horn and slamming him face-first into the ground before she yanked him up and slammed her other hoof into his throat. He choked and staggered, eyes bulging, and then Miss Take smiled coldly as she grabbed him under the chin while yanking his horn savagely to the side, snapping his neck like a brittle twig.

He fell... and two more assassins fell as Cadence stepped back from them, breathing hard, one staring at her with hatred but both front limbs broken and a wing hanging uselessly, the other with its own crosshatch blade impaled through its features. And as the pink mare looked slowly back and forth, she realized...

“So much for your revenge.” Cadence said quietly as her eyes flicked towards the Pegasus mare who seemed to be the leader. She had two fellow mare assassins on either side of her, and there was one remaining unicorn mage, who looked... bruised, for lack of a better word.

The leader only looked back at her without emotion, without empathy, without any compassion for her own fallen comrades, scattered all around the hissing, stalled train. It made Cadence uncomfortable as she shifted slowly, studying the Pegasus silently until Miss Take calmly stepped up beside the winged unicorn.

Cadence winced a bit at the half-Changeling, but then forced herself to nod briefly to her, at least acknowledging her and... showing some of her gratitude for the mare. Miss Take's eyes flicked towards her, then she gave the slightest smile in return before returning her calm, practiced-pleasant gaze towards their foes, advising gently: “I would recommend that you be on your way now, darlings. There is no dishonor in retreat from a superior foe... and besides, why not come and try again another time, another day, when you're better prepared? I'm sure none of us would try and stop you from escaping... I'd certainly like to, but oh, you know these 'good guys' and their rules, so to speak...”

The leader of the Pegasi only shook her head slowly, saying quietly: “You know that is not an option for us. We gathered all that were loyal to our old cause, and used what treasures we had to buy soldiers that have proven to be... disappointingly inferior. They could not even serve their purpose as a distraction to you.

“We are dead, either way. Within hours, we will be dead.” The Pegasus paused, then looked calmly over at the unicorn, saying coldly: “Some of us, sooner than others.”

The unicorn rose his head and grinned at this, then he turned his maddened eyes forwards as dark energy sparked over his horn, roaring loudly as his whole body began to thrum with power before he charged straight down the train at the two as he burst into black flames.

Shining could only stare in horror as the darkly-burning unicorn charged straight at the two mares: there was nothing he could do even as time seemed to stand still, leaving him wanting to spring forwards and shield them both, yet knowing it would be impossible to, that this moment stretching into forever was only a trick of his mind...

But Cadence and Miss Take were both already reacting, the rose-hued mare cursing as she leapt upwards and flapped her ragged wings, forcing herself higher into the air as her horn glowed bright pink. At the same time, Miss Take's wings were spreading wide as the gemstone on her forehead glowed, her body tensing as she leaned back and anchored herself.

The unicorn howled as he dove towards them... or at least, where they both had been a moment ago. Now only Miss Take was standing there, but if the unicorn noticed, he didn't seem to care as he blazed brightly with such deep darkness, hurtling towards them...

A ray of bright pink light slammed into the unicorn and knocked him flying backwards, the unicorn roaring before he crashed down on his back, bouncing once before exploding in a tremendous wave of dark hellfire.

Miss Take calmly flung herself backwards, spreading her wings wide as she smiled pleasantly and flapped them hard, almost serenely riding the wave of force that erupted as the stallion's burning body exploded with a tremendous bang, followed by a roar of dark flames. But the half-Changeling simply dropped her head forwards, a flash of green punching a hole through the vile magic that she passed harmlessly through.

Cadence gasped and flung herself upwards, gritting her teeth as the black fire rose and rose, nipping her hooves, sending agony through her burnt wing as the flames sizzled against them... and then the dark fire dissipated into dark smoke, and Cadence began to sigh in relief as she let herself start to drop-

A Pegasus slammed into her, knocking her backwards before a sharp one-two combo hammered across her face, then both rear hooves kicked into her stomach and launched her backwards with a gasp. And before she could recover, the mare that had apparently led the attack slammed into her and tackled her backwards into the cliff wall with a tremendous crash.

Shining Armor shouted almost desperately, turning to leap towards her... and another assassin slammed directly into his face, smashing him to the train roof and then landing on top of him as a long, thin needle popped out of the bracer, the assassin driving this down towards the ivory unicorn. He barely managed to catch its foreleg between his own front hooves, the needle only inches away from his eye... and likely coated in a poison so deadly that even a prick of it against his cheek would be enough to kill him.

He gritted his teeth, then his eyes widened as the assassin swept up her other foreleg, a second needle popping free before she drove it viciously down towards him; the only thing that saved the stallion was instinct, his horn glowing brightly as he narrowly halted the attack with a telekinetic vise.

Shining Armor gritted his teeth, trembling as he pushed slowly back against the needle bearing slowly down towards him with both his hooves and all the magic energy he could gather up. Then he caught a flash of movement, starting to look up as he saw something shooting down towards him-

The assassin suddenly lashed one needle up, slashing it viciously out and driving Miss Take back as the half-Changeling narrowly managed to halt herself in midair, grimacing and yanking her head just out of the path of the needle. Then the assassin shifted all her weight onto the foreleg still trying to stab the needle down into Shining's eye, the stallion cursing as he was forced to support her as she flung herself at Miss Take with a thrust of her other foreleg.

The half-Changeling grimaced, narrowly drawing her head back and out of the way before she swept a forelimb up, catching the assassin's foreleg in one of her own limbs before she gritted her teeth as another Pegasus all-but-appeared out of nowhere and lunged in towards her with a crosshatch blade.

But Miss Take reacted with speed and precision, twisting herself sinuously around the forelimb she had already trapped and yanking it to the side to ram it viciously into the throat of the mare. The assassin gurgled as blood spurted out around the needle, and then Miss Take smoothly leapt upwards, flapping her wings to half-roll her body before she viciously kicked both rear hooves into the side of the other assassin.

The stabbed Pegasus collapsed backwards with a gurgle, foam bursting from her jaws, as the other Pegasus was slammed to the side with a snarl. The guildpony almost immediately caught her balance, starting to swing both needles down... but both her forelegs were caught by Shining Armor as he leapt up, then slammed his head into the mare's with a sickening crack.

The assassin staggered backwards dumbly, the faintest look of surprise appearing in her eyes before Shining gritted his teeth and lashed his horn down, blasting the Pegasus away with all the telekinetic strength he could muster.

She was flung from the train, and he and Miss Take traded a quick look before the two leapt to their hooves and turned towards Cadence and the last remaining guildpony. Then Shining winced as he saw his wife crash painfully down into the top of the train car, the winged unicorn barely managing to roll onto her back and catch herself before she hit the edge of the roof.

The Pegasus assassin tried to slam down on top of her, but Cadence kicked both rear hooves up at almost the last moment, hitting the mare in the chest and knocking her backwards to flop almost-brokenly on the other side of the train roof. For a moment, the two lay like that, both breathing hard before Cadence bared her teeth and slowly crawled up to her hooves... then glared at Miss Take and Shining Armor when they both started to step forwards, snapping: “She's mine!”

“No... you are my prey.” murmured the Pegasus, as she slowly hauled herself up to her hooves... and Cadence couldn't help but grimace at the sight of the mare, how her chest had been crunched in, the sick veins pulsing through bruised flesh... “You are the one who will lose. I am already dead.”

The rose-hued mare only shook her head slowly, then said quietly: “No. That's exactly why I can't lose. I have life, goals, hopes and dreams... I have reasons to live. All you have is a reason to die.”

The Pegasus laughed quietly at this, shaking her head slowly before she said softly: “Hopes and dreams are meaningless fantasy and whimsy; the ultimate goal of all life is death. I am a death-giver. And what I am offering you, Cadence, is a kindness.”

Cadence shook her head slowly as she stood, her horn glowing before she gritted her teeth as magic energy thrummed through her body, breathing quietly as she did her best to heal what little damage she could. She was vaguely aware that Shining and Miss Take were off to the side, but she felt completely disconnected from them both: they simply didn't matter right now.

Right now, the entire world consisted of only her and the Phoenix Guild Pegasus across from her. They faced each other as Cadence slowly straightened, her wings twitching weakly and uselessly as the pink glow faded from around her horn. The two mares looked at each other for a few moments, and then the Pegasus said softly: “Thank you for wasting your most precious resource.”

“I don't want to win because of my magic. And I don't need it, either.” Cadence said quietly, and the Pegasus simply gave a thin smile in return before the two slowly set themselves, eyes narrowing.

There was only silence, spiraling out as the two measured each other with their eyes, studying every shift, every flex and twitch, every movement. Their bodies tensed and readied as discipline and focus took over... but while the Pegasus only stared soullessly, Cadence felt determination, anger, and even bittersweet sorrow flooding through her veins, fueling her, giving her reason not just to fight, but to win.

Their eyes met, the two gazing coldly into each other, their bodies going tense as steel, time seeming to freeze as a second stretched into an eternity; an eternity in which the two warriors came to know each other, acknowledge each other, perhaps even respect each other; all things that only contributed further to wanting to outdo and defeat their bitter rival.

The second passed, and both mares lunged, slamming into one-another with a flurry of sharp, focused blows as they flowed together almost like liquid. Hoof struck hoof and foreleg, every attack blocked or deflected as the two pushed fiercely into each other before Cadence cursed as one of her punches was swept to the side, allowing the Pegasus to lunge and slam a short, fierce volley of blows into her face.

An uppercut hammered under her chin, knocking her crashing onto her back before the guildpony attempted to leap on top of her, but she managed to kick her rear hooves into the pony's chest and knocked her crashing backwards with a gasp to hit the ground hard on her back.

Both mares rolled almost simultaneously backwards to their hooves, catching themselves and raising their heads to glare at each other, eyes locking before they both leapt forwards, clashing violently a second time.

Cadence struck at the assassin, who caught her foreleg and twisted; Cadence rolled her body with the movement, flapping her one good wing to give herself just enough boost to try and reverse the throw; the assassin, however, mimicked the movement, rolling with Cadence's reversal before yanking herself free and slinging her other hoof forwards.

The winged unicorn caught this in her own hoof... and realized too late that it was exactly what the Pegasus had wanted as she immediately shoved Cadence's foreleg aside before she leapt forwards and slammed her face into the winged unicorn's. Cadence staggered with a curse, then cried out in pain as a volley of blows slammed back and forth across her features again.

She narrowly managed to swing her horn out, deflecting a hard hook punch before she leapt forwards and wildly slashed her horn down, scoring a deep cut across the guildpony's face and knocking her off balance. But the Pegasus swiftly caught herself and lunged, flapping her wings to give herself an extra boost and tackling Cadence, attempting to fling her onto her back-

Instead, Cadence dug her rear hooves in, catching the mare around the neck and gritting her teeth before she slung the guildpony sharply down into the roof of the train. She hit with enough force to bounce, but then flapped her wings hard, launching herself away and flapping her wings to flip her body smoothly, skidding backwards to a ready position.

The two glared at each other, breathing hard before they both leapt at each other again, crashing together with another barrage of vicious strikes. They traded blow after blow, the Pegasus moving with soulless, almost machine-like determination and the winged unicorn depending on her passion and her need to know the truth to pull her through.

The Pegasus lunged at her... and Cadence slammed a hoof up under the guildpony's chin with all her strength, knocking her head back with a sickening crack before she snarled and slammed her other hoof forwards into her bloody chest, sending the assassin crashing onto her back and leaving her in a broken, prone heap at the edge of the train. Then the winged unicorn collapsed forwards on her stomach, gasping weakly and shivering a bit before she stared in disbelief as the Pegasus slowly, shakily began to stand.

The assassin managed to reach her hooves, breathing quietly as a bit of blood dripped from her mouth, her chest a broken and ruptured mess of bone fragments and torn flesh and leaking crimson. But there was no sign of pain, or pleasure, or anything: only that hollow gaze in her eyes, as she looked calmly across at Cadence before saying softly: “I am already dead. No heart, no soul... no reason to live. Only my mind and my discipline keep me alive now.”

Cadence shook her head in disbelief, then she slowly crawled up to her own hooves, trembling a bit... and yet in spite of the pain, the exhaustion, the... everything... she felt such a depth of... of sadness, and pity, for this wretched and broken thing. And she realized... “You must be... so strong. To be so... so brokenhearted... and yet look at you. Not just keeping yourself alive and fighting, but so focused on this battle... and you can't find any pleasure in any of it? You really have no reason for revenge but... this hollow hatred, that's not even really focused at me?”

The guildpony only shook her head slowly, replying quietly: “Revenge is its own purpose. You won't distract me from that: my reward will be my death.”

Cadence smiled faintly at this, reaching up and touching her own breast as she felt her anger, her battlerage, all these other emotions being swallowed up by such... such sorrow and sadness that she couldn't completely explain the root of. Part of it was because she didn't just see an enemy across from her: she saw someone who could have rivaled her at her finest, in spite of the cruel tactics that the guildpony had used. And that in and of itself was part of why she felt sad: seeing this Pegasus who had likely been raised to believe in a system that was honorless and destructive, meant to be subverted and twisted whenever possible...

But there was something deeper, too. Some part of her almost recognized this... brokenheartedness. This sapping of the spirit, this poisoning of the soul. Part of her cried out to reach out to this pony and... and... “What's your name?”

Cadence was surprised by her own question: she didn't even know why she had asked it or what had compelled her to. And the Pegasus looked just as surprised, losing her focus for a moment... and with that, some of the emptiness seemed to leave her eyes, as she frowned at the winged unicorn before lowering her head as if in deep thought.

“My name...” she murmured, furrowing her brow, and then she looked up and grimaced, muttering: “No. My name isn't important. You're only stalling.”

“Without a name, who are you?” Cadence asked quietly, tilting her head, and the Pegasus only frowned at her before the pink mare said softly: “If you don't have a name, if you don't have any identity... then why do you care about any of this? Your only connection to this world can't just be... hatred. You have to have some kind of reason, you have to revere... something.”

“Why?” the Pegasus asked coldly... and yet at the same time, she wasn't moving. Even if she didn't seem eager to speak or stall, at the same time she somehow looked like she couldn't help but reply to them, like the conversation itself had trapped her... like maybe there was some piece of her, desperately trying to wake up, to escape what she had become...

“The Phoenix Guild used to protect Equestria, didn't it? Even if you've changed over time, it never used to be all about destroying and hunting and killing...” Cadence hesitated, then she lowered her head and said softly: “Phoenixes rise from the ashes. They don't just burn everything in their path. You must have had hopes and dreams at some point; it wasn't a desire for revenge that made you as strong as you are now, with so much focus, so much discipline. You must have had goals... dreams...”

The Pegasus only gave a short, bitter laugh, then she said with contempt: “And what use are any of those now? All of them have been stolen from me. By you and your actions... and very soon, I will die. What use is there to remembering who I am?”

“I didn't kill you.” Cadence said quietly but firmly, looking up as the brokenhearted Pegasus looked coldly back. But she was listening, and Cadence took a slow breath before she leaned forwards and said softly, as she met the Pegasus' eyes: “You killed yourself by forgetting who you are. Even if you became... brokenhearted, even if something poisoned you... all you're doing is the bidding of that very thing that did it. You're cruel and you and I don't have the same idea of honor and I don't think we could ever be friends... but from what I've felt, you should have more self-respect than this. You shouldn't be stupid enough to go lashing out at me because Sombra told you to... not when Sombra was the one who did this to you.”

The Pegasus chuckled quietly at this, shaking her head slowly and saying softly: “Loyalty to the Guild first. And our master was not named 'Sombra.' The Praetor-”

“Was possessed by Sombra. Was taken over by that horn he fused to his head.” Cadence said sharply, pointing at her own forehead, and the Pegasus frowned across at her before the pink-hued mare said quietly: “If you really believe in loyalty first, then you should be going after him. Not after me. You should be... turning this poison against him. Using darkness against the darkness.”

“How childish...” And yet all the same, the Pegasus shifted uncertainly, as if Cadence's words were actually being heard, actually getting through, before the mare suddenly shook her head and whispered: “No. My body is going to stop working soon. Which means I have only a few minutes left to kill you. That is the only thing I can do.”

The Pegasus began to step forwards, and Cadence laughed faintly before she shook her head and murmured: “Fine. Then I won't fight you.”

Shining Armor began to step forwards, but Miss Take reached up and caught the stallion, shaking her head shortly. The Pegasus, meanwhile, only scowled as she continued to approach, saying coldly: “Your tricks won't-”

“It's not a trick. I'm not strong enough to kill you. You weakened me, and you should be dead. I don't know how to stop you. I don't think I can stop you.” Cadence said honestly, and then she bowed her head low in submission, saying quietly: “You win. And maybe it's better to die now than... find whatever's waiting for me ahead.”

“Maybe it is.” the Pegasus agreed after a moment, stopping in front of Cadence... and there was a long silence for a moment before the mare reached up and slowly placed her hoof on the back of the mare's neck. They stood like that as seconds passed into minutes, and Cadence only looked at the roof of the train, not even knowing what to do, what to say, what to think... only closing her eyes, breathing slowly, waiting for this to play out in... whatever way it would.

Then, slowly, the Pegasus drew her hoof back, and Cadence frowned before looking up. The two gazed at each other as the pony silently rose her hoof and touched her own broken chest, and then she examined the black blood on it for a few moments in thought.

The Pegasus turned her hoof back and forth, then closed her eyes... and chuckled. It was a soft sound, with a hint of not just bitterness, but real amusement, real emotion, and the assassin shook her head slowly before saying softly: “Interesting.”

Cadence frowned, looking uncertainly up, and the Pegasus looked coldly back before she said softly: “Pain makes us do foolish things. I figured I would kill you... and then I would die. The pain would be over. That is weakness on my part, because this pain is part of what fuels me... the very thing killing me is also what is keeping me alive.

“You are also right. I am not a foal to be goaded. I am not a servant to be used.” the Pegasus turned her gaze down the train tracks, and then she smiled thinly. “And killing you would end your own pain, and I know for a fact that evil and suffering awaits you ahead... the poison is ahead. Chances are... if I let you live, you will become like me. You will know my pain. I'd like that.”

Cadence laughed shortly, and then the Pegasus turned her eyes back to Cadence, adding coolly: “You have amused me, and I would like to take more away from you before I kill you. I don't want your submission. I want you broken. So I will withdraw for now... and we will meet again. I allowed fear to cloud my mind, to overtake my discipline, to make me act with haste. It has resulted in dealing with dogmeat and the evisceration of my own remaining forces. That is not a way for a First Rank to act. None of this is. And what I am doing now... it's foolish. And yet some part of me hungers to do it anyway... urges me to do this. Because death is not painful... life is painful.”

“Life is suffering. But there's meaning in it, too.” Cadence said quietly, and the Pegasus only gave her a cold look before the winged unicorn shook her head, saying softly: “So you want me to kill Sombra for you, and then you'll kill me. That's your plan, right?”

“Yes.” the Pegasus said simply, and then she leaned forwards and studied the winged unicorn as she said softly: “Something strange is happening to me. Not like with the others... the others weakened, went insane, died or became like puppets. I, too, was weak... but fighting you has woken something up inside me again. Something that makes me... almost enjoy this pain. Who are you, Cadence? What secrets are inside you?”

“We'll fight again, one-on-one. And then we'll learn more about each other.” Cadence said evenly, and the two studied each other before the Pegasus began to turn away. But before she could, Cadence asked clearly: “What's your name?”

There was silence for a few moments, and then the Pegasus smiled thinly and slowly turned back around. Her almost-black eyes looked into Cadence's, so splattered with blood and dust that it was impossible to even guess at the colors of her coat and mane... but those eyes were so striking, so deep and dark, that they pulled in all of Cadence's attention...

“My name is...” She stopped, licked her lips slowly and frowned, then looked up and said slowly: “You will know me as Pain.”

“Pain. That's a nice name.” Shining Armor muttered, and then he winced a bit when Miss Take elbowed him firmly and the others glared at him.

“It's a more honest name than most ponies have.” Pain replied icily, and then she spread her wings and flapped them hard, launching herself into the air and hovering above Cadence as she looked down at her with a thin smile. “We'll meet again.”

With that, Pain launched herself past Cadence before dropping down over the edge of the cliff and diving into the gorge. Cadence glanced over her shoulder, grimacing a bit at this before she sighed quietly and turned her eyes towards Shining and Miss Take.

After a moment, the half-Changeling smiled before saying kindly: “Brilliant work, darling. You did an incredible job. But how did you know her so well?”

“I fought her. When you fight someone, you get to know them... I... can't explain it any better than that.” murmured Cadence, and she shivered a bit as memories flickered strangely through her mind, before she lowered her head and added uncertainly: “And what was happening to her... the brokenhearted... I feel... I feel like I've seen them before...”

Shining hesitated, wanting to ask a question... but then he only shook his head before clearing his throat loudly when Miss Take looked at him, the unicorn saying pointedly: “You should either hide or leave. Nice as it was to have your help, you're still a wanted criminal. We have to get this train moving again, and it's not going to be long before a very-angry General Archon shows up. Even if you saved Celestia herself he'd still set you on fire.”

“I'm delighted you care, Shining Armor.” Miss Take said kindly, and then she turned her eyes back towards Cadence, giving a slight smile. “I don't understand what you mean as well as perhaps I should, darling, but I do get the gist of what you're saying. You're a strange cookie though, Cadence... I'm rather certain that even if we found a hundred other mares that looked and acted just like you, you'd still stand out as someone... different.”

“I don't think you entirely mean that as a compliment.” Cadence said moodily, and Miss Take chuckled again before winking at the mare.

“Neither do I, darling. But very well, ShyShy is correct. I'd best not overstay my welcome.” Miss Take leaned over and kissed Shining Armor's cheek lightly, and Cadence scowled as the stallion gave a lame grin, awkwardly attempting to hide his head in his armor before the half-Changeling leapt to the air and all-but-vanished with a few flaps of her wings.

“She uh. Isn't one for long goodbyes.” Shining Armor said awkwardly, and Cadence gave him a flat look that made him realize a little too late that probably wasn't the brightest thing to have said.

But after a moment, the pink mare sighed softly and shook her head slowly, muttering: “Forget it. Let's just head back into the train for now. It looks like it's stalled completely, probably thanks to all the ice and rocks on the track, and we're going to have to figure out a way to explain all... this.”

“Cadence, wait...” Shining said quietly, and the rose-hued mare stopped, looking over her shoulder at him. For a moment, there was a strange flicker of hope inside her: a sudden scream from her heart, pleading for him to say just the right thing, at just this right time, to reassure her, to make her feel like... like this was all going to be worthwhile...

“You did an amazing job. We're going to... face this together, you and me, okay? I love you and I'm here for you. This isn't a mistake.” Shining Armor said softly, stepping towards her.

Cadence smiled, but it was forced, and she felt... betrayed. It wasn't fair at all, but that was exactly what she felt, all the same, hurt and betrayed and just... disappointed. She knew her expectations were unrealistic. She knew he'd been out here as fast as possible, and he'd had to fight through the train's interior alone as well as secure every single passenger on the way to the car. She knew that, and more, and yet...

“Thank you, Shine. I'll see you inside, okay?” Cadence said quietly, turning away, and Shining Armor watched silently as his wife strode slowly down the roof of the train to find a way down between the cars.

He gazed after her in silence for a few moments, then held up his hoof and chewed on it slowly, a old, nervous habit he'd never gotten out of. Then he cursed under his breath before stomping on the roof and looking slowly around at the corpses, the bodies, all the ponies that Cadence had killed and Miss Take had beaten. Sure, he'd stopped the engine from being blown up and saved the ponies inside, but there was no excuse for all the time he'd wasted, or his poor performance today. There was no excuse for his feelings towards...

He shook his head sharply, then looked up into the sky for a moment, biting his lip... then sighing and resolutely making himself focus on the here and now. They were going to get to the Crystal Kingdom one way or another, and once there, he and Cadence were going to find this... this great truth she was searching for. And that would help them stop Sombra, drive off these attackers, and let Cadence put all her fears to rest and put away her weapons again and just be the pony he'd loved so much when they'd first gotten together, and... everything would be back to normal and perfectly okay. There would be no more exotic Miss Take with her sensual dangerousness, and Cadence could put away her armor and her weapons and all this... anger... and they could just live happily ever after...

With that, Shining nodded to himself and followed in the hoofprints of his wife, heading back inside the train and promising himself he was going to do everything he could to help Cadence and avoid Miss Take... and not realizing that very little of what he wanted fixed was anything that was actually broken.

Episode IV: Nocturne

Episode IV: Nocturne
~BlackRoseRaven

The train limped down the tracks, swaying weakly from side-to-side as the engine huffed and puffed. It was an utter mess of mangled and mauled metal that had been hammered and fused together mostly by brute force: Archon hadn't wasted any time in reattaching and securing all the cars once they had caught up to them, sparing only a few moments to rant at Shining Armor like this was all his fault before he'd dragged the unicorn off to some dismal menial task.

Cadence was sulking a little in her seat, lopsided tiara on her head, looking grumpily out the window as she rested a hoof under her chin. Shining was... she didn't know where he was. And it wasn't that she didn't care, but... well... okay, actually, she kind of didn't right now. No, scratch that. She did care. She cared that he wasn't around right now because he was being the opposite of helpful lately.

Shining Armor was great, sure. Youngest Captain ever. Prince of Equestria. Everyone looked up and saw him as Mr. Awesmazing. She loved him and adored him and respected him... but she also knew him, inside and out. Everyone idolized him as the idyllic proud stallion, but all they saw was him from a distance. They didn't have to live with the kooky idiot.

But she loved him for his kookiness, his weird hygiene obsession, his love affair with his mane, his need to have all the books on the shelf in alphabetical order, the way that for all his brainpower he would stare vapidly out a window of a moving vehicle, as if hypnotized. She really did. She didn't want a stallion who would do all the work for her, who would basically take over living life for them both, who would overshadow her in every way.

She didn't want him to be perfect, or even better than he already was. She understood they were going to clash at times, but... why the hell of all times was she getting so frustrated with him now, and he had insisted on just making it worse? Why was it that when they argued, it was always at the worst possible times?

Cadence grumbled and dropped her head across her forelegs... and then she sighed tiredly and slowly looked up, ignoring the bangs in her eyes as a soldier approached and saluted her before asking crisply: “Do you need anything, ma'am?”

“No. Not unless you have a time machine. Or a big rock to hit a big unicorn on his big stupid head.” Cadence mumbled, and then she suddenly looked up and asked crankily: “Why is it that we mares are supposed to be invincible? A few, oh, 'it's going to be okays,' and what, we're just supposed to be fine? Put all our faith in big dumb stallions and suddenly be all hugs and kisses so we can... can kiss away their boo-boos and they can hide behind us while puffing out their chests to each other like... birds or... or... something, and... they're going to fix us, like we're broken? Because oh, look, I'm not acting the way you think I'm supposed to so obviously something about me needs to be fixed and I can't just be sad because I'm really really really stressed right now and you're not helping!”

The guard was now staring at her, slowly leaning backwards, and Cadence slowly turned beet red as she reached up and covered her mouth before awkwardly holding up a hoof and saying lamely: “I'd like an apple cider, please.”

“Yes ma'am!” The soldier spun on one hoof and hurried away down the aisle, and Cadence dropped her head to the table with a loud thunk and a tired sigh. Well, she was really doing a great job of getting over herself. Probably making a great impression on everyone here, too.

Still, she felt... cranky. Unhappy. And it didn't help that Shining kept talking about 'mistakes' and he happened to have a crazy stalker named Miss Take who was apparently his favorite mistake because he kept bringing her up and oh Horses of Heaven she wasn't really this jealous, was she?

Cadence rose her head... then scowled as her tiara fell off, mumbling under her breath before she swatted it grumpily across the table. No, this was... perfectly understandable. Her worries were justified. Miss Take was a slinky creepy evil Changeling stalker, and one of those had already stolen Shining Armor away from her. So this all clearly made sense: for all she knew, after all, the Guild had been tipped off by Miss Take who was using some creepy quadruple-agent ploy to try and get them to trust her when really... I'm doing it again. What's wrong with me?

Cadence reached up and rubbed slowly at her temples: was she really letting all the stress get to her this much? Why was she being this way? She'd never felt so cranky and so jealous before in all her life, and she knew that she was being unfair to Shining and... even to Miss Take. Loathe as she was to admit it, the half-Changeling had really helped them out of a mess.

The winged unicorn sighed quietly... then glanced up and gave a small smile when the soldier hesitantly returned with an apple cider, putting it down on the table like she might lunge at him. But she only nodded politely before clearing her throat and asking: “Where's Shining Armor? I haven't seen him for a few hours now.”

“Helping keep the train moving, ma'am. General Archon's orders, ma'am.” replied the soldier crisply, and Cadence nodded a few times as she sat up before the soldier added, calm as ever but eyes hinting at more than a bit of nervousness: “General Archon will be arriving within ten minutes to speak with you, ma'am.”

“Oh. Thank you.” Cadence mumbled, and then she sighed a little and picked up her cup of cider, sipping at it and looking uneasily back and forth through the mostly-empty car: there were a few passengers, but they were relegated to the furthest seats, scrunched uncomfortably together and trying to avoid staring too much at the silent wall of officers filling the seats in front of them. “I thought he'd already been... debriefed, however.”

“Standard procedure, ma'am. All parties involved must corroborate, ma'am, pending internal investigation.” replied the solider, and then he saluted sharply before turning and quickly striding away, and Cadence reflected that was a hell of a way to end a conversation as she sipped grumpily at her glass of cider, then sighed and absently touched her own neck.

Her eyes closed, and she focused her magic: she wasn't preparing any spell in particular, but rather just calling up her energies to see what would happen... and she was only a little surprised when after a few moments, her whole body began to ache, like every muscle was strained, every nerve stretched and tender.

Cadence slumped back a bit in her seat as she let the magic die out from around her horn, closing her eyes and breathing slowly as she mumbled to herself and the pain gradually receded. But really, she was lucky: after her fight with Pain, she should have been much worse off. Not to mention how many times she'd been punched, kicked, hit, set on fire, shot with magic, stabbed...

But Archon had a few good medics on his squadron, and she had always healed fast, always been ready for another fight, another struggle, another day. Something she thought was carried over from her old life... but she didn't even know what that meant anymore. There were so many memories and emotions crowding over each other in her mind and dancing through these big black shadows that were hiding secrets she... she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to remember anymore...

Cadence shivered a bit, then she forced her thoughts away, sipping at her cider again and just doing her best to relax. If she relaxed, she could probably make herself get over how stupid she was being about Shine, since he really did want what he thought was best for her and really was trying hard to avoid Miss Take and... stop thinking, Cadence. You're going in circles now. Why can't there ever be someone around to beat up when I need it?

“Princess Cadence.” rumbled a gruff voice, and Cadence blinked before looking awkwardly over at General Archon, who glowered at her moodily... even if the bow of his head was honestly respectful. If not for her, then at least for her crown, she thought: if Archon was anything, it was patriotic. “May I?”

“Yes, of course.” Cadence sat up, focusing on her mental mantra of dignity, poise, grace... dignity, poise, grace. “What did you wish to speak to me about?”

“What happened here, your ladyship. Your husband has not been particularly... forthcoming... in spite of the fact that it is my duty to protect both yourself and him. No matter what my personal feelings towards either of you may be.” Archon said calmly, measuring her with his eyes... and what bothered Cadence most about that look was the fact that he really seemed to be trying to keep himself as impartial as possible. “In order to protect you, however, I need to know what happened here. I need to know what threats we are facing. Not just the codswallop your husband feeds me.”

“We're...” Cadence bit her lip, looking at Archon and realizing... she had never really ever gotten to know the General. Every time she'd asked Celestia why she kept him as part of her war council, she'd always heard the same answer: Archon was old-fashioned, but a strong leader and a good pony. She'd always heard that... but she'd never really listened, had she?

And then, of course, she'd go home to Shining and ask him what he thought of the old war horse, and Shining would make some wry comment about Archon being a pyromaniac and they'd laugh but... well...

“Archon, all I know about you is that you like to have things a certain way and... your talent is incendiary magic.” Cadence said carefully, bowing her head politely, and Archon only scowled slightly at her before she asked finally: “Can you tell me more about yourself? I'd feel more comfortable around you if I knew more about you. I'm very sure Shining would as well.”

The General scowled at this, but after a few moments, he finally sighed and nodded, muttering: “Very well, Princess Cadence. We're already behind schedule and moving slowly... I suppose I can afford the time on the condition that you promise to work with me more openly in the future.”

“I promise.” Cadence nodded quickly, smiling to the General, who gave a grumble but nodded grouchily back. They looked at each other for a few moments, and then the mare asked on impulse the first question that came to mind: “Who's the most important person in your life?”

Archon only glowered at her moodily, and Cadence shifted awkwardly, clearing her throat and asking herself what the hell was wrong with her, and why she had gone and asked that of all questions. Of course, she didn't know anything about Archon's personal life, and she found it kind of hard to imagine that he hadn't just kind of been born from some ancient forge like a golem or a fire elemental or something, and-

Her half-frazzled thoughts were cut off as Archon said moodily: “My grandson.”

Cadence stared with surprise at Archon, who only scowled back at her before the winged unicorn asked disbelievingly: “You have... a grandson?”

“Yes. I do.” Archon said shortly, and then he asked distastefully: “Now, what happened here? Shining Armor claims that he fought off the Phoenix Guild's forces by himself. Considering the fact I find it difficult to believe he could fight his way out of a wet paper bag, I have reason to believe he's trying to protect someone.”

“Hey, Shining could fight his way out of a dry paper bag, as a matter of fact.” Cadence replied sharply... and then she blushed a bit and slapped her own forehead as Archon gave her a dour look. “Sorry. I'm... I'm very tired, General Archon. And the truth is... well...”

Cadence bit her tongue: sure, part of her was greatly annoyed that it looked like Shining was trying to take all the credit, but she understood what he was trying to protect her... and apparently Miss Take, as well. But her real quandary was in how much she should trust Archon... and whether or not she should throw Miss Take under the carriage.

It would be easy, after all: the earth ponies were clearly mercenaries, she could claim that they had been Miss Take's gang, and the Phoenix Guild had attacked with revenge in mind and it had all turned into some horrible free-for-all where she, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, had hidden herself all princessly away while Shining Armor defended her from all attackers. It didn't entirely make sense, especially when you considered how badly beaten she still looked, but the moment she mentioned Miss Take, Archon was sure to lock on to that and nothing else.

Cadence shifted a little... and then, finally, she looked up at Archon. He looked back at her, studying her... until finally, Cadence sighed in resignation and said finally: “It was me. Shining kept the train under control and defended the passengers and I fought the Phoenix Guild on top of the train. There was... something wrong with them. They were brokenhearted, even though... I don't entirely know what that means.”

Archon looked at her measuringly for a few moments, and Cadence looked silently back before the General reached over and calmly picked up her diadem from the edge of the table. He brushed it off with one hoof, then held it out to her, meeting her eyes and saying quietly: “You are a Princess of Equestria. Even if you do not want to be, that is your duty. You are not a soldier.”

Cadence's eyes widened in surprise... then narrowed in anger as she reached out and swiped the tiara away, looking down at it for a moment before she rose her head and said evenly: “The job of the throne is to protect her people. These ponies are my people. And I protected them. So I was just doing my job, Archon. Because I'm not a soldier. I'm a warrior. I'm a...”

Cadence frowned, reaching up and touching her forehead as her vision swam, and her wings shivered before she mumbled in confusion: “Swan?”

“I don't think you're a bird, Princess Cadence, even if I see the resemblance. Pretty at a distance, foul-tempered when approached.” Archon said moodily, and Cadence glared at him even as that strange feeling of lightheadedness continued to rollick over her. But there was a bit of surprise, too: she hadn't really expected Archon to... well... believe her. Or to take it so well.

She looked at him awkwardly, and he looked back before the old General leaned forward and said irritably: “Do you think I'm blind, or do you just think I'm stupid? I'm fully aware of what happened after Shining Armor was kidnapped. I'm also aware that many of your wounds are due to counterpoints and reversals: the depth of the cuts, the stretching and the gouges. You must be sloppy. You are a Princess, not a soldier.”

Cadence slowly ground her teeth together, and then she leaned forwards and said almost challengingly: “So are you saying that you could have fought off the entire Phoenix Guild, Archon? That you're a better fighter than I am?”

Archon looked at her for a few moments... and then he gave a thin little smile that made Cadence wince a bit. It simply didn't look... natural... on his face, and the winged unicorn shifted uncomfortably before Archon said calmly: “I am.”

She stared at him, and he looked back at her before leaning forwards and saying quietly: “A battle is not won through strength alone. You require experience, knowledge of the field, wisdom. A willingness to do whatever is necessary to achieve victory but a passion for what you're fighting for and the understanding that your job is not just to win, but to save every life you can along the way. You and Shining think I'm a monster. You think I'm a bastard. You think I don't care about my soldiers. But I'm only one of those things, Princess Cadence.”

Cadence shrank back a bit in her seat, flushing deeply before she dropped her head and mumbled awkwardly: “I'm... I'm sorry.”

“I don't care. Tell me what happened here. You didn't kill all these ponies yourself. Who helped you?” Archon asked coldly, and the mare bit her lip and shifted uncomfortably before the General snapped: “Well?”

The two looked at each other, and then Cadence shifted before saying finally: “We had help from another Pegasus who had snuck on the train. She... ran away afterwards. She was a criminal. She was afraid of being caught by... you.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then, to her surprise, Archon simply nodded and looked away. Cadence studied him, thought about the words that he had spoken... and then she frowned and reached up to rub at her forehead slowly, feeling a strange... a pulling in her mind. Those words... they were so much like words she'd heard before...

Archon was looking at her, frowning darkly and measuring her with his eyes again. Cadence looked back at him, studying the grizzled old stallion before she bit her lip and asked quietly: “You mentioned your grandson. What about... other family?”

“Back to this game?” Archon asked acerbically, and Cadence simply shrugged a bit, sitting up and looking over at him, feeling a strange... a need to know more about this stallion she felt she may have done much worse than underestimate over the years she had spent as a Princess. She wanted to remedy that, she wanted to establish some kind of... of contact, find some even ground, understand just how much of him really was crazy fire-bringer and how much was...

“I don't have any other family. My wife died years ago and so did my children.” Archon said coldly, and then he questioned bluntly: “Do you usually try and protect criminals? Do you care about Equestria's laws or only your own sovereignty?”

“I'm sorry.” Cadence shifted uncomfortably, then looked up and replied evenly: “And if I could sell this particular pony down the river, I would. But I can't. I owe... this pony. We fought side-by-side. We protected each other and my husband. And what I care about, Archon, is finding out about my past and protecting my people. I will protect my people over protecting my country and its silly rules.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Cadence asked after a moment: “What kind of hobbies do you have?”

“I collect military antiquities.” Archon replied moodily, and then he asked contemptibly: “What is this nonsense about finding your past? Your past is on public record.”

“No, it's not.” Cadence said softly, shaking her head and giving a brief smile. “My past has... has to do with one of Equestria's most dangerous enemies. And that's all I want to tell you on that subject for now, Archon.”

She stopped, then shook her head slowly before asking quietly: “Why do you train your soldiers the way you do? We know so much more about motivation and psychology now than we did fifty years ago. We know better approaches than turning them into machines now.”

Archon gave a dry laugh at this, and then he rose his head and said quietly: “Because even if everything changes, it all stays the same, too. They don't need pats on the ass and their self-esteem boosted. They don't need to be coddled and reassured. They need to be shaped into one powerful, cohesive unit. They need to be taught loyalty and discipline. They need to be given the tools to survive.”

“Do you really do that, Archon? Or do you just turn them into your stormtroopers?” Cadence asked as she rose her head, but there was more than a hint of honest interest in her voice, not just condescension.

The General studied her silently, measuring her with his eyes... and then he finally leaned forwards and said calmly: “My best soldiers always keep a shred of their individuality. My goal isn't to stomp that out of them, whether you believe that or not. But what I teach them is to value their mission, their comrades, and their training above all else. I can't make them not afraid when they charge into battle: all I can do is give them something to cling to even when all hell breaks loose. I do what works best to keep my soldiers alive. I care about the welfare of each and every single one of them, I know their names, their commendations, their failings by heart. But I will not waste my time with hugs and compliments. Those things won't help them survive on the battlefield.

“If I'm going to protect you, I need to understand what we are up against. I understand you want privacy, but that's too bad, because you aren't simply endangering yourself. You're endangering everyone here by not being open with me.” Archon said distastefully, gesturing quickly with one hoof at the train around them. “I need to know who our allies are. I need to know who this enemy is. I need to know what we're doing here, now that I've come to understand much of this nonsense about Miss Take pursuing the Crystal Heart is only a pretense.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Cadence sighed softly as she rubbed quietly at her forehead, murmuring: “Can you please just... wait until we reach the Crystal Kingdom, at least? I... I'll tell you, Archon. But I want to talk about it privately.”

“So long as by 'privately' you mean without your husband in attendance as well.” Archon said moodily, and Cadence looked tiredly up at the grizzled old unicorn.

“Why don't you like him?” she asked finally, shaking her head briefly, and Archon gave one of his thin little smiles, which made her shift uncomfortably backwards.

“I like him, Cadence. And that is precisely the problem. Your husband is very likable, charming, very nice.” Archon leaned forwards, saying quietly: “And that is a weakness. He charms other people into going along with him instead of reasoning with them. He won't do things that would jeopardize his precious reputation. He's afraid of becoming 'like me' and talks behind my back with the other Captains. I don't care how much or how little they like me. I do care that your little gelding doesn't have the testicular fortitude to do more than wheedle and hide behind your skirts. I don't give a crowbait's flank if he developed a shielding spell that can protect an entire city or about his physical tenacity. I care about what he does with that strength. And so far, I am not impressed.”

Cadence stared at Archon, who brushed at himself moodily before he slipped out of his seat, then said briskly: “Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an inspection to do. When we reach the Crystal Kingdom, I will escort you myself to the castle and we will speak there. For now, you look as if you could use some rest, Princess Cadence.”

“Just... Cadence. Although I guess you're right.” Cadence murmured, rubbing slowly at her forehead and grimacing a bit as she felt that uneasy lightheadedness again. But it only lasted a moment this time as she forced herself to focus on the here and now, looking across at Archon and saying finally: “I'm... sorry.”

Archon only looked at her in his stoic way, ignoring her words so completely that Cadence was left wondering if she'd actually spoken, or that apology was just in her own mind. Then the unicorn turned and stepped into the aisle, gesturing at her and almost ordering: “I will escort you to a cabin where you can sleep. A guard will be posted outside. Shining Armor will be allowed to join you once he has completed his duties.”

“Thank you, General Archon. I appreciate it.” Cadence said finally, and Archon nodded with a grunt, saluting her sharply before turning on his heel. His movements were crisp, perfect, practiced... and Cadence sighed a little as she slipped out of her seat and mumbled: “It wouldn't kill you to relax a little, though.”

Archon didn't reply as he led her into the next car, although Cadence paused in the narrow gap between sections to take a quick look at the land around them. It was gray and ugly and rolling by too slowly for her liking, but it at least felt much colder... and since they would have to head across icy tundra to reach the prosperous, magically-insulated little piece of paradise, that was actually a good sign. Or that's what she tried to tell herself, anyway.

Then Archon hammered against the side of the doorframe to get her attention, and Cadence grimaced before hurrying into the next car. The narrow hall was lined with doors leading into private sleeping cabins... and Cadence couldn't help but wonder moodily how many ponies they had likely cut off from these thanks to the guards' behavior.

She hesitated, then looked over at Archon, saying awkwardly: “We can't just take one of these. Crown or not.”

“I had them all reserved before the train departed. They're a security hazard otherwise.” Archon replied moodily, and Cadence looked at him disbelievingly before the General said sourly: “You may think me paranoid and cruel, Princess Cadence, but I also was the only pony who tried to take any precautions against an enemy attack. Which is precisely what happened.”

“Yeah, and...” Cadence bit her tongue to stop herself from saying something particularly rude to Archon about his leadership qualities, and instead she cleared her throat before saying in an only-slightly cranky voice: “I'll just accept this room with grace. Thank you. I should get some rest.”

Archon nodded, then he pushed the door open for her and allowed her to slip inside the cabin. It was a plain little thing that had clearly been strip-searched by Archon's troops already, with just a single sheet and pillow on a little cot... but when Cadence flopped down in it, it felt more welcoming to her than the enormous bed she and Shining had back at home.

She sighed in relief as she curled up, closing her eyes and giving a faint smile to herself. Then she sighed tiredly as she heard the door click loudly, opening a single eye and looking moodily out at it before Archon said calmly through the wood: “I put an alarm on the lock. Please notify the guard if you require anything to avoid setting it off.”

Cadence didn't reply, only grumbling and rolling over... but her eyes felt heavy, and her head was swimming again as memories tickled through her brain, made her feel... funny. She shifted back and forth in the cot, then sighed a little as she started to think of Shining Armor, closing her eyes...

And when she next opened her eyes, she frowned in surprise as she sat up in her bed, looking blearily back and forth. Shining Armor... she didn't think she knew any soldiers by that name, and she knew almost all of her father's warriors and champions.

The young mare smiled a little to herself, little more than a filly: she felt... a strange sense of movement, a rumbling for a moment, but then that soon faded away and she figured it was all some nonsense from a silly dream. No, she was here, safe at home in the peaceful Crystal Kingdom ruled by her father, King Serenite.

Cadence threw off her blankets and leapt out of bed, smiling as she hurried over to her large dresser and swept her simple dress off the top of it. She hated all the fancy royal raiments: sure, they looked really pretty and she understood why she had to wear them every now and then, but they were so heavy and bulky and frilly. She didn't want to be frilly. She wanted to grow up to be just like her Daddy: strong and wise, but humble and generous. A good pony.

She stuffed herself into the simple dark cloth, then ran to the door and leapt out, spreading her wings and grinning as she flew down the spiraling stairs. She didn't turn fast enough to keep up with the sharp curve of the wall, but Cadence only laughed as she twisted her body and kicked off the bricks, launching herself sharply onwards before grinning and hitting the wall again in a sprint.

She bolted down the stairway along the wall, following a path that had already been worn into the stone by the hooves of the young mare: near the bottom, she accidentally knocked one of her attendants sprawling, and Cadence blushed as she jumped off the wall, skidding around in a circle but backpedaling out of the door as she called quickly: “Sorry, Ferron! I'm up! Going to see Daddy!”

“Cadenza!” howled Ferron as he picked himself, but Cadence spun around and bolted down the corridor, weaving back and forth through the guards and servants that populated the happy castle and grinning to herself, even as Ferron tried uselessly to stagger after her, the unicorn flailing a scroll with telekinesis. “Cadenza, come back here, we have to go over your lesson plan for today!”

But Cadence only hurried onwards, skidding around a corner and then leaping past two unicorn guards in silver armor, who both only traded amused looks. Everyone in the castle knew about Cadence's morning habits by now, after all: sleep in, then rush off to see her father, then grudgingly go about her lessons... assuming that she didn't manage to wheedle out of them or run away on some silly adventure, that was.

Cadence bolted into the throne room, and her father glanced up from a booklet of papers even as several of his attendants all stared with something like horror at the young mare as she launched herself straight at the king. But with implacable calm and the ease of many mornings of practice, King Serenite only shifted the booklet to one hoof and caught Cadence in his other foreleg, grunting only a little as she impacted with his chest.

“Good morning!” Cadence said brightly, and the almost-glowing white unicorn smiled down at her with amusement.

“Good morning, Cadenza.” he said gently, and he calmly let her slip down to stand in front him, Cadence smiling warmly as Serenite gazed back at her with fatherly affection. “You know, you aren't quite a filly anymore, my daughter. One of these days, you'll jump on me and break this fragile old stallion.”

Cadence only smiled and glanced back at her flank, wiggling it as she replied warmly: “No, Father, you're still the strongest stallion in the kingdom, and I'm not nearly as fat as some of the mares that throw themselves at you.”

Serenite sighed, and one of his assistants covered his mouth to try and hide his giggles as Cadence looked mischievously back at her father. “Mi amore, please. You know that I try and make time for all of my subjects, even the ones-”

“Who have trouble fitting in the throne room.” Cadence said blandly, and Serenite dropped his face in a hoof as one of his attendants giggled harder and the others glared, before the rosy-pink teen looked back and forth and said innocently: “I mean, fitting in time to come see you, of course.”

“Cadenza.” Serenite said mildly, and Cadence sat on her haunches and smiled up at him as the king looked at her, then chuckled and shook his head slowly. “You're not going to be able to get away with this forever, you know.”

Cadence only smiled, and King Serenite looked at her for a few moments before he held the notebook out towards one of his attendants, saying kindly: “Please see that the Historians are able to see the changes I've made, then bring their assessment back to me for review. Thank you.”

“Yes sir!” the attendant saluted: he was a unicorn, like most of the others in the castle. There were a few Pegasi too, of course, and even one or two slave hoofs... although her father didn't really like that name for them. He said it was as degrading as calling them 'barbarians,' if not more so: it wasn't their fault they were the way they were. Usually, he just called them the 'Crystal Ponies,' for the natural talent so many of them seemed to have with working with the earth, and how strong they were.

Well, her father said they were strong, anyway. Cadence still felt uneasy around even the 'civilized' ones, and she was the first to admit she didn't understand why her father praised them so much or had even given so many of them second chances. They were savages, after all: the tribes of barbarians that lived outside of their kingdom in the cold and snow and tundra regularly raided their borders, pillaged, raped, acted more like monsters than they did ponies. And they never hesitated to abandon their own kind, either... something that disgusted Cadence for reasons she couldn't entirely explain. It just felt... wrong to her.

Then she glanced up as her father asked her gently: “Cadenza, do you think that today you could come with me for a special lesson? There's something I want to show you, and want your help with.”

Cadence smiled warmly and nodded firmly, feeling a thrum of pride in her chest. “Of course, Daddy! I'd love to!”

King Serenite smiled at her kindly, then he glanced up as Ferron staggered into the chambers with a wheeze, the elderly unicorn glaring at Cadence before he looked up dumbly as the king said calmly: “Ferron, I've already spoken to my daughter about what's expected of her today. Don't worry, tomorrow I'll be sure to return her to your capable hooves.”

“Oh, that's... quite alright, sire. You are the king and she is your daughter and... I have no desire whatsoever to get between a father and his daughter.” Ferron said hurriedly, bowing quickly to the two and doing his best to hide his very-visible relief. “Uh... if you'll excuse me then, your majesty...”

“Of course.” King Serenite gestured politely at the old unicorn, who bowed again before turning and hurrying out of the throne room, followed shortly after by the rest of his attendants. It left Serenite and his daughter alone in the oval-shaped chamber, and Cadence smiled up at the stallion she adored as Serenite looked back at her kindly. “Before we go, mi amore, I'd like to give you a short quiz.”

Cadence groaned and threw her head back, but then she nodded a few times and looked respectfully up at her father, mumbling: “Okay, Daddy. If you insist.”

“I do.” King Serenite was smiling slightly at his daughter, however, who was still so childish... but so warmhearted and so good, in spite of the doubts and the confusions and the worries he knew she was having as she grew up, entered this difficult phase of leaving behind her foalhood and becoming an adult. “First, I have a riddle for you, Cadenza.”

Cadence nodded, becoming more serious as she rose her head, and there was silence for a moment before King Serenite asked gently: “I can be given freely, but never taken by force. I can heal wounds, but leave the strongest stallion vulnerable. I give life meaning, but I can also steal away meaning from everything else. What am I?”

The rose-colored young mare lowered her head in thought, chewing on her lip for a few moments before she looked up and said softly: “Love.”

“That is correct, Cadenza, mi amore.” King Serenite said gently, giving a soft smile. “Love. Love is something we must cherish, love is something we must extend to all things, love has the power to conquer the world... but like all things, love can be abused. I love you, Cadenza. You are the most important thing in the world to me. I would do anything to make you happy. And I strive to be a better stallion for your sake even more than my own, even more than that of the people I serve and protect... but I fear sometimes too, Cadenza. I do not know what I would not do for you. I do not know what I would do if someone hurt you. I do not dare to dream of what would happen if I lost you, daughter. You're all I truly have.”

“But Father, you have an entire kingdom... and as much as I love you, too, as proud as I am to be your daughter...” Cadence smiled faintly, raising her head and looking honestly up at the king. “I'm only one pony, too. Sometimes we... have to do what's in the best interests of everyone else... not the one person we love. You taught me that, too.”

“I taught you that because I want you to be a stronger, better pony than I am. I want you to recognize that sometimes we must give up something important to us, to protect the rights and lives and innocence of many.” King Serenite slipped out of his throne, then he tightly embraced his daughter, who gladly pushed herself against him and returned the hug fiercely. “Because I'm not sure that I can honestly say I would be able to.”

Cadence only laughed a little at this, and then she murmured quietly: “I don't want to be better than you are, Daddy. I'd be happy if I could be half the pony you are.”

“You should aim higher than that, Cadenza. If you want to honor me, then strive to be better than me. The new generation should always be stronger than the last.” King Serenite said gently, reaching up and stroking his daughter's face tenderly before he shook his head slowly, then stepped back and said softly: “And now, another question for you, my daughter.”

Cadence nodded, stepping back and looking up at him intently, and her father measured her for a few moments with his gaze before he asked gently: “A family of ponies are caught inside a burning building. You can save them, but one pony will be trapped inside. The father is a blacksmith, the mother a seamstress, one child is an apprentice and the other only a babe. Who do you leave behind?”

“Why is someone stuck inside? Why can't I save them?” Cadence asked, and King Serenite sighed... but there was an amused warmth in his eyes all the same.

“That's just part of the puzzle, mi amore. Maybe someone has to stay behind to hold up a pillar, or hold the gates open.”

“Well, I'd use magic to reinforce the pillar or I'd just tear the gates down.” Cadence replied proudly, and King Serenite chuckled quietly at this and shook his head slowly. “Then I could save everyone.”

“Daughter, you know what the point of this puzzle is.” King Serenite said gently, and Cadence sighed before the king asked again: “Who do you leave behind?”

“None of them.” Cadence replied, looking up at her father with a smile, and he tilted his head before she said softly: “I let them all escape and stay behind myself. I know enough defensive magic to protect myself even if the building collapses on me. I have the best chance of survival... and it would be wrong to rush in to save them, and then abandon one pony because it was too hard, because my life was put at risk. My life was at risk the moment I stepped in to save them.”

King Serenite looked down thoughtfully for a few moments, and then he leaned down and asked her quietly: “Would you trade your life for an entire family's?”

Cadence nodded, and the king smiled before he asked gently: “Would you trade your life for a group of prisoners? For a group of barbarians? For a single child's?”

Cadence frowned at this, then she bit her lip and shifted uncomfortably back and forth before she looked up and answered honestly: “I don't know.”

“You're honest. I appreciate you being honest. Can you tell me what makes the decision so hard?” King Serenite asked, tilting his head curiously.

The young mare shifted back and forth, and then she said finally: “I don't think I can. It's too hard, too... big. There's too many questions, too much to consider. And the hardest is the child: what if he grew up to be a great leader, a great king? But what if he didn't grow up to be anyone at all? But, but on top of that, does that mean I should just walk past everyone who's being hurt just because...”

She bit her lip, looking uncomfortable, unable to find the right words as she felt a strange shift in her mind... but then her father reached up and gently squeezed her shoulder, saying softly: “It's alright. I pray you will never have to make this decision, Cadenza, because you're right: there is no right answer, without knowledge. But remember this: all life is sacred. Your life, and theirs.”

“So I should always try to save everyone... even the people who don't deserve it?” Cadence asked hesitantly, and King Serenite chuckled quietly.

“I believe the people who seem like they don't deserve it... are often the most deserving of all.” King Serenite replied gently, and then he smiled before striding past her, saying easily over his shoulder: “Come with me, mi amore. Let me show you something.”

Cadence smiled warmly and trotted quickly up to her father's side, raising her head proudly as she fell in step with him. She couldn't help but bask in the attention they both received from the castle's inhabitants: not fear, but respect and adoration and such warmth. Cadence couldn't imagine a better feeling than this: it was like all of the castle was their family, everyone was a friend, and everyone could trust and reach out to one-another.

They made their way down to one of the lower levels together, and Cadence frowned as she looked curiously around: this wasn't the prison, but rather a special ward where the barbarians who came to them were taught about civilization and society. She had mixed feelings about this place: she admired what the king was trying to do, but these 'Crystal Ponies' made her so damned nervous...

They approached the heavy armored doors at the end of the ward, and King Serenite knocked twice on these to announce his presence before his horn glowed. The doors lit up with the same pale radiance before they creaked and slowly pulled apart... and Cadence shivered a bit and stepped backwards as she saw what was waiting in the room beyond.

Guards in heavy armor were keeping a watchful eye over the two barbarians sitting grouchily together near the middle of the brightly colored room, while a unicorn with a clipboard spoke soothingly to the two ponies that Cadence recognized all too well.

Left and Right... and even though they had been washed and were heavily restrained, Cadence could barely suppress a shiver of fear at the sight of the twins. But King Serenite walked forwards, and the mare kept in the shadow of her father: she was afraid, but trusted in the stallion above all else, and was honestly reassured when he said gently: “They won't hurt you. I want you to see something.”

Cadence nodded hesitantly, and then she looked uneasy forwards again, studying the two: they had been throughly washed, although she thought they both still stank like raw meat, and they had cloth booties over their hooves and thick muzzles keeping them from biting. Straps went between their left and right legs, making it more difficult for them to move... although Cadence shivered a little as she remembered when she had been younger, a stupid filly who had snuck down to the dungeons to get a glimpse of the big scary barbarians that had been captured during a raid and...

She shook her head quickly, then looked up as the unicorn with the clipboard approached. A court mage, Cadence guessed from the sight of her robes. She bowed her head politely, and the mage bowed back to her and the king, saying respectfully: “Your lordship. I have good news and bad news and... well... some other news for you.”

King Serenite nodded, then he smiled a little as he looked over at Left and Right and studying them. They were seated at a table and actually attempting to shove around some of the blocks that had been left out for them... “They seem to be participating.”

“Yes, but I'm not sure if they just want their restraints off or if they really are trying to learn, though... with how they act, I can't even judge their intelligence. It doesn't help all these ideas are so... revolutionary, so strange...” The unicorn shook her head, laughing and blushing a bit. “Not that I'm not honored to have been chosen, sir, for this job... I... I just don't know how I'm supposed to... fix them.”

“Neither do I. But it's something I want us to work on together: in the past, we've been successful with educating the Crystal Ponies, after all. They're not animals, they're not any less than we are, if they're just given the chance to grow and develop like we have.” King Serenite said softly, gesturing towards the barbarians as they both looked darkly up at the table.

There was such anger, such hatred in their eyes, and Cadence shivered at it... and yet somehow, her father only smiled at them with pity, shaking his head slowly and saying softly: “But these two... they're strange. I don't want to imagine what must have made them this way... they seem to hate everything and everyone except for each other.”

“I never have either.” the mage said softly, shaking her head and looking at them before she bit her lip, then said hesitantly: “I'm not sure we can fix them this way, sire... I have... I try my hardest to remember your words, even though the barbarians have done so many awful things to us, and I honestly admire how you've given Crystal Ponies jobs, helped them become a part of our society... but these two...”

“No one is beyond help. No one is beyond being healed... I believe that with all my heart.” King Serenite said gently but firmly, and both the mage and Cadence looked up at him before the stallion gave a small smile and turned his eyes towards the twins. “Besides. They've demonstrated the ability to adapt and learn. They're very dangerous, but they do respond to us, they do interact in their fumbling way... I think we just need to reach out to them in the right way.”

The mage hesitantly nodded as Cadence looked up at her father, then she asked quietly: “But what about the ponies they've hurt, even killed? They won't come back even if we fix them.”

“No, they won't.” King Serenite said softly, turning to look at his daughter before he said gently: “And these two will have to atone for the wrongs they have done, in time. But we cannot rush to vengeance: we have to be patient, mi amore, and seek justice. We have to make them understand what they have done before we can punish them.”

Cadence nodded slowly, shifting a bit before she looked at the twins, studying them silently before she murmured: “Because we don't punish them solely to make ourselves feel better. We do it to try and make things right... not just to help ourselves, but to teach them that what they did was wrong.”

“Idealism, perhaps. But this entire kingdom is founded on idealism.” Serenite chuckled quietly, shaking his head slowly before he turned his eyes towards the twins, saying softly: “An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind, Cadence. Blood feuds leave only lonely orphans and easy targets for the real evils of the world to sweep in and steal what rightfully belonged to them.”

Cadence looked up at her father quietly, and he gazed back down before turning his eyes towards the twins, saying softly: “We'll find a way to get through to them. Although you may be right, Tessa. Maybe we can't fix them the same way we fixed the others... maybe there's something else wrong with them. Maybe it's not their minds that are broken...”

King Serenite lowered his head in thought, looking meditative before he nodded slowly to himself and murmured: “They don't seem to be able to feel the same way we do, or to understand emotions. Perhaps that's it: it's their hearts that are broken.”

The mage frowned at this, while Cadence's eyes widened slightly as she looked at the twins, then up at her father, asking with amazement tainted by fear: “Is that kind of thing really possible? What kind of magic would do that?”

“I don't know if it would require magic at all, Cadenza.” the king said softly, studying the twins before he gave a brief smile, glancing over at his daughter tenderly even as he explained in almost solemn tones: “We already discussed what love can do to a pony, did we not? And you know the effect that strong emotions alone can have on even the plainest, most-ordinary objects. You know about ghosts formed from rage, and sorrow, and longing; you know what low demons are, created from the power of our primal drives.”

“Brokenhearted... my lordship, it makes sense!” Tessa said suddenly, looking over at the king and nodding firmly as she smiled warmly. “We know that emotions factor into every element of our lives... we've seen brokenheartedness before, how it drains the life and emotions out of ponies! But because of our society's structure, only a few ponies are ever left completely without some kind of safety net, without anyone there to catch them, without some kind of option to turn to...

“But the barbarians don't help each other. They form war bands out of necessity but seem to take great pleasure in not just outdoing each other, but in seeing their own allies hurt. And from what we know of their society, they're like animals, with only the biggest and meanest ruling and taking whatever he or she wants.” continued Tessa, shaking her head quickly, but her eyes were bright with the excitement of the new landscape of ideas she had stumbled upon. “Imagine, these two giants in a society like that with something their own kind would doubtlessly not just mock them for but try and use against them. Imagine if they did have some emotional capacity once, and that was abused, leaving them heartbroken and hurt... driving them deeper and deeper into becoming...”

“Into becoming what we see in front of us. Brokenhearted.” finished the king, and then he smiled over at Tessa, saying softly: “Your talent has always been for puzzles. Thank you for helping me figure this one out, Tessa... and now, maybe, we can find a way to fix them. If we can fix them, Tessa, we'll be able to help ponies everywhere suffering from this kind of pain: we can develop techniques that will benefit not just the Crystal Ponies, but the unicorns and Pegasi as well.”

Cadence shifted uneasily, and then she shivered a little as the twins looked at each other before one began to chuckle quietly. Then the other started to laugh as well, his amusement punctuating his brother's, and the pink mare closed her eyes tightly as she stepped to the side to press against her father, not knowing why they bothered her so much, not knowing why something about... everything felt so wrong...

But her father comforted her. Just him being there comforted her: when he wrapped a foreleg around her and hugged her gently, she felt like she was protected from the entire world, and his kiss to her forehead was like a soothing balm upon her very soul. So when he murmured to her that everything was going to be okay, she believed his words...

Cadence was barely aware of the passage of hours and days: the whole castle was in a hubbub now, with mages and clerics hurrying to help with the research on the barbarian twins, and nobles and soldiers and other inhabitants of their beautiful kingdom all eagerly talking about the possible discovery the king had made. Many ponies thought King Serenite was eccentric and naïve, and more than a few thought his current venture was insane: why should they work so hard to help barbarians and monsters, after all?

But no one ever doubted his ability to rule, or his strength: for all the years he had ruled, their nation had been prosperous, and it was under his rule that they had made contact with the slowly-growing nation of Equestria to the south and established an alliance with them. Once, before Cadence had been born, the princesses of that nation had even visited the Crystal Kingdom and they had paid tribute to each other... and some rumors still swirled that Cadence was actually the blood daughter of one of the sisters and King Serenite.

Cadence didn't know if that was true or not: all she knew was what her father had told her, that she had fallen on a star, that she was an answered prayer. Part of her couldn't help but hope that she really was the king's daughter... but at the same time, part of her honestly hoped that she really had been adopted. To imagine that she had fallen right into her father's life as an answered prayer... to think that he could be so good, so kind, so generous to her even if she wasn't his own flesh and blood... it helped her believe in the world. It helped her believe that family and friends really were so much more than just people you were born with, the blood connections you had.

She needed that. She needed to be able to believe in that. And she couldn't imagine a better father than the king was. And she hoped that his nurturing, his compassion, his love would all be enough to make her a better pony.

Even if she was being raised and groomed as a princess, she wasn't really all that sure she was princess material, after all. Even if her talent was a strange form of magic and manipulating positive energy, she had another set of natural skills that didn't quite mesh with everything she was expected to be. Her body simply knew how to move in any given situation... especially when it came to fighting.

But what always worried her most was the fact that... she enjoyed fighting. It was a challenge, it was a thrill, it was... bad, wasn't it? She had always been taught that fighting wasn't something you did unless absolutely necessary, after all. And she honestly believed she should use her powers to protect and defend... but her father taught her that force was a weapon of last resort. That killing, outside of very rare circumstances, was wrong.

The rose-hued mare opened her eyes and gazed up at the ceiling of her room. Here she was, laying in bed, feeling funny. Like only minutes ago she had been snuggled up in her father's embrace, but now suddenly she was here. Like it hadn't been weeks that had passed, but mere seconds; like they weren't in the middle of some great journey but rather... they were on the edge of some deep dark pit...

She shook her head quickly, then sat up and brushed at herself absently before giving a brief smile. She wasn't in a dress, but simple leather armor: she had just finished a training session, although she still felt oddly... well, energetic. Which was strange, since she trained under the strongest champions of the realm, and they had long ago stopped underestimating how much the young mare could handle, in spite of her age.

So usually she was left exhausted. Today, though, she barely felt as if she had trained at all: then again, she still felt oddly like she had just skipped a few weeks of life. Maybe that had something to do with it... but either way, Cadence only shook her head briefly before deciding to take it as a blessing, as she hopped out of bed. She could use this time to go and see her father, after all, maybe catch him before he had to start any serious work for the day... or maybe she could even help.

Cadence headed quickly to the door and bounced through it to run down the stairs, trying to throw off the weird sense of gloom and doom that was pervading her senses. Even as part of her wanted to smile at the thought of seeing her father, some other part of her felt like it had already glimpsed the future, and knew that there was some great evil on the horizon... but that was ridiculous, wasn't it? They were trying to help ponies. The Crystal Kingdom was prosperous and they had long ago learned how to defend themselves against the incursions from the barbarians. There were no major threats to their kingdom, from inside or out... were there?

Cadence shook her head quickly as she stepped into the castle corridors, navigating quickly towards her father's throne room. But halfway there, her attention was drawn towards one of the meeting halls as she heard several distinct voices float out of the ajar door.

There was a guard, but Cadence only gave him a quick smile before she slipped up to the opening, peering through with interest. She heard her father's voice, and she managed to catch a glimpse of him... and then she furrowed her brow as she realized the large white object she could just see the edge of was... another creature. It looked almost like...

Cadence's mind filled with icy images and floating, blood-speckled feathers, and she shivered and stumbled backwards, falling on her rump. Cold sweat ran down her face as she reached up and touched her own pale features, and the guard stepped forwards with concern, trying to ask her a question... but Cadence only shook her head quickly before asking almost desperately: “Who is in there? Who is my father talking to?”

“I'm... not sure, Lady Cadenza. Someone he met on one of his walks... a dragon. He's visited occasionally...” the guard said slowly, tilting his head as he looked down at the young mare worriedly. “Should I escort you back to your room? Do you need a healer?”

“No, I... I'm fine. I don't know what came over me, but I'm fine now, thank you...” Cadence murmured uneasily, reaching up and scrubbing at her face slowly before she took a slow breath. And she was... she really was perfectly fine. She was thinking straight again and that weird moment of lightheadedness had passed and she was perfectly fine again. It must have just been a delayed reaction from her training, all her... exercise, or something...

Cadence shook her head, then leaned back into the doorway... before squeaking when the door was yanked all the way open, and she found a large, dark metallic blue pony glaring down at her. Her eyes widened as she looked up at him and saw he wasn't either unicorn or Pegasus... but he didn't seem anything like the barbarians, either. No, his ivory eyes were too cold, and he was too well-groomed, from his short, brush-cut silver mane to his docked tail.

“We have a visitor.” he announced icily, looking over his shoulder at the table, and her father looked up as the stranger turned around, a calm and charming and cunning smile on his features.

He drew Cadence's eyes: not because of his size, even though he towered over them. Not because he was a dragon, with ivory scales and tall, gleaming black horns and cruel amber eyes. Not because of his strange, perfect white suit that covered his bipedal body, or because of the silver rings on his fingers or the crystalline choker at his neck, in the shape of a howling wolf's head. None of these things compared to the sense of malevolence she felt from him, from the evils she knew he would commit without hesitation...

But how did she know that? Why did she look at him and see ice and evil and terror, while her Father smiled and gestured politely to the dragon, saying kindly: “This is my daughter, Lord Valthrudnir. Her name is Cadenza. Cadenza, mi amore, come over here by me, and say hello to Lord Valthrudnir.”

“Yes, Father.” Somehow, Cadence's voice came out much brighter than she felt, as she quickly stepped past the glaring stallion guarding the door and hurried to her father's side. He reached out and gently touched her face as he looked down at her with hidden concern, and she kissed his wrist in both apology and reassurance that she was okay before the young mare cleared her throat and turned towards their guest. “Greetings, Lord Valthrudnir. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“So you're the daughter that King Serenite talks so much about...” Valthrudnir smiled, but his amber eyes narrowed strangely as he studied her, the ivory dragon looking at her with an odd intentness before he suddenly sat back and tented his fingers together, asking pleasantly: “You're wearing a rather... quaint set of armor. And your father mentioned training; strange that physical combat seems to be among a princess' expected duties.”

“My daughter has her eccentricities. But I am proud that she is learning to defend herself and defend others. Her training has made her strong in mind and spirit as much as body.” King Serenite replied, and Cadence thought there was the slightest edge to his voice before the old stallion turned his eyes down to her, smiling at her and saying gently: “She grows stronger every day, Lord Valthrudnir. And wiser, too. I'm fortunate to have a child such as her, born to me on a winter's night almost fifteen years ago now.”

“I'm sure she does.” Valthrudnir looked down at the silver rings on his fingers, seeming to lose interest before his eyes flicked to the side, the dragon gesturing absently at the glaring, ivory-eyed pony. “This is Thesis. He serves as the Commander of my military forces. As you can see, he's from what you refer to as the 'barbarian' tribes, although yours are clearly of greater ignorance than the clan that he represents.”

Cadence turned a small smile towards Thesis, but Thesis only looked distastefully back before the mare hesitated, then asked before she could stop herself: “Where's his cutie mark?”

“Such a banal thing is of little concern to a specimen such as Thesis. He does not have the need to wear his predetermined talent upon his posterior like...” Valthrudnir halted and cleared his throat, then gave a thin smile as Cadence leaned uneasily back and King Serenite frowned ever so slightly at the dragon. “Pardon me. What I mean to say is that a... 'cutie mark...' is neither an important nor necessary part of his structure. A patterned picture does not determine what his abilities are or are not.”

“You could say that my father forgot to give me mine.” Thesis said with the faintest hint of bitterness, and Valthrudnir's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly as they flicked with irritation towards the pony. “Or maybe my purpose is so ingrained on my genetic structure that I will never forget precisely what I was made for...”

“You'll excuse him. Thesis, always trying so hard to impress others with words he doesn't entirely understand.” Valthrudnir said patronizingly, glaring over at the pony, who kept his head low... but there was a baleful fire in his eyes, what looked like both hate... and... some pleading desire, some kind of longing ache to be acknowledged, Cadence thought. In spite of all his differences from the barbarians, he still looked... almost as brokenhearted as the savage twins were.

King Serenite only bowed his head politely, saying softly: “Well, let me assure you, you are both free to speak as you desire, Lord Valthrudnir. I recognize that you and your guardian are both from a society you have described to be as a utopia... where order rules, and everyone works together in peace and harmony. I will be the first to admit I don't always understand what you're saying, but... I do believe you have great plans, and a great mind.”

Valthrudnir looked pleased with this, lacing his fingers together, and Cadence looked up uncertainly at the dragon. He seemed so easily taken in by the flattery... but somehow even that felt almost hostile to her, like the dragon knew he was better than all of them and they existed solely for his personal amusement.

She shivered a bit... but her father seemed willing all the same to give this dragon the benefit of the doubt, and Cadence didn't know why she... she hated him so much already. She had thought she'd hated the barbarians who razed their fields, she thought she'd hated the savages that killed and raped and stole from them and crowed and paraded proudly around with their ill-gotten gains outside of the Crystal Kingdom's territory... she'd always believed she hated Right and Left, more than anything in the world. But that had never been true hate: she'd never felt anything like this before...

“Perhaps we should pursue a more... physical method of testing the strength of our factions.” Valthrudnir said thoughtfully, and then he calmly gestured to Thesis, saying pleasantly: “Serenite, your daughter seems eager to prove herself. Why not give her a chance to display her skills in a short sparring session with Thesis?”

King Serenite frowned slightly as he straightened a bit, and Cadence looked uncertainly across at the cold stallion standing across the room. She studied him uneasily, drawing her eyes over his size, his powerful musculature, his handsome face... and she realized just how synthetic and plastic he looked. He was so perfect that he had all the texture of something chiseled from stone: the only thing about him that seemed alive was that bitterness, that awful suffering in his eyes...

“I don't know if that would be appropriate, Lord Valthrudnir... my daughter is strong, but I don't think either her or myself would claim her to be a champion of my military.” the old stallion said slowly, his eyes drawing towards Thesis. “She's still a young mare. Not a war-hardened veteran like your champion.”

“Thesis will restrain himself. You could almost say he's... incomplete at this stage of his life.” Valthrudnir said calmly, gesturing at the metallic-blue pony, who dropped his head as his body trembled with anger... and shame, Cadence thought. “Besides, this will only be a demonstration. Thesis will not badly injure your daughter. She can attack, and he will defend himself only as necessary.”

There was silence for a few moments, and the king looked uneasily at his daughter. But Cadence only swallowed thickly before looking up, saying in as even a voice as she could manage: “It would be my pleasure to fight your champion, Lord Valthrudnir. And Thesis... I hope that we can learn something from each other.”

“Very well.” Thesis said contemptibly, stepping forwards and rolling his head on his shoulders, and then his icy white eyes locked on Cadence as he said coldly: “Use your full strength. But even with your magic, I don't expect much of a challenge.”

“Thesis, don't degrade yourself to the level of barbarianism your fellows apparently revel in, in this realm.” Valthrudnir's voice was half-mocking, half-entertained before he leaned forwards, his eyes narrowing slightly as they returned to Cadence, measuring her as his gaze darkened slightly. “Whenever you're ready.”

“If you feel ready for this, mi amore, I won't stop you.” King Serenite said softly, but he reached up and squeezed his daughter's shoulder gently, smiling at her and adding quietly: “I am already proud of you, though. You don't need to do this if you don't want to.”

Cadence smiled briefly, looking up into her father's eyes before she said quietly: “I know, Daddy. But I feel it's important to... show you what I've learned.”

She trembled a bit as she stepped away from her father, looking back and forth as Thesis strode into the middle of the open area between the table and the closed door. There was more than enough space for them to put on a demonstration here: the meeting hall was long and wide, with a lot of empty area around the center table meant so that other people could gather in and listen in on or even participate in the sessions.

Thesis looked at her coldly: he was large and stoic, not even seeming to breathe as he stood at the ready. And Cadence gritted her teeth, knowing what she had to do as she bowed to her opponent and murmured: “I'm going to do my very best, Commander Thesis. I understand that you may hurt me. I will not resent you defending yourself in whatever way you feel is necessary.”

The stallion only looked at her coldly... and then he almost vanished as he ran forwards, and Cadence barely had the time to raise her head before she was on her back, a hoof crushing down on her throat and pinning her in place, looming over her like a mountain as he said icily: “The best way to defend yourself from an opponent is to preemptively attack and destroy them. Don't patronize me.”

Cadence tried to gasp for breath as her front hooves weakly attempted to pry Thesis' away, but he only kept her pinned, his expression cold and contemptible before he looked up over his shoulder when Valthrudnir said derisively: “Thesis, please. Show a modicum of restraint.”

Thesis began to open his mouth... and Cadence gritted her teeth as she summoned up all the magic she could, a ray of pink light blasting upwards and slashing across Thesis' face. The stallion was sent reeling back with a shout of surprise, and Cadence flapped her wings hard to launch herself out from beneath him before she rolled sharply to a crouch, gritting her teeth as Thesis caught himself and bared his teeth... then giggled.

The stallion's eyes bulged before he reached up and covered his mouth, looking shocked, and Cadence leapt forwards, shooting straight at his face. Immediately, the stallion snarled and leaned forwards, moving faster than Cadence could react and slamming a punch into her midsection that sent her rocketing backwards to bounce off a chair and knock the table ajar.

Thesis giggled at her as she fell to the floor, the winged unicorn barely catching herself... and then the stallion bared his teeth and shook his head violently, cursing under his breath and grasping at his head as Valthrudnir remarked distastefully: “How pathetic. Are you really so weak-minded that even that filly's magic can maul your plebian brain?”

“She's... accelerated endorphins, serotonin, melatonin... it's only a temporary flare of biochemical...” Thesis shook his head sharply, flushing slightly and looking humiliated before he glared when Cadence rushed towards him.

Her horn began to glow, but Thesis leapt out and slapped it viciously, causing a flare of agony through Cadence's skull and whiffing out her magic before he dropped an elbow cruelly onto the bridge of her muzzle, knocking her head to the side and sending her spilling over; before she could hit the ground, however, he caught her by the side of the neck and jerked her in the other direction, flinging her viciously down into the floor before raising a hoof-

Cadence launched herself forwards as hard as she could, swinging her horn wildly out, and the stallion cursed as she cut into his ankle. He reared back, raising both front hooves high before slamming them down, but all he managed to hit was the ground when Cadence rolled herself lithely backwards and snapped her horn out.

A blast of pink light washed over Thesis and blinded him as a torrent of emotions ripped through his mind, the stallion roaring and covering his face with his front hooves as he arched his back. It left him vulnerable and humiliated as he wrestled to control almost-alien feelings, and Cadence immediately leapt forwards and slammed a hoof into his stomach.

It was like hitting rock, but the young mare gritted her teeth as she leaned forwards into punch after punch into Thesis' stomach, the stallion cursing and flinching before he looked down in shock at the young mare pounding fearlessly away at him. Then his ivory eyes flashed with fury and hate before he rose his front hooves high and slammed both down into the young mare.

Cadence was crushed into the floor with a broken whimper, and Thesis seized her by the shoulders before flinging her onto her back, crushing her down and pinning her as he glared furiously down at her. “Do you really think you can hurt me?”

Cadence coughed once, then looked back up at Thesis fearlessly, their faces only inches apart before she asked through the haze of pain filling her body: “Why does love scare you so much?”

“Love doesn't exist. Our emotions are nothing but chemicals in our minds, signals produced by reactions in the gray matter of our neurons.” Thesis said coldly, straightening slightly as he kept her pinned, his eyes filled with contempt and coldness... and such a strange, foalish fear. “We are nothing but chemicals, our actions the consequences of instinct and physics.”

The winged unicorn gave a faint smile up at him, and then she said quietly, honestly: “I feel sorry for you. And if this is what you have to become to earn his approval... is it really worth it?”

Thesis' eyes widened, and then he snarled in fury before raising a hoof high, and Cadence trembled before the hoof swung down... but it was stopped, caught by another stallion. And Cadence looked up with a tremble as King Serenite said gently: “That's enough now.”

Thesis only glared furiously at the king, then he slapped his hoof aside. Their eyes met: Thesis, nothing but anger and pain beneath his icy, mechanical facade, and her father, so calm, so gentle, so... pitying the pony across from him.

Then Cadence felt it, more than she saw or heard it: a subtle change in the air, a masked order as Valthrudnir shifted, and Thesis suddenly shifted all his weight into one sharp punch. But Serenite leaned backwards out of the way, narrowly evading the strike before he flicked his horn forwards.

There was a bright flash, and Thesis was blinded for a moment as Cadence winced and felt a whirl of vertigo... and a moment later, she was half-sprawled backwards in a floating bubble of energy, and her father was standing beside her, still as calm as ever as he said softly: “Lord Valthrudnir. If you wouldn't mind, I believe the sparring match has ended.”

“Yes, Thesis, there's no need to continue making such an idiot out of yourself.” Valthrudnir said almost pleasantly, but Cadence saw such malice in his eyes, saw the way he seemed... amused, if anything, at what was going on. And she heard another hidden order in his words, too, as Thesis gritted his teeth and she swore she saw a split-second of hesitation before he leapt forwards.

King Serenite only flicked his horn, a flash of white light blinding Thesis before the warrior pony was hammered backwards by telekinesis, knocking him skidding across the room as Serenite calmly stepped forwards and said quietly: “This is not the way to resolve our differences. Lord Valthrudnir, please, I ask you again. Call off your soldier.”

“I would, King Serenite, but you see, you've challenged Thesis by your own actions. Oh, certainly, there's a primal romantic notion to defending your daughter's pride, but all the same you did intervene unnecessarily in a duel with preset rules we had all agreed to.” Valthrudnir replied equably, gesturing easily with one hand as he sat back calmly. “We all must reap the consequences of our actions, Serenite. A reaction for every action: that is what my society is built upon.”

Thesis smiled coldly, and Serenite sighed softly as he shook his head slowly before the old stallion said quietly: “Thesis, then, I ask you to stop this. I have no interest in laying blame: the past is already past and we, together, can work our way towards a much better future. But I also will not hesitate to defend myself against you.”

“Good.” Thesis said coldly, and then he leapt forwards, swinging a hoof out. But Serenite was fast, smoothly moving out of the way of the punch before shifting only slightly to dodge the next strike.

Thesis was accurate and moved rapidly, never leaving himself vulnerable, turning every missed punch into a vicious swipe or elbow... and yet Serenite only continued to look calm as he shifted back and forth, never letting an attack more than brush him. In fact, he almost seemed disappointed: not with Thesis, but with the fact that Valthrudnir was only sitting back and watching with a cold smile.

The unicorn kept his calm and most of his focus on Thesis, who, on the other hoof, seemed like he was starting to lose his patience. Every missed attack seemed to be adding to his frustrations as he glared furiously at his opponent, becoming more vicious and trying to move in closer, hooves almost clawing at Serenite... but still, the old king shifted easily away, moving in a slow circle to stop Thesis from cornering him.

Finally, Thesis snarled and lunged into a lightning-fast strike of one hoof, but Serenite deflected this with one foreleg as his horn glowed brightly, the same distinct light shining around his limb and insulating it. Thesis growled at this, but Serenite smoothly leapt backwards... and Cadence's eyes widened as she realized that her father had done more than just block the attack.

There was a thin rope of golden light now attached to Thesis' foreleg, leading to the band of energy around Serenite's own. Thesis barely seemed to register this, however, leaping towards Serenite and trying to slam a punch into him... and only noticing the golden string when the old stallion expertly twined it around Thesis' foreleg even as he smoothly dodged his attack.

Thesis cursed, then turned and yanked viciously on the string, trying to pull Serenite in close: but instead, the rope lengthened, and Thesis had a moment to look surprised before the king slipped forwards and calmly whirled the golden thread around the pony's neck.

Then he pulled tight, and Thesis cursed and yanked his head backwards as the golden rope cinched tight around his neck. Serenite's eyes widened as the dark-coated pony dragged himself backwards, the old king surprised by the younger stallion's strength before Thesis suddenly reversed his momentum and threw himself at Serenite.

The older pony grimaced as he backpedaled, the golden string connecting the two stallions whirling back and forth as Thesis stomped and swung savagely out at Serenite, even as the king smoothly slid his way out of the path of the warrior's rampage.

Cadence leaned forwards, shocked at how viciously Thesis fought, how quickly her father moved: every attack Thesis made linked to another strike, every missed punch became a sidestep or a stomp that took him closer to her father. And yet King Serenite moved with the grace of a dancer, avoiding even the most vicious of attacks and deflecting the few strikes he couldn't get out of the way of, while at the same time further entangling Thesis in the golden rope.

And Thesis was growing frustrated again... and again, there was the tinge of humiliation in his cheeks as Valthrudnir watched with contempt and a cruel, pedantic amusement. Thesis seemed almost supernaturally aware of the dragon even as he slung himself at Serenite again and again, and in spite of the stallion's violence and his cold savagery in his movements, Cadence felt pity for him: with every moment that passed, he looked more and more like a pony striving to impress an uncaring idol...

Thesis made a desperate lunge: not because he was hurt, not because he realized how of the magical rope had been twined around his body, not because he thought he was losing, but because he hadn't managed to leave more than a few bruises over Serenite's forelegs and shoulder. But without hesitation, without fear, without even anger, Serenite flicked his horn calmly and blasted Thesis backwards, the warrior flailing his limbs helplessly as Serenite spun the golden rope almost lazily to loop the magical strand around both rear legs.

Thesis crashed down on his back, cursing, all four limbs sticking almost comically up in the air... and without hesitation, Serenite leapt straight over Thesis, who winced and covered his face defensively. But Serenite landed smoothly above the pony without making contact, instead whirling the rope around so a loose length locked around Thesis' forelegs before he sharply pulled.

And Thesis gargled in shock as his rump and rear legs were hauled into the air, his eyes widening. He attempted to struggle, but far too late: Serenite had already gotten another loop of rope around his ankles and yanked on the magical tether from another direction, jerking his forelimbs straight so all four of his hooves were touching. And with a few short twirls of the rope, Thesis was left hogtied on his back, struggling uselessly against the magical string binding his legs together.

He snarled, attempting to pull his limbs apart... and then choked loudly as the golden rope around his neck went taut. But the moment he stopped struggling, it loosened... and Thesis trembled before cursing as he fell on his side, glaring furiously up at Serenite.

But the king only looked calmly down at him, the end of the magical rope now secured to the floor instead of his own foreleg. The old stallion shook his head slowly, then said softly: “You can free yourself from this at any time, Thesis. All you have to do is relax. I have no desire to harm you, and I bear you no ill will.”

“No! This isn't over!” Thesis shouted, and he yanked against the magical restraints... but completely in vain, only managing to uselessly jerk his limbs around and choke himself again. All the same, he fought on in spite of how clearly useless it was, betraying something animal and pitiable beneath that cold and perfect scientific shell.

King Serenite looked down at Thesis for a few moments, then his eyes flicked up towards Valthrudnir, who was smiling coldly, his fingers laced together over the table. The two looked at each other evenly for a few moments, and then the dragon sat back, saying calmly: “Well, congratulations, King Serenite. What a marvelous showing of your superiority over an inferior specimen such as Thesis. Even if your magic is... unrefined.”

Valthrudnir rose a hand, and with a snap of his fingers, the golden rope around Thesis shattered into motes that faded quickly from sight, and Serenite staggered backwards with a wince as magical recoil sparked along his horn. Immediately, Thesis rolled up to his hooves with a snarl, but then he froze in place as the dragon added dismissively: “Enough. You've already worn on our host's patience, Thesis. There's no need to provoke him any further with your childishness.”

Thesis dropped his head, muttering to himself, and Cadence shivered a little even as King Serenite said calmly: “It was no provocation, Lord Valthrudnir. But perhaps it would be best if we ended our discussion here for the moment. We've already come to several important agreements, after all, and I know you have more important matters to attend to than my kingdom's border disputes.”

“King Serenite, believe me when I say that I am very interested in your kingdom and its disputes, however major or minor.” Valthrudnir said pleasantly, and there was something... almost predatory about his words, before his eyes flicked towards Cadence, the dragon asking after a moment: “As a gesture of goodwill, shall I heal your daughter?”

“I appreciate it, but Cadenza is none the worse for wear. I'm afraid I did in fact allow my fatherly instincts to take over. I can see now that Thesis did in fact have control of the situation.” Serenite replied tactfully, and Valthrudnir only looked slightly irked as Thesis looked away with disgust that masked maybe the faintest hint of shame.

Cadence's body ached, but she did her best to nod in agreement as the safe bubble of magic she was in gently released her. She forced herself to stand tall, bowing her head politely and murmuring: “Thank you. I learned a lot. It was a... an honor to meet you, Lord Valthrudnir, Commander Thesis.”

“Yes... I will return tomorrow and we will continue our negotiations, King Serenite. Your kingdom can benefit greatly from the gifts I have to give.” Valthrudnir said finally, apparently dismissing whatever was bothering him as he stood up. And Cadence shivered as she looked up at the towering dragon: he was so... enormous, and he cast such a long, deep, awful shadow...

She felt his amber eyes settle on her for a moment, studying her with a strange intentness before he shook his head moodily and turned, gesturing sharply at Thesis. Thesis dropped his own head, then turned to follow the dragon, giving only one final, resentful look over his shoulder.

Cadence didn't know why, but she hesitated only a moment before bolting after the two, her father watching with surprise as his daughter ran past and then stuck her head out the doorway, watching as the two walked away. Dragon and large stallion strode through the halls of the castle as if they owned the entire kingdom, parting the crowds and scaring ponies into silence with their presence alone, but neither seemed to even be aware of the people around them as Valthrudnir remarked contemptibly: “I expect more from my Replicants, Thesis. Even one as incomplete as yourself.”

Thesis didn't reply, but Cadence could feel his humiliation from here... and the winged unicorn winced before ducking back into the doorway as Valthrudnir looked over his shoulder. She froze, breathing hard, terrified for some reason that he had seen her, like she expected the dragon to come back... but after a few moments, she slowly craned her head out into the hall and sighed in relief as she saw that he was gone.

Then she almost jumped out of her skin when her father gently touched her back, turning around before groaning in pain and hugging herself as the king caught her in his forelegs, then pulled her close, whispering in her ear: “Cadenza, mi amore, it's alright now...”

“I... who were they? Why were you dealing with such... such monsters?” Cadence asked worriedly, trembling and shaking her head quickly, and her father chuckled quietly before he drew back, smiling faintly down at her as his horn glowed. And Cadence winced a bit, but then relaxed slowly as she felt a comforting warmth spreading through her body, the pink mare dropping her head and breathing quietly as she felt her aches and injuries healing little by little.

“They are different from us, Cadenza... but we must give them the benefit of the doubt, all the same.” replied King Serenite gently, and then he reached up and squeezed his daughter's shoulders gently, saying softly: “The society that Lord Valthrudnir comes from has incredibly-advanced technology, including golem workers and machines that purify air and water, and protect vast swathes of land. And Lord Valthrudnir himself, as you have seen, has immense magical power.”

“I... I don't trust him. I don't know why, but I don't trust him, and Thesis...” Cadenza shivered, shaking her head and whispering: “He only seemed like a real pony when he was sad. My heart hurt when I looked at him, when I heard him talk... Daddy, can we really trust a nation where they don't believe in love?”

King Serenite chuckled quietly at this, replying gently: “And we must seem just as strange to them, Cadenza. I'd like for you to try and give them a chance... would it make you feel better if you sat in with me during our conferences? I can have your training moved to the mornings... and perhaps we can call this part of your lessons for now. It's very important that you learn diplomacy, mi amore.”

Cadence gave a small laugh, looking down for a moment before she shivered and shook her head quickly, murmuring: “You also told me to trust my instincts, and... I just... I just get an awful feeling from that dragon. He's not good, Daddy...”

“A sad truth, Cadenza, is that there is no universal good.” King Serenite said softly, squeezing into her shoulders before he explained: “Think of this. A homeless pony steals an apple, just to keep himself alive. The shop owner demands he's caught, as is his right: a guard captures the pony and throws him in the dungeon, as our laws demand. But if he hadn't stolen that apple, he would have starved to death.”

The young mare shifted slowly, and Serenite smiled a little, saying quietly: “But no one in this scenario is doing bad, either. The shopkeeper has a right to his earnings, so he can keep a roof over his head. The guard has to do his job to maintain order, he cannot pick and choose on his own whims. These things only seem evil because they have come down on an unlucky pony.”

“One apple isn't going to feed a pony, though... any more than it's going to keep a roof over someone's head.” Cadence mumbled, and King Serenite chuckled as he reached up to ruffle her mane gently with one hoof.

“Perhaps they are enchanted apples. You know what I'm getting at, Cadenza. Lord Valthrudnir and Thesis frighten you... they frighten me, too. And I believe they are from a society that is likely much stricter, much harsher than our own. But they are also offering us assistance.” Serenite said softly. “I want to protect my people. I want to protect you, mi amore. They are not our enemy. They are simply... different from us.”

Cadence didn't know if that was true or not, but she nodded uneasily before biting her lip, then looking up and whispering: “But Daddy if... if even once, they do something that makes you think they're bad... promise me you'll never let them into our kingdom again. Okay?”

King Serenite looked down at his daughter silently for a few moments, and then he sighed softly and nodded slowly, murmuring: “If they bother you that much, Cadence... very well. You have my word. I promise...”

King Serenite closed his eyes... and Cadence shivered as she closed her own eyes tightly before she felt a whirl of vertigo through her system, and she looked up disbelievingly as her eyes opened, realizing days had passed, and her hooves were now grasping her father's shoulder tightly as he leaned over her, tears running down his cheeks, terrible black veins running through his body... “I promise...”

Cadence shut her eyes tightly, shaking her head violently, whimpering as tears ran down her face before she opened them again... and she and her father were in her room, and she could smell smoke and poison, and there was an overturned platter beside her, and... and...

Her father was looking down at her, his eyes, his emotions, shining out of Sombra's features. He boiled with darkness, his regal cloak stained with blood and ashes, his horn curved and thrumming with poisonous energies as he grasped tightly into her shoulders and whispered: “I promise I will always be here for you, mi amore Cadenza... I will never, ever let him take you away from me...”

Serenite breathed hard in and out, straightening... and Cadence's eyes rolled in her head before she slumped against him as she felt her breathing slowing, her eyes closing... and yet she was aware. Horribly, terribly aware of what was going on... of what had happened. Of how Valthrudnir had tricked them, had given his promises, had built that mechanical wonderland beneath the castle... had promised them the tools to protect themselves from the barbarians, even to help teach them, bring them into their society... how it had all been deception...

She remembered, in blurred images, Valthrudnir and her father toasting their success, this great machine that had been built... she remembered her father drinking from his cup, and then... screaming. How the poison had spread through him... but not to kill him, oh no. Valthrudnir wasn't that kind. He had done far, far worse to him...

And now, Valthrudnir was waiting for them. He had played his cruel games with them, corrupted, twisted her father for no reason she could understand into something... awful, and evil. Someone who she still loved, loved with all her heart and soul, but who scared her... who could no longer rule his kingdom, who couldn't control himself, who was being driven to doing worse and worse things until this final test by the dragon, this climactic moment...

Cadence's eyes fluttered, and her father hugged her close against his chest. He held her as tears ran down his face, rocking her slowly in his forelegs, cradling her like the child she still was as he whispered to her: “Sogni d'oro, mi amore. I cannot save myself, but I can still save you... and that is right. That is good. Don't cry, Cadenza... uno chi fa il letto deve trovarsi in esso.”

Cadence slumped against him, and Serenite bit his lip, trembling... before he snarled suddenly, eyes opening, head raising as he slowly stood.

And as he rose to his hooves, the world whirled around him: Cadence was now in a glass coffin in front of him, and he stood not in her tower, but in a field that had been burned and poisoned. Behind him, four soldiers shivered, cowering in fear of the enormous dragon that had corrupted their king and kingdom as Valthrudnir only smiled mockingly.

With a single gesture, the lid of the coffin opened, and Cadence's limp body floated into the air. She was pale and still, and eerily beautiful in her flowing dress as she rotated slowly on the spot...

And then Valthrudnir simply dropped his hand, and Cadence fell as well, her head whacking the edge of the coffin with a sickening crack as she sprawled over the edge of the casket. The king leaned forwards with a furious roar at this, dark lightning cracking around his body and his champion flinching away in terror, but Valthrudnir only gave another entertained smile.

Slowly, the dragon rose a hand... then he simply clenched his fist, and in the distance leagues behind them, the tower that had once housed Cadence's room exploded in a tremendous blast of dust and stone. The king looked over his shoulder in disbelief as his soldiers all quailed, and then he growled low in his throat as the ruins of the tower crumbled visibly away. And even from here, he could hear the screams of his people suffering... but the pain he felt was very, very distant, his heart suffocated by a darkness that delighted and slavered over the destruction...

“Remember your place. But very good, Serenite. I am satisfied. And you will be pleased to know that I will be leaving shortly... I have other, more pressing projects to attend to than these silly games with you.” Valthrudnir said dismissively, and the king growled up at the dragon as his eyes flashed with hatred. “Enough. You should be thanking me, plebian, for how generous I've been in sharing such a precious resource as I have with you. And in a few more days, what little mind you have left will be gone forever: you'll be nothing but a guard dog for a small-scale manufacturing plant. As your kind rightfully is.”

The king roared and leapt forwards, his entire body glowing with power as his horn glowed with evil magic... and then he gargled, caught and left helpless in a telekinetic vise as Valthrudnir only clenched one hand, the dragon smiling coldly. “Or perhaps you've already lost what little mind you once had.”

His fingers flexed, and the king vomited black blood as his ribs cracked and his legs were crushed and bent into unnatural positions by the raw psychic pressure. Then Valthrudnir laughed before easily flicking his wrist, and the king was flung bonelessly backwards into his quailing champions, knocking them sprawling like bowling pins. “But I've wasted enough of my valuable time on a pathetic little philistine like you, Serenite. Try and think of it as... a unique chance to understand those savages you were so obsessed with saving... as if you were ever any less of a philistine than they were with your walls of stone and childish mind.”

With that, Valthrudnir turned, and after only a few steps he simply vanished, as if he had never been there at all. And the king gritted his teeth before he almost flung himself to his hooves, staggering over to the glass coffin and gently grasping Cadence, carefully slipping her back into the coffin and hissing quietly at the sight of the small streak of blood along one side of the casket.

He was careful, tender, as he moved her back into position inside the coffin, while his champions nervously picked themselves up. They looked uneasily around at the torpid fields, at the grisly ridges of black stone towers that had torn their way out of the once-smooth soil their kingdom had been blessed with...

“Guards.” the king whispered, and all four champions immediately returned their attention to him as he breathed hard, then slowly set the lid back on the glass coffin. He stroked silently over it, then trembled for a moment, fighting back that awful, animal evil that was trying to take him over, that writhed and danced and cavorted inside him, that wanted to hurt, to kill, to claim everyone... even his own beloved child...

But slowly, he rose his head high, regaining his old dignity for a moment: and as he turned towards his champions, they took strength in their king, raising their heads high as he said quietly: “Take Cadenza far away from here. There is a carriage waiting for you only a few yards from here... take it, take her, and bury her somewhere no one will ever find her. Then go as far and wide and fast as you can from this cursed kingdom, and never tell anyone of what you have done.”

The four looked uneasily at each other... but one-by-one, they saluted their king. And their king smiled at them faintly before he bowed his head low to them, whispering: “Leave quickly. I would bless you, but... my magic is no longer fit for giving blessings. All I can promise is that... I will try and save as many lives as I can before... before it is too late.”

“We wish you strength, King Serenite.” was all any of the champions could think to say, echoed by his compatriots. And then, with that, they each gripped a handle of the coffin, and soon, they were gone.

The king sat by himself for the longest time... until he looked slowly up to see Valthrudnir standing over him, the dragon frowning darkly down at the unicorn. But the unicorn looked fearlessly back before the dragon said softly: “I have been going over it in my mind... and something wasn't quite right. She was dead... but perhaps you've made a foolish error of judgment, Serenite, and ensured her death is not quite permanent. I shall give you one chance to rectify this mistake by bringing me to wherever you have hidden her body, or I will be forced to... persuade you.”

But the king only laughed bitterly, shaking his head slowly as he whispered: “You're too late. She is long gone by now, hidden in a place I'll never find her... where you'll never find her.”

“You underestimate my power.” Valthrudnir said wit what was almost disappointment, and then he calmly lowered one finger to point at the king as the corrupted stallion looked coldly up at the dragon. “It is only because of a whim that you are still alive and talking. It is only because I do not want to waste the effort or energy that I have not already found and destroyed your precious little filly.”

The king laughed harshly again, and then he shook his head in disgust and replied contemptibly: “No. You can't find her without my help, and you know that. Just like you know that you have no way left to compel me... hurt me, torture me, I'd welcome it. And you said yourself... you are not kind enough to kill me.”

Valthrudnir studied the pony moodily for a few moments... and then he suddenly gave a thin smile, saying softly: “Very well, Serenite. Have your little victory; I'd rather watch your ego crumble slowly than crush it all at once. The thought of you crawling to me, begging to tell me where your precious little child is for just one more taste of power... that delights me far more than a simple, quick execution ever would.”

“No... she's my lucky star. She always has been.” whispered the king as he lowered his head, trembling and shaking his head violently. “I chased the throne when I was young... I wanted to be worthy. I thought strength would make me worthy... so like a dog, I did my father's bidding, I marshaled his soldiers, I dragged my family around this nation, killing the barbarians like pigs...

“And the barbarians caught us unaware one night, and they killed my entire family. My siblings, my parents, my wife... left me alone, because we had been so intent on destroying the last few dregs of a war-band we had chased them into their own territory without thinking!” The king snarled, looking furiously up, but Valthrudnir only looked bored as he calmly examined his own claws. “Occhio per occhio, dente per dente... it makes the whole world blind and toothless! No, ogni medaglia ha il suo rovescio, Lord Valthrudnir... these are lessons not even you can make me forget!”

The dragon slowly leaned down, looking with distaste at the king before he said softly: “You're boring me. Stop quoting your inanities at me and accept that no matter how special you think you are, you are nothing but a mess of flesh and chemicals, a puppet that I have twisted into something bordering on useful from your previous pathetic state.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then the king shook his head slowly and gave a bitter smile, whispering: “No. There is more to me than you understand... and more to her, too. My daughter was a gift from Heaven... she fell on a lucky star, and she has always carried that fortune with her. And that same luck will carry her far away, where neither you nor I can hurt her.”

“What?” Valthrudnir frowned, then his eyes suddenly widened before he snarled and seized the king by the throat, hauling him up to eye level as he snapped: “What are you talking about? What do you mean, a 'lucky star?'”

The king snarled... then suddenly grinned, whispering: “She was my daughter. She brought hope, happiness back to me after so many years... alone, defending my kingdom from the barbarians, every day wondering if I was doing right-”

“I am not interested in your life story, Serenite! Did your daughter fall from the sky?” Valthrudnir snarled, shaking the stallion violently before his eyes flashed, and the king howled as lightning crackled and ripped over his body, becoming almost-tangible whips that snapped and tore long gouges through the king's flesh. “Tell me or I will flay you alive!”

“Then do it! She's gone!” the king roared in response, clutching uselessly at the dragon's wrists... and then he gasped as he was flung cruelly to the ground, before his eyes widened as he looked up as Valthrudnir rose a hand...

And then the dragon suddenly relaxed, taking a slow breath before he smoothed the wrinkles out of his suit, then smiled thinly as he said softly: “No. This kingdom is mine now, and even if your daughter returns... you will kill her yourself. And far be it from me to deny you that pleasure...” Valthrudnir halted, then he absently touched his side as he said distastefully: “No, I have no further time to waste here. I'll let the contamination spreading through you infect the rest of the ignorant masses you rule and turn this entire kingdom into a tumor. Wasting my time on a single discarded toy is pointless.”

Valthrudnir turned, and the king couldn't help but bare his teeth in what was almost a sneer as he felt the pain fading from his body, watching the dragon start to walk away before he croaked: “It sounds like you're having a hard time reassuring yourself, oh mighty Lord Valthrudnir.”

The dragon halted... then he gave a cold smile over his shoulder, replying softly: “If any other insect from this place spoke to me like that, Serenite, I would have them vivisected. But with you, I consider rudeness a sign of progress. So congratulations, King Serenite. I'm happy to see you're already falling into your new role.”

Valthrudnir laughed as he walked away, and the king trembled on the ground before he clenched his eyes shut, whispering: “N-No... I am not Serenite... I am...”

He closed his eyes, and picked himself slowly up... and as he did so, the world around him whirled and changed. Slowly, the king sat back as dark energies rumbled over his body and toxic miasma leaked from his eyes, until he was resting back in a mighty and terrible throne, with two shivering unicorn guards on either side, and his massive hall filled with collared and chained barbarians, all of them snarling and whispering to each other, but none of them able to disobey their new master thanks to the magical restraints.

“King Sombra.” A unicorn mage approached, and the king looked coldly down at this stallion as he dropped to a kneel, murmuring: “As you have commanded, we've...” He swallowed thickly. “We've driven as many unicorns and Pegasi out of the kingdom as possible. Your... servants... have imprisoned many of the rest. There are only a few ponies left that are not in service to the crown.”

“Good.” Sombra said softly, although his heart ached. It hurt, so badly, to do this... but he knew he had no other choice. And no one could be privy to what he knew... that would be his punishment, and his insurance that none of Valthrudnir's lackeys would be able to stop him. “Where are Sinister and Dexter?”

“They're... feeding.” The mage swallowed thickly, then he asked worriedly: “Should... should I bring them to you, my lord?”

“Oh no. They're right where I need them now.” Sombra smiled thinly, then he ordered coldly: “Choose three prisoners at random and lock them in with my children. Whatever remains shall be put on display for all to see what the price of treason is.”

“Y-Y-Yes, King Sombra.” the unicorn said weakly, and then he staggered around in a circle and hurried away.

Sombra chuckled quietly... but he closed his eyes and prayed for strength, even as that evil, that awful poison rippling through his veins almost purred with the act of power. The... the small act of power, compared to what he could do if he so desired... he could have so much more, if only he asked...

But he wouldn't. No, no, he wouldn't. He would sacrifice enough to sate the darkness while he worked out his plan, slowly, carefully... but he knew, sooner rather than later, there would need to be a purge. He'd saved as many lives as he could, using the cruelty of this darkness that had taken him over to drive all the unicorns out of his kingdom... and, damned as he already was, he had sent his soldiers out to capture all the barbarians they could and kill the rest. That way, at least, he could ensure that his people were as safe as possible while they tried to cross the tundra...

And these slave hoofs... what he had once called the Crystal Ponies... they had a chance to survive. They were a hardy people, sometimes able to ignore his orders even under magical duress, and more importantly apparently immune to the infection that was already spreading into the unicorns. There were few who were showing visible signs yet, but the king could see it taking root in them all the same: it was in the faint glow in their eyes, the darkening of their coats, the way their magic was changing and they were becoming... crueler, colder. It was like they were becoming... like him.

Only those who spent extended amounts of time in his presence were changing, at least. And only one so far had... transformed, for lack of a better word. Become something more like him, but without retaining any of his mind, just lashing out with malign magic at everything around him until Sombra had destroyed him. And destroying him had been so easy, felt so good, and afterwards he had been so tempted to... to...

Sombra shoved these thoughts violently away, breathing slowly before he looked calmly to his left. Several slave hoof mares whimpered and winced away from him, cowering in terror: they formed a personal little harem for him, so to speak. More important than that to the king, they were around him almost every hour of every day, and these Crystal Ponies hadn't even shown the slightest hint of being infected by his malign powers.

There were only two barbarians in all the kingdom that had been infected with his power... the twins that he'd taken to calling Sinister and Dexter. But he thought, because they had been brokenhearted, the darkness had been able to creep into them through another way... they had likely welcomed the poisons in. Which meant that if Sombra wanted to somehow save his kingdom, he had to find a way to stop the hopelessness, the despair, the suffering of his people from becoming so great they too became brokenhearted... and became infected by this malignant darkness burning through his body.

He had to do it himself. And it hurt so much to focus through the greedy, hungry animal-self trying to take him over, but as long as he kept his mind, remembered who he was... focused on his daughter... he was able to call up his old magic. But with every spell he cast, it felt like a bit more of his spirit and self were draining away, replaced by the growing evil...

But all the same, he forced himself to work. He used Valthrudnir's terrible machinery and the dark powers he had developed to shape the container: he used the memories of his daughter and all the broken shards of his former self to fill it with light. He created a Crystal Heart to spread love, and hope, and light to all who felt its radiance... but knew that it alone wouldn't be enough. When he'd shone its light over a single pony, that pony's spirit had been fortified, their very body had become as radiant as the gemstone that had blessed them... but the moment that light was removed, the pony had become nothing more than a chained barbarian again, and worse, one who was now longing for the light that had been taken away.

So he hid it away, out of sight, where no one would be able to find it and steal this last piece of hope... and he finished what he had started long ago, killing the last of the unicorns and the Pegasi that had stayed behind. There were very few: many had fled, and he only hoped they escaped to safety. It left him with a kingdom of chained and manacled and magically-controlled barbarians he still called the Crystal Ponies... and now, they really were Crystal Ponies, weren't they?

Sombra laughed bitterly at this as he stood atop his castle, looking silently down over his industrious army of slaves. They had torn down most his castle, and instead, all the pieces were being used to build up this single mighty tower. They didn't know what they were working on... but the entire structure would become an amplifier. One that would irradiate the entire kingdom with the powers of the Crystal Heart... and would destroy the twisted darkness that had spread through his nation.

The ground reeked of corruption, villages were nothing but warped and burnt husks, a permanent pall of malign energy lingered in the air. Almost-alive black gemstone had overgrown everything, as if in mocking tribute to him... the root of all this. He bared his fangs, trembling... and then he stepped forwards, leaning over the balcony and roaring: “Faster! Work harder, slave hoofs! Work harder, or the only food you'll receive tonight is your own dead foals!”

He dropped back into a sitting position, breathing hard and trembling as he reached up and touched his mouth. Then he clenched his eyes shut and spat to the side before whispering: “Just maintain control...”

Sombra trembled, dropping his face in his hooves before he licked his sharp teeth nervously, then turned his eyes up towards the sky... and even as Sombra seemed to freeze in place, the sun rolled slowly through the red sky, followed by the bleak moon, and again and again the cycle repeated. And it repeated until Sombra stood, one moody twilight, and approached the banister to lean forwards and gaze silently down over his mockery of a kingdom.

The barbarians had forgotten by now that they had once been fearsome savages: now they were just beaten and terrified prisoners who longed for freedom. There were no unicorns or Pegasi left: they had all been slaughtered or driven out. His once-beautiful nation was nothing but a wasteland... and all he felt was hunger, and anger, and hatred, and... despair...

He couldn't even remember his old name... now there were only a few flecks of whoever he had once been left. All he longed for was death: death would put an end to his pain, would maybe give him the smallest bit of redemption he hoped for... and death was close now. His mighty tower was complete, and it would serve as both a shining beacon and his gravestone... and he could only hope that Valthrudnir's machinations, deep, deep beneath this fortress of solitude, would never be found...

Sombra smiled faintly, then began to turn to get the key to ending his misery... and then everything went wrong. A voice called to him, and he whirled around to stare up in disbelief at the sight of... “No! No, no, no! Stay back!”

“We have come to free these ponies from your oppression!” shouted the larger of the two... a beautiful ivory mare. They were both winged unicorn that he knew from some vague memory... but Sombra snarled in fury at the fact that they had chosen now of all times to interrupt him, barely hearing the mare as she snapped: “They are your people, not your slaves, and-”

“Sinister! Dexter!” roared Sombra, and his horn glowed brightly before terrible black portals ripped into being on either side of the ponies, and then the vicious monsters that the twins had become tore through the holes in reality, eagerly leaping at the mares. Broken hooves clawed out and fang-filled maws gaped as they collided with the two ponies, driving them backwards.

The king heard a scream. He heard Sinister and Dexter laughing away. But he also knew that no matter what had happened he didn't have much time: he doubted that even with the element of surprise, even with their claws and teeth and near-indestructibility, Sinister and Dexter would delay the two mares for long.

He turned and bolted, heading for his throne room, but he underestimated the white mare: a fireball shot past him and exploded with enough force to launch him back out onto the balcony. Then one of the mares cast a barrier, leaving him trapped out here... and the king snarled in desperation as he turned slowly around.

The younger one was bleeding and looked scared out of her mind: the older one was looming high in the air, burning with fury, her eyes glowing with anger. And Sinister and Dexter were nowhere in sight: Sombra had expected them to at least drag the mares a few yards closer to the ground, but instead they had been flung away like flies...

“I will not stand for this, Sombra!” the ivory mare snapped, gesturing violently at her sister as Luna shivered and touched her flayed shoulder. “We will give you one last chance to surrender, or we will be forced to-”

“Kill her, brother!” roared a voice, and even Sombra was shocked when one of the twins raced by, climbing the wall of the tower with freakish speed before flinging himself straight at the ivory mare.

“Brother, kill her!” howled another voice from below... and Sombra looked down in shock to see the other sibling pinned helplessly on a broken outcrop of black crystal, limbs flailing uselessly at the air even as he grinned eagerly up at his twin.

The ivory mare only snapped her horn viciously to the side, smashing the brokenhearted barbarian out of the air with a squeal before she snarled, even as her sibling hid behind her: “Your demons don't scare us, you monster!”

“Monster? Monster! You have no idea what a monster I am!” Sombra shouted furiously, and then he snapped his horn out with a snarl, letting that hate, that vile darkness rip up out of him and blasting both winged unicorns backwards in a torrent of black flame and lightning.

He turned around, and a dark ray of energy tore from his horn, beginning to slowly burn away the barrier blocking his exit... before he screamed in agony as a ray of golden light pierced into his back, his flesh bubbling like wax and his body smoldering as he glared furiously over his shoulder.

The white unicorn was pinning him with her magic... and worse, he could feel it having a horrific effect on his corrupted body. He could feel his whole body starting to crack like glass, and the king snarled in desperation as he tried to pull away... but he couldn't. It was too much, it burned too painfully... and... and...

And it wasn't so bad, was it? As he gasped, caught here beneath the rage of the ivory mare, at least... at least he was still dying. And maybe one of them would find the Crystal Heart, and understand what it was... after all, he'd left all kinds of stories about it. The barbarians had become so terrified of him they couldn't remember their own cruel beginnings, much less tell fact from fiction...

“You're killing him!” shouted the other mare, and Sombra laughed brokenly as he wished with all his heart he could reassure this little one that was all he wanted...

“I can't stop, I... we have to stop him!” the other mare retorted, and Sombra smiled faintly even as he felt his body melting like wax and cracking like porcelain, feeling the darkness inside him starting to burn away... “We'll keep him alive as a spirit!”

Sombra's eyes flashed, and he looked up in horror even as the other mare tried to protest: “I can't abuse my powers like that, I can't-”

“If I stop, he kills us! If we turn him to a wraith, we all live and he can be punished!” shouted the ivory mare, and Sombra wailed and shook his head violently as the darkness inside him suddenly roared and boiled with eagerness. “We'll imprison him where he can't hurt anyone while we decide what to do with him!”

“N-No! No!” was all he could manage out, though, unable to reason with them, unable to warn them... and then he howled in agony as he felt another darker magic hammer into his body. And even as his physical form shattered like dark, corroded glass, his black spirit was wrenched free, all that hate, all that evil, all that malice ripping out of the restraints of his physical mind and body and taking on its own horrific life as shadow...

Blurs. Movement. The smell of meat and the sound of screaming. Flesh. Flesh. Delicious. Then pain! Bright light, and... chimes? Flashes of gold, and suddenly Sombra was aware again as he was being driven down, down, down into the cold ice outside of his own wretched kingdom...

He gasped in pain: he didn't know what had brought him back to his senses, but something had allowed his sane mind to rise to the surface, even as he sank down into the snow and ice and cold, even as he felt the glacier beginning to seal around him, and he understood what the sisters meant to do...

He couldn't see him, but he could taste blood. He couldn't feel them... had he killed one of them? Was this their last act of desperation? Why had they been foolish enough to rip all that darkness out of his body, give him life? His physical body had been the only anchor containing this malignancy, this infection! Now they had freed that, and who knew how much dark, evil power he had...

His eyes flashed... but Sombra swallowed back his madness before he turned his eyes in the direction of his once-beautiful kingdom. No, no, Valthrudnir could still return and find the Crystal Heart, or his terrible machines could rise up out of the catacombs... but the amplifier, if only he could tune in to the amplifier, even if just for a second...

His horn glowed, and Sombra stretched desperately out with his magic even as he felt a powerful energy starting to insulate the ice around him, turning it into a prison that, once sealed, would stop him from calling up even the simplest of his powers, would freeze his spirit solid and leave him trapped in his own mind...

And then he touched it; and, with no other choice, knowing no other alternative, he poured all the energy he could into one final spell, sacrificing all the remaining strength he had, forcing his darkness to obey and answer this last wish of his old, lost self...

The ice slammed shut around him just as there was a powerful flash... and the two mares that had flown into this kingdom with only good intentions stared back and forth in shock as they were suddenly left in nothing but an empty white terrain.

The entire Crystal Kingdom had vanished: now, there was nothing but an endless tract of snow and rock, for as far as the eye could see. It hadn't simply been made invisible: it had been brought outside of reality, hidden away in the ether, in a place where time flowed strangely and the Crystal Ponies were left to dazedly throw off their chains. But the ether did strange things to their minds, making them forget who they were: all they knew came from the scattered books in the repositories, the instinct that they were all one tribe, and the knowledge that they had nowhere else to go.

The Crystal Kingdom was an island, floating in an impossible sea of colors and lack-thereof, protected by an eternal, whirling blizzard around its borders. There was no way to know how long this banishment would last: the strange surreality of the ether meant that the spell could take mere hours or many years before it wore itself out and sent the nation tumbling back into reality.

The same was true for the magic binding Sombra inside his icy tomb, which tottered between the outskirts of the Crystal Kingdom and the edge of the ether. He was unable to move, unable to even breathe, trapped inside his own mind as the darkness and hatred raged through him...

Then, slowly, Sombra looked up: not physically, but inside the black and empty room of his mind, he picked himself off the darkness-stained floor to whisper: “I feel you.”

Silently, Cadence slowly dropped to her hooves in front of him, looking at him and trembling, tears running down her cheeks. She didn't know if it was the past or present, as she and her father looked at each other, and Sombra smiled faintly as he slowly stood up... but he didn't move towards her. He shifted instead, looking away... and then he closed his eyes and whispered: “I'm sorry, mi amore. I've failed you, Cadenza.”

Cadence trembled... then she leapt forwards, hugging him fiercely around the neck and burying her face against him, and Sombra reared back in shock... then silently slipped his forelegs around her, hugging her close and closing his eyes, keeping her held tight and safe as she whispered in a trembling voice: “You didn't Daddy... D-D-Daddy, I'm so... I'm so sorry... I should have made you listen, I should have s-saved y-y-you...”

“No, no, shush... shush... you did save me. You did. You saved me from despair... you gave me the strength to help... the few I could.” Sombra whispered, stroking her face tenderly as he leaned back before he gave a trembling smile, their eyes locking as he asked gently: “Do you remember how you got your nickname?”

Cadence laughed weakly, then she whispered: “You were trying to teach me Istallian when I was just a filly and... I couldn't conjugate amore mio properly. And when I asked you what it meant, you... you said...”

“It means, 'my love.' You asked me if you would always be 'my amore,' and I said that yes, you would always be mi amore.” Sombra said softly, and Cadence laughed faintly as the two looked at each other, before the stallion closed his eyes and whispered: “I had a nation. I was a father, and a king. I had a proud people. And I had you, my darling. But when I lost you... I lost everything.”

“I'm... I'm still here. Please, Daddy... I'm still here. I'm not afraid of you... I can save you. I can fix you.” Cadence whispered, and Sombra gave a faint smile as he shook his head slowly.

“No, darling. You can't heal me.” he said with gentle finality, reaching up to stroke her face slowly. “But you will save me, my daughter, mi amore. You can save me from what I've become... and you can save yourself.”

Cadence trembled and shook her head weakly, but Sombra reached up, tenderly taking her face between his hooves as he said softly: “Don't cry, mi amore. I would gladly give my life to protect yours... and selfishly, so I can finally be at peace. What I'm asking you to do is unfair, but... this darkness in me desires to destroy or possess you. And I won't allow either to happen. I can't. You're important, Cadenza, special; not because you fell from the sky, not because you are a princess, or because of your skills. You may be special to the world for all those reasons, but to me, you are most special because you are my daughter.”

Cadence laughed faintly, and then she looked up and asked weakly: “And you're my father. The stallion who raised me, who taught me, who made me feel like I belonged... who made it so it didn't matter if I was abandoned or I really did fall here on a star, because I had him, and he was always there for me. Because I knew I was loved, and I wasn't alone...”

She stopped, then dropped her head against him, trembling a bit, and Sombra looked at her silently before he said softly: “I will always love you, Cadence. But the darkness that has taken me over hates you. It will use this link between us to find you and kill you. What I'm asking you, I know no father should ever have to ask their child. But I have to ask it all the same, because just as you've glimpsed my life, I've seen yours... your friends, your family, your husband. All things to live for. I only have you, Cadence, and my life puts yours in jeopardy.”

The rose-hued mare shook her head weakly, trembling... and then Sombra frowned and pulled her protectively close as he leaned up past her. And Cadence trembled as she looked over her shoulder, seeing how the walls of the room had distorted and were slowly starting to melt, as an awful, hideous phantasm pushed its way into the room... “You have to go.”

“I won't leave you!” Cadence shouted, burying her face into her father, hugging him fiercely as she threw herself against him-

A clatter shook her body, and Cadence's eyes opened in shock as she looked back and forth, breathing hard and trembling before she looked slowly down and stared at the sight of her tear-stained pillow in her forelegs. She breathed slowly in and out, then shook herself violently before she reached up and touched her horn.

She cursed in shock: it was hot, glowing with magic... she didn't even know she had. Hesitantly, she poked cautiously at her horn again... but the strange energy was fading from it, and the winged unicorn shivered a bit before she whispered: “What's going on? How did I... why is this happening? Those memories and... how did I see my father's memories too, and...”

Cadence sat slowly up, breathing hard as she dropped back against the wall before she scrubbed slowly at her face. The wood paneling felt cool against her back, and the chilly air was like a balm against her flushed features... but the cold air did little to soothe her frantic, confused mind, her eyes darting back and forth, her whole body trembling as she did her best to understand what she had experienced.

Parts of it were already slipping away, but other things were gaining new clarity in her mind... and even though she'd been convinced that discovering her past would somehow fix everything, would make it all make sense... now she only had more questions, even as she realized that she had never been chasing her past to begin with.

She was chasing the most important person in her life. And Cadence laughed weakly as she thought of this and looked silently upwards, thinking of Shining Armor, thinking of Twilight Sparkle, thinking of Equestria and Luna and Celestia, who had raised her like sisters...

And now, towering above them all, she saw the shape of her father. And there was no more fear, no more hate, no more loathing. There was only pain in her heart for what he had become, terror at the thought that she might not be able to save his life... but determination as well, to do everything in her power to free her father from the dark powers that had corrupted him.

No matter what the cost.

Author's Note

The next month is going to be a bit crazy for me, so I'm going to focus on getting this story done instead of working on anything else. I'll post a journal about it later, but for the people reading this story it means it should be finished a lot faster, instead of taking long jumps between updates. In a few days I'll start posting a new story, Zecora's Pinata: after that's up, I'll try and post a chapter to this every few days until it's complete. Thanks for reading.

Episode VI: Tremolo

Episode VI: Tremolo
~BlackRoseRaven

Cadence slowly opened her eyes, blinking quietly before she sat carefully up with a groan. But it wasn't pain so much as just... pure exhaustion. There were a few dull aches still, and her neck felt like it had a hell of a cramp in it, but mostly her body just felt... heavy, and her head didn't seem to want to lift. But maybe that was because her brain hadn't turned on yet and it just felt like a big metal weight.

She shook herself out briefly, then took a slow breath before doing her best to raise her head and study her surroundings. She was in bed, although the covers were all askew and her pillow was on the floor, which meant she'd been flailing around a lot in her sleep... but she recognized the room at least. And waking up in bed was a lot better than waking up on the floor or... well... not at all.

She shivered a little, reaching up to touch her neck as she glanced up... and her eyes caught in the large mirror mounted on the dresser across from the foot of the bed, the pink mare mouthing wordlessly before she awkwardly crawled forwards over her blankets, shaking her head weakly as she only continued to stare helplessly at... what she had become.

Her mane, her wings, her tail, her hooves... they had all turned ivory. She almost tumbled off the edge of the bed in her disbelief before managing to catch herself and stumbling awkwardly towards the dresser, grimacing a bit at how weak she felt before she caught the edge of it and leaned closer to the mirror, as if she could spot some detail in her reflection that wasn't really there, as if she could make this all just go back to normal, or wish it away like a dream, or...

“You're awake.” said a quiet voice, and Cadence glanced dumbly over her shoulder to see General Archon leaning in the ajar door, one hoof on the handle, his expression as calm as ever. And yet he looked nervous, too, as he carefully slipped inside and then gently closed the door behind himself, striding towards her as he said softly: “You'll be pleased to know that a barrier has been erected around the tower. Furthermore, I have soldiers on crisscrossing patrol paths. Pegasi keeping to the air, earth ponies on the ground all led by a unicorn officer. There are no vulnerabilities.”

“There's always a vulnerability. Your words, not mine.” Cadence murmured, even as she turned her eyes back to the mirror, silently drawing a hoof through her mane... a mane that had become straight and... ghostly. It almost floated, yet had lost all its curl, perhaps even its texture... it almost glowed, but it was lifeless. “What happened to me?”

“We don't know.” Archon said simply, and Cadence frowned uneasily over at him before the old unicorn shook his head and approached, looking over her slowly as he asked quietly: “How are you feeling, Princess Cadence? Pain, aches, fever?”

“No, no... thank you, Archon, but I'm just... tired.” Cadence murmured, even if she was a little surprised by what seemed like a hint of honest concern in his voice, that he wasn't acting purely as an officer gathering statistics. She looked at him uncomfortably for a few moments, then shook her head briefly before once more drawing her eyes back to the mirror: she just couldn't look away. She looked so... so strange. And she felt so tired and so...

Something was missing inside of her. Something had broken open, some power had burst out of her, changed her, transformed her... but it had also made this hole in her ache all the deeper. This emptiness, this... hollowness... “I... Archon, I drove Pain away, right?”

“You did. With magic like I've never seen before.” Archon reached up and calmly touched the side of her neck, and then he shook his head slowly and muttered: “Not so much as a bruise. You've been unconscious for more than a day, but that's all it was... tiredness. All your wounds have healed... maybe 'vanished' is a better word, it's like they were never there at all...”

Cadence looked uncomfortably at General Archon, who looked back at her almost grimly before he shook his head slowly and instead asked almost abruptly: “Pain said that those killed by her will also become the Brokenhearted. Is this true?”

“Impossible. She's lost her mind. You can't trust anything she says. She... she doesn't even know what she's doing anymore, Archon. She's lashing out...” Cadence stopped, shaking her head slowly and closing her eyes. “But her ultimate goal is to kill me, and to kill Sombra. She'll keep working towards that goal because it's the only thing that gives her any sense of being, even Brokenhearted. The closest she can get to happiness will come through... hurting us.”

General Archon nodded slowly as Cadence shivered a bit, then she took a slow breath and forced herself to stand up. It made her ache a little when she moved, but... it was a good kind of ache. It helped her feel more in tune with her body, like her muscles were starting to wake up and the tiredness weighing her down was beginning to lift.

The old unicorn studied her as Cadence looked back at him, and then she gave a brief smile before reaching up and rubbing absently at her neck in a nervous gesture, muttering: “I'm fine, Archon. I'm not... I'm not a Brokenhearted, if that's what you think.”

“I never said you were.” Archon replied evenly, and then he sighed softly and sat back, hesitating before saying finally: “But something happened to you, Princess Cadence, that none of us can explain. Some of my soldiers are cheering you as some sort of savior. Others are terrified of what it meant, that you came back from apparent death and drove off Pain so easily.”

“It wasn't easy. I'm not sure I could summon up that strength again, either... it... something was boosting me. The Crystal Heart...” Cadence reached up, uncertainly rubbing at her forehead before she said quietly: “It's a relic made by... my father. The last thing he did before the darkness consumed him and turned him into Sombra. Made with old magic...”

General Archon scowled a little, but then he only gestured at her to go on, and Cadence gave a brief smile before asking finally: “So do you believe me?”

“I've seen stranger things in these last few days, I suppose.” Archon replied quietly, shaking his head briefly before he sighed a little and glanced towards the doors. “Shining Armor has his concerns about that, by the way. He has... several concerns, as a matter of fact. And I have concerns of my own regarding him and his... friend.”

“Miss Take is still here?” Cadence asked curiously, looking up and feeling... funny. There was only a hint of jealousy: most of it was honest curiosity. And then she frowned a bit as she looked around the room, realizing... “So Shining... hasn't been to see me?”

“No, he's been in and out. He's helping the Changeling recuperate as well. Her injuries were extremely severe.” General Archon replied candidly, and Cadence nodded slowly, frowning a bit.

But her next question seemed almost to catch Archon by surprise, as she asked: “Is she okay? Can you take me to see her?”

“First tell me about the Crystal Heart.” Archon said calmly, and Cadence nodded a little before grimacing and reaching up to brush her mane quickly out of her eyes. Yes, this was going to get annoying quickly.

“It was made to erase the corruption in the land and keep out the Brokenhearted... a lot of the damage Sombra did was repaired by the Crystal Ponies while they were in the ether, but there was still... contamination, so to speak. But much of that was destroyed by my powers, while I shielded this little nation from this tower; the rest of it was wiped out when we put the Crystal Heart in place.” Cadence stopped, then looked down and silently rubbed a hoof along the floor, sighing softly. “He wanted to save them, General Archon... I guess... my father was a little like you. He saved them... even if they didn't deserve it.”

General Archon frowned at her, tilting his head as the faintest hint of surprise showed in his eyes at how bitter she sounded. “You were hailed the Crystal Princess, and were a loving, compassionate ruler to these ponies while you and Shining ruled this little kingdom. And as far as I recall, you were hesitant to leave here in the first place. You only came back to Canterlot because of Sombra's reemergence, at Princess Celestia's request.”

“Yes... and I felt at home here, I always did. And I loved my people, I did.” Cadence smiled faintly, looking up and saying softly: “Not all my memories are happy ones. They... they haven't brought me peace and understanding. They've just... reopened old wounds.”

“Then stop wasting your time with the past and focus on the present. We have two problems in the here and now that need addressing: Pain and Sombra.” said General Archon coldly, and he turned away before stopping and looking over his shoulder, saying slowly: “Although so far... we've seen no trace of Sombra. Only Pain...”

“No, he's close. He can't enter the barrier, though... Pain can only pass through it because her body protects that... that darkness inside her from the energies of the Crystal Heart.” Cadence stopped and frowned a little, lowering her head in thought for a few moments before she murmured: “The body protects the broken heart... but my magic can still awaken her emotions. Maybe a broken heart can be mended...”

“Focus on the subject. Now, until Sombra makes his presence known, I am disregarding him. He cannot enter this kingdom, and even if he could, the positive energy in the air would destroy him. Correct?” Archon barely waited for Cadence to acknowledge him with a nod before he continued briskly: “As for Pain, she is a very real threat. We may be able to contain her, however: regent Blueberry has offered to provide us with several crystal-based traps that should be strong enough to hold her while we figure out what to do with her. On the same hoof, unfortunately, he has failed to provide a time frame for when exactly this crystal traps will be prepared.”

“She's not much stronger than she was in life, and she's losing her discipline and her mind. She's Brokenhearted and she's... Brokenhearted.” Cadence bit her lip, not knowing how to explain, but fumbling for it anyway: “The Brokenhearted can be created two different ways... by Sombra's infection and by... great pain, great suffering, and see-”

General Archon only held up a hoof, saying distastefully: “I'm not interested in your pseudo-science, Cadence. What I care about is whether or not we can kill her.”

Cadence smiled briefly, feeling a strange mix of exasperation and relief before she muttered: “It's funny, Archon. You're the only pony I've ever met who can make me feel better by being such a jerk. But yes, we can kill her... she's not invincible, even if she seems to be. She's not immune to magic, she's losing her mind, and even her skills as a fighter are waxing and waning. We can't underestimate her, but we can't overestimate her either.”

Archon looked at her for a few moments, and then he finally gave a short nod before saying finally: “Fine. We have to track her down and destroy her as soon as possible.”

“Capture her. We'll capture her, Archon. Then we'll see what happens when the Brokenhearted are exposed to the Crystal Heart's focused power.” the mare replied quietly. Archon scowled at her, but Cadence didn't flinch, only looking up with a slight, thin smile. “One of two things will happen, Archon. And either of those things will ensure she's no longer a threat to us.”

The General frowned darkly, and then he shook his head and muttered: “I'm not going to waste my time arguing when we don't even know where she is. For all we know, she may have left through the barrier to hide in the blizzard. The Changeling claims that Pain will remain close, however: she claims to have useful information for us, but I don't trust her.”

“How did Miss Take get involved, anyway? Pain seemed focused on her.” Cadence asked curiously, tilting her head. And again, she sensed a bit of surprise from Archon, even if Archon didn't so much as twitch.

“Apparently the Changeling was hired to retrieve the Crystal Heart. She also seems to be under the impression that Sombra is lurking somewhere outside the kingdom... although I don't trust the word of either a psychopath or a thief.” replied Archon distastefully, and Cadence sighed a little, giving the stallion a dry look for a moment before she moodily brushed a hoof through her ivory mane, shivering a little at the sight of it. “Focus.”

“I am focused. And I also wish you would refer to Miss Take by her name. She deserves that. She deserves...” Cadence stopped, looking down before she smiled briefly, eyes flicking back up as she asked quietly: “She and Shining... they're really getting along?”

Archon studied her for a few moments, and then he leaned forwards and frowned a bit, asking moodily: “And you're actually relieved by that, aren't you?”

Cadence looked down and nodded a little, and then she sighed a bit and reached up to rub at her forehead and murmuring: “I... I went against everything to rescue Shining Armor. I thought... no, I knew I loved him back then. I still do, in a way, but... we've always been such good friends. Such good friends... but I don't know if we're good lovers. Not because of Miss Take, but because... who we are... we aren't who we are on the outside, inside.

“He's a Captain of the Guard. He's strong, handsome, dashing, a little weird. But he's better at being a Prince, really, and he really... he needs someone who needs him. And me... Crystal Princess, but I was always... I always have been a fighter. I don't want to sit back and struggle with decisions. I want to dance and sing and be out there, fighting to make things better.” Cadence stopped, then she looked down and whispered: “I don't need him. Not like he needs me to. But I'm not like that, Archon. We promised we'd be together until the end, but...”

Archon sighed, hesitated... then he dropped his head forwards before he reached back and dug under his armor. Cadence frowned a bit, and then the General extracted an old, torn photograph, looking at it for a moment before holding it out to Cadence.

She took it, looking down at the picture of a smiling mare: it was blurry, hard to tell the details, yellowed with age, but all the same her smile was what Cadence saw first, lit up the whole picture. She looked up at Archon with surprise, but he only gave her a brief smile himself before he said softly: “I loved my wife. More than anything in the world. I didn't become a soldier because I believed in my country... but she did. She believed in the Princesses, and she was proud of me when I became a member of the Guard. She told me to do my duty, protect the nation, and she'd always be there.

“She always was. Every day, she always was... until she couldn't be there anymore.” Archon hesitated, licked his lips as he glanced almost worriedly to the side, and then he took a slow breath before returning his eyes to Cadence. “I wasn't like her, Cadence, growing up, but loving her made me a better person, like she was. I wish I could say I was as good to her as she was to me: I wasn't. Pride got the better of me, like it does a lot of us, Cadence. I had to be the best. I forgot I became a soldier because I needed a job and it made my wife feel proud of me.

“I started to feel that I didn't need her. She went through that for years, until we just stopped talking to each other. My colts grew up without a father. I continued to fight, getting medals, completing operations, earning victories. One day, we were like two strangers in the house together.” Archon looked down silently, and then he shook his head briefly as he reached up and stroked a hoof over the edge of the grainy photo. “And a week later, she was dead. She and my boys...”

Archon shook his head slowly, saying softly: “In the past, I didn't always look out for my soldiers first. The mission was all-important... and one went particularly badly. A dragon attacked a village to the west, and I decided to send two platoons to destroy it, instead of evacuation: I wanted to send a message to any other dragons that there's a reason they leave us alone.

“A whole bunch of... of kids, really, they came back in bodybags. But I think it was the fact that I didn't... spare them a word, give them the respect they deserved.” Archon shook his head slowly, muttering: “I said to one of the ponies present, I said to him: 'if he had really wanted to grow up to be like me, he shouldn't have let that dragon kill him.'”

Cadence looked silently at the old unicorn as he shook his head again, then he murmured: “I should have let the poor bastard punch me. Instead, I stopped him when he took a swing at me and had my officers shove everyone out. I didn't want to waste my time explaining what had happened.

“A bunch of them got drunk and angry, and that night they went to my house. We were supposed to be having a family dinner but... of course I wasn't there. Just... my wife, my sons, my kid's wife, his grandson.” Archon bit his lip. “My kids... tried to keep them out. And they decided that since they'd lost their kids...”

Archon shook his head slowly, then he glanced up and murmured: “I thought I didn't need them. Then I came home and found out only my grandson and my daughter-in-law were left alive, and... well. I found out too late how much they meant to me after all. Because suddenly nothing mattered but them. For months, nothing mattered but their memories. For months, I was just in limbo on extended leave, trying to make up my mind whether I deserved to live in misery for the rest of my life, or if I should kill myself and slink down to hell where I belonged.

“Then I found out my grandson was being put up for adoption. He was with a foster family. I didn't make too good an impression on them at first, being drunk and covered mostly in my own vomit.” Archon gestured distastefully at himself, then he shook his head slowly. “But I would have done anything to get him back. Absolutely anything. I came back a week later, cleaned up, sober, doing a temp job in the administration office while they assessed me, made sure I could still handle my position. They decided to give me a chance.”

Archon stopped, then he reached up and gently took the picture back from Cadence, calmly tucking it away beneath his armor again before he sighed softly and said quietly: “I still don't spend enough time with my grandson. But I write him letters every night, and I can make sure he's with good people, in Canterlot. And I'd do anything for him, Cadence. He's not just my grandson. He's all that I have left of the people I thought I could live without.”

Cadence was silent as she looked at Archon, and the General looked back at her before he shook his head quickly and muttered: “Anyway, don't be stupid like me. Don't think you can just abandon everything, and don't forget that it's not your decision alone. A relationship is between two people. When it goes on long enough, gets serious enough, you don't get to just say goodbye when your reasons amount to 'I want a different flavor of ice cream.' The other person has a say too.”

The winged unicorn gave a brief smile, then murmured: “I thought that you didn't want to play marriage counselor, Archon.”

“I don't.” the old stallion said shortly, and then he shook his head before muttering: “I have enough trouble with both you and Shining Armor as it is, that's all. The last thing I need is a marital spat and gossip flying around.”

“Whatever happens from here on out, Archon, I... I think Shining and I will figure it out together.” Cadence murmured, dropping her head, and then she bit her lip as the General grunted and turned away. She resisted as best she could... but just before he reached the doors, she couldn't help but blurt: “And you understand why I... I have to save my father, don't you?”

General Archon sighed quietly, looking over his shoulder at her and saying moodily: “I understand your desperation, Cadence. Let's put it that way. Now come on: we'll talk on the way to Shining and the Changeling... I mean, Take.”

“Miss Take.” Cadence smiled a little all the same, nodding and shaking herself briskly before she strode up beside him. Her body was starting to loosen up a little, at least, and she felt like some of her strength was coming back... like just maybe the world was starting to make sense, too.

She looked at General Archon... and then winced when her horn sparked faintly, the stallion frowning at her moodily. But she felt... an almost paternal concern for her, hidden beneath that almost-scowl, and the mare smiled as she looked awkwardly up and murmured: “Sorry. My magic's still acting a bit funny, that's all. It feels like I keep... connecting to people. Or at least, reading their emotions.”

Archon looked at her moodily, and the mare sighed as she strode up beside him, saying dryly: “Don't worry, General Archon. Your terrible secret is safe with me. No one will ever know that you're really just one big softie.”

Archon gave her a sour look, then he shook his head shortly before saying in an annoyed voice: “Let's just go and see your husband and the criminal he's so fond of.”

“Thanks, Archon. Be a jerk.” Cadence said moodily as he pulled open the door, and then she sighed when he bowed her through, the mare rolling her eyes and dragging herself into the hallway. She looked back and forth, then suddenly froze up as she saw inexplicable, impossible things, ignoring Archon brushed as he brushed past with a grunt that probably meant 'follow me.'

Archon halted after a few moments when he realized the mare wasn't moving, rolling his eyes before he turned around... and tilted his head at the sight of the mare, losing some of his gruffness as he asked uncertainly: “What is it?”

Cadence didn't reply, continuing to look around with disbelief as trembles ran through her body, her horn sparking faintly before she gritted her teeth and clenched her eyes shut, the faintest of whimpers escaping her lips. Archon walked quickly back towards her, frowning as he looked sharply around himself, but he saw nothing apart from the pair of guards standing uneasily at the doors and a single earth pony that was walking away...

“I... I see...” Cadence shivered violently, then slowly opened her eyes, breathing hard as she rose her head and looked back and forth, trembling. She could see glowing patterns filling these halls, with thick lines of energy that pulsed like veins running along the floor and ceiling. They were so intense they hurt her eyes just to look at, maddening enough on their own even without the ghastly visitors lingering through the corridor.

Ghosts: it was impossible, but there were spirits and specters and phantasms of all shape and size. They were empty, and it was their emptiness that made their terrible, not the deformities, the gaping and bloodless wounds, the twisted and looming forms that so many of them possessed. They didn't seem to care about either the ponies or the physical constraints of reality, passing through surfaces as carelessly and easily as they did living, breathing, real people...

Cadence clenched her eyes shut... but even when she did that, she couldn't escape them. Their presence was like a droning hum in her ears, and she could feel their presence in her crawling skin, in the shivers that ran down her spine and the thrum of her horn.

What the hell were they? Why was she seeing them now? What did this mean? The mare trembled violently, breathing hard and covering her face as she tried to escape their miserable presence, as she struggled to shut out these... these terrible, empty things.

Archon grasped her shoulder and shook her once, then he leaned forwards and said quietly: “Either tell me what you're seeing, or shake it off. We don't have time for this. And you can't afford to look any more vulnerable than you already do.”

“I'm not... vulnerable. I'm not weak.” Cadence muttered, shaking her head shortly before she cursed under her breath, and then she shivered before biting her lip and opening her eyes, forcing herself to face reality, looking back and forth with a tremble at these dozens of awful, hollow spirits lining the glowing passage. “Ghosts.”

“Ghosts don't exist. You're seeing memories again.” Archon said, and then he winced when Cadence grabbed him and glared at him, shaking her head sharply.

“No, these aren't memories! These things, they're...” Cadence looked back and forth, cursing under her breath as her horn sparked painfully again before she closed her eyes tightly and whispered: “They're all over the place. They're... so empty, they're just... spiritual husks. And there's these... paths of energy, all over the floor, runes all over the walls...”

Archon frowned at this, looking back and forth before he said slowly: “I don't see anything. And I don't sense anything, either. Not magic, not anything else.”

The mare laughed weakly, shaking her head slowly before she murmured: “I kind of already got that you... that no one else was seeing this. They're... they're awful. They're so sad, so warped, so... and yet the energy I see everywhere, it's so bright. It seems to be attracting them, like moths to a flame...”

“Pull yourself together, Cadence.” Archon shook her roughly, and the mare winced before he pulled her around to face him, looking down into her eyes coldly. “This is no time for this. If they can't hurt you, if all you're seeing is lights and shapes, then just raise your head and move forwards. You have no other choice, do you understand?”

Cadence glared at him, but then she only gritted her teeth and nodded shortly, slowly forcing herself to straighten as Archon turned and said quietly: “No matter how difficult it is, you have to face your reality. No matter how awful these things you're seeing are, or just how strange... you can't turn away from it just because you find it unpleasant. You don't get to shut down when you know it's nothing but... shadows. You pick yourself up, and you keep moving.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Cadence took a slow breath before starting down the corridor, and Archon nodded firmly as he fell in pace beside her, turning his own gaze ahead and asking calmly, as if nothing was wrong: “Are you having trouble controlling your magic?”

Cadence wanted to be childish and either not answer or punch him. But she did her best to swallow both these instincts and instead only concentrated, her horn glowing slightly before she grimaced a bit in pain as it sparked, disrupting her focus. “I think I overused my magic, that's all... it just... aches.”

Archon grunted, and then he glanced over at the winged unicorn for a few moments, studying her silently. Cadence kept her eyes forwards, but then bit her cheek and glanced over at him, finally giving a faint smile. This was why she got along with Archon, she thought: he pushed and pushed, but more and more, she was seeing that beneath his cold exterior, he did care. She just wished he'd learn a little bit of tact.

“I'm okay.” she murmured, and then she shivered a bit and looked ahead, glancing back and forth and stumbling only a little when they passed through a shade... but it didn't pay her any heed whatsoever, and that made it a little easier to keep going, even if she could swear she felt a tingling against her body. But that was likely just a trick of her mind...

“You'd better be. You're a Princess of Equestria. As it is, these changes...” Archon stopped, then he shook his head slowly and sighed a little, asking finally: “Will you consider staying out of this?”

Cadence simply shook her head, then she grimaced and flicked her head to the side to get her mane out of her eyes. She glanced back and forth uncomfortably as they continued down the corridor, wondering silently where all of these ghosts had come from... what they were all doing here, and why they seemed so fascinated by the runes and the energy thrumming through the walls...

Archon cleared his throat loudly, and the mare blinked and awkwardly looked over at him before shaking her head hurriedly and mumbling: “Sorry. I... you know that I can't, though. This is my fight, Archon, this is... personal.”

The General grimaced a bit at this, and then he shook his head briefly before muttering: “All the same, I can't believe I'm letting you do this. It strikes me as being completely idiotic. Especially since at the moment you don't even seem capable of taking care of yourself, not to mention your performance has been... lackluster, from what I've seen.”

The winged unicorn sighed a little, but couldn't help but agree all the same as she dropped her head, murmuring: “I hate you for saying that, but I hate more that... it's true. I keep making stupid mistakes. I keep letting my emotions get the better of me. And I just... I can see it all so clearly in my mind, feel it in my body, but... I can't make myself moving like I should be. I honestly don't know why, either. I just...”

She stopped, then sighed softly as they reached the end of the hall curving, before she shivered as Archon strode through several unseen ghosts to shove a set of double doors open, the stallion saying distastefully: “Perhaps it's because you're meant to be a princess, not a soldier.”

“Perhaps it's because I've spent so long thinking poise, dignity, grace, poise, dignity, grace, and pretending to be something I'm not.” Cadence mumbled, and then she shook her head quickly before striding quickly through the doors, into another hall. And there were spirits and glowing veins here, too... except when Cadence glanced to the left, she realized that the markings didn't continue in that direction, and it was almost completely devoid of specters.

Cadence frowned uncertainly as Archon strode down this passage, and then he scowled and looked over his shoulder, asking moodily: “What now? More 'spirits?'”

“How can you not believe in ghosts after seeing the Brokenhearted?” Cadence asked crankily, and then she shivered a bit before turning her eyes back towards the glowing vein of light thrumming under her hooves, following it to where it passed out of sight beneath the wall opposite. And she realized... “And no, the... there's no markings down this hall, they're only... around where I'm standing, in this area, I mean. I think... these veins of energy are what's attracting the spirits. But I don't know why that would be...”

Archon frowned at her, and then he looked down for a moment before saying almost grudgingly: “This tower is a magical amplifier, correct? Assuming you're not just insane, Cadence... maybe these so-called 'spirits' are attracted to the energy being amplified throughout the tower.”

“They changed the outside, but the inside, the core is still the same...” Cadence said slowly, looking up as a strange feeling ran through her mind. “You're right. They're being drawn to the positive energy being channeled upwards and empowered by the tower... that must be what these veins are, the rails that carry that magical force...”

Cadence rubbed slowly along one, and Archon looked at her for a few moments before saying moodily: “That's all very fascinating, Princess Cadence, but it's also none of our concern for the moment. Let's keep moving: you have the physical world to worry about right now.”

The mare glared over at Archon, but then she nodded grudgingly before striding over to him and muttering: “I bet you were always really fun at parties.”

Archon only scowled at her, but Cadence was far from intimidated by it as she followed him towards a staircase. They walked on in silence, soldiers saluting them every now and then and employees of this tower-castle nervously greeting Cadence as she walked by, but none of them quite dared approach... and Cadence had the feeling it wasn't just because of Archon.

It hurt a little. Cadence tried her best to swallow that, to rationalize it out, but... well, it was harder than she thought it would be. So it was a relief when they reached the medical wing, even if at the same time, she couldn't help but feel incredibly nervous as she stepped into the room, taking a slow breath and doing her best not to give into... well, either the bad or the good emotions as she saw Shining Armor gently helping Miss Take walk back towards her bed at the end of a long row on one side of the room, the half-Changeling laughing a little even as she shyly almost hid herself against him.

“Captain Armor, your wife is here.” General Archon said bluntly, and Shining stumbled and almost threw Miss Take across the room. Thankfully, the Changeling managed to catch herself against her bed, tossing a glare in Shining's direction as the ivory unicorn spun hurriedly around and saluted sharply, his expression somewhere between strained and horrified.

Cadence only awkwardly rose a hoof and waved lamely at him, and Shining smiled awkwardly back at her, the two studying each other uncomfortably before they hesitantly approached each other. The two stopped, looking silently into each other's eyes before Shining half-rose a hoof, and Cadence rubbed at her own foreleg and blushed a bit as she glanced away, almost hiding behind her mane.

There was silence for a few moments, and then Shining finally awkwardly hugged her with one foreleg, and Cadence dropped her head and smiled faintly... but couldn't even bring herself to return it, to even lean into him. Not because she didn't care, she didn't want to, but he felt so... so tense. She could feel his emotions, too, this close... and there was so much confusion, a hint of anger, a kiss of betrayal, and the sense that he wanted to slip away...

He drew back, looking half-disappointed and half-relieved that she hadn't returned the embrace, and the two looked at each other silently before Archon strode past them and to the foot of the Changeling's bed. Miss Take was just climbing carefully in, and she was careful not to look in the General's direction as she did so, even as she murmured: “You can wait a moment, dear, I'm sure. I just need to get myself settled, then we can begin the interrogation.”

“I'm not here to interrogate you today. The Princess was concerned about your health.” General Archon said calmly, gesturing outwards with one hoof. And Cadence took this chance to slip away from Shining with relief, the ivory unicorn slowly turning around and biting his lip as he looked uncomfortably at the two. “But make the pleasantries quick. We have business to discuss.”

“Are you okay, Miss Take? You fought hard against Pain... I owe you.” Cadence said quietly, stepping up to the foot of the bed and smiling as she leaned over it.

Miss Take gazed back at her... but her green eyes were really the only thing Cadence could make out. She was wrapped in a heavy robe, and she had a shawl and a bonnet wrapped around her neck and head, hooding her face and hiding her features from view. “Oh, darling, that wasn't for you. But we do make a good team, don't we?”

“We do.” Cadence smiled a little, and then she asked softly: “Do you think that maybe you could take your hood off, Miss Take?”

Miss Take shifted uncomfortably, and Shining Armor quickly stepped up beside the bed, adding gently: “But you don't have to if you don't want to... right, Cadence? I'm sure she... understands.” Shining hesitated, glancing over at his wife with an awkward smile. “You know, about... not wanting to talk about everything.”

His tone was half-accusatory, half-forgiving, and both sides of it came with slivers of condescension. Cadence shifted uncomfortably at this, looking over at Shining and wishing he'd just... ask her the goddamn question if it was bothering him so much. Maybe that was why she got along so well with Archon: Archon just bluntly said whatever was on his mind and didn't dance around a subject, trying to avoid the conflict as much as possible while acting all... hurt-feelingsy.

“Why don't you pull the curtain, Shining? Then we can talk about things with a little more privacy.” Miss Take murmured after a moment, and Shining Armor nodded and smiled at her... then looked awkwardly over at Cadence before he cleared his throat and turned with a mumble.

His horn glowed, quickly pulling the privacy curtain around the bed: it blocked off the foot and the side that faced out into the hall, so it at least meant no one would be able to see them, especially since Miss Take's bed was in the back corner. Cadence was glad for that herself... maybe as glad as Miss Take was, as the half-Changeling said almost hesitantly: “Okay. I... I suppose you would understand me best, Cadence. It's... strange, isn't it, darling? It seems we're rather similar after all...”

“More than I thought, but... I guess I never really thought about it in the first place.” Cadence said softly, and then she hesitated as Miss Take began to carefully undo the fastenings keeping her bonnet and shawl in place, before asking almost impulsively: “When you were an assassin for the hive... how did you learn to fight, to move the way you did? Most Changelings are... well...”

“Drones, dear. But the drones are controlled mainly by pheromones and instincts. They're good cannon fodder, but without the benefit of their minds, they're very... shall we say... silly.” Miss Take said softly, and then she smiled faintly as she pulled away the coverings from her face, murmuring: “But individuality, of course, would be dangerous to the Queen.”

Miss Take rose her head calmly, although there was almost a terror in her bright green eyes. Of being pitied, of being rejected: Cadence thought she was starting to understand that herself. But there was still a strange sort of pride and beauty in her mishmashed, chimeric features, made of unequal parts mottled skin, thin hide, thicker carapace, and with a single dark hole in her forehead like a staring socket.

Her mane had been neatened a little, but it too was unkempt and coarse, impossible to tame. She reached up, dark hooves at the end of discolored, jagged limbs nervously toying with her long hair even as she asked Cadence in a voice that only shook a little: “And what about you, darling? How are you holding up? I'm not the only one who's taken a few whacks this last while, after all.”

Cadence smiled briefly, then she reached up and rubbed at her face, before... deciding to simply be honest. “I don't know. I'm scared. I'm exhausted. I know that I'm not fighting at the level I was even when Shine and I fought Sombra and the Phoenix Guild in Canterlot, and I can't entirely explain why. And I'm... I'm seeing things. I'm seeing ghosts, Miss Take.”

“Well, sweetie, you did die.” Miss Take said softly, and the winged unicorn flinched a bit... but then swallowed and nodded slowly, even as Shining Armor looked uncomfortably over at Archon , and the General scowled moodily. But no one argued or tried to rationalize it, and Miss Take smiled quietly before she dropped her hooves together and looked down at them, murmuring: “I was born after the Queen took a particularly handsome captive and made him into a slave. This kind of courtship, with someone from outside the hive, produces offspring like me, instead of drones. But the Queen must always be careful, because we're born with the characteristics of both races... and an immunity to her control. In fact, we can even exert influence over drones ourselves, and we can breed. We're... princesses, I suppose you could say.”

“So you have sisters?” Cadence asked quietly, and then she tilted her head and frowned a bit. “And your mother is Chrysalis?”

But Miss Take only smiled in amusement at this, shaking her head and clucking her tongue. “No, no, darling. Chrysalis is not the Queen. Chrysalis is my bratty little sister. She's rather temperamental, takes much more after our dear mother than I do.”

Cadence stared in disbelief as Shining Armor's jaw dropped, but General Archon only scowled and said distastefully: “That would make sense, if you hadn't called her your 'younger' sister. Why don't you have a hive of your own, then?”

“How the hell does that make sense?” Shining asked incredulously, looking over at Archon... and then hurriedly saluting and raising his head, adding quickly: “Not to question you, sir, just interested in your uh... assessment of the situation!”

General Archon gave Shining Armor a foul look, then he shook his head slowly and explained almost irritably, as Miss Take looked on with a warm smile: “For one, her tactics. Members of her drone army were able to infiltrate Canterlot in spite of your shield. Even disregarding the fact that the bulk of her forces was left outside of the shield even after she gained complete influence over you and could have easily slipped them inside of Canterlot, her drones did nothing to harm us until she was discovered.

“Once discovered, her drones attacked our soldiers head on. My question is why? We had no idea who or what they were at the time. They could have easily remained under cover and sown chaos in our ranks. They could have poisoned us or disabled countless defenses, created vulnerabilities across Canterlot. But instead, they gave up almost all of their advantage to strike us head on. It comes across as either supremely arrogant, or the product of someone extremely sloppy and inexperienced in the art of war and combat.

“Chrysalis herself was not native to this area. She came here seeking food, implying that she had no food supply of her own, or it had been exhausted. I imagine that only an incredibly-greedy hive would quickly exhaust its food, if at all. I further imagine she left your mother's control to start her own hive in new territory, correct?”

Archon looked over at Miss Take calmly, and Miss Take quietly applauded him, giving a warm smile before she said softly: “Very close, darling. Chrysalis calls herself a Queen, but she's no Queen Mother. Her hive is still small and weak: the Queen Mother's is its own small nation, really, and there are many more varieties of drones and... other nastier things there. She, like many of my other siblings, must all bow their heads to the Queen Mother... unless they want to be destroyed, of course.”

The General nodded calmly, then he turned his eyes moodily back towards Shining Armor, saying almost codescendingly: “See? Furthermore, Chrysalis was brash. She revealed herself, she failed to properly secure her prisoners, and most of all, she underestimated the power of the very thing she claimed gave her the power to defeat Celestia: love.”

General Archon looked calmly over at Princess Cadence, who smiled faintly and glanced awkwardly at Shining Armor. Shining looked back at her silently, and Miss Take chuckled quietly before looking down at her own hooves and murmuring: “You're very intelligent, Amadeus Archon. Even more so than I was ever told.”

There was silence for a moment as Cadence looked curiously over at the ever-stoic General, but he didn't show even the faintest hint of surprise at the fact Miss Take apparently knew his full name. It made Cadence wonder curiously what other little secrets Archon might have... and how much Miss Take actually knew about each and every one of them.

But she was brought back to reality as Miss Take looked up with a small smile and said kindly: “But look here, I still haven't answered poor Cadence's question. Changelings feed off emotions, but we can also take memories. Those we feed upon... deeply, over multiple sessions... we can start to learn their skills, take on their abilities. No, I would not become a great artist if I fed upon one painter... but if I fed on several artists, of the same profession and of great skill, I could certainly learn to paint. And of course, skills that don't require a creative bend are learned much faster and much better. Picking a lock, for example, is all very straightforward.”

Miss Take stopped, then she reached up and silently touched her forehead, saying quietly: “But unfortunately, with my Third Eye gone... I'm very much... weakened. You see, because my father was a Pegasus, I was born without a horn. So a special stone was made for me, from the remains of Changeling horns: stuff of a slightly different material than yours is, darling. This was implanted into my forehead, and it didn't just let me disrupt your magic... it made it much easier for me to change my shape, enhanced my abilities... and... I must confess I became rather dependent on it. It's been a long time since I've had to change my shape by myself.”

She looked down, then shook her head briefly before giving a small smile. “But haven't I rambled on enough now? General Archon, you said you had business with us all, correct? And oh, Cadence, please feel free to sit, there's plenty of room on the bed, darling. Don't strain yourself.”

Cadence glanced back at Miss Take, smiled... and then shifted a little, realizing that... well... everything was weird. She and Shining were standing awkwardly next to each other, and General Archon seemed more like an old friend than a sour old warmonger, and she and Miss Take were... they were, well...

Cadence winced as her horn sparked, and she felt Miss Take's emotions... real emotions, warm emotions, and... sad ones, too. Things that made Cadence look at her silently for a few long moments before she bit her lip and leaned forwards, asking quietly: “What's your real name? Because I... I don't think you're a mistake at all.”

Miss Take smiled warmly up at her, and then she chuckled quietly and touched her own breast, murmuring: “Darling... I never expected to hear that from you, but... I suppose that I'll certainly take it without complaint. Even if...”

She turned her eyes towards Shining Armor, prompting him silently... but Shining only shifted lamely and looked uncomfortably away, making the Changeling sigh. But it wasn't as exasperated as it was... tender, and entertained, and patient, far more patient than Cadence thought she could be with her husband, before Miss Take said softly: “My name is Metanoia. But that's such a silly name, isn't it? I much prefer Miss Take. It's cute. And it's the name my favorite stallion came to know me by.”

Shining Armor mumbled and looked awkwardly away, and Cadence smiled briefly before she sat down on the bed, the two looking at each other silently before Miss Take sat up a little and reached out, gently taking one of Cadence's hooves as she murmured: “Please don't hate me, dear. We Changelings... we feel very deeply, you know. That is why emotions power us.”

Cadence shifted and looked away, and then she rubbed at the back of her head before murmuring: “I guess that part of me wants to hate you, Miss Take, but... I really don't think I can. It wouldn't be fair, and... I look at you and...”

“We're very much alike. Creatures of love and conflict. We exist to fight and protect and sacrifice for the things we care about most, don't we?” Miss Take smiled slightly. “Even if I happen to spend most of my time collecting pretty things, and you ended up in the role of a princess. But I think we can both become better ponies, can't we?”

Cadence smiled faintly... and then Archon cleared his throat loudly and said irritably: “I think you two have wasted enough of our time now with your idle chatter. Take, I have only one question for you: are the Changelings going to complicate our missions further?”

“Oh, darling. I'm a rogue agent, but one little Changeling is no threat to the Queen Mother. And certainly, Electra and Chrysalis and some of my other siblings are less than fond of me, but they wouldn't dare try and harm a hair upon my head... they know I can disrupt their control of their drones, and I used to regularly spank my little sister's bottom whenever she got too mouthy.” Miss Take smiled kindly, bowing her head politely to Archon. “They won't threaten you. The Queen is perfectly at peace with me, so long as I don't establish a hive. I've always been her dear mother's favorite, you know.”

“Alright.” Archon stopped, looked down for a moment, and then he grimaced a bit before looking up and saying slowly: “Princess Cadence, Captain Armor... if you will both vouch for her, then perhaps we can find a way to replace her Third Eye temporarily. An amplification gem won't let her use antimagic, but it should make her useful to us.”

“You're kinder than you act or speak, Amadeus Archon. I appreciate it, and you have my oath that I'll do everything I can to help.” Miss Take looked up at Cadence, smiling faintly and squeezing the hoof she was still holding gently. “I've taken something precious from you, darling. I would like to do all I can in my power to repay you... although, certainly, there's quite a bit of self-interest here, too. I have no doubt that Pain will hunt me down if she gets the chance.”

“Yeah...” Cadence looked awkwardly away, then she smiled briefly over at Shining Armor, who shifted lamely, but did his best to smile in return to her... although it was uneasy, and nothing but a reflected expression. She didn't really know what to feel about that, any more than she thought Shining Armor knew what he was feeling himself.

But no, they had to be serious right now. They had to put everything aside and concentrate, and... that would take her closer to the one thing she thought would give her happiness and closure, too, the winged unicorn taking a slow breath before she bowed her head and said finally: “I guess that I should... tell you all my story now, though.”

Archon nodded shortly, and Shining Armor frowned nervously as Miss Take squeezed the winged unicorn's hoof... and it was funny. That felt so natural, and Cadence had spent... so, so long hating her, being jealous of her, angry at her, but... maybe because of what had happened, maybe because Miss Take represented... an easy way out, maybe because of her emotional connection... oh, who the hell knew? She just knew... “Thank you. I trust you three so... I'll... do my best not to leave anything out.”

Cadence looked back and forth, and then she lowered her head and said quietly: “My story starts... a thousand years ago, when I was just a little girl...”

The morgue in the basement was cold and silent: zippered black bags, containing the dead bodies of the soldiers that Pain had killed, sat across several metal gurneys, waiting to be placed in simple coffins and shipped back home once the train was repaired.

It was painfully bright, yet all the more haunting because of it: there was no shade, no niche, no escape from the sight of sterile death, trapped in the metal cabinets, cloaked in those black bags, gleaming in the tools set neatly aside on the desk and shelves, and all of it reflected in the large mirror mounted above the sinks.

Except something wasn't entirely right: the mirror seemed to darken, blackly reflecting the room as a strange, minute tremble shook it on the wall. And slowly, the reflected room began to distort: while reality remained perfect and pristine, in the reflection the room aged and transformed, tiles shattering along the floor, bricks falling out of place from the wall, cabinet doors clanking open and exhaling dust and rust into the air.

In the reflection, the lights flickered wildly before several of the bulbs shattered, and only one was left glowing dimly, weakly, struggling to exist. The only things left unaffected were the bodybags on the gurneys... and in the reflection, two large, hulking shapes slowly approached these, burning with hatred, their eyes glowing with soulless malice.

“Sibling, listen to the master...” rasped one of them, as it approached the bodybags in the reflection. And its twin nodded rapidly as it walked around to the other side of the table before seating itself and facing its twisted brother.

“Listen to the master, sibling.” it whispered back, and then they both reached forwards, grasping the top of a bodybag in the reflection. But in reality, dents formed in the thick material, rippling strangely before the monsters in the mirror both yanked savagely, and in both the twisted other-world and reality, the bodybags were torn asunder, revealing the heads of the corpses inside.

The monsters looked at each other in their reflected world, grinning widely, and then they both grasped the head of a corpse. And the mirror trembled violently as the two leaned down, rasping eagerly as the two corpses on the table in reality shivered, dark veins spreading through their husks...

Cracks tore through the trembling mirror, every broken shard darkly reflecting the morgue as the two corpses jittered and shuddered on their gurneys... and then suddenly they both opened their eyes, grinning coldly as darkness spread along their bodies. Muscle bulged and hide tore as toxic energies burned through their flesh, the wings dwindling and rotting rapidly away from the backs of both as they dragged themselves free from the bodybags like monstrous insects tearing loose from their cocoons.

They both crashed to the ground, writhing for a few moments and rasping unintelligibly before they slowly, carefully picked themselves up. Their bodies were heavy and bruised, wretched with the pains of lingering death: blood had dried in their veins and pooled in their stomachs, muscles had atrophied and loosened only slightly with the new vitality pumped through them, the necromancy that powered them was taking its sweet time in restoring the natural senses to these newly-undead.

The two looked at each other, and then one rasped almost eagerly: “Em pleh, gnilbis.”

“Gnilbis, em pleh.” the other growled in agreement, and the two took shuddering steps towards each other before they both lunged suddenly and violently, burying their claws into one another's bodies, biting and ripping savagely.

Blood splattered in all directions as they tore ugly wounds across each other's forms, rolling back and forth as they laughed as they ripped and tore through one another's bodies: there was something hideously-playful in their cruelty, as they knocked over the gurneys and smashed each other into walls, tearing up the floor as they bit and grappled...

“Sinister. Dexter.” hissed a voice, and both twins immediately halted in mid combat, looking up and staring at the broken mirror. Many of the pieces were now glowing with darkness, and two of the larger chunks thrummed with poisonous green energies, staring like eyes out of that hellish black face on the wall.

The twins quickly shoved themselves apart and scrambled up to their hooves, bodies splattered with blood, but their wounds rapidly healing, filling with new, stronger flesh. They both almost eagerly approached the broken mirror, almost drooling as they stared up at it like obedient dogs.

And after a moment, Sombra's voice ordered in a whisper: “Go... kill. Kill. Kill the heart. Kill and destroy. Ruin... everything.”

Sombra growled, a low, long sound, and the twins growled eagerly back in response, nodding violently before their master's presence faded from the mirror. But many of the shards remained dark, thrumming with evil energies, and the twins – on instinct more than anything else – both began to yank down pieces of shattered mirror like fruit, shoving them into their muzzles and swallowing them whole, heedless of the jagged edges.

“Hey, what's going...” A pony shoved through the door, scowling... and then he stared in horror at the sight of the twins as Sinister and Dexter both looked over their shoulders at the newcomer. Cruel grins spread over their faces, and the pony trembled violently before he staggered backwards and attempted to bolt-

One of the monsters smashed through the wall right in front of him, roaring eagerly and reaching out to seize the pony by the head before he slammed him cruelly down into the ground. The pony screamed, then tried to kick uselessly as his back legs were seized by the broken hooves of the other deathless creature.

Sinister yanked in one direction, and Dexter the other: the result was a sick popping, a tearing of hide and flesh and body, and then a broken corpse slung to the ground, literally pulled to pieces. The two monsters laughed loudly, echoing one another's chuffling, almost explosive 'ha's!' before they both grinned viciously and turned their eyes down the corridor.

They loped forwards, leaving behind the corpse as they headed swiftly through the corridor: they paid little heed to the ponies they passed, trampling and tossing aside those who weren't able to get out of their way fast enough.

“Treah eht leef I! Pu, gnilbis, pu!” growled Sinister, and Dexter nodded fervently to his brother as he licked his lips hungrily.

“Pu, gnilbis, pu! Treah eht leef I!” he echoed eagerly, and both brothers skidded to a stop, looking back and forth before Dexter leapt towards a nearby door and sank his claws into it, flexing them once before he tore downwards and ripped it off its hinges like it was made of cardboard.

He tossed it aside, then hurried into the stairwell with a growl, Sinister following and snapping at his heels once as they clambered up the steps eagerly. Then, without slowing, he smashed into the door at the top of the stairwell, knocking it flying across the corridor beyond as he leapt out with a roar that terrified the ponies present.

Sinister followed him out, glaring back and forth before growling and starting down the hall, simply running over a mare that got in his way before batting aside a pony in a lab coat like he was made of straw. Dexter followed a moment later with a rumble, swerving in his own path to crush the skull of the stallion that had been knocked aside and then biting viciously into the side of another pony trying to press himself into the wall as he ran by.

They burst out into the evening air, looking hungrily back and forth before Sinister roared and gestured sharply towards the tower: it was only a short distance away down the cobbled street, although shrouded now in an immense, cylindrical forcefield. But the twins only grinned eagerly, giving another chuffling, echoing laugh at the sight of the forcefield before they both set themselves.

Hungrily, they lunged down the road, sprinting over the stone, passing like demons over the dimly-lit streets until they reached the edge of the barrier protecting the tower. They both smashed into the barrier wall with enough force to send cracks ripping through the glass-like energy.

The twins glared at the barrier, then they both stepped forwards and sank their claws into the damaged forcefield, grinning and growling unintelligibly. But as they pushed slowly forwards, a blackness began to spread through the wounded area of the shield, like rot: in only moments, they had created a large, black wound in the forcefield where the energy had become sludgy and corrupt, and both monsters easily pushed themselves through this, stepping calmly into the tower square as their bodies smoked faintly from passing through the toxic hole they'd opened.

The twins strode almost leisurely forwards, moving in unconscious step with each other, chuckling their terrible, echoing laughter as they both grinned darkly and strode towards the center of the square. Their eyes stared coldly through the soldiers already hurrying to form a defensive line, and didn't even seem to see the forcefield protecting their prize; all they had eyes for was the Crystal Heart.

“Gnilbis, si ti ereht.” rasped Sinister, licking his teeth greedily as he lowered his head forward, hunching up his broad, scarred back.

“Si ti ereht, gniblis.” growled Dexter in agreement, nodding hungrily in return to his brother before his eyes flashed as he looked forwards, the two continuing their almost lazy approach.

“Stay back!” shouted the unicorn officer in charge, and then he gritted his teeth as the creatures continued to approach, saying sharply: “Alert General Archon! Unicorns, prepare to concentrate fire!”

The unicorns gathered behind him all anchored themselves, horns glowing as the officer in front did his best to repress his shivers. But these things approaching... he had no idea what they were. They were malformed, monstrous, titanic beasts that were wearing faces he almost recognized...

And there was no more time to question, to fear, to do anything but react as he shouted desperately: “Fire!”

Five beams of light shot out from the horns of the unicorns, smashing into Sinister and driving him backwards with a howl as Dexter stumbled to the side and snarled in surprise. Slowly, the rays of light forced the monster down, pinning him beneath their magical force.

Dexter roared, but a moment later, the Pegasi launched themselves into the air and sharply flung the objects in their hooves down at him: glass baubles exploded against the monster's body and snared him in nets of energy, the beast flopping onto his side and flailing against the magical restraints tightening around his body. Other Pegasi were already moving forwards around Sinister, starting to lower a large control collar around his head.

One of Sinister's claws suddenly shot up, the monster catching the large metal ring, and the Pegasi lowering the collar both stared in shock before Sinister yanked it free from their grasp, then roared and suddenly leapt up to his broken hooves, the unicorns all shouting in shock as their magic was repelled and recoil burst along their horns. The officer in charge began to open his mouth to shout an order... and then the collar slammed into his maw, nearly tearing his lower jaw off and sending him flopping backwards with a scream of agony.

A moment later, Dexter snapped the netting of energy writhing over his body, snarling as he hauled himself to his broken hooves before he swatted a Pegasus that got too close like a fly, sending it crashing bonelessly to the ground with his armor and one wing flayed apart. He roared loudly, but the other Pegasi hurriedly withdrew as the unicorns scrambled to protect themselves and their comrades, several setting up magical barriers while Pegasi grabbed the fallen and pulled them quickly to safety.

Sinister and Dexter both only grinned, trading looks before one of the twins suddenly leapt forwards and smashed through a barrier like it was cheap glass and not concentrated magical energy, the unicorn that had cast the spell rearing back in shock before Sinister seized him by the shoulder and yanked him forwards, biting deep into his throat. Blood burst out over the monster's face as he tore to the side, and then he laughed loudly as he slung the corpse down, calling mockingly to his brother: “Doog etsat yeht!”

Dexter growled at this, then suddenly ran forwards, ignoring a bolt of magical energy that bounced uselessly off his hide. The unicorn that had fired the magic missile staggered backwards, staring in horror as Dexter ran straight for him... then suddenly leapt over him, instead snatching a Pegasus that had been hovering above and watching helplessly.

The Pegasus was slammed back-first onto the ground with a crunch, going limp: his quick death was one last macabre stroke of luck, as a moment later Dexter plunged his maw down and tore into the pony's stomach, ripping through skin and tearing out organs before he licked his lips and looked up at his brother, answering: “Doog etsat yeht... drib ekil era yeht!”

“Ekil drib era yeht.” Sinister's teeth flashed cruelly in a grin, and then he and his twin laughed loudly as the Royal Guard withdrew, stumbling into as tight a wall as they could in front of the Crystal Heart. But none of them knew what to do as the monsters both looked slowly up, licking their lips again as they started slowly forwards.

Sinister crunched a fallen helm under one claw, and Dexter strode carelessly through the corpse of the Pegasus, leaving bloody prints behind as they slowly advanced on the soldiers. They both grinned, eying their new prey greedily...

And then both twins suddenly stiffened up, their bodies quivering before they both slowly looked over their shoulders. Their eyes locked on a mare who was standing only a dozen feet away, trembling hard, but with such intense hate and anger in her eyes... and oh, they both remembered her. She looked different, but they remembered her well.

Slowly, the twins turned around, baring their fangs in their wide grins, eyes glowing and bodies flexing as Sinister whispered: “Reh llik dluohs ew. Treah eht osla si ehs. Reh s'ti,”

“Treah eht si ehs. Reh s'ti. Reh llik osla dluohs ew.” agreed Dexter with a slow nod, and then the two shared a look before they both roared and shot with breathtaking speed towards the mare.

The mare, however, only closed her eyes for a moment... and time all-but-froze for her, as she turned the split second in reality into an eternity in her mind. She didn't know how, entirely... she only knew that her father had taught her there was always a moment to spare, if you didn't panic. That if you held onto your focus, anything and everything became possible...

Cadence's eyes opened, and she gazed silently out at the square. She saw the faces of the ponies, all terrified and hopeful and ready to do their duty with honor, even if it meant their death at the claws of monsters like these. And she saw the Crystal Heart, what they were protecting with their lives, which seemed to resonate with her and whisper into her mind when she gazed upon it.

And of course, she saw Sinister and Dexter... but she didn't just see two mangled monsters, she saw the vicious, Brokenhearted barbarians that they had once been, filled with so much hate and rage and malicious magic that they had become hollow and evil things beyond even Pain. And unlike Pain, their emotions, their conscience and regrets, who they had really once been... all of that had been burned away centuries ago, and drowned in evil magic and necromantic tampering. Her magic wasn't going to have any effect on them. There were no real emotions to key into, to throw off balance... just hatred that masqueraded as happiness when they inflicted pain on others.

She was scared. But this was her fight, more than it was anyone else's: the moment she had felt her father's dark magic, she had broken off the awkward, uncomfortable conversation they had been having upstairs and hurried down here, as fast as she could. And now here was the proof that Sombra was close, and that he had regenerated his powers as well.

This time, however, she wasn't going to just send these two monsters back into their dark, deathless exile: she was going to put a stop to them, once and for all. And Cadence gritted her teeth as reality went back to normal, the twins leaping at her with terrifying speed and broken hooves extended-

Cadence flung herself down on her back, kicking Sinister savagely in the throat and seizing Dexter by one foreleg, using the kick to launch herself into a sharp half-roll and slamming the monster down on his face with a sickening crack. The twins bounced in either direction with roars of frustration as Cadence pushed herself sharply to her hooves, and then she quickly leapt on top of the closer Dexter as he started to shove his way back up to a standing position.

The monster snarled in frustration as the winged unicorn landed on top of him, the pink mare wrapping her forelegs around his head, then gritting her teeth and briskly twisting. Immediately, Dexter yelped and flopped to the ground... but she could already feel his body shivering, starting to snap the broken vertebrae back together: she knew she only had seconds before Dexter was back on his hooves.

So without waiting, she spun around and leapt towards Sinister, who was already charging at her. She caught him by surprise, managing to slip her foreleg around his throat before he could react, and then she gritted her teeth as she lunged past and slammed him cruelly down on his back, the monster's body bouncing once against the concrete before she leaned over him and slammed her hooves in a vicious volley against his breast.

Sinister snarled, then swung a foreleg out, managing to slap her away. She hit the ground with a wince, but rolled quickly back to her hooves, breathing hard and narrowing her eyes as she watched the monster flail on his back for a moment before he rolled over as his bones visibly began to snap back into place, the beast not even seeming to be aware that she had caused him any damage...

And she could hear Dexter behind her, growling at her angrily... but not attacking, not yet. Instead, the twins began to pace around her, and she thought that they were communicating with each other in some bestial, primal way through their body language, their grunts and growls, as she simply kept herself at the ready.

Then she grimaced a bit as she saw General Archon and Shining Armor both emerge from the doors in the base of one of the tower's supports. Archon was scowling darkly, looking unfazed even by these creatures, while Shining had his teeth grit, starting forwards-

“I can handle them!” Cadence shouted sharply, and both unicorns halted as Sinister and Dexter glared furiously at the winged unicorn. She looked back at Sinister coldly, the stallion almost right in front of her, while she could sense Dexter standing directly behind her... but she refused to show any fear, to back down from either of these monsters, as she said added suddenly: “But I need a mirror! You remember, right, Shining?”

Shining Armor frowned uncertainly at this, then he shook his head when Archon looked at him, the ivory unicorn muttering: “I don't see why she needs a mirror, though... they had little pieces of mirror inside of them when we first fought, and breaking the mirror shards killed them.”

“She must think she knows a way to counter the magic. Do as she says, Captain Armor.” Archon ordered sharply, and Shining nodded... but then hesitated, staring at Cadence for a moment. Remembering how hard they had fought together side-by-side that day... how she had saved his life, and how much he owed her. How once upon a time, their love had saved an entire nation from a Changeling invasion...

“Captain Armor! Go!” Archon shouted, and Shining Armor winced, then gritted his teeth and concentrated as he turned around, focusing on one of his sister's favorite spells before he vanished from sight with a loud pop. Archon glanced over his shoulder with surprise at this... but then gave a thin smile before he turned his eyes back ahead, roaring over the growls and hisses of the twins: “Cadence! Do not make me intervene this time!”

Cadence gave a faint smile, shaking her head slowly before she spread her ivory wings, grimacing as she felt a strange... thrumming in them. Her horn sparked weakly, but the mare kept all her focus on the twins, who were pacing around her again, rasping to each other... almost arguing, it sounded like.

She let them: the more they focused on her, the better. The more they forgot about, ignored everyone else, the safer this fight would be. The mare looked coldly back and forth as Sinister and Dexter gave growls in unison as they came to a halt flanking her, and her eyes narrowed after a moment as she said quietly: “You two were never really ponies, were you?”

Dexter grinned, and Sinister growled before the two suddenly lunged at her from either side. But fearlessly, Cadence leapt straight up and flapped her wings once, launching herself out of range of the monsters... or so she thought.

Dexter hit the ground first, and immediately dropped low: Sinister landed on his back before his twin leapt upwards with a roar. Cadence barely had a moment to react before Sinister launched himself into her like a cannonball, seizing her shoulders and biting viciously at her neck.

The mare just managed to yank her head out of the way as she snaked a hoof up between their bodies, punching Sinister under the jaw. But she was being dragged down by him, and she could sense Dexter readying himself to pounce, the mare gritting her teeth before she forced both her forelegs up and slapped the monster's claws loose from her bloody shoulders.

Sinister began to snap at her with his jaws as he started to fall, and Cadence slammed a hoof viciously into the end of his muzzle, knocking him flopping head over heels towards the ground with a howl before he crashed into his twin on the way down. They hit the ground in a tangle of limbs, snarling and clawing at each other before they managed to shove apart and glare furiously up at Cadence.

“Gnilbis, reh llik!” snarled Sinister, and Dexter parroted his brother angrily: by now, though, Cadence only grimaced, not caring what they had to say, since it all amounted to same thing anyway. Words mashed together with bare coherence by monsters that barely possessed a mind between them.

She hovered in the air, watching the way they clawed at her, then shivering as a memory came back: her father's face, her father's smile, in a psychiatry ward in the days before such a thing even existed, where these two monsters pretended to play with toys and blocks and blank looks on their faces while inside, inside, they counted down to the moment they would try and attack-

The attack came, both suddenly lunging in memory and reality, and Cadence shouted a denial before she dropped from the air and slammed both rear hooves with a crunch into Sinister's face, while at the same time bringing her front hooves down in a cruel tomahawk against Dexter's skull. Both monsters were knocked crashing back to the ground, and Cadence landed a moment later on all four hooves, breathing hard and staggering backwards to a ready position as she shivered.

She couldn't let that happen again. That was her losing focus, letting her mind go haywire, but even if she was tired and her horn wasn't working right, she couldn't lose that control, get sloppy, stop fighting at her level because... goddammit, because she was that much better than these two monsters! Forget everything else, forget what they would do if she couldn't stop them: she was supposed to be a warrior, a protector, and a destroyer! She was supposed to be a force that could inspire fear in even the Valkyries, let alone...

Part of Cadence's mind went blank, even as the rest boiled with anger and pride. But there wasn't any time to make sense of it, to guess where those thoughts had come from: there was only time to use that warrior's pride she had never fully understood, and make it sharpen her senses, focus harder on the task at hoof, and guide her body and her mind as Sinister and Dexter both began to run at her again, roaring like the black wolves of hell...

Sinister leapt at her, sweeping a claw out to try and tear her legs out from under her as Dexter leapt high with a snarl, trying to preempt any attempt to evade: but instead, Cadence caught Sinister's claw sweep with both front legs, gritting her teeth as she half-turned and flung him savagely upwards into Dexter.

Brother collided against brother, the two flailing through the air before crashing to the ground in a painful heap... but to Cadence's shock, Sinister yanked himself free of the pile, kicking off his sibling with a roar and diving straight at her before she could react.

A claw tore down into her side, knocking her sprawling and sending up a spray of white feathers as her wing was torn almost in half. She hit the ground and skidded before cursing and throwing herself backwards to avoid his other claw pinning her, then she kicked both rear hooves up as his jaws bit savagely towards her.

His head was knocked back with a spray of blood, the beast staggering, but he almost immediately lunged forwards again, leaping overtop her with a growl and trying to pin her under his heavy body. But Cadence slammed a vicious volley of blows up into his breast, every blow hitting with enough force to make the goliath's body shake before she snapped her horn sharply upwards and blasted the surprised monster off with a powerful flash of light.

He was knocked crashing onto his back, howling and flailing wildly, and Cadence gritted her teeth even as she rolled back to her hooves and staggered a bit. Her head was swimming, and she couldn't even explain what she had just done: she had just reacted on instinct, and that magic had burst out of her...

Dexter disrupted her thoughts by charging at her with a roar, and the mare looked up before gritting her teeth and running forwards. She leapt over the monster as he tried to swipe him with her claws, running quickly down his spine before dropping on her stomach behind him and slamming a hoof into the back of one leg.

The monster fell painfully to one side with a snarl, and it gave Cadence all the time she needed to back quickly off from them both, as Sinister and Dexter both righted themselves. The mare looked back and forth with a grimace, eyes narrowed dangerously... and then she gritted her teeth as Archon's voice rang out: “I've seen foals fight better! Either focus on your targets or get out of the way!”

Cadence flexed, spreading her wings as best she could: one hung limp and dripped with blood, but the other almost glowed as she locked onto the twins. They were slowly approaching, their paths crisscrossing as they came towards her with dark growls, and the mare took a slow breath before she said quietly: “I am not afraid. I refuse to be afraid of either of you.”

She gritted her teeth, feeling such hate and anger, and welcoming them both. Letting those emotions in... it made it easier to want to hurt these two, to focus on how she could delay them until Shining Armor came back. Then her eyes narrowed as the twins stopped and looked at each other, before they both grinned coldly.

They looked back at her, and one mocked as he scratched a broken hoof against the ground: “Reh llik ew llahs? Gnilbis, semag gniyalp pots ew dluohs?”

“Gnilbis, reh llik llahs ew. Semag gniyalp pots dluohs ew.” confirmed the other, and they grinned at each other before they both suddenly turned and ran forwards at the same time, and Cadence's eyes widened in shock as they curved in perfect synchronization towards her: it was like they had abandoned their animal selves, suddenly moving with precision and pride.

They flanked her and leapt at her from either side: Cadence knew already there was no escape to the air, even if she could force a good boost from her damaged wings. Instead, she snapped her horn down and gave a raw yell as she tried to summon up that alien magic on desperation...

And instead, a massive dome of flames erupted into being around her, Sinister and Dexter colliding with either side of this and howling as they clawed wildly at the almost-solid fire before it suddenly burst outwards in a fiery wave that knocked them both backwards. They bounced painfully across the ground as Archon strode forwards, his eyes cold as he said icily: “Enough. You've had your chance to deal with them.”

Sinister and Dexter both rolled to their hooves, snarling in fury as Cadence cursed under her breath. But there was no time to argue as Dexter lunged at her, the mare narrowly ducking under the swipe of his claw-like, broken hooves before she caught him by the wrists. He roared and shoved forwards, but Cadence moved with him as she bared her teeth, dropping onto her back and slamming both hind legs into his stomach in a bicycle kick that carried them both in a roll and left her pinning the larger monster, Dexter gargling and snapping his jaws wildly in the direction of her face as he fought to yank his forelegs free from her grip, but her rear hooves were digging deep into his stomach, giving her the leverage she needed to stop him from yanking loose.

Sinister, meanwhile, charged straight at Archon... who only glared in disgust before he snapped his horn sharply upwards, and a blast of fire exploded from the ground beneath the beast, knocking him into the air with a squeal as he flailed his limbs in all directions. Archon's horn gave a bright flash as his eyes narrowed, before he flicked it sharply forwards at the apex of the monster's flight.

A sphere of intense flames burst into life around the monster, muffling Sinister's howls as it began to churn and twist violently, becoming like a miniature sun that crushed down on the monster inside it with both intense pressure and extreme heat. It lit up the entire night, overpowering the glow of the Crystal Heart and the lamps mounted along the bottom of the tower, all eyes staring with a mix of awe and horror before Archon coldly snapped his horn down.

The fireball dropped like a meteor, crashing into the earth: the heat was so focused, so intense that the stone floor of the square literally splashed upwards, reduced to molten slag by the sheer heat before the focused inferno vanished, leaving only a charred, smoldering corpse laying inside the crater, burned to little more than a charred skeleton and a few melted pieces of glass.

Cadence stared in disbelief over her shoulder, then cursed when Dexter suddenly swung a claw up and knocked her staggering backwards, the mare gritting her teeth before she spun around when the monster lunged at her, slamming both rear hooves viciously into his face and knocking him backwards with a gurgle as she used the kick to launch herself a short distance away at the same time.

She spun around, readying herself... and pillars of flame erupted in a cage around Dexter, the monster looking back and forth with a snarl before the bars of fire twisted themselves suddenly around, snapping around the beast's limbs, body, and throat. Dexter roared, jerking himself back and forth... and then Archon gave a thin smile as he strode up beside Cadence, saying icily as his horn glowed with focused power: “Our goal is not to put on a show or take out our pain on the enemy. It is to destroy whatever threatens our nation as quickly as possible.”

Archon flicked his horn, and Dexter's roars turned into a long, drawn out wail as he burst into crimson flames, writhing helplessly back and forth as his body rapidly began to char away and visibly dwindle beneath the all-consuming blaze.

And then a horrible, rasping chuckle rose up from behind them, and Archon's eyes widened in shock before he looked over his shoulder disbelievingly at the sight of Sinister crawling slowly up out of the crater, black, hideous not-flesh twisting rapidly into place over his mangled skeleton, soulless, glowing white eyes glaring out at the General.

The monster growled, flexing slowly as it dragged itself out of the crater, body reforming almost entirely... and throughout its mangled form, Cadence could see the glints of glassy mirror now, before these gleaming shards were covered by dark flesh. And in moments, they were no longer faced with a warped, distorted corpse, but instead a horrific monster with a spongy black hide and jagged, hooked claws, toxic saliva oozing from its gleaming white fangs.

And with a roar, Dexter tore free from the flames behind them, staggering as Archon cursed as his magic was disrupted, recoil bursting over his horn... but the old stallion barely twitched, to his credit, even he bared his teeth at having lost his focus. Cadence narrowed her eyes, stepping past him as he spun around to face Dexter, and they stood side-to-side, each sharply watching a monster as the winged unicorn asked in a mutter: “So can you admit you might have just made things worse?”

“Then I'll help make things better. I'll restrain one, you pin the other. And we'll both hope that Shining Armor gets back here soon.” Archon muttered, and then he hesitated only a moment before asking quietly: “Are you sure you know how to stop these things? They seem even more resilient than Pain was.”

Cadence only smiled wryly, looking ahead and replying as Sinister grinned at her, and Dexter shifted eagerly forwards: “I think so. My... my father will guide me.”

“For all our sakes, I hope you're right.” Archon muttered, and then he set himself before shouting fearlessly: “Soldiers! Maintain a defensive perimeter around the Crystal Heart and do not move to engage-”

“Eid dna pu tuhs!” Dexter shouted almost gleefully, roaring laughter as he charged straight at Archon, but the General only scowled darkly and turned his sharp, cold eyes on the monster, ignoring the sound of his brother echoing his words and Cadence leaping to meet him.

Archon didn't move so much as a muscle even as Dexter swept a claw in... and it tore only a thin scratch along his cheek before the monster shifted all his weight forwards onto this, leaning down into the old stallion's face with his fangs bared in a wide grin, hollow eyes blazing with hatred. Archon's hard gaze met the monster's eyes icily, and Dexter laughed loudly before suddenly opening his jaws and lunging forwards-

A blast of flames smashed into the monster's open maw, and Dexter staggered backwards, howling as he shook his head violently back and forth, smoke pouring out of his jaws before Archon flicked his horn again, a short arc of energy shooting from his horn and colliding directly between Dexter's eyes. The monster flinched, then growled as he looked up, not noticing the glowing red dot now pulsing distinctly on his forehead before Archon said contemptibly: “You're nothing but a savage.”

Dexter leapt forwards, and Archon simply flicked his horn, a wave of red flames walloping into the monster's side and knocking Dexter staggering before Archon's horn glowed brightly, more bursts of red lightning shooting from his horn and smacking into the monster's hide, leaving distinct, pulsing red dots wherever they hit. Then Archon smiled thinly as Dexter turned with a vicious backclaw, ducking smoothly under the talons before he quickly sidestepped, head raised high and proud, his eyes glowing with determination and focus.

Cadence, meanwhile had managed to lure Sinister a short distance away to prevent the brothers from suddenly ganging up on either of them. He was attacking viciously, but back to playing cat-and-mouse with her: it seemed that now that they had a new playmate, Sinister and Dexter had renewed their interest in drawing out the fight before they killed them.

He swept a claw at her, and Cadence caught his foreleg before flinging him down on his side and twisting savagely, snapping his forelimb. The monster snarled in frustration at this, but quickly dragged itself back to its three working limbs before slowly holding its injured foreleg out to the side: with a few sickening, loud pops, the limb regenerated, and Cadence's eyes narrowed: they were healing even faster now.

She felt her wings trembling, and her horn sparking, and she didn't know what either meant: she didn't want to fly, and she didn't seem to be able to control that stupid, weird light magic that kept bursting out of her at the last moment. She glared across at Sinister before the twin suddenly lunged at her, sweeping both claws down, and Cadence winced as she leapt back before the monster suddenly bolted at her and caught her by the neck.

He hefted her into the air, then slammed her cruelly down onto her back, Cadence gasping as Sinister loomed over her... and memory overlaid reality, the mare feeling like a little filly again as she stared with terror up into the face of this Brokenhearted barbarian as he looked down at her like she was... like she was some toy, some treat, some worthless piece of meat he was taking pleasure in stripping the value and dignity from...

Her horn sparked, and then Cadence snarled before she slammed a hoof viciously into the monster's throat, and Sinister gargled and staggered backwards... but at the same time, he snarled and half-spun, yanking her off the ground and flinging her across the square. She crashed painfully down on her back, rolling over her broken wing and gasping at the pain before she looked up as Sinister came barreling towards her like a freight train.

She felt a charge run through her body, preparing her magic... but to harm, or protect? Was she a killer or was she a defender? Her eyes widened at these thoughts as she realized why everything was so jagged, why she was having such a hard time focusing-

The monster crashed into her and smashed her cruelly into the air before he reached up to catch her by the shoulders and fling her face-first into the ground with a crunch. Cadence bounced backwards... then gasped as Sinister seized her by the mane and hefted her up in front of him, the monster grinning cruelly at her...

She wasn't helpless. But she was conflicted. And that conflict inside her kept making her stumble, kept blocking her own ability to call on that strange magic inside her, except when it burst out on instinct...

Slowly, her eyes opened, and she saw Sinister leaning down towards her, his jaws stretching wide to swallow her up, gobble her down the endless abyss of his throat. Teeth waited to grind and crush her, the tongue to constrict and scrape the flesh from her bones with its bitter caresses...

Time seemed to slow as she felt herself focusing, and she clenched her eyes shut: she fell down the rabbit hole of her mind, knowing she didn't have any time and yet at the same time, she had all the time she needed. All she needed to do, after all, was find... herself.

Because that was the problem, wasn't it? She was fragmented: she was a princess, and she was a warrior. She was a best friend and she was alone. She was a loving daughter, and she was a betrayed orphan. She honored her heritage, and she defied everything she had been taught. She cherished her past, and she cared about nothing but the future. She was alive... and she was nothing but a ghost.

At the heart of it all, she was two very different people: the person she had been born as, and the person she had been taught to be. On one hoof, there was what her instincts told her to do, and how she could maim and hurt and kill the enemy... on the other, there was everything her father had taught her, to love, to cherish, to protect even at the cost of her own life... to become the person that all her friends, the closest thing she had to family, looked up to and loved, until they had seen that other, darker side of her...

She fell through memories, feeling the seconds ticking by, seeing fragments like a thousand pieces of twinkling glass floating through her mind all around her, each with a different face, a different voice, a different image scribed upon it...

And then Cadence looked down as she saw another shape looking up at her: a dark, terrible, evil shape... and Sombra gave her that smile her father had always worn, and looked at her with love through the miasma that bled from his eyes, her father reaching a hoof up towards her and saying quietly: “We all have to find our own path, mi amore. Do not forget, it is not just how we act that defines us... it is what we do, and why we do it.”

Cadence fell towards him, stretching her hoof out desperately towards this darkness that was still her beacon, still her guide, still the brightest thing in her life...

And then her eyes widened as she felt the pieces click into place in her mind: defender, destroyer, friend, wanderer, warrior, even princess... she was all these things and more. Even when they conflicted, they were still pieces of her, written on her very soul: even the worst parts of her, she could use for good. Just like those parts of her that strove to be so good were doing nothing but getting in the way right now, making her question herself, hesitate, delay...

Then memory shattered around Cadence, and she looked up as Sinister bit down towards her, the mare cursing and snapping her horn down at the last moment to deflect the monster's bite before she put as much energy as she dared into one violent blast of magic.

White light smashed into Sinister, knocking him sprawling with a howl of misery as she tore backwards and free from his grip to land on her hooves. She felt cold and sharp and ready... and for the first time in her life, it felt right as well as natural. There was no hesitation, no fear of what she was becoming, nothing but a readiness to do whatever it took to stop these monsters... and with that, it felt like some great, endless well of power had opened up inside of her, as she said coldly: “I know how to stop you. I know you don't care, that you'll pretend you don't even understand me... but I'm giving you and Dexter one chance to leave.”

Sinister slowly picked himself up, his body steaming faintly before he bared his teeth in a cruel grin, looking coldly over at the mare as he replied greedily: “Htgnerts su evig lliw traeh eht. Traeh eht ruoved lliw ew. Traeh eht llik lliw ew.”

Dexter stopped, then parroted mockingly to Archon, the monster heedless of the glowing red dots pulsing over his body: “ Traeh eht llik lliw ew. Htgnerts su evig lliw traeh eht. Traeh eht ruoved lliw ew.”

Archon gave a thin smile, and then he simply flicked his horn as Dexter began to step forwards: immediately, the crimson dots all glowed brightly before they exploded in a tremendous, unified blast of crimson hellfire, Dexter screaming as he was flung to the side to crash bonelessly down in a broken heap. Almost half of his body had been completely incinerated, leaving nothing but a broken stump of limb on his right side pawing uselessly at the air, his features melted and his jaws howling in indignation and the closest thing to pain these monsters could feel.

He was already rebuilding himself, however, and Archon grimaced before his eyes flicked up as there was a distinct crackle of magic. His eyes locked on Shining Armor as the ivory unicorn appeared in a burst of light, grimacing as he rushed forwards before dropping a massive, heavy old mirror in front of himself and bracing it into a standing position with telekinesis. “Cadence!”

“Shine, face it towards me!” Cadence shouted, and Shining Armor slowly began to swivel the mirror towards her as Sinister looked sharply over his shoulder. And then the monster's eyes widened as he stared into the mirror... and a barbarian that Cadence remembered all too well stared back, covered in blood and scars and markings that had been seared into his flesh all along his left side.

Cadence smashed into Sinister while he was still distracted, the mare slamming both hooves down into his skull to knock him flopping forwards before she leapt over him and seized both his rear legs, dragging him sharply backwards before half-spinning and flinging him hard through the air. But Sinister almost gracefully spun his body to land on his claws like a cat, snarling at her as his eyes blazed. “Kcab og ton lliw ew!”

“Oh yes, you will.” Cadence growled, setting herself, and Sinister roared before charging at her. But Cadence leapt forwards fearlessly and slammed a hoof across his face with enough force to knock him to a stop, the monster's eyes bulging before the mare slammed a second hoof up under his chin, sending him rearing back before she jumped into the air and smashed both rear hooves into his stomach.

The monster was knocked sprawling on his back, but he hurriedly rolled and turned, trying to get out of the mirror's path. But Cadence smoothly dove forwards and slammed a hoof into his side, the monster's body twisting slightly before she jackknifed him and seized him around the waist, yanking his heavy form with her to slam him cruelly down on his other side.

He roared and turned towards her in a rage, swiping a claw out, and Cadence dodged this before ducking under another grab, then waiting for the monster to try and pounce on her. And the moment Sinister did, she ducked low and then leapt upwards, twisting her body gracefully at the same time to catch him around the middle before she tossed him like she would a sack of potatoes.

He flew through the air, flailing wildly... then crashed back-first into the top of the mirror. It shuddered with his impact, cracks forming through the glass, and Cadence winced at first... before her eyes widened as she saw a ripple pass through the reflection, reality distorting as the monster sat slowly up... then hissed in shock as several shards of glass ripped free from its back, sucked into the mirror as the surface began to ripple like liquid.

Cadence ran straight at the monster, then leapt up and slammed both rear hooves into his face as she flapped her wounded wings as hard as she could to give herself all the extra power she could dredge up, knocking Sinister flopping backwards. And this time, he passed through the surface of the mirror... but where he did, his body distorted as the creature that had been reflected in the image passed back out.

And Cadence leapt forwards, seizing this displaced, stunned barbarian around the neck and gritting her teeth as she yanked him forwards, tearing him loose from the reflective surface: as he was torn out, the rest of the monstrous Sinister was sucked in, vanishing into the depths of the rippling glass as his counterpart was flung away.

The barbarian crashed down on his side, then bared his fangs as he rolled sharply up to his hooves. Cadence trembled as she stepped up in front of him: this barbarian from her memories, who she could feel hollowness and hate emanating from. He was Brokenhearted and furious and probably still strong enough to kill most ponies without even a thought... but she wasn't most ponies. She knew how to kill the Brokenhearted now that his protection was stripped. And she owed this son of a bitch.

Dexter, meanwhile, had regenerated enough to claw his way up to his jagged talons, staring across at his brother before he trembled and then arched his back like a cat, turning towards Archon and hissing: “Kcab og ton lliw ew!”

Archon only smiled thinly, then shouted calmly: “Captain Armor! The mirror!”

Slowly, Shining forced the enormous, cracked mirror to revolve towards Archon, and Dexter looked sharply over at this before roaring loudly: unlike his brother, however, he turned to bolt for the mirror, likely intent on destroying it before he could be claimed too.

“Stupidity.” Archon focused, horn glowing brightly before he flicked it sharply, and a pillar of flame erupted out of the ground in front of the mirror before it snapped suddenly down, seizing around Dexter before yanking him viciously through the air and flinging him sharply straight towards the reflective surface.

The monster smashed into the mirror, bouncing off it with a gargle... and then howling and scrabbling wildly at the ground as several chunks of glass were torn out of his spongy body, sucked up into the rippling reflection. Dexter clawed wildly at the ground as his hindquarters were pulled back into the mirror next, before he slowly began to pull himself forwards... until the pillar that had flung him lashed forwards, becoming a concentrated stream of hellfire that launched him straight back through the rippling surface.

The monstrosity vanished... and a second barbarian Brokenhearted was ejected violently from the mirror as it shattered in a burst of dark magic, the pony crashing painfully to the ground and bouncing several times before he rolled to a halt in a smoldering pile.

He began to climb up... and then only watched with something like half-remembered horror as Cadence crashed into his brother, the mare slamming a volley of blows across Sinister's face as the barbarian staggered backwards with screams of pain.

She slammed an elbow down on the end of his muzzle, shattering it, before another hoof smashed across his eye, cracking bone and blinding him with blood. He hit the ground hard on his side, and Cadence didn't stop, leaping on top of him and pounding a vicious series of blows down into his breast, the barbarian shrieking as she snapped his ribs like twigs and shattered his breastbone into fragments, her eyes glowing with hatred, her horn thrumming with cruel light.

A hoof slammed down, and Sinister's back arched as bloody tears flew from his ruined eye, screaming in pain and humiliation and terror before the mare's second hoof plunged down, crushing, tearing... and then ripping as she tore her hooves to either sire, the beaten barbarian's chest wrenched open with a great splatter of blood.

Cadence plunged her hoof down, tore through organ and veins and muscle, glaring down into the barbarian's staring eye before she ripped back... and tore his heart free from his chest in a splatter of blood. It throbbed in her hoof, pulsing wildly with the fear it still felt before Cadence gritted her teeth as her horn glowed brightly, and a moment later, the pony's heart lit up with the same ghastly white aura before it simply exploded in a splatter of blood and merciless radiance.

Sinister screamed on the ground, his body convulsing before that same glowing light spread through his entire form, the monster grabbing at her desperately, screaming, pleading for a mercy that never came before he erupted into white flames. He spasmed beneath her, but she only looked down at him, watching him callously until the Brokenhearted finally fell limp, grabbing weakly one last time at the winged unicorn before he slumped, dead.

Cadence calmly pushed herself away from the charred remains of the monster, looking coldly over at Dexter... and embracing the coldness, and the hatred, and the anger inside her. Right now, this was the part of her she needed, to finish these monsters off. She couldn't hesitate. She couldn't stop. She wanted... revenge.

Dexter trembled, this mighty Brokenhearted stumbling backwards as Cadence quickly approached before he bared his teeth... but it was a gesture of fear, not of violence. His body quaked as he tried to set himself, and he half-rose a claw as the mare drew close... but fearlessly, she strode up in front of his face before reaching up and grabbing him under the chin, jerking his head down as she said harshly: “How does it feel? All the pain, the suffering you monsters caused... my father died, trying to protect scum like you. And I wish every day he'd saved himself instead of saving the world... even if I know he never would. My father was a good king.”

There was silence for a moment before Cadence's horn lit up with that merciless radiance again... and then Dexter hurked, his eyes bulging, his body flexing, staring disbelievingly down at the mare before she slowly tore her hoof free from where she had buried it in his breast. She looked coldly down at the weakly-pulsing heart in her hoof, then she tossed it to the ground before her hoof burst into white flames and she stomped it savagely, saying in a quieter voice: “Now go to sleep. There's no place left in this world for you or your kind.”

Dexter gasped, then slowly fell back on his haunches before he burst into white flames, staring at Cadence. And Cadence rose her eyes, meeting Dexter's, looking into them and watching him die... and part of her reveled in it. Relished her vengeance... even as the other part of her hated herself for what she'd had to do, and was only glad that she was able to make it quick.

Finally, Dexter's charred corpse collapsed, breaking into pieces: there was little more left than black dust and ashes, the mare looking down at this silently for a few moments before she took a slow breath and rose her head, trembling quietly as she looked up and said finally: “I know who I am. I know what I am. I'm... I'm two people. I'm Cadence, and I'm someone much older. Someone who wasn't even really a person at all, but... a weapon...”

“You were cruel. You were vicious. But you were also precise.” Archon said almost reassuringly, striding towards her. And Cadence only smiled faintly as she looked over at him and shrugged slowly before lowering her head.

Then she glanced up as she heard the quiet click of hooves approaching, and smiled briefly at Shining Armor as he looked at her uncomfortably. She looked back at him, licking her lips slowly, and then she murmured: “I'm sorry you had to see me like that, Shine. I'm... I'm sorry about a lot of things.”

“Me too.” Shining Armor said in a low voice, and then he hesitated before stepping forwards and saying a little more firmly: “I want to work through things with you, okay? I'm never really there when you need me... you're... always saving me. But I think I can be, even if... you scare me a little. This whole thing... scares me a little. It's a lot to take in.”

“It is.” Cadence smiled briefly, glancing down for a moment before she looked up and said quietly: “Sinister and Dexter won't be coming back. I don't think they ever escaped the ether, where Sombra banished the Crystal Kingdom to... but he was able to forge a connection with their souls all the same, and give the m a way to take on form in this world. But with a big enough anchor like that mirror became... reflection reflected the real body.”

“Letting you trade their copies for the real thing.” Archon looked grimly over at the pieces of shattered mirror, shaking his head briefly. “You made a wild, stupid guess, in other words.”

Cadence smiled briefly, then she looked down and said quietly: “Sort of. I just... it's in my mind. Sombra... my father's memories, all his experiments, his spells and magic... it's all in my mind. All the things he did, all the things he tried to... to protect those stupid, stupid savages...”

“Hey, Cadence. Hey. It's okay. Now come on, being so hateful... that's not usually your thing.” Shining Armor said quietly, leaning in towards her... almost hesitating, but only because of the static between them. And when Cadence glanced up at him and didn't push him away or step back, he smiled a bit more, leaning closer and saying softly: “I get that you're trying to be all strong and hardcore and all that, but you know Twilight's going to be all upset if the mare she likes to secretly watch bad romance movies with comes back too tough to pretend to cry with her.”

Cadence smiled a bit more at this, and then she straightened a little and reached up, silently brushing her white mane back before said softly: “No, that's just... another part of me. I feel like a puzzle that's finally coming together, but it's made of... all sorts of different little pictures; some are good, some are bad, some are happy and others are... well...”

“Painful.” said a soft voice, and Cadence grimaced and looked sharply over her shoulder as Archon gritted his teeth and Shining Armor looked up in surprise.

Pain was standing calmly near the forcefield that protected the Crystal Heart, the line of soldiers all spinning around, readying themselves to defend the artifact, but the Pegasus didn't seem to even notice them as she gestured outwards and whispered: “See? Those I kill... become like me. Killing them is the only way to make them know my suffering... to make them understand.”

“Pain... they didn't become Brokenhearted because of you.” Cadence said quietly, and then she calmly strode forwards, gesturing slowly to the soldiers to wait.

She gave the soldiers a wide berth, and stopped some fifteen feet away from Pain, the two looking at each other before Cadence gestured towards the corpse of Dexter, saying quietly: “That was one of King Sombra's minions. An evil monster. He was Brokenhearted, yes, but he was also infected with a terrible darkness and had a terrible enchantment protecting him... they both did.”

“Don't speak to me like I'm a child.” Pain said coldly, and then she closed her eyes and shook her head slowly, continuing softly: “No. I've had time to think... and to heal. Your powers... they hurt me badly. My wounds took a long time to regenerate... my mind, even longer. But I thought about it, Cadence, and I think I understand.”

Pain looked up, studying her intently before she leaned forwards and said with strange confidence: “You are like me. A Brokenhearted. That's why you can hurt me. And that's why killing you only made you stronger... the more we're hurt, the more we endure, the stronger we Brokenhearted become. I watched this battle... until you used that strange magic to weaken them, those Brokenhearted were growing more and more dangerous with every attack you landed against them.”

“Pain, that doesn't make sense. You don't become stronger. You don't... change, like they did. You're Brokenhearted, but you're not like they are.” Cadence tried to reason, and then she bit her lip and reached up silently to touch her own breast, bowing her head forwards. “And... I am not Brokenhearted. I am... I am a lot of things, but I'm not that.”

Pain smiled thinly at this, shaking her head slowly before she said softly: “You don't fool me at all. I know who you really are. I know what you really are. Brokenhearted... but what are you after? You revel in the fighting, in suffering, and you claim to be here to stop Sombra... and yet you destroyed what should have been your only possible link to him, and you defend this silly Crystal Heart that keeps him at a distance... or so you say.”

“I have a better connection to Sombra than you would understand, Pain, and I'm going to stop him in my own time.” Cadence said quietly but firmly... but she kept herself calm, almost relaxed. She knew better than to be aggressive with the Pegasus: right now, Pain was as close to lucid as she ever got, and while that made her more dangerous, it also made her less willing to leap into a fight.

She could probably kill Pain right now... but she was still getting a grasp on her new powers, and she knew that Pain wasn't just going to stand there and let herself get beaten on like the twins had. Pain, furthermore, didn't have their tunnel vision... the erratic Pegasus might break off and attack Shining Armor, Archon, or any of the soldiers if she started to lose her mind to that whirling maelstrom of hate and emptiness inside her...

The Pegasus studied her, and Cadence kept herself... calm. Quiet. Head bowed, almost humble. Gentle and as non-threatening as possible, while still ready in case of a surprise attack. She felt like she was being eyed by an angry predator, which was taking its time sizing her up, deciding whether she would be fun or not to kill.

And then, finally, Pain sat back slightly and shook her head slowly, saying softly: “No. You want this game to continue forever... this pain to be everlasting. But while I want others to suffer as we have... you want all these worthless ponies, these pieces of easily killed, weak meat... to bask in your glory. Like you are some kind of goddess... like you deserve great praises and rewards for enduring this sufferance. But you could end this at any time, couldn't you?

“I even wonder if you are not secretly in alliance with Sombra...” Pain gestured calmly at the ground, and Cadence's eyes sharpened. She seemed to be indicating something, something below the earth... and that made the winged unicorn shiver even before the Pegasus said quietly: “You ruled the Crystal Kingdom for a time, did you not? Do you know about the ruins beneath this place?”

“You found a way inside?” Cadence asked uneasily, and Pain gave a thin smile, as if she had just scored some kind of strange victory.

“Yes, I did. There are many entrances, in fact... hidden in places where only these vapid ponies would be so foolish as to miss them. Many are locked, but they can be forced open. The place is old and strange and metal, but... you know all about it, don't you?”

Archon and Shining Armor both looked at Cadence: one frowning and hiding his concern, the other nervous and trying to hide his deeper worries. But for the moment, Cadence only looked back at Pain evenly before she said quietly: “That's a dangerous place, Pain. That's not a place you want to go.”

“You are in no position to make demands.” Pain said calmly, and then she leaned forwards and added quietly: “I know that it is your secret rendezvous with Sombra. The deepest doors require magic to open, and beyond them, I hear him, Cadence. You attempted to trick me, to lie to me, but I have discovered your secret: that you have Sombra down there, waiting to let him in, to glory in either a mock battle, or kept as some secret, forbidden pet. And yet you call me pathetic...”

“You are pathetic, Pain.” Cadence said before she could stop herself. And the Pegasus narrowed her eyes at her, but Cadence only shook her head, taking a slow breath and trying to settle her nerves before she locked her gaze with the Pegasus' own dark eyes, trying to shift the topic away. “You can end all this now. You don't have to surrender. We don't have to fight. All you have to do is close your eyes and go to sleep, and the pain will be over.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Pain chuckled quietly before she asked gently: “And do you really think that tearing out my heart will be enough to kill me?”

“Maybe. Maybe not. But I do know that you can die, Pain...” Cadence shook her head slowly, then she gestured silently at the Pegasus' ashen body, which still bore several large, ugly scars. “And I think you know that, too. Otherwise you wouldn't be here, having this conversation. You wouldn't have run away when-”

“I did not run away!” Pain shouted suddenly, anger bursting up as she leapt to her hooves, and Cadence readied herself... before her eyes narrowed sharply as her horn sparked, and she felt like something... something was wrong.

But she couldn't tell what it was as Pain began to pace erratically back and forth, ranting furiously: “Outnumbered, unprepared... all I did was move out of your reach, which was to your benefit! I gave you another chance! I waited until the time was right to come and strike again... it's something you should thank me for!”

Pain whirled suddenly towards Cadence, striding towards her, and Cadence gritted her teeth as she prepared herself... before her horn sparked, and her eyes widened as she realized too late that she wasn't reading any actual emotion from Pain: this burst of insanity was a cold, calmly-planned, completely-lucid act.

Pain leapt at her, and Cadence rose her hooves... but the Pegasus all-but-vanished in midair, suddenly streaking to the side and shooting past her, completely in control. Before Cadence could react, Pain had crashed into the group of soldiers and flung one of them at Archon as she grabbed the head of another unicorn, slamming him face-first into the forcefield and holding him there as she ordered sharply: “Degenerate.”

The unicorn screamed in misery as his horn sparked, used as an impromptu crystal as the portal rings reacted to the command and the presence of magic. Cadence spun around, but Pain yanked the magically-electrified unicorn off the ground and flung him almost carelessly at her, Cadence cursing as she attempted to catch the soldier against her body.

Energy sparked painfully over her frame, the mare flopping backwards with a gasp as her body went limp and the weight of the unicorn drove her to the ground. She struggled to shove him off, but knew at the same time it was already too late: Pain was too fast, and with her mind focused, too skilled and cunning for any of them to stop.

All the same, the others tried: Shining Armor attempted to leap forward, but Pain twisted around and kicked him viciously across the face with one rear hoof as she clutched the Crystal Heart against her chest, knocking him backwards. Even as he fell, he tried to fire a blast of magic in her direction, but the Pegasus was fast: fast enough to not only dodge Shining's attack, but then drop backwards out of the way of a fireball that streaked by a moment later.

“Stop her!” roared Archon, and Cadence cursed as she flung the unicorn off her body: but she heard the defeat already present in Archon's voice, and saw that the General was already moving towards her, disengaging from the battle.

Cadence turned towards him as he approached, and the stallion asked urgently: “Can you shield the Crystal Kingdom like you did before?”

“It wouldn't work this time, General.” Cadence said quietly, looking up and watching silently as Pain flew sharply towards the barrier wall... but as she'd expected, the Pegasus didn't slow, only thrusting the Crystal Heart out in front of herself.

The Crystal Heart glowed brightly, absorbing the magic energy it was shoved into and ripping a hole through the magical wall: Pain followed it through with a single hard flap of her wings, and the Pegasi that had tried to pursue her all skidded to a halt as the wound in the wall closed the moment she had slipped through.

And Cadence gritted her teeth as she felt the positive charge of energy in the air already dissipating, looking up before she glanced down when Archon grabbed her shoulder. She heard his silent question, and she shook her head, murmuring: “I can still focus on... the magic of love, if you want to call it that. But the difference between now and then is Pain: I'll be drained and vulnerable, keeping the barrier up. Pain will take that opportunity to come in and kill me.”

“How the hell did she get through Shining Armor's... Shining Armor! How did that barrier fail?” snapped Archon, pointing sharply at the energy wall as the ivory unicorn strode towards them.

Cadence turned her own eyes to her husband, and the stallion sighed before he said finally: “Sombra could nullify my magic... those... monsters he sent after us probably had enough dark magic to break through, too. Pain must have followed them in or found another weakness. I'm... I'm sorry.”

He looked over at Cadence, and the mare smiled faintly before she strode nervously forwards as Archon muttered: “Apologies don't matter. Can you extend a barrier around the kingdom?”

“No. I've been using a lot of my strength to keep this one powered up.” Shining Armor said quietly, shaking his head before he shivered a little. “It's getting colder.”

“That's the positive energy starting to fade. The weather wards will keep the blizzard at bay, but... it's going to get colder now. And once the positive energy fades enough, Sombra will be able to get inside.” Cadence said, not knowing how she really felt about that... and then she bit her cheek before murmuring: “Unless maybe he already is inside... Pain said he was in the ruins...”

“What ruins? I was never informed of anything beneath the Crystal Kingdom, apart from a few old construction tunnels related to the sewer system.” Archon questioned moodily, turning a glare towards Cadence, but the mare only smiled a little. She knew that was his way of showing nervousness.

“Let's go and see Miss Take. I want her to hear, too, she might be able to help somehow.” Cadence said after a moment, and Shining Armor flinched, but then sighed and nodded when the mare gave him an almost sympathetic look.

Archon grimaced a bit, but then he nodded slowly himself before muttering: “Very well. But I want to hear everything, Cadence. Don't leave anything out of your story this time, no matter how big or small. And I have to know... what you are.”

General Archon looked at her evenly, and Cadence looked back calmly before both ponies looked up in surprise as Shining Armor said quietly: “She's my wife. So... so lay off.”

Both ponies looked for a few moments at the stallion, and Cadence smiled faintly, feeling a strange mix of joy and sorrow as General Archon only shook his head slowly, then said wryly: “Finally. So you're not a gelding after all.”

Shining Armor glowered a bit even as he shrank away despite himself, and then General Archon sighed before turning and grumbling: “Come on. With luck, we have until the sun rises before the Crystal Kingdom knows what's happening... but after that, we'll have to move fast. We have little time to waste.”

Cadence nodded slowly, closing her eyes and bowing her head... but she felt in her very heart of hearts that no matter what tomorrow brought with it... it would also bring her journey to its end. Tomorrow, all her questions would be answered, her past would be revealed, and she would be reunited with Sombra, for better or worse...

She only hoped she was strong enough to save her father from what he had become.

Episode VII: The Deceptive Cadence

Episode VII: The Deceptive Cadence
~BlackRoseRaven

Cadence sat with her head bowed, resting in front of the pedestal where the Crystal Heart had once been held. Soldiers had cordoned off the area, only letting in a few workers who were trying to clean up the blood and corpses into the area. One of these ponies was carefully vacuuming up the ashes that were all that remained of Sinister and Dexter, and others were futilely attempt to scrape away the stains of blood and char... but you could never wash those stains away, Cadence knew. She could already see... hollow things, starting to form. Shades, that were silently wandering, as if they couldn't believe they were dead...

She shivered a little, then turned her eyes back towards the pedestal. She was waiting for Archon, Shining Armor, and Miss Take. They would be joined by a small group of Archon's officers, and then they would hunt down Pain. There was only one place she could be going, after all: into the ruins beneath the Crystal Kingdom. Into the dead laboratory that likely still housed that dragon's toys and machinations...

Cadence hugged herself silently, swallowing a bit. Part of her was full of the wild hope that her father really was down there, that he was... waiting for her, or had withdrawn there because of some instinct, some vague memory that still burned in his mind. She needed to save him, and she thought she had the tools to do that... or at least... to be together, forever.

“Hey.” said a soft voice, and Cadence glanced over her shoulder before smiling briefly at the sight of Shining Armor. The ivory unicorn looked much better than he had last night... but she guessed he must have managed to sleep a little, while she'd spent most of the night out on the balcony, just gazing off into the distance, lost in thoughts and fears.

He was in his full armor, freshly polished like it had always been when they had first met, and he smelled faintly of... lilacs, she thought. She gazed at him silently, then murmured after a moment: “Took your time to wash your mane this morning, huh?”

“I wanted everything to be perfect.” Shining Armor said with a small smile, and then his horn glowed, carefully lifting a large, cloth pack from his back and setting it down in front of Cadence. “Your armor. I uh... I cleaned it for you. I hope you don't mind.”

Cadence smiled at this, reaching down and opening the cloth case before she quietly lifted her white coronet free from the bag, studying it silently before she murmured: “I haven't worn this in... it feels like an eternity. But it wasn't that long ago, was it?”

“Not long at all, Cadence.” Shining Armor smiled a bit in return, reaching up and rubbing at his face as he said softly: “They wouldn't still be talking constantly about how my wife had to come in and save me, after all, if it had been.”

“I don't know, Shine. I've had to save you a lot lately. Even if... you've done a lot of work too.” Cadence glanced down, hesitating before she murmured softly: “I know this isn't fair to you. You're an amazing person. You're a great protector of Equestria. It's not your fault that... this has been...”

“Too much. Yeah.” Shining Armor chuckled quietly, and then he smiled briefly before saying with a shrug: “But I still want to be here for you, and support you. I'm not exactly much of a cheerleader, but... I can help, still. I might not be able to keep up to you crazy mares, but I can at least defend you. And, you know, they gave me this, too.”

Shining Armor glanced over his shoulder, unsheathing a short sword holstered at his side with telekinesis, and Cadence smiled despite herself: it had a crystalline blade that thrummed with his magic energies, the stallion tilting it back and forth as he said mildly: “Apparently it amplifies the energy running through it or something. Brittle otherwise, but when it's charged with magic or one of their funny orb things, it can cut through just about anything.”

Cadence studied the blade curiously, then she reached down and picked up one of the belts of knives that made up part of her equipment, the mare smiling faintly as she said reflectively: “It's funny, but it's kind of reassuring to hold a weapon again.”

Shining Armor gave her a wry look as he spun the sword before sheathing it at his side, saying with faint entertainment: “You know, I find swords and armors as great as the next macho, tough stallion. But I wouldn't exactly say I'm reassured by them. Not when I know I'm going to be using them to go stabbing things in a matter of minutes and all.”

“Well, would you prefer to go in without any weapons at all?” asked Cadence, and the stallion gave her a pointed look before she laughed and shook her head, murmuring: “I know, I know. You'd prefer not to go in at all. And... I want you to know, Shine, that you don't have to do this.”

“I kind of do. Everyone else is going, and I can't stay behind without you, Cadence.” Shining responded quietly, and then he hesitated, shifting back and forth on his hooves as the mare began to calmly pull on her armor, even while she looked up at him in soft silence. “I... hey, let me help.”

“Thanks, Shine, but I got it.” Cadence replied gently, shaking her head briefly, and the two smiled at each other, gazes lingering, shifting slowly as they looked at each other for the longest time.

Finally, Cadence looked awkwardly down as she picked up her belts of throwing knives, slipping them onto her sides as she flexed her bracer-covered forelegs. The chainmail skirting around her hindquarters jingled quietly as she rose her head, the lightweight armor gleaming and fitting... not quite perfectly, but it was close. It was very close to what she remembered...

She closed her eyes, taking a slow breath and steadying herself as she fought not to sink into that... stranger, deeper past than she had already lived, so many years ago. She felt Shining step closer to her, felt his gaze studying her, and she shook her head briefly before swallowing thickly and not opening her eyes even as he silently wrapped a foreleg around her and pulled her close, the mare whispering: “I'm sorry. I'm just not who you think I am. I don't think I can be that Cadence anymore.”

“It's okay. We'll... work through this. One way or another.” Shining Armor stopped, then he looked out into the distance and sighed softly, murmuring: “I haven't done the greatest job there, either. It's hard, being... in your shadow, not the big strong stallion protecting his mare. And Miss Take... I guess she started to lure me away.”

Cadence smiled faintly, and then she sighed softly before pulling back, the two slipping apart and Shining looking awkwardly down at her as she looked back up. He began to apologize, and she quickly placed a hoof over his lips, murmuring: “Don't. I wish you'd always been that honest with me, Shining. And... I understand. But this isn't really the time for this, either, okay? We'll... we'll figure things out after we...”

“Save your father.” Shining finished for her, and the mare gave a faint smile, nodding to him slowly and meeting his eyes with gratitude. “Archon says you're crazy, though, you know. And as much as I like you, he scares me a lot and I kind of have to agree with him, Cadence.”

The winged unicorn sighed a little again, and then she nodded hesitantly, rubbing at her face and murmuring: “I know this is insane, I do. I just... at the same time, I have to try. I have to try.”

“No one gets left behind.” confirmed Archon's voice, and Cadence looked up with a small smile, nodding to the General as he approached with Miss Take beside him. The old stallion looked as regal and prideful as ever, his armor spotless, his expression calm and cold as he glanced over his shoulder and said clearly to the two unicorns and two Pegasi he had chosen: “Princess Cadence is in charge of this mission. You will listen to her commands, even if they conflict with my own. Is this understood?”

The soldiers saluted, and General Archon nodded briefly before he gestured calmly to Miss Take: unlike the rest of them, she was shrouded in a heavy cloak and cowl, although Cadence could tell that beneath that she was wearing a thick cloth mask and clothing that covered her entire body. “Miss Take has offered to scout ahead for us. The artificers were unable to complete a suitable replacement for her Third Eye in time, but she's been able to recover.”

“It just took a bit of time and a bit of feeding, much as I dislike to. But when the victims are willing, it makes it much easier.” Miss Take replied softly, and Cadence thought she caught a brief smile creasing the fabric of the cloth over the Changeling's muzzle. “I'm in no fit state to be seen, but the worst damage to my body has healed. I'm afraid I might be a little... wobbly, though. And I may not be quite as skillful in combat.”

“So the Third Eye really is that important to you.” Cadence said quietly, and she hesitated only a moment before leaning forwards and saying in an even lower voice: “If you want to come with us, I won't stop you. But I don't want you to feel that you have to, either.”

“Darling, but I must!” Miss Take leaned forwards, her smile clear in her voice as her bright eyes flicked towards Shining Armor from beneath her hood. “I'm not about to surrender Shining Armor to you that easily... I think I can still steal him away, you know.”

Cadence chuckled despite herself at this, and then she shook her head slowly as the ivory unicorn blushed a bit and glanced away, mumbling: “I'm not a prize, ladies.”

“For once, I agree with you.” Archon interrupted sourly, and Miss Take huffed quietly and nudged the old stallion almost teasingly with her shoulder. General Archon only gave her a mild look as Shining Armor and the officers of the Royal Guard all gaped at the mare – and criminal, at that! – daring to treat the General so casually, so... amiably, even.

“We should put all this banter aside for now. What we need to focus on right now is tracking down Pain... although from what you've told us, Cadence, the most likely place is the ruins beneath the Crystal Kingdom.” Archon stopped, then he turned his eyes towards the winged unicorn, focusing his gaze on her as he said tacitly: “I've briefed my troops on what we might have to expect, according to your words. Is there anything else they should know? Are you sure you don't want to wait for them to prepare any other equipment for us?”

Cadence looked down, biting her lip for a moment before she shook her head quickly and murmured: “I told you everything I can remember, Archon. If anything else comes back to me, I'll tell you, especially if it's important to the mission. I won't put anyone in any unnecessary danger. And I know that... we have to move fast.”

Archon nodded briefly, and then he gestured at Shining Armor, saying calmly: “I want you at the rear of the group, shielding position. Be ready to react. Understood?”

Shining Armor hesitated only a moment before he nodded briefly, saluting and managing not to sound too disappointed as he answered: “Understood, sir.”

“It's an important position. Keep your attention focused and remember to scan the area, a Brokenhearted like Pain shouldn't be too difficult to pick out with magic.” Archon almost reprimanded, and then he turned his eyes towards Cadence and finished: “Whenever you're ready, we can move out.”

“Well, there's no time like the present.” Cadence gave a brief smile, nodding hesitantly before she turned around and steadied herself as much as she could. She took a slow breath as she felt her emotions twist, not entirely sure of what she was feeling, both exhilarated and terrified with what the near future might very well hold.

She forced herself to take a step forwards, then another: one hoof followed the next, and at first, that was all she concentrated on. She strode slowly across the square, eyes forwards, not looking at anything but letting her instincts guide her, trusting that they 'd be able to find a way down into the ruins... Pain would want to be followed, after all. So she would follow, and let everything else work out naturally.

Miss Take strode up beside her, and Archon let himself trail behind, leading his small unit of soldiers as Shining Armor brought up the rear, already nervously looking back and forth. Cadence risked a glance back over the group before she quickly brought her eyes front, and she gave a faint smile as Miss Take caught her eye and asked gently: “You're that nervous, aren't you?”

“I... I am.” Cadence said awkwardly, and then she glanced over at the Changeling and bit her lip before mumbling: “I... I'm not ready for this, and it feels stupid. It really does. I mean, this is exactly what I've been moving towards... almost my whole life, it feels like. This is what I want, and what I know that I need... this... this is everything to me. So why do I want to run away?”

Miss Take chuckled quietly at this, and then the cloaked mare looked ahead and said softly: “Exactly because it's all that, darling. And if you felt any other way, I'd have to question if you were honestly aware of the gravity of the situation, and what you were getting yourself into.”

Cadence nodded a few times, then she looked down and added almost grudgingly: “It really bothers me sometimes how easy you are to talk to. Especially because the two of us... we shouldn't be friends.”

“Says who?” Miss Take smiled kindly, winking over at the mare. “We're grownups, dear. You and I are both older and wiser than we look, that's all. Oh, I'm sure it'd be much more entertaining to the boys if we were hissing and clawing at each other, but we have a... a mutual understanding for now, don't we? I'm very grateful for that.”

Miss Take paused as Cadence looked over at her with a small smile, and then the Changeling leaned towards her and added gingerly: “And if I'm not out of line, I think that you're rather grateful for me as well. You know that...”

She stopped, and Cadence looked down, then cleared her throat before looking ahead as Miss Take looked at her almost tenderly. “Let's just focus on where we're going. We've gotten along this far because we both... we have a mutual understanding, like you said. Let's not tamper with that.”

General Archon grunted from behind them, adding irritably: “Besides, I thought you were going to scout ahead for us, Take. Cadence, do you have any idea which direction we're supposed to be heading, or is this just the equivalent of fishing?”

“Please don't butt into a mare's private conversation, Archon. A polite stallion would pretend he didn't hear anything at all of our discussion.” Miss Take said mildly over her shoulder, and Archon only rolled his eyes as Cadence smiled a bit despite herself. “But I fear the General does have a point, even if he feels he must make it so rudely. Darling, where is our heading? Would you like me to go and check things out?”

“No, as long as Shining or Archon keep up scanning, they'll be able to detect Pain at a good distance. You've felt her Brokenheartedness... it's distinct. That's why she keeps slipping in while we're busy with other things...” Cadence shook her head and muttered: “It must be her instincts from when she was an assassin for the Phoenix Guild. Even if she's starting to lose herself... she hasn't completely been taken over by her... her sickness. Not yet.

“For now, I'd really prefer you to stay here, with us. Pain... she's going to be waiting for us in the ruins. That much I can be sure of. And they'll be easy to find...” Cadence hesitated, looking back up before she swallowed a little and murmured: “In fact... I think I've already found an entrance. Let's just hope it's open.”

Archon frowned a bit as Miss Take tilted her head curiously, but Cadence only smiled faintly as she looked ahead and saw... ghosts. Lingering spirits, empty husks, all gathered around a fountain... but in her vision, the fountain flickered, and she didn't see some silly, gorgeous thing of crystal spouting clean and gorgeous water, but some kind of deathless machine, powered by blood and the energy extracted from living ponies.

Crystal Ponies looked at them uneasily, but there were only a few in the area, and none were smiling. One of them was shuffling back and forth like he was trying to build up the courage to approach, and Cadence decided to take the initiative, raising her head and saying clearly: “Listen, everypony, we're going to fix this! But for now, you all need to head back to your homes, okay? Stay warm and stay safe!”

The Crystal Ponies looked at her with varying degrees of hope and relief, and slowly, most of them began to draw away. Cadence sighed a little in relief, glad that at least one thing today had been easy enough, and then she hesitated only a moment before gesturing towards the fountain, murmuring: “There's... there's ghosts here. I think they're attracted to the old machinery... there must be an entrance hidden here.”

“Let's shut the fountain off, then look for a way in.” Archon glanced meditatively over the center pillar in the middle of the fountain, where an angelic pony was poised, spitting water into the air. “I hate these things.”

“What a surprise.” Miss Take said wryly as she walked towards one side of the fountain, and Cadence smiled despite herself as she took the other. But the Changeling was the first to find the shutoff valve, turning off the flow of water before she leaned forwards over the pool and said thoughtfully: “There's quite a few bits in here. And some of them are stuck in what looks like some kind of groove... I believe, darlings, this center section can actually be moved.”

Archon grunted, then he stepped calmly over the edge of the fountain, wading through the shallow water and leaning down to inspect the grooves the mare had pointed out. “There's one way to find out.”

Archon stepped around the bottom of the statue, and then he gritted his teeth as he braced himself against it before growling and pushing. And Shining Armor and the officers all stared in disbelief as the old stallion slowly forced the centerpiece of the fountain to roll out of the way, as water whooshed and splashed around his legs to drain quickly down a hole that was revealed, secreted beneath the statue.

The stallion stepped to the side as he yanked the statue the rest of the way off of the opening, and then he looked grimly down into the revealed passage as the last of the water drained, the old stallion saying over his shoulder after a moment: “There's a ladder here, leads down to what looks like a larger passage. It doesn't look like it's been used in a long time.”

“Pain said there were multiple entrances... she must have found a different one. But they'll all lead to the same place.” Cadence said quietly, and then she hesitated only a moment before stepping over the edge of the emptied fountain, walking nervously towards the hole and leaning over it nervously.

She didn't know what she expected: a flash of memory, or some great revelation, or some... who knew what, really. But all she saw was a hole in the ground, with a rusty ladder that led down to a mucky, ugly-looking floor coated in water made slimy by all the dust it had absorbed.

Cadence hopped down into the hole, landing with a faint splash and frowning nervously as she looked down the long, curving passage that sloped deeper into the earth. “I... I don't see anything. Just a lot of dust and cement, and...”

The winged unicorn halted, then nervously strode towards the wall and reached up to apprehensively poked what looked like some kind of bulb. It was glowing dimly still, and Cadence wondered uneasily just how long these lamps had been glowing for, lighting the path only for ghosts and dust... “Anyway, there's enough light to see by. Come on down.”

Archon was the first to join her, followed by Miss Take, and three of the soldiers. Shining Armor came last, the Captain of the Guard smiling briefly up through the hole and calling: “Just keep an eye on things, we'll come back this way if it all possible!”

Then Shining turned... and almost ran right into Archon, who leaned down and said irritably: “He doesn't need your reassurances, Captain Armor. Stick to your duties: keep scanning the area with magic, and keep your eyes open. We're entering dangerous territory and if you let down your guard, it will cost all of us..”

Shining saluted awkwardly as General Archon strode back to the front of the column, then scowled as Cadence said dryly: “A bit of positivity isn't going to kill us all. Everyone needs a little reassurance now and then, Archon.”

Archon only grunted, then glanced down the corridor, asking calmly: “Do you see any of the spirits in this area, Cadence?”

“No, but there were only a few around the fountain... and since when did you start believing me when I said I was seeing ghosts?” Cadence asked almost curiously, glancing over at Archon as she gave a brief smile.

The General only smiled thinly, turning his eyes ahead and replying distastefully: “I never said I did. But nor am I going to discount a possible predictor of danger, either.”

Cadence only sighed and shook her head, before frowning as Miss Take said slowly: “But there is a certain... resonance in these halls. Perhaps you can't feel it as well as I can, but that would be my Changeling instincts... try and tune into it, darling, you're very good with emotional keys.”

The winged unicorn nodded hesitantly, and then she took a few steps forwards to give herself a bit of distance from the emotions of the other ponies, pointing her horn ahead as it glowed faintly... and then she shivered a little, whispering: “Such... such sadness. Such despair and pain and...”

A spark.

Cadence's eyes snapped open, and she had to struggle not to burst into a run, her whole body trembling before she bit her bit, then whispered: “He's here. Far, far below us... he's stronger here, because this place was protected from the positive energies of the Crystal Heart. It's dark and it's cold and it's full of sadness and pain... and we're only just breaching the surface of it.”

“I dread what must be down there, my friends... stay alert. Shining, Amadeus, and...” Miss Take looked thoughtfully over her shoulder, then smiled beneath her cloak. “Oh yes, Scrimmage and Shieldstrong, yes? You darlings will all have to be extra careful. This negativity will drain your magic faster, hurt you more... your horns will naturally attune you to it, whether you like it or not.”

“You heard Take, colts. You've been trained for this: low-energy, high-interference environment. Shield yourselves.” Archon ordered, as his own horn lit up with a reddish glow. He paused, then glanced over at Cadence, saying calmly: “And I would suggest you do the same.”

Cadence nodded after a moment, closing her eyes before her own horn lit up with a faint, warm pink glow. Then she glanced over at Miss Take as the Changeling gave a quiet giggle, the winged unicorn looking at her blankly before the cloaked mare said kindly: “Oh, nothing, darlings. Just watching you all 'sheathe your swords' reminds me ever so much of those silly little things that stallions sometimes put on their... lower horns.”

“Thank you, Miss Take, really. That's a great image.” Cadence said dryly, although at the same time she couldn't help but smile a little despite herself. Archon looked less than amused, and Shining cleared his throat as he glanced away, while the unicorn soldiers glanced at each other awkwardly.

Then Cadence shook her head before looking forwards and saying finally: “We should move fast. Pain is going to know we're coming, as long as we're shielding ourselves... and she might be able to hide in all that negative energy. There's only one presence I can really feel, and it's... far away, at the very bottom of all this...”

“Your father.” Archon said quietly, and Cadence glanced over her shoulder at him, not entirely knowing what to feel before she finally gave a brief nod. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, but she didn't know if there was really anything she could do, anything she could say, apart from... leading them down into this darkness, while hoping for the best

So she took a slow breath and turned her eyes back ahead, murmuring: “Come on. Let's go.”

The ruins were strange and hollow: there were dim, flickering bulbs placed here and there along the decayed walls, these snaking corridors made mostly of damaged stone and rusted metal. The only smells were of dust and age and inevitable decay, and even though they passed many different branches and adjoining corridors on the way down, it was easy to figure out which path they had to stay on. Their road led them down, deeper and deeper into the earth.

Cadence breathed slowly, flanked by Archon and Miss Take. The unicorn soldiers behind them were both lighting up the area around them with their horns, even though there was already enough light to see by thanks to the ancient lamps in the walls. And lastly, Shining Armor was scanning back and forth, grimacing and continuously checking over his shoulder: with the hive-like structure of tunnels, it was easy to imagine and ambush coming from behind, after all.

The winged unicorn barely heard the conversation, her head bowed, her eyes closed, her mind cycling back through memories of her past. Of her father, always willing to find time to spend with her, always so good, always so compassionate; of long before her father, when she had been...

She smiled faintly, shaking her head briefly. Those were just blurred thoughts of a past life... one that was hard to grasp, to focus on, because it was all so alien and made up of things she'd never been taught about, never even imagined existed. And yet it was real: it was where so many of these puzzle pieces she was made up of came from... even if the rest of her...

The mare shook her head slowly, looking down and licking her lips before she murmured: “Come on, keep it together and just keep moving.”

“Good advice. Take it.” Archon interrupted evenly, and Cadence flinched before the old stallion gave her a thin smile. “You're thinking too much. Or are you remembering more of your past?”

“Both.” Cadence confessed, and then she looked up before biting her cheek and hesitating. The moment she faltered, Archon stopped and held up a hoof, bringing the rest of the group to a halt as Cadence took a few more nervous steps, then paused as well, looking slowly back and forth.

“Ghosts.” she murmured: there were three of them, two of the empty husks sitting almost together in one hall, the other pacing restlessly, half-hidden in the wall of the passage it was walking up and down.

“They're...” Cadence bit her tongue, then she gestured to a path to their right, off their main path leading down. “I think that's a shortcut. There's only a few there, but I think that more will start appearing as we get closer to Valthrudnir's laboratory.”

“What was Valthrudnir? I've never heard of a dragon being as powerful as you describe. Nor do I know any that would waste their time tinkering with these toys.” Archon glanced over at Cadence, frowning slightly. “If he's still here...”

“He's not. He's gone.” Cadence shook her head quickly, grimacing a bit as she reached up and touched her face, about to add that she had no idea what he really had been... and instead, what came out, as calmly and naturally as if it was common knowledge: “He was a Jötnar. But they're all dead, all gone now.”

She blinked in surprise at her own words, touching her lips... and then, to her further surprise, Miss Take asked curiously: “A giant, like in the old vikingr legend?”

“How do you always seem to know everything about everything?” Shining Armor asked irritably from the back of the group, and Miss Take turned a pleasant, amused smile over her shoulder.

“I'm a collector of ancient artifacts and treasures of the past, darling. Knowing myth is as important as knowing fact, with things like that. I also like to read. You should try it sometime, darling, reading, instead of just looking at those naughty picture books you keep hidden in your closet.”

Shining Armor mouthed slowly at this as Cadence sighed tiredly, turning her eyes back ahead... but the banter helped to settle her down, and again she found herself impressed with Miss Take... more than she wanted to admit, really. “You really do seem to know just about everything, though...”

Miss Take only gave her a kind smile, then she leaned forwards and said softly: “That may be true, my darling, but I certainly don't know nearly enough about you, not quite yet.”

Cadence couldn't help but smile herself at this phrasing, looking over at the mare for a moment before she shook her head and muttered: “And here I thought it was Shining you were after, not me.”

Miss Take laughed loudly at this, then she shook her head and chastened playfully: “Oh, darling! As if I would ever be so greedy! No, no, now stop that. My little crush on you is nothing sexual in the slightest. While your husband, on the other hoof...”

“Shining squeaks, you know. Kind of like one of those plastic squeeze toys.” Cadence said mildly, and Shining Armor made a... well, it was a very difficult noise to describe, although it did at least help prove her point. “Like that, yes.”

The Changeling gave her an amused smile, and Archon rolled his eyes before the old stallion said irritably: “Whether or not this amuses you two, we have to focus.”

“Laughter and smiles sometimes make a journey easier, Amadeus Archon. It's a lesson you would do well to learn, darling. If you'd just learn to smile, perhaps more ponies would realize you're flesh and blood, not fire and brimstone.” Miss Take replied equably, and then she added pointedly: “Furthermore, creating a little positivity in this icky place is to our advantage, is it not? It's much harder for the poisons to creep into our minds and hearts when they're armored with warmth and friendship.”

Archon only grunted in reply, obviously not interested in debating the subject. Instead, he turned his eyes past them and muttered: “This place is different than we were in before. The lights are brighter and there's exposed piping along the ceiling. And those stains look like some kind of fuel.”

Cadence glanced towards a puddle of dark ooze that had congealed at one side of the hall, and then she shivered a bit, seeing the... poison, the vileness of that gunk as she murmured: “Stay away from it. It's... it's toxic.”

Archon scowled a little, then only nodded briefly: they continued on in silence, the group of seven slowly making their way deeper through the seemingly-endless network of passages. Cadence paused only once on the way down to stare at the sight of another group of ghosts, gathered around some wretched, melted thing that had been fossilized by dark goo pouring over it when one of the pipes above had burst, and then Archon had half-pushed her forwards, and they had continued quickly on their way. And she had never been happier for the General's presence than she had at that point, and his ability to just keep her moving forwards, no matter what.

But it wasn't much longer before the passage began to widen into a much-larger corridor, any connecting halls sealed off by heavy, rusted shutters, leaving their only way to go forwards. There were more phantasms here, wandering silently back and forth, many of them staring emptily down the hall or gazing silently up at the enormous pipes lining the ceiling.

And finally, Cadence thought she could see an end to this corridor: there was some kind of massive metal gate, laying brokenly half-open and looking in on some kind of enormous room. The winged unicorn frowned uneasily as Archon frowned, and Miss Take murmured: “That sense of foreboding grows quite a bit stronger here, my darlings. We should be careful.”

Shining Armor frowned uncertainly at the back of the group, biting his lip... and without even looking back at him, Archon said sourly: “Out with it, colt.”

The ivory unicorn winced a bit at this, then grumbled under his breath even as all eyes turned towards him, the stallion shifting awkwardly before he said finally: “I thought I got a flicker of movement. But it was above us, not below.”

Cadence frowned at this, and Miss Take smiled slightly as she looked quickly up, drawing her eyes along the pipes over the ceiling before she murmured thoughtfully: “No, not there. It would create too much disturbance. But perhaps a little higher up: Pain may be thinking a little clearer than she was before. The delusion might not be so deep as we had thought.”

The winged unicorn looked over at her curiously, and Miss Take only chuckled quietly before she said softly: “Oh, darling, I'm sure we'll find out soon enough. But colts, you should all be on guard. Especially you three officers. Pain will try and eliminate you first.”

“You heard Take. Stay alert.” Archon said coldly, and the three saluted quickly as Shining Armor grimaced, his horn glowing a bit brighter as he charged a bit more energy into the spire.

The group of seven continued to the broken shutter, Cadence inspecting it uneasily as Archon leaned past and into what looked like a large, wide room beyond. But it was only a few moments before the old stallion grimaced and stepped inside, explaining calmly: “This is some kind of freight elevator. It looks like it's seen use recently, too... see the metal flakes by those giant gears?”

Cadence frowned uneasily as she glanced towards the large, hook-toothed metal gears that seemed to feed into the wall: there were two on either side of the elevator platform, placed near the corners of the machine. She realized after a moment they were resting on special rails of some kind, the mare studying these almost nervously. “I see, but... that doesn't necessarily mean this one still works.”

“There's one way to find out. There should be a set of controls somewhere... and I assume we're heading to the very bottom.” Archon glanced over his shoulder at Cadence, and the winged unicorn shivered a bit before nodding quickly, her own instincts confirming Archon's guess.

Miss Take called to them from across the elevator, where she was examining something near a pile of rotting metal boxes. Archon gestured at Cadence quickly, and the winged unicorn sighed but nodded to him, deciding to listen to the stallion's orders for now.

She approached the Changeling, who smiled at her from beneath her cloak and cloth mask as she gestured at the set of levers and controls she'd found. “It's rather confusing, darling... but I think this switch is the brake, and this one with all the numbers must be the floor controls. These others I'm not so sure about... but they don't look like they've been toggled, either, while otherwise...”

“There's no dust on these switches.” Cadence said quietly, and then she bit her lip before looking uneasily up, realizing that the enormous shaft they were in stretched... “Do you think maybe...”

“I don't know, dear. I suppose it's possible this surfaces somewhere... maybe in an old sewer, maybe in some hidden tunnel leading into some poor pony's home.” Miss Take shrugged a bit, and then she leaned forwards and said in a lower voice: “But what I do know is that we are not alone.”

Cadence nodded slowly, and then she grimaced and looked up again, sensing... a faint movement, a whisper of someone or something. Then the mare shook her head quickly before she muttered: “Okay. Let's get moving. Are you okay to fight?”

“I'm ready, darling, to do my best to help. That's all I can promise.” Miss Take replied gently, then she reached up and touched the mare's shoulder, asking almost worriedly: “What about you? Are you feeling strong enough to fight yourself?”

Cadence hesitated, then she nodded slowly and gave a small smile. “I've always healed fast. Fighting was... it's what I was made to do.”

“You weren't made, dear. You were born.” Miss Take chastened gently, and then the Changeling reached out and calmly pulled the numbered lever all the way forwards, a rumble running through the platform beneath them as ancient machinery slowly geared up, before the Changeling flicked the remaining switch.

The platform shuddered, and then began to rumble slowly downwards as Miss Take sighed softly, rubbing a hoof silently against the floor as she said wryly: “The Queen Mother's hive is not so different from this, I'll have you know. She was not content to live in a cave or a swamp, like my dear little sister. She instead incorporated an entire city she took over into her hive... but perhaps that's a story better saved for when we escape this wretched place.”

“I...” Cadence stopped, then she suddenly smiled over at the Changeling, who looked at her curiously before the pink mare said softly: “I really hope that you and Shining Armor... you have a good life together.”

Miss Take looked taken aback, then she smiled even as she leaned forwards with clear worry in her eyes, asking softly: “And what makes you think you've lost him, darling? I may pretend that this game is between us, but we both know that at the end of the day, it's Shining's choice... and you are a dear, sweet friend to him. Hard as I am on him... I wouldn't blame him for staying with you.”

Cadence smiled faintly, then she shook her head and said softly: “And he's a good friend to me, too... but who he loved was the old Cadence. Who loved him most, was the old Cadence. And I'm not her anymore. I think everyone knows here that, no matter what they say or how they try to reassure me.”

Miss Take nodded slowly, and the two looked at each other silently before the Changeling reached up and pulled her cloth mask off, then leaned forwards and tenderly kissed Cadence's cheek, murmuring: “You're a better mare than I am, darling. But there's no going gently into the darkness, do you hear me? I don't want to win by default, anyway.”

The winged unicorn laughed a little... and then she and Miss Take both suddenly looked sharply up as they felt the thrum before Cadence shouted: “Everyone, defensive positions! Pain is here!”

The soldiers immediately fell in around Archon as Shining stepped quickly aside, making himself a lonely target to try and draw Pain's attention towards him. Miss Take and Cadence, meanwhile, both readied themselves, looking up and knowing that Pain wasn't going to be stupid enough to drop on top of Shining: she would remember his abilities from their last encounter, and she'd recognize that Archon and his soldiers were just waiting for the chance to strike.

So Pain didn't give it to them: as the freight lift slowly descended the dimly-lit shaft, Pain stayed in the shadows, out of the weak glow of the lights on the wall, her voice echoing around them as she said coldly: “You're so gullible. So easy to trick, so naïve and stupid... and now I have the Crystal Heart. Without it, the entirety of the Crystal Kingdom will become Brokenhearted, like I am. And I will use them to spread my pain to all of Equestria... and beyond.”

“You're raving, Pain. Get a hold of yourself.” Cadence said calmly... although she didn't really believe that Pain was half as insane as she was acting. She was just trying to get them to let down their guard again. To distract and confuse... well, two could play that game. “You're alone and you're dying. All the Brokenhearted eventually die. It's a slow, miserable death, but it happens to all of you.”

Pain ignored her, refusing to take the bait... and then her voice echoed around them again, seeming like it was coming from a different corner now: “Everyone will suffer as I have suffered. There will be no escape. There will be no survivors. And only after I have taken everything away from you will I kill you, Cadence... I will make you watch me kill Sombra. Your pet.”

“You know everything else about us, Pain... I'm surprised you don't know about Sombra, too!” snapped Cadence, looking back and forth before Miss Take tapped her right side firmly, and Cadence's eyes flicked in that direction: yes, there was a gleam there. “Why don't you stop hiding and I'll tell you all about Sombra, about the... the secret deal we have. How we plan to control Brokenhearted.”

It was a ludicrous lie, but at the same time, she thought she felt a shiver from above. Cadence knew that Pain was unstable, and it was something she could play off of: Or at least she hoped she could use it to throw Pain off balance, maybe even make her question what she was doing: otherwise she wasn't sure they were going to be able to escape this cleanly.

There was silence for a few moments, and that glimmer vanished. Cadence gritted her teeth, before Pain's voice echoed down coldly, the winged unicorn looking back and forth as she struggled to lock on to her position: “You're mocking me. You think you can play games with my mind. And I suppose I shouldn't blame you: my condition invites it, doesn't it?

“But this is not the world above, where... the darkness inside me is vulnerable. It writhes and weeps and fears. Now, here, surrounded by hate, all the voices whispering in my mind are telling me to do one thing, and one thing only: destroy you all.” Pain said with dangerous calm, and Cadence caught a gleam as her sharp ears locked onto the sound of a single wingbeat. “So that's what I'll do.”

A gleam, as something streaked down towards her, and Cadence snarled as she lashed her horn up, unleashing a blast of white magic... and then gaping in horror as she hit not Pain, but instead the Crystal Heart. The gemstone sparked violently as it reflected the pure energy instead of absorbing it, a white flash and blade-like streaks of light hailing down over the group below.

Cadence swore under her breath before forcing herself to try and look up through the blinding light, gritting her teeth... but then Miss Take lunged past her, the Changeling shouting: “She's trying to attack General Archon! Shining, barrier!”

Shining Armor's eyes widened before he snapped his horn blindly out, concentrating on where he'd seen Archon last and creating a dome of violet energy... but a moment later, Archon shouted angrily from inside the forcefield: “Stop, it's a diversion!”

Pain slammed down into the forcefield like a bolt of lightning from the darkness... a forcefield which had left Archon and his soldiers helpless to do anything to help the other ponies, as she gave a cold smile through the energy wall to Archon, who snarled back at her. And a moment later, the Pegasus kicked viciously off and shot through the air towards Cadence, her eyes locked on the winged unicorn that had been her true target this entire time.

Cadence gritted her teeth, spreading her wings before leaping forwards and swinging a hoof out, narrowly missing Pain's own strike. Instead, Pain's hoof smashed into her face... but Cadence's own crashed across the Pegasus' jaw, knocking her head to the side in a fine spray of blood before Pain quickly brought up her rear hooves and slammed them into Cadence's stomach.

She launched herself away... before her eyes widened as Cadence caught the tips of her rear hooves before she could lunge to safety, the winged unicorn dragging her down and slamming her back-first into the metal floor of the lift with enough force to make the elevator shudder, a moment before she snapped her horn down and engulfed Pain in a bright blast of white light. Pain let out a shocked cry of agony, but then lunged backwards, streaking through the air before she snatched up the Crystal Heart from where it had fallen, even as her body still thrummed with energy.

She rolled to a stop, clutching the Crystal Heart against her shivering form... and then she smiled suddenly and coldly as the white glow faded from her frame, absorbed into the gemstone. It steamed faintly in her grip, and Cadence's eyes narrowed sharply: Pain was using the very thing Cadence was sure could kill her to sponge up all the light energy and magic she shot at her. The Pegasus was far, far smarter than Cadence had given her credit for: she was a lot more than just cruel and cunning.

There was silence for a few moments, and then the Pegasus looked up and said softly: “Don't think about trying anything cute now, Cadence. The Crystal Heart is like any other glass prism: twist it one way or the other, and your magic will be absorbed or redirected as I desire. Feel free to test me, though: I would be more than happy to give you another demonstration.”

Cadence grimaced a bit, and then she glanced over at Archon and his soldiers as Shining Armor dropped the rear half of the forcefield. It allowed the Royal Guards to back quickly up, the unicorns in position to use artillery magic and the Pegasus hovering above, prepared to intercept Pain if she tried to go over the protective barrier.

Archon himself had his eyes locked on Pain, assessing her, his expression cold and one hoof raised, signaling his troops to stay in position. He knew as well as she did they were in a bad situation: they had to get the Crystal Heart away from Pain, but they couldn't risk damaging it or using magic. But Pain, likely, had this all planned out from the very start...

The winged unicorn looked back and forth, but apart from a few rotting crates around the edge of the freight elevator, there was nothing they could use. No cover, no distractions, nothing to hide behind... and then the mare's eyes widened in surprise as Pain suddenly leapt up and spread her wings, flapping them once to propel herself into the thick shadows above between the weak beacons of the wall-mounted lamps.

“Flare!” Archon ordered sharply, and one of the unicorns quickly snapped his horn up, sending a bright arc of light into the air that exploded into a cloud of sizzling energy. It lit up the tunnel above them... but Pain was nowhere to be seen, Cadence's eyes widening with surprise as Archon gritted his teeth, looking back and forth-

Pain seemed to appear out of nowhere, slamming both rear hooves into the back of Shining Armor's head and knocking him sprawling, the Crystal Heart tucked safely into a crude harness on her back and giving her front hooves the freedom they needed to cruelly stomp on Shining's head as he collapsed to the ground. The blow nearly knocked him unconscious as he gargled, and his barrier vanished from around the soldiers as Archon spun towards the Brokenhearted, snarling and snapping his horn out.

A blast of flames streaked towards Pain, but the Pegasus easily leapt over the tongue of flames and flapped her wings firmly, launching herself straight at Archon. Both unicorns quickly stepped forwards, snapping their horns out and unleashing twin beams of energy, but Pain smoothly twisted her body and rolled between the lasers of magic force, shooting over Archon's head and slamming like a missile into the stomach of the Pegasus Guard.

He gargled... then howled in misery as she slammed him viciously down on top of one of the unicorns, the Royal Guard's horn ripping up through his back even as the officer yelled and was knocked flat, scrabbling to yank his horn free. In the same moment, Pain's lower legs snapped up around the other officer's neck before she rolled smoothly, the twist carrying down her legs as she smiled coldly-

One unicorn's neck snapped: a moment later, as the second blood-faced officer staggered up to his hooves, Pain smashed a hoof down across the bridge of his muzzle before savagely striking into his nose, sending fragments of broken skull back into his brain. He collapsed limply only a moment after his fellow officer, as Pain calmly grabbed the wounded Pegasus by the mane and jerked him up off the ground, the Royal Guard shivering weakly as the Brokenhearted asked Archon almost pleasantly: “You can't stand losing your soldiers, can you? You can't stand your failure.”

Pain smiled cruelly as she jerked the soldier back against her, the Royal Guard gritting his teeth and gasping in pain as he clutched his stomach, blood spilling through the plates in his armor and running down his back. Pain's forelegs wrapped almost tenderly around his neck as she used him to shield her body, her eyes locked with Archon's as she murmured: “This is the same game we played before, Archon. But maybe this time you'll be strong enough to stop me.”

“General... sir, you have to-” And then Pain suddenly drove her hoof into the wound in his back, and the captured stallion howled in agony, General Archon baring his teeth in a snarl as the sound tore into his mind, his hooves digging into the steel floor as he glared with hatred at Pain.

“Let him go, filly. Let him go now, or I'm going to make you wish you were never born.” Archon said icily, leaning forwards as his horn thrummed with energy.

Pain laughed loudly... and Cadence shivered at the sound of it. The winged unicorn knew how this was going to end, and Miss Take had her head lowered, shaking it slowly in disgust and despair as the Changeling whispered: “And once upon a time, this sad creature actually had honor...”

“Honor is a failing and a mistake. It is an arbitrary set of rules that we restrict ourselves with... not a cause to celebrate.” Pain said sharply, glaring furiously over at the Changeling. “But you are not one to speak of honor. You are a mercenary and a traitor. And I'll take great pleasure in dealing with you after I've dealt with the rest of these weaklings.”

“Yeah. Good luck with that.” Shining Armor muttered, and Pain scowled, her attention wandering towards the ivory unicorn as he picked himself up from the ground with a grimace. He looked a little dazed still, but he was up on his hooves all the same... and most importantly, he distracted the Brokenhearted for a necessary moment.

The moment she looked towards him, Archon flicked his horn down, a bolt of crimson lightning shooting past the Royal Guard and slamming into her forehead. Pain snarled, beginning to crush and twist even as her head was knocked back, and then Archon's horn gave a single powerful pulse before the red dot on her forehead glowed brightly and exploded, knocking her backwards in a heap as the Pegasus threw himself forwards, tearing out of her forelegs and gasping as he flapped his wings hard to launch himself away.

Shining Armor charged in immediately, catching the wounded officer with telekinesis and guiding him as fast as he could down to his back before he ran quickly towards Cadence and Miss Take. Both mares stepped forwards as Pain leapt to her hooves... but was immediately snared by manacles of flame that locked around her limbs, ropes of fire connecting to these and jerking her viciously down to bind her to the ground as Archon said coldly: “I think we've all had enough of you. I'll be taking the Crystal Heart back, and then we're going to burn away every trace of you.”

“You haven't won yet.” Pain said softly, smiling coldly... and then she suddenly leapt forwards, pulling on her restraints as hard as she could and slamming both rear hooves into the chest of one of the dead unicorns to attempt to brace herself. Archon snarled at the sight, snapping his horn to jerk her viciously back...

And Cadence realized too late what Pain was up to, shouting a warning that came just as Pain was yanked backwards... and used that extra momentum to give the corpse beneath her rear hooves a savage kick, sending it hurtling through the air to crash into one of the enormous gears.

The corpse struck with a clang, hooking against the large teeth and dragged slowly but inevitably backwards, the others shouting useless denials and moving too late to try and stop it. And then, with a terrible, rending squelch and the sound of flesh and armor being crushed and torn, the body was crushed back against the rail, and the massive gear sparked as machinery ground together, stripped and tore...

Pain grinned even as the gear behind her hitched and tore out of place, the whole platform spasming before metal screamed against metal as the jammed corner jolted upwards and the far side of the elevator twisted, chunks of metal flying in all directions as the ancient machinery gave out. Archon was thrown to one side, losing focus on his magic, and Pain immediately took the chance to yank herself free, nimbly leaping to the air before she flapped her wings hard and launched herself straight down towards the General.

He snarled, attempting to skid around to face her as he snapped his horn out, unleashing a blast of flame... but Pain dodged smoothly past this before slamming a hoof up under his jaw. Archon's head snapped back... and then he was knocked flying through the air by a double kick from the mare's rear hooves, the back of his head striking the solid cement wall before his body crashed bonelessly down on a heap of rotten metal cargo.

Cadence cursed, leaping to the air and flapping her wings, but Pain only looked at her with contempt, flapping her own wings hard and shooting up into the darkness above. Cadence swore under her breath, horn starting to glow as she moved to pursue, while Shining, Miss Take, and the Royal Guard all struggled to stay on their hooves as the platform squealed and dropped further.

And just as Cadence began to snap her horn forwards to light up the darkness above, Pain shot out of the shadows and slammed both rear hooves into her face with a horrible crunch, knocking her streaking down to the metal floor like a meteor. She bounced painfully over the elevator, then gasped as she landed on her side on the sloped platform and found herself skidding out of control, clawing weakly at the warped steel.

The ancient machinery powering the elevator screamed as some forgotten safety measure tried to kick in, but it was too late: with a clank and a scream, the old metal around the jammed gear suddenly tore away, sending up a horrible blast of gore as the little of the unicorn that remained was turned into bloody rain and the enormous, broken gear spun wildly up through the air before crashing down, smashing and bouncing wildly across the steel platform even as it fell with a scream of stripping and tearing metal.

Cadence was almost crushed by the enormous gear, barely managing to shove herself out of the way; it bounced, and Shining looked up in horror before snarling and flicking his horn up, creating a wall of energy that he, Miss Take, and the Pegasus Guard all leapt for refuge beneath.

The gear hammered into the barrier with enough force to crack it, but it was redirected all the same, flying high and then coming down to bounce again as the shuddering platform continued to fall, continued to pick up speed on its descent, and Cadence struggled wildly to shove to her hooves as Miss Take seized Shining Armor and the Pegasus Guard staggered up to his hooves-

The scream of the falling platform seemed to rise in pitch a moment before it crashed down to the bottom of the elevator shaft with a tremendous bang, pieces of shrapnel and debris flying in all directions. The massive, torn-loose gear fell almost lazily before it hit the ground, bounced once... then came down with a final, thunderous bang that echoed up the length of the shaft, thudding to the ground like the hammer of judgment.

A few moments later, Cadence dropped to the ruined platform with a gasp, and Shining Armor gritted his teeth as he landed nearby, Miss Take wheezing as she landed beside him and muttered: “You've got to lose a few pounds, darling. It's not your armor that's heavy anymore.”

Shining Armor glowered over at Miss Take, as the Pegasus soldier slowly let himself drop through the air, clutching his stomach, teeth bared as he carefully began to settle to the metal floor. That left only Archon unaccounted for, the winged unicorn looking worriedly back and forth...

Her eyes were drawn too late back towards the Pegasus Guard as she sensed more than saw the movement, and then Pain crashed violently down on top of the officer, crushing him into the ground and savagely bringing both her hooves down on the back of his head with an awful crunch. Shining Armor shouted a denial as Miss Take flinched away, but Pain only smiled coldly and flapped her wings once, taking to the air... before she scowled in distaste when a spherical field of energy appeared around her, Shining's horn glowing brightly as he snapped: “I'm not going to let you get away with this!”

The cage of energy began to shrink, but Pain only rolled her eyes in disgust before she furled her wings and dropped, shoving her hooves into the sides of the closing walls. At the same time, she arched her back, the Crystal Heart sparking as it ground into the magic energy.

And Shining winced as he felt the cage he'd created beginning to weaken immediately: he knew that he couldn't maintain the energy for much longer, just as he knew that the moment he dropped the barrier, Pain was going to attack. He could see it in the flex of her body, almost feel it in his bones as he gritted his teeth and shivered at the sensation of thrumming energy...

Cadence leapt in front of him, and Miss Take stepped up beside her, the two setting themselves as Shining's eyes widened before the winged unicorn said sharply: “Drop the shield!”

There was no time to question or argue: there was only time to listen, Shining trusting in his wife, his friend, his confidante as he dropped the forcefield. Immediately, Pain leapt free with a snarl, then gritted her teeth and half-spun when Cadence snapped her horn down, throwing the Crystal Heart into one hoof and shielding herself with it as the mare unleashed a concentrated ray of pink light...

Happiness and hope; a focused ray of warm emotion smashed into the gemstone, absorbed into it and heating it with the energies of love and laughter. Pain bared her teeth as her limb began to steam, stalled in midair and flapping her wings hard to try and push forwards against the beam of energy before she shifted to quickly grasp the Crystal Heart in both front hooves, shoving it out in front of herself like a shield as she growled in frustration and slowly rammed her way down the beam.

Pain angled the Crystal Heart as she forced herself forwards, then smiled coldly as the area around the ponies lit up with violet radiance, bright energy washing over all present. But Shining Armor and Miss Take's eyes both widened as warmth and happiness and hope spilled through their bodies, strengthened them, let them both feel Cadence's determination even as Pain growled, so lost in her own suffering that she failed to realize the warm emotion wasn't affecting them the same way it did her: “How does it feel to be burned by your own worthless emotions? How does it feel to be a victim of your own sick games of empathy, to be forced to endure that maddening light when you know in your heart that everything is dark?”

“Pain... we're not Brokenhearted like you!” Cadence shouted, and then she gritted her teeth and leaned forwards, her hooves digging into the platform as she anchored herself and Pain's eyes widening as the strength of the magic pounding into the Crystal Heart doubled, then trebled.

The light brightened, and Pain flinched as the ray of energy grew so powerful it stopped her in place, the Brokenhearted flapping her wings as hard as she could just to try and stay aloft as her hooves steamed from contact with the Crystal Heart, even if most of the energy was being reflected back out over the ponies. The Brokenhearted cursed, then clenched her eyes shut and turned her head away, snarling in pain as she was blinded by the effervescent light pulsing out of the Crystal Heart...

“Now!” Cadence shouted, and Shining Armor ran forwards as Miss Take streaked up into the air: Pain flinched and tried to follow the Changeling with her eyes, unable to see through the neon, joyous light, and she failed to notice Shining until the unicorn was right beneath her.

He leapt up, slamming a hoof into the Crystal Heart and knocking it skywards as his horn glowed brightly and created a sticky barrier behind Pain: a barrier that the Brokenhearted was driven into by Cadence's pink ray, the Pegasus howling in misery as she was left unable to move, pinned to the wall by the ray of bright energy.

Cadence leaned forwards, channeling as much magic as she dared down the beam of pink light, Pain jerking wildly back and forth as her eyes rolled in her head and she lost all coherency, all lucidity to madness. She screamed and convulsed helplessly as emotion and warmth and light flooded through her desolate, hollow body, and Cadence gritted her teeth, trembling hard. No one deserved this kind of torment... no one deserved this kind of Pain... and yet there was nothing else she could do.

Cadence snapped her horn forwards, and a single great blast of energy streaked forwards down the end of the beam, smashing into Pain like a cannonball with enough force to send her crashing through the glowing barrier of magic Shining had created. The stallion winced backwards in surprise, then simply watched with amazement as the Brokenhearted was flung bonelessly across the platform to crash to the ground, rolling limply to come to a halt, prone and broken.

There was silence for a few moments, and then Miss Take calmly touched down, the Crystal Heart cradled in one foreleg as she said quietly: “She's far from dead, my friends. If I may be a little critical, Cadence, I think you may have only made her that much more unstable...”

“I know. But when she's lucid, she thinks too fast, she adjusts too quickly against everything we have to throw at her. She becomes vicious when she's unstable, but I think that we can use that against her, too.” Cadence muttered, shaking her head quickly as Pain twitched, then shivered violently as she slowly began to pick herself up, her eyes blazing, her mouth falling open as she breathed slowly in and out.

Slowly, the Brokenhearted bared her teeth in a snarl before looking up, her hooves digging against the metal floor as she looked at Cadence with fury and hate and... fear. And it was that fear that was driving her, that fear that was digging deep into her mind as she picked herself slowly up, whispering: “You will not buy me with your lies. You will not intimidate me with your threats. You will not cheat me with your bribes. I will make you all suffer, worse than I have... I will make the entire world suffer like I have suffered, to know the pain of losing everyone, everything that was important to you... that... that is the only way I will know peace!”

“No, Pain. Death is the only thing that will bring you peace. But you don't want peace... you just want to hurt, and take, and ruin.” Cadence said quietly, setting herself and shaking her head slowly. “But don't worry. Soon Pain... will be gone.”

Pain snarled, then leapt forwards, forgetting herself, losing herself to the darkness and the hate inside herself: she forgot her years of training, her countless successful battles, her dozens of humiliating defeats. She forgot everything, now nothing but a living puppet of hate and darkness and suffering... and Cadence almost felt sorry for her as she calmly leaned forwards and then simply flicked her horn.

Pain cried out, covering her face with her forelegs, blinded and scalded by the flash of light that washed over her. Cadence immediately slipped in front of her, seizing the Brokenhearted's crossed limbs before she slammed her cruelly down into the ground on her front, and Pain cursed and scrabbled for her hooves before Cadence smoothly seized the mare by the head and twisted violently as she used it like an axle at the same time, snapping the mare's neck as she landed in a straddle across her back.

The Brokenhearted went limp, but only for a moment: her body immediately began to heal the damage... except Cadence didn't allow that process to more than begin before she viciously slammed her hooves down along the top of the Pegasus' vertebrae, cracking bone and disjointing her spine before she rose one hoof high and gritted her teeth.

Pain's body struggled to heal as the mare bucked and gargled beneath her, giving Cadence all the time she needed to summon up that purging, cruel, not-quite-holy white magic. Her raised hoof burst into ivory flames, and the mare glared down at the back of Pain's head before she slammed a single blow down, tearing through flesh and bone with ease to smash into Pain's heart, the Pegasus howling in misery as her whole body arched...

The Brokenhearted suddenly bucked forwards, Cadence wincing and grabbing at the mare's shoulder with her free hoof before Pain seized it with a snarl, yanking with all her might to fling Cadence off her back. The winged unicorn flapped her wings on instinct more than anything else, just managing to tear herself free and launch to a safe distance even as Pain clawed wildly after her, heedless of the dark ichors bleeding up out of her back or the foam running from her jaws as she screamed: “You can't kill me, Cadence! You can't break my heart because I have no heart!”

Pain grinned viciously, then sat back, slamming her own hooves against her breast hard enough to leave deep gouges. Cadence bared her teeth as Shining and Miss Take both hurried to ready positions on either side of the mare, before all three stared in horror as Pain tore her own chest open with the ease of drawing back a set of curtains... and still grinning, still insane, consumed by darkness and hate and rage, Pain dug her bloody hooves into her gaping chest and wrenched out her tortured and half-burnt, pulsing heart.

Pain crushed the organ between her hooves with a gasp... then trembled weakly, staring down at her destroyed heart even as her chest began to fill with dark flesh, slowly healing shut. Ribs snapped back into place and bruised skin sewed itself shut over spongy tissue, before the Brokenhearted mare slowly looked up as she simply let her heart fall from her hooves, whispering: “I am immortal. I will never die. I will be Pain... forever...”

Cadence gritted her teeth, her features tense, but her mind... shocked. The last thing she had expected to see was that... even more, that Pain was still on her hooves. She had no idea what the hell they were going to do now, now that Pain had just torn out the only part of her that Cadence could think to target...

“Maybe if we... maybe if get a killing blow to her brain...” Cadence muttered, as Miss Take only shivered and Shining Armor set himself, drawing his sword with a flick of his horn. But he was unable to hide the way the blade trembled in his telekinetic grip, just as Miss Take had her body low, nearly shaking in her hooves...

“Cadence, there... you and I both know that will simply not work.” Miss Take whispered, looking fearfully out from beneath her cloak at the monster, as Pain hugged herself and trembled violently, her eyes rolling in her head, looking like she was completely unaware of her surroundings... but oh, all of them could feel that growing darkness, that horrible, evil hostility rising up from the mare, more and more... “Such ancient magic... every action has a reason behind it...”

The winged unicorn gritted her teeth: Miss Take was right. She had been burning more than the physical heart with her magic, but she needed that to operate through, to serve as the key through which she could pump that cruel magic through the Brokenhearted, to break the darkness that empowered them and burn the spirit as much as the body. She didn't entirely understand why, but she knew it was true, all the same...

But Pain's heart was dead and nothing but bloody muck on the ground now, and Pain herself... was changing. Maybe not outside, but inside: the darkness was consuming whatever few fragments of this former Pegasus had been left, transforming her from the miserable but perhaps even honorable member of the Phoenix Guild that Cadence had first met, into nothing but an animal, cruel and vicious and filled with hatred...

Pain barked suddenly, then gargled, head twisting back and forth before she bared her teeth, grinning and mad and hungry. Drool leaked from her jaws as her hooves flexed slowly, dropping forwards as she eyed the ponies in front of her before rasping: “Yes. She finally shut up. We rule her now... violence, hate, entropy. That pesky pony is gone. And you are powerless to destroy us. You cannot burn the soul that no longer exists, reaper.”

“Reaper...” Cadence shivered a bit at this, frowning uncertainly before she shook her head quickly and whispered: “No, I didn't harvest or help gather souls... my job was different... my job was much crueler, to keep them in line, to punish...”

“You will not punish us!” Pain suddenly shrieked, and then she leapt to the air and shot straight at them, Cadence surprised by her speed, her ferocity, the sudden outburst of this dark thing-

Shining Armor reacted in time: whether because of training or because he was so high-strung, he didn't know nor care. His horn snapped down, and a barrier appeared between the three ponies and the Brokenhearted: but when Pain slammed into it, the barrier warped, becoming almost sticky as it allowed Pain to stretch it like plastic before it suddenly curved inwards and wrapped itself rapidly around Pain's body, sealing her in a cocoon of energy that flopped bonelessly to the ground.

Pain writhed in frustration and fury as Cadence winced, then looked suddenly down at the Crystal Heart before asking sharply: “Wait, can you focus your magic through this?”

Cadence's eyes widened, and then she quickly took the Crystal Heart with telekinesis, raising it in front of her horn and beginning to channel her magic, gritting her teeth as she hoped beyond hope she was right about this...

But then Pain suddenly tore free of the energy restraining her with a howl, exploding up from the cocoon of magic and making Shining Armor wince in pain as recoil burst down his horn. The Brokenhearted shot straight at them just as Cadence leaned forwards, focusing her magic through the Crystal Heart to light up the entire area with its warmth-

Pain smashed a smoldering hoof into the Crystal Heart, sending it flying through the air to bounce through the half-raised shutter door leading out of the broken elevator, and Cadence staggered with a curse before Pain seized her by the face with both hooves, grinning down at her with madness and hate and pure, hollow nothing in her eyes. Cadence looked up with horror, seeing that the Pegasus was gone, that the darkness had taken on a hideous life of its own: she had truly become... Pain. “I won't let you ruin this for me! And neither will me or me or me!”

Pain slung Cadence backwards by the face and attempted to sloppily kick her: the winged unicorn easily warded the double-kick off, however, deflecting the attack to the side as she threw herself safely out of the way. But Pain only laughed loudly, gleefully as she hovered only a few inches above the ground: after all, even if she'd lost all of the former abilities of the Pegasus body she'd taken over, she still seemed nigh-invulnerable... and insane enough not to care even if something did threaten her life.

“You have to hurt me! You have to try and stop me! Don't just cower there, like cowards!” Pain darted down at Miss Take, who winced and deflected two slapping, almost-mocking strikes before Pain tried to grab her. The Changeling easily rejected the grapple, then smoothly ducked under a wide hook to seize the Pegasus by one wing, twisting it viciously and tearing her out of the air to slam her down on her back.

Pain swore, then kicked Miss Take fiercely backwards with both rear hooves, the Changeling gasping in pain as she staggered away. Shining Armor was in front of her in only a moment, however, as Cadence grimaced and glanced sharply over her shoulder: she could see the Crystal Heart, gleaming, just out of reach...

But then her attention was drawn back to Pain as the Brokenhearted lunged, swinging her hooves down... and she squeaked as Shining sharply parried her forelegs with his sword, tearing large slashes through them before the blade stabbed through her throat as the Pegasus' eyes widened.

She was left dangling, forelegs going limp and pawing her hooves an inch or so weakly above the ground, a bit of blood dribbling out of her mouth as she gurgled... then suddenly grinned and lunged forwards, the tip of the sword ripping out the back of her neck as she bit savagely at Shining's face.

The stallion cursed and winced backwards, then flinched in pain and shock as Pain wrenched herself hard enough to the side to tear the blade free from his telekinetic hold, even still buried through her neck as it was. Then she lunged forwards, clawing her hooves at the stallion, jaws snapping wildly at his face-

Miss Take caught Pain around the muzzle and forcefully clamped her jaws shut, then she twisted cruelly to the side: with a loud snap and a spurt of blood, the Brokenhearted's neck was broken and the sword was forcefully ejected from her torn-apart throat. Her body went limp, eyes rolling in her head as Miss Take looked at her grimly, saying coldly: “Very rude, darling. We keep our mouths to ourselves unless asked otherwise.”

The Changeling flung Pain's body to the ground as Shining Armor hurriedly swept his sword up, then he slashed it down as he grit his teeth, meaning to behead Pain... but all he hit was a hoof, cutting it into pieces but only making Pain grin as she almost teasingly shoved the sword backwards, her wounds already almost fully healed as she whispered: “I am indestructible. We are invulnerable. You called us parasites, reaper-pony, but we are so much more than that: we are the seeds of destruction. We are the infection that will bring your world to its knees. We are-”

Light flared around Pain, and she scowled for a moment before bands of flame lashed forwards and tightly latched around her limbs, the mare snarling in surprise before her eyes snapped towards the sound of slowly approaching hooves.

General Archon was bleeding heavily from a large cut down one side of his skull, half-limping on a clearly broken leg... but his eyes burned with fury and outrage as he bared his teeth at Pain, before barking: “Captain Armor! Escort Take and Cadence out of here, now! Retrieve the Crystal Heart and return it to its rightful place, that is our mission here!”

“Archon, we can stop her if we work together!” Cadence almost pleaded, beginning to step forwards... and Archon snapped his horn to the side, and she flinched as Shining Armor was forced to throw himself backwards to avoid being roasted alive by the wall of flames that burst into being, cutting them off from the wounded General and the Brokenhearted.

“Close the door on your way out. You weren't born in a barn, were you?” Archon muttered, and then he flicked his horn, and the wall of flames slowly began to roll forwards, forcing the trio backwards towards the ancient shutter.

Cadence stumbled, backpedaling and staring through the flames as Pain only threw her head back and laughed loudly, then grinned, twisting her head around as she rasped eagerly: “Do you want to die that badly? Greedy greedy greedy! We're so eager to spread our pain to you, let us free, let us free now, they're gone but you're still here and we want you to share in our glorious suffering!”

Archon bared his teeth as Pain struggled wildly, yanking back and forth against her tethers before she managed to rip one hoof free from a fiery tendril, and the old stallion cursed as he heard arguing, shouting from beyond the wall of fire. They weren't closing the shutter... and Pain, laughing, insane Pain, kept being drawn towards the sound of voices...

Archon gritted his teeth, then suddenly snapped his horn to the side, and Pain squealed as the remaining tentacles of fire jerked her viciously off her hooves before flinging her through the air. She smashed loudly into the far wall, but Archon had already turned his focus towards the shutter, gritting his teeth as he focused on the roaring wall of flames burning beneath the gate before he snapped his horn suddenly upwards as it pulsed with power.

The flames flared upwards, becoming almost solid as they hammered against the shutter with enough strength to make it shake violently, dust hailing down from the ceiling as it rattled and banged and stuck itself to the metal. And then the clinging fire suddenly jerked downwards, almost ripping the shutter loose from the doorway and bringing it crashing down, the flames whooshing outwards in a gasp and spreading the magical, all-consuming flames up over the walls and along the edge of the metal platform.

General Archon spat to the side, then calmly turned around, even as he let the magical flames slip loose from his control. The flames would burn themselves out eventually... but the magic powering that hellfire would last for at least thirty minutes before the energy fueling the fire started to dilute. And fire was a savage, passionate beast: thirty minutes would give it all the time it needed to burn everything in elevator shaft to nothing but ashes.

Pain giggled as she stumbled to her feet, head twisting back and forth as she panted hungrily, and Archon only surveyed her calmly before he said contemptibly: “You're nothing more than a rabid dog. Look at you... you used to be a warrior, didn't you?”

“No, we never were... but you're talking to the pony who isn't here anymore, right? Well, that fleshbag is gone... she ripped out her heart. Because even a broken heart serves to dam up the darkness, just a little, just enough...” Pain giggled quietly, then leaned forwards and whispered: “But you know all about broken hearts, don't you?”

“I know that a broken heart can be mended, too. Unless we're too weak to accept our failings and our weaknesses... unless we're too weak and stupid to seek a solution.” Archon smiled thinly, saying with sour mockery: “I suppose that makes you the penultimate failure.”

Pain snarled, then she lunged forwards and slammed down in front of Archon, hissing a question to him as her eyes blazed with rage: “Oh really? Then what does that make you, old stallion, the ultimate loser?”

“No. That's you, after I turn you to ash.” Archon replied unflinchingly, his horn lighting up as he lowered his head forwards, and Pain laughed loudly... then flinched in surprise when a gust of burning air blasted past her, hot and harsh enough to shrivel the hairs of her mane and sear her body and wings.

Burnt feathers floated down to the ground as Pain snarled, then lunged forwards and struck out at Archon: but the stallion only swung his broken foreleg up, baring his teeth as agony flared through his body even as he stopped the blow.

Pain laughed loudly at him, her eyes glowing before she drew her hoof back and slammed it viciously once, twice, thrice, again, again, again into the old stallion's broken limb, not even trying to break his defenses, only trying to cause him more agony as she asked teasingly: “Are you that eager to hurt? Are you trying to make us smile? Do you think we'll pity you if we play this little game?”

“No game, Pain.” Archon growled, and then he dropped his hoof when the mare tried to punch him again, and her eyes widened in surprise as he caught her attack and crushed down with a grip that was like iron, his horn blazing with magic intensified further by the agony in his body, his eyes glowing with anger. “I'm not like you. I don't run away from the punishment I deserve. I take it and use it to make myself stronger, and burn away every trace of weakness... weakness like you.”

Archon snapped his horn down, and Pain gasped as a cyclonic wave of flames tore just past her shredding her mane to embers and turning her shoulder and one wing into nothing but charred ashes that were carried away with the hot rush of wind that followed the infernal wave. She snarled, then turned back towards Archon... before stumbling stupidly sideways as her wounded shoulder and back both glowed with faint orange light.

She caught her balance raggedly, staring down at her shoulder as it pulsed and refused to heal, mouthing wordlessly before turning a furious and terrified glare on Archon... but the General only smiled cynically back at her, asking contemptibly: “Where's your immutability now, Pain?”

Pain gave a furious howl in response before leaping forwards, swinging her hooves out wildly with all the power she could muster; but even limping, Archon kept his head cool, not allowing the agony in his limb to distract him as he easily ducked backwards and swayed smoothly out of the way of each and every attack.

He wasn't going to let anyone or anything stop him from doing this: not Cadence, not Pain, not his own failings. He didn't need toys or ancient artifacts to get this job done: he only needed his own strength, his own magic, his own honor. He only needed to be ready to die the way he had lived: fighting with fire, burning everything that got in his way to ashes and dust, until there was nothing left.

The Brokenhearted bared her teeth before lunging at him, and Archon slipped to the side and smoothly caught her around the neck with his good foreleg, slamming her face-down into the floor. Pain quickly leapt to her hooves and began to spin with a flap of her wings... or rather, her one remaining wing, the other stump twitching weakly and doing nothing to help her balance as she cursed and staggered stupidly instead of whirling around.

Archon took the opportunity to blast her backwards with telekinesis, towards the spreading flames, and Pain clawed at the floor for balance before she managed to halt herself and glare furiously. Her body shook with fury as her wounds continued to pulse with eerie orange light, the mare whispering: “You can't do this to me. It's not possible.”

The old stallion chuckled dryly... before coughing and leaning to the side, blood splattering out of his jaws. And Pain's eyes widened before she grinned almost gleefully and lunged forwards, charging as fast as she could straight at the unicorn-

Archon simply flicked his horn down, creating a large, pulsing red mine in front of him that Pain trounced right into, and it exploded with a tremendous, focused blast of flames that launched the Pegasus backwards in a flaming heap.

She crashed and rolled several times, then snarled and clawed up to her hooves, shaking herself briskly out and literally shrugging off the worst of the damage... but where the blast of flame had managed to clip her open wounds, the burns had spread further and eaten away more of her body. All the same, though... “You're dying. You're dying! You'll die before you kill us!”

“A little thing like death isn't going to stop me from doing my duty.” Archon replied coldly, and then he flicked his horn out, and Pain barely managed to fling herself out of the way of a flare of flame that became a roaring fireball. Pain lunged out from behind this, charging straight at the stallion, but Archon only dropped himself to a ready position as the mare shot towards him, his horn glowing and dragging the fireball after her...

Pain lunged at him, and Archon caught her, baring his teeth as they grappled and she viciously tried to twist his broken forelimb: but he managed to force it forwards to seize her by the shoulder. Still, she hammered blow after blow against the side of his limb, hissing in fury... then screaming in pain as the enormous fireball smashed into her back before beginning to pull her into the crimson blaze.

She grabbed at the old stallion wildly, trying to cling to him or pull him in with her, but he only grimaced and almost disdainfully flicked one foreleg up, knocking her limbs free as he limped backwards on his broken foreleg. He spat to the side as Pain was sucked back into the crimson globe, shrieking and clawing helplessly as she was pulled to the center of the miniature red sun before Archon slowly turned around as his horn glowed brightly, even as sweat rolled down his body and blood dripped from his mouth, even as burns began to spread over his own skin, as he dug deep into his own vital energies...

Behind him, the crimson sun grew, pulling in the magical flames from around the room to feed itself, the crackle and roar of the blaze drowning out Pain's miserable screams. It grew larger and larger as it rose slowly higher up the shaft, the raw heat enough to make metal quake and crack, the force emanating form it creating a sound like a dragon's roar that ran up the throat of the elevator.

The red sun glowed... and then crushed suddenly, viciously inwards, becoming no larger than a red mote of light that glimmered brightly for a few seconds before it exploded in a tremendous gush of hellfire that coated the walls and rained down over the floor.

Archon stood among it all, ignoring the slivers of flame that tore over his body and burned his coat, left charred streaks over his form as he slowly lowered his head. His broken limb trembled for a moment, and then Archon silently held it up as he watched, almost distantly, as his hoof was rapidly devoured by a glowing orange light that reduced what it passed over to embers. But nothing came without a price, as he'd learned: fuel was needed for any flame.

The General closed his eyes as he calmly sat down, and then he looked up through the burning elevator as the fires spread all around him. Ashes and embers danced through the air as the metal beneath his hooves began to melt and crack, but Archon barely felt it; he tasted smoke and heat as he breathed through his dry mouth, but he saw little: one eye refused to open, and the other was nothing but blurs and images that couldn't be real...

But all the same, Archon smiled briefly as the fires spread around him, and he thought he felt a hoof touch his back, a voice whisper a silent 'thank you' to him, as the flames slid themselves almost soothingly, protectively around his body, growing higher and higher as they warmed his form with the promise of peace...

And outside the shutter, Cadence cried out Archon's name as she trembled violently, and then she looked over her shoulder as Miss Take reached up and gently squeezed her shoulder, saying quietly: “It's over, darling. Come on now. We can't stay here any longer.”

Cadence trembled a bit, and then she closed her eyes and dropped her head forwards, whispering: “It's... why didn't he...”

“Stallions. They have to save the day.” Miss Take gave a faint smile, and then she gently turned Cadence around, the winged unicorn shaking her head weakly before the Changeling said softly: “Now. We still have a job to do, don't we? Archon would want us to focus on that.”

The winged unicorn took a slow breath, and then she nodded a bit as she looked across at Shining Armor, who smiled faintly and held up the Crystal Heart in one foreleg. “Are we going to... can this save Sombra, or...”

“I don't know. I hope so.” Cadence murmured, and then she shivered a bit as she looked back and forth slowly. Yes, she could feel the negativity, the evil... it was powerful in these halls, and it wasn't much further before...

She shook her head, then strode slowly away from the two, moving almost on autopilot as her gaze focused on the end of the hall. There, she could see a wide, semicircular room, with a pair of massive, armored doors at the far side. They were both marked with the black profile of a dragon's head, ancient, rusted-out chains hanging in shattered pieces around the armored gates. There were old pieces of what had likely once been massive locks and seals as well, laying over the dusty floor... but these too had long worn out, and left the gates sealed only by the single reinforced locking system in the door itself.

Cadence stopped in the middle of the open room in front of the doors. She looked back and forth, seeing two other enormous halls open to either side, likely leading to other elevators, and another honeycomb of passages beyond that, which would take them back to the surface. She wondered just how expansive these tunnels were, how many secrets they held... what might lurk through them even now, alone and wandering and forgotten...

A mournful wail came through the doors, and Cadence's eyes widened as her head snapped towards this. She trembled violently, then bolted suddenly towards the doors, throwing herself against one of the colossal armored gates as she shouted: “Father? Father! I'm here, Father!”

Silence greeted her... but it was a tense, sharp silence that made her ears hum, sensing that something was on the other side of the doors, listening, waiting eagerly. Cadence trembled violently, and then she pushed herself quickly away from the gates, breathing hard and looking uneasily up over them: they were massive, thirty feet high, almost ten feet wide, and all held shut only by that single, inviting lock that was all-but-begging to be opened...

“Cadence, wait, let's stop and think about this, okay?” Shining Armor said quickly, and Miss Take worriedly strode up to the mare's other side, the Changeling trying to make Cadence take a step back... but the winged unicorn refused to pull away from the door, barely paid them any attention even as Shining continued in a reasonable voice: “There's no need to put ourselves in danger here. Let's put together a plan and... honestly, I need-”

“I need this.” Cadence said roughly, and then she pushed away from the door before her horn glowed brightly, and before either Shining or Miss Take could stop her, she plunged it into the lock and channeled her energies into the ancient mechanism.

There was a loud series of clicks and clanks as dusty machinery began to gear up, Cadence gritting her teeth before flinching in pain and staggering backwards as the doors almost rejected her, cursing under her breath. She looked up sharply, then laughed weakly as the gates began to rumble slowly open, and Miss Take and Shining Armor both staggered backwards as the Changeling shouted: “I hope you know what you're doing!”

“I'm doing what I have to... what I need to!” Cadence snapped, breathing hard as she watched the thick, armored doors rumble apart, the mare leaning forwards and shouting through the spreading gap: “Father! Father, I'm here, I'm-”

A black shape shot out from between the doors and tackled her backwards, driving her to the ground and sending her skidding some ten feet over the floor on her back before it pinned her savagely. Cadence gasped in pain, but it wasn't shock or pain or fear she felt as she looked up and saw Sombra standing on top of her, snarling down at her.

She went limp beneath him, trembling, but smiling. Their eyes locked, and even as Sombra growled at her like an animal, even as he crushed down on her, trapping her beneath his body, there was a flicker in his eyes. Even as he bared his fangs, he didn't lunge; even as he pressed down against her and his body thrummed with darkness, that poison wafted up and away from her instead of spreading down into her body, as the mare whispered: “Daddy.”

Sombra stared at her, and she stared back... and then a blast of magic hammered into the dark creature, knocking him away, and Cadence flinched in shock before sitting up and shouting angrily at Shining Armor: “Stop, let me try and get through to-”

Sombra roared loudly, then streaked forwards, leaving a tail of darkness behind himself as he tackled Cadence to the ground and crushed her into the floor. The winged unicorn gasped in pain before his hooves seized her by the mane and yanked her head back, his teeth lunging down-

“No!” Shining Armor snapped his horn out, blasting Sombra backwards with another bolt of magic energy... but Sombra became nothing but a formless shadow in midair, whipping around with terrifying speed and streaking like smoke straight towards Miss Take before he reformed in mid-lunge, tackling the Changeling onto her back. She cursed and caught him by the face as they rolled several times, struggling to keep his jaws from snapping shut around her neck before she landed on her back and managed to kick him off.

But again, Sombra became formless, smoky shadow, twisting through the air before reforming on his hooves, his eyes glowing with malign energies, his teeth bared in an animal snarl before he rasped: “Kill... devour... mine...”

“Daddy!” Cadence shouted as she stumbled up to her hooves, and Sombra only roared at her in response, the mare trembling before she shook her head violently and stepped forwards, crying out: “Fight it! You have to remember who you are! Serenite, you were-”

Sombra charged at her, leaving a trail of darkness in his steps before he slammed into Cadence and knocked her into the air, then leapt up and simply crashed into her as he propelled himself in a streak of darkness up into the ceiling, with the mare trapped against his body. She smashed back-first into the roof with a gasp of agony before he flung her bonelessly to the ground, the winged unicorn bouncing limply once before Sombra dropped down on top of her.

“That's enough of this.” Miss Take said curtly, and then she ran forwards, Shining swearing and tossing the Crystal Heart aside as he drew his own sword and followed quickly in her wake.

Sombra was stomping viciously up and down on Cadence with enough force to crack the floor around her body, and the mare still wasn't fighting back against him, wasn't even trying to defend herself: it filled Shining with hopelessness and frustration. After all, if Cadence refused to fight, they wouldn't be able to use the Crystal Heart, and he didn't think he and Miss Take were strong enough to take on a monster like Sombra alone with the condition they were in...

The beast looked over his shoulder with a snarl as the Changeling approached, and then his horn glowed brightly before large, gleaming spikes of black crystal formed in the air around the Changeling. But without slowing, Miss Take smoothly leapt into the air and revolved her body as the spikes shot at her from all sides, narrowly scraping past her form and ripping holes only through her cloak before she easily shrugged the cloth off and flung it sharply into Sombra's face.

He staggered backwards, clawing at the cloth blinding him, and Miss Take mercilessly leapt forwards and began to slam focused blows down into his covered head, driving him steadily backwards and away from Cadence.

The winged unicorn trembled on the ground, rolling over onto her side and hugging herself... but it wasn't from the physical pain, oh no. It was from the fact that she couldn't... feel her father at all inside Sombra. Had she just been kidding herself this entire time? Did he really exist now only in her dreams, were there no fragments of him left alive inside that monstrous, broken shell...

Sombra roared, and the cloak burst apart in a blast of black flames before he leapt forwards; he was slammed to the ground before he could tackle the Changeling by a slash of Shining Armor's sword, however, the monster hissing before Miss Take leaned forwards and resumed pounding hoof after hoof down into Sombra's features as Shining Armor leapt onto the shadow-stallion's back, attempting to pin him or at least force him down-

The beast roared, and a shockwave of dark magic knocked both Shining Armor and Miss Take flying. And before the Changeling could recover, Sombra had already lunged up and snatched her out of the air, slamming her down into the ground and pinning her under his hooves as his jaws snapped at her face.

Miss Take narrowly caught the monster's muzzle between her front hooves, gritting her teeth and struggling to hold him back as he bore forwards, crushing down on her stomach and making her struggle not to flinch even as the breath was driven from her body. She trembled as his fangs slowly came closer, the mare leaning away with a hiss...

Then Shining Armor slammed bodily into Sombra, knocking him loose before the ivory stallion slashed his sword down as Sombra whirled on him, tearing a white streak across the shadow-beast's face and driving him backwards. Shining pressed the advantage, slamming the pommel of his sword down into Sombra's skull and keeping him staggering before he stabbed fiercely towards him, but Sombra parried the thrust with his horn, suddenly grinning before he snapped his horn forwards and blasted the ivory stallion backwards with a wave of dark fire.

Shining skidded on his hooves, snarling and beginning to lunge... and then Sombra's grin stretched wider, and Shining's instincts cried out a moment too late: before he could react, three large spikes of black crystal slammed cruelly down through his back, the ivory unicorn's body going rigid as he gasped in shock, frozen in place by pain and dark magic.

Sombra started forwards as Shining's sword fell from the air... but before it could hit the ground, Miss Take caught the weapon in her jaws and lunged, slashing the blade through the shadow-beast's throat. Sombra lurched to the side with a gargle of pain as his eyes bulged, while Miss Take smoothly spun around and this time dove beneath the dark stallion, slashing the blade out to cut Sombra's front legs out from under him and send him crashing down onto his side.

She spat the sword out into one hoof as she leapt into the air, flapping her wings once to boost herself higher before simply letting herself fall, seizing the blade in both hooves and driving it down into the stallion's body.

Sombra howled in pain, convulsing on the ground before he snarled and flicked his horn sharply, and Miss Take gritted her teeth, struggling to hold the blade in place before she shrieked as the sword was ejected in a burst of black light from the stallion's body, knocking her sprawling backwards. And then Sombra grinned as the sword lit up with hellish black radiance, twisting itself around to point at Miss Take before it shot towards her like a missile.

Shining Armor leapt into the path of the sword, snarling as he snapped his horn out and created a barrier of energy: the sword buried halfway through this, vibrating violently as Sombra rolled up to his hooves, then grinned cruelly before his eyes blazed, and a wall of black crystal spiraled into being around the pair, their eyes widening as the crystal curled like claws towards them before Sombra rasped: “Die.”

The black stone crushed inwards from all sides, suffocating all light and energy as it fell around the two. Cadence stared from where she was sitting, trembling hard and unable to move, unable to react as Sombra slowly approached the imploded heap of black stone, grinning cruelly and reaching up to touch it... before his glowing, smoldering eyes slowly turned towards Cadence, and he growled a single, hungry word: “Mine.”

Cadence trembled hard, and then she gritted her teeth as she picked herself up, tears leaking from her eyes as she whispered: “Forgive me, Daddy. Forgive me for being so weak. Forgive me, Shine, Miss Take, Archon...”

Sombra slowly lurched around towards her, then he licked his lips as he strode forwards, his eyes glowing with eagerness as Cadence dropped her head forwards... then gritted her teeth before her horn thrummed with white energy, her wings spreading and flapping once before they lit up with the same near-holy radiance, Sombra snarling and flinching to a stop. “No more! I won't let you destroy my father's legacy! I won't let you ruin everything he stood for!”

The dark stallion only roared in response, leaning towards her before Cadence lunged forwards, snapping her horn out to blast the stallion with an ivory flash of energy. He howled as he was disoriented, before the mare slammed forcefully into him and smashed her hooves in a violent flurry back and forth across his face before she dropped under a wild bite and lashed one wing out.

It slashed through Sombra's leg like a blade, and he staggered backwards with a hiss of pain as he clutched at the wounded limb, trembling for a moment before bursting apart into black smoke and streaking across the room. But Cadence became like white light as she lunged after him, flapping her wings hard as they moved like lightning.

They crashed together, Sombra's terrible darkness taking on the shape of a roaring black drake as he slashed at her, Cadence like a swift, beautiful and yet cold white bird as she smoothly twisted out of the path of his wild attacks before smashing across his face: and then again, both of them lost cohesion, streaking across the room, white and black blurs of magic and supernatural fury that smashed against each other and bounced off the ceiling and the walls before they finally tore apart and landed some ten feet apart, glaring furiously at one another.

Sombra roared, snapping his horn up, and the broken locks and pieces of old, decayed metal scattered across the floor all lifted into the air, dark energy crackling over them before they turned to black gemstone shrapnel. Cadence cursed, dropping to the ready as she spread her wings, her horn glowing and infusing them with white energy on instinct before Sombra lashed his horn forwards and sent a cyclone of gemstone blades whirling towards her.

Cadence snapped her horn out, blasting a hole through the storm before she leapt forwards with a snarl, flapping her wings sharply to launch herself like a missile into the tunnel she'd carved, her wings wrapping tightly around her body as she streamlined herself. She spun violently as pieces of black stone hammered uselessly against her energy-charged wings, before she smashed out the other side of the maelstrom and spread her wings, bruised and slashed and gouged, feathers flying as she dropped towards Sombra like a stone.

He leapt up to meet her... and was smashed across the face by a brutal punch before Cadence swung both rear hooves sharply forwards and caught him in the jaw with a double kick that sent him flipping violently backwards to land with a sickening crunch on his face. He bounced and rolled limply away, but then suddenly burst apart into shadow that streaked high into the air, striking up into the ceiling as he reformed upside down, his teeth bared in a snarl, his eyes glowing with hate as he roared at her with fury.

The roof around him transformed into dark rock as Cadence's eyes widened, the ceiling shaking before cracks tore through the gemstone and chunks of black crystal ripped themselves free from the roof around the stallion.

Sombra roared, leaning forwards and pointing down at her, and the chunks of black gemstone floating around him vibrated sharply before they shot at Cadence one after the other, the mare dodging back and forth and cursing as they exploded around her in bursts of dark energy, searing her body and keeping her off-balance.

She looked up too late as Sombra himself leapt down from the ceiling, and the mare cursed before leaping backwards, flapping her wings hard: white feathers burst free from her wings before shooting forwards in streaks of white light, hammering like darts across Sombra's body.

He howled in misery as he was sent crashing to the ground, scrabbling wildly at the floor as white cracks pulsed visibly through his dark body. And Cadence panted hard as she backpedaled, her muscles aching, her body demanding rest as the glow faded from her wings and her horn: but at the same time, she felt like she wasn't even in control of her own body anymore, like it was doing all of this and more on autopilot...

Sombra picked himself up with a snarl, and then he roared furiously at her, a wave of raw, dark, hateful energy bursting out of his body and negating the white magic that had poisoned him. His wounds vanished as he straightened, growling low in his throat: he seemed indestructible, inexhaustible, unconquerable, and Cadence shivered as she felt the hate and dark energy in the air only growing more and more.

But he didn't attack: they faced each other, teeth bared, eyes locked, bodies tense and trembling. They were trapped by each other's gaze, animal darkness snarling at fierce light...

And Cadence trembled before she leaned almost desperately forwards, shouting as Sombra arched his back and hissed at her: “I know you're in there! I know that you have to be in there, and... please, please fight it! Please, Daddy... I won't leave you behind!”

Sombra growled at her, then hissed and twitched before he suddenly whimpered, head twisting back and forth... and Cadence trembled violently, daring to take a step forwards. Immediately, however, Sombra's head snapped up and he roared at her, flexing his body, blazing with malicious energy.

Cadence stumbled backwards, and Sombra stepped after her, maintaining the short distance. The mare's mouth went dry as she slowly looked to the side, trembling for a moment as a strange idea came to mind before she took a slow, careful step towards the open double doors.

Sombra stepped after her, and Cadence licked her lips as she carefully took another step... but any plans she had were ruined a moment later, as she heard a distinct crackling. It filled her with both joy and a strange sense of frustration and despair as she looked over her shoulder, and Sombra snarled before the black gemstone surrounding Shining Armor and Miss Take shattered in a blast of magic.

Shining wheezed as he shook himself out, bruised and battered but none the worse for wear. And Miss Take was only smiling grimly, shaking loose from the torn cloth she had wrapped around her body before she asked sharply: “Have you used the Heart?”

“The... the Crystal Heart...” Cadence's eyes widened as she looked towards the gemstone: she had almost forgotten about it. But it was a wild chance: that pure magic was designed to erase the infection that Sombra was a living incarnation of. If she wasn't careful, she could destroy him completely... but what choice do I have? I... it might be the fastest way...

Sombra snarled at them: he didn't seem to understand what they were talking about, but the fact the pair had survived and reentered combat was driving up his aggression again. He stepped forwards, growling low in his throat, and Cadence shivered before she said sharply: “If we work together, we should be able to pin him down! We need to weaken him first... once he's lagging, I'll leave him to you two to hold down while I get the Crystal Heart, understood?”

“Just signal me, darling. I'll understand.” Miss Take said calmly as she dropped to a ready position by Cadence, and Shining Armor gave a brief smile as he stepped up on the Changeling's other side. “He seems to find it difficult to concentrate on more than one of us at a time. Let's use that to our advantage, shall we?”

Cadence answered by running forwards, and Sombra hissed at her before he snapped his horn sharply up, black spikes of crystal ripping up through the floor to try and impale the mare. But the winged unicorn zigzagged sharply, bolting between the jutting gemstone before she leapt forwards and slammed both her hooves down into the back of Sombra's neck, leaping over him.

He spun around, lunging at her, and Cadence caught his grab before she flung him to the side and slammed an elbow into his eye. He snarled in frustration, then tried to lunge... and roared when something grabbed him from behind and stopped him, shaking himself wildly back and forth before attempting to slam a hind hoof into the Changeling that had caught him by the back legs.

And with ease, Miss Take caught the kick before twisting savagely, snapping the limb like a twig. But Sombra barely seemed to notice, only hissing as he jerked himself free and staggered to the side, starting to spin towards her-

And Cadence slammed an elbow into the side of his neck, making his whole body go rigid before she smashed both front hooves down in a tomahawk against the back of his skull, sending him face-first into the ground with a crunch. But she knew it would only stun him for a moment as she quickly backpedaled, shouting: “Here! Here!”

Sombra roared as he clawed up to hooves, ignoring Miss Take completely as he spun towards the mare and leapt at her... and then he snarled as he was caught again from behind by Miss Take, half-falling on his face and scrabbling to tear free.

Just as he leapt up to his hooves, however, Shining Armor smashed into him like a freight train, knocking him flying to the side before he gasped as he slammed into a wall of energy the ivory stallion had created... then screamed as Shining Armor drove his crystal sword through his side to pin him like a bug to the wall before the ivory unicorn leapt backwards, horn glowing brightly as the barrier of energy became a crushing casket.

Sombra writhed inside the box of magic, the sword making it almost impossible for him to concentrate his magic or shift his weight around as the pressure steadily increased around his body. And Cadence shivered at the sight of this before she gritted her teeth and spun around, making a run for the Crystal Heart.

Shining Armor cursed as Sombra's body began to bleed smoke and darkness that tainted his own magical energies, making it harder to concentrate as the sword started to shudder violently from where it was buried through the stallion. Miss Take ran forwards and grabbed the hilt, trying to hold it in place as Shining put more of his focus towards maintaining the crushing coffin even as he felt the strain growing higher and higher...

Animal Sombra sensed the weakness, and his eyes snapped open before he roared, dark energies blasting out of his body in all directions and knocking Shining Armor staggering as Miss Take was flung backwards with a gasp of agony, barely managing to hold onto the sparking, crystalline sword. She landed in a crouch beside Shining, then quickly flung the sword up to him, the stallion catching it with telekinesis as the Changeling leapt into the path of the monster as he charged at them.

She tried to grab him... and Sombra ducked low before slamming his curved horn upwards, hooking it into Miss Take's chest and making her gasp before he flung her up into the air. The Changeling flew skywards with a limp gurgle before Sombra caught her in his jaws by one rear leg, shaking her back and forth like a vicious dog as Shining cried out, then lunged forwards with a snarl. “Let her go!”

Sombra grinned cruelly, glad to oblige as he flung Miss Take towards him like a cannonball, but the ivory stallion leapt forwards and caught her fearlessly against his chest. Sombra lunged eagerly after her, but even as he fell backwards, Shining Armor slashed his sword out and caught the monster across the face with the reaping slice, knocking Sombra flying to the side with a howl of agony.

He crashed down to the ground and rolled brokenly a short distance away as Shining Armor landed on his back with a curse. He looked quickly down at Miss Take, but she only smiled faintly up at him, whispering: “You fight better when you're protecting someone...”

Shining Armor smiled faintly as he gently laid her down... then he slowly stood up and raised his sword high as Sombra clawed his way to his hooves, glaring at them. “I hesitate when it comes to hurting other people. I always have... I'm not like that.

“But I don't hesitate when I'm protecting the ponies I care about.” Shining Armor dropped his sword to the ready, as Sombra roared furiously at him, but the ivory stallion didn't so much as flinch as he said calmly: “Just rest, Miss Take. I can handle holding him off.”

Miss Take smiled radiantly up at his back, blushing ever so slightly... and then her gaze sharpened, the warmth turning to fear as Sombra lunged. But even if she was afraid for him, she believed in Shining Armor too, with every fiber of her being...

And the ivory stallion moved gracefully and confidently as he stepped forwards to meet Sombra, smashing the sword down in a short series of quick slashes that forced Sombra back, before he gritted his teeth as his horn gave a sharp pulse, a round shield of energy forming around one foreleg. The stallion blocked a bite from Sombra with this before smashing him across the face with it, knocking Sombra back another step before Shining drove the pommel of his sword viciously into one of the shadow-beast's eyes.

Sombra staggered backwards, howling in misery and shaking his head wildly back and forth, and Shining swiftly leapt forwards and scooped him up on his shield, snarling in effort as he half-turned and forcefully yanked Sombra through the air to slam him cruelly down on his back. The shadow-beast bounced with a hiss before rolling quickly over... only to immediately be caught by another lash of Shining's sword across his face, knocking him rearing backwards.

Sombra staggered away, then roared and snapped his horn out, blades of black gemstone shooting up from beneath Shining Armor and making the stallion wince as he hurriedly leapt backwards. Then his eyes widened as the spikes of dark gemstone tore out of the ground before launching themselves one after the other at the ivory stallion.

Shining Armor rose his shield quickly in front of his face as he slashed back and forth with his blade, shattering several of the large missiles of dark stone as the smaller ones exploded against the shield of energy uselessly. Sombra came lunging after the hail of spikes, but Shining Armor was prepared, ramming his shield forwards-

Sombra became a streak of shadows that whipped past Shining Armor, the stallion's eyes widening before the beast reformed on the other side of him and lunged onto his back, slamming his hooves down into his spine and driving him down to the ground with a grunt. And then Shining's eyes bulged before he howled in agony as his violet armor rapidly began to turn to black gemstone that crushed and tore and bit into his flesh like a living thing.

The ivory stallion snarled in pain, then suddenly rolled over and thrusted his sword fiercely upwards, stabbing it through Sombra's breast as he reared back. And Sombra howled in agony as the blade tore deep into his chest, before Shining Armor lunged forwards, shoving it forwards with both his hooves and a raw blast of telekinesis.

Sombra staggered backwards off him, stumbling in front of the armored doors as he gargled, his eyes blazing with energy and his whole body shaking... and then he looked up weakly as Cadence shouted, voice raw, eyes filled with tears: “I won't fail you this time, Daddy! I won't fail you!”

Her horn blazed with pink energy as tears streamed from her eyes, the Crystal Heart glowing brightly with her energy before Cadence snapped her horn forwards, sending all the energy she could through the gemstone amplifier. And it pulsed with power before a single, focused ray of glowing light shot through the air and hammered into the hilt of the crystal sword buried into Sombra's breast, the stallion screaming as the warmth, the brightness, the antidote to his poison was channeled and amplified further through the blade, ripping past the darkness of his body and into his heart and soul.

Sombra's body crackled with energy as he was driven backwards, dust hailing down from the ceiling as the world shook with the power of the magic before there was a great and terrible blast of radiance, a final merciless flash that blinded everyone present. All Cadence was aware of was tremendous recoil surging over her horn as the Crystal Heart was flung from her grasp, and a moment later she hit the ground in a numb heap.

There was silence, and slowly, the light faded as Cadence crawled up to her hooves. Shining Armor and Miss Take were both slowly standing as well, and the winged unicorn trembled before her eyes locked on the sight of Sombra.

He had been thrown beyond the double doors, and now lay in a broken heap in the darkness of the room beyond. He was in a spotlight of warm light, radiated from his body as he gasped weakly for breath... and Cadence didn't hesitate, bolting forwards without a look at the Crystal Heart or her friends, running through the ajar doors to her father's side.

She dropped beside him as Shining Armor and Miss Take watched silently from a distance, giving her privacy... but even if they had been right beside her, Cadence wouldn't have noticed right now as she carefully lifted her father's head and turned him towards her.

The crystal sword had shattered, and she could see pieces of it were glinting with radiant energy, fused here and there into the not-quite-flesh of his body. And he felt so... so warm, and so familiar, as she looked imploringly down at his face, silently reaching up to stroke his mane away from his eyes as she whispered: “Daddy...”

Silence... and then Sombra's eyes flickered before opening. They looked at each other for a few moments before a faint smile crested the king's lips, and he whispered: “Mi amore.”

“Daddy!” Cadence trembled, then hugged him fiercely, burying her face against him as tears flooded down her cheeks. And she felt him silently wrap a foreleg around her... but even with the joy, there was fear and sorrow and... oh, he felt so weak... “D-Daddy, oh, okay, we're... we're going to get you out of here now, we're going to take you to a safe place and... and-”

“Shush, Cadenza, shush now. I need you to listen to me now, daughter.” her father whispered, and Cadence trembled as she straightened a bit, looking down at him silently. And gently, his hoof slipped down to take one of her own, the stallion smiling at her faintly even as he said quietly: “The darkness in me... it's already taking over again. And I will not risk... poisoning the world with my presence. It is... it is a blessing to see you one last time, mi amore, but now... we must part. I am weak, and before the darkness in me regains its grip on my mind and body, you have to take this chance. You have to kill me, Cadenza.”

“No!” Cadence shouted, staring down at him with horror before she shook her head violently. “N-No, no, I won't lose you, I won't-”

“Cadenza.” the king said gently, and Cadence fell silent before he reached up and silently touched her cheek, smiling at her faintly. “I'm sorry. This isn't fair to you. But the darkness in me will not stop until it has claimed you... it... has never known mercy, or love. It can't. And I have hurt you... too much. I have hurt this beautiful world too much. Please end the suffering, for both of us.”

Cadence trembled violently, and then she licked her lips slowly before silently laying her father down and slowly standing. She nodded weakly a few times, then clenched her eyes shut before looking over her shoulder, whispering: “I... I love you, Daddy.”

“I love you too, mi amore.” The king closed his eyes, bowing his head and resting his hooves across his chest before he whispered: “The Crystal Heart, Cadenza. Before it's too late. It will ensure that... that not even my memory will remain.”

Cadence trembled hard, then she looked slowly up, and stared weakly around as she realized there were countless specters and phantasms, all watching silently. The mare swallowed thickly, gazing over them seeing among these hollows the ghosts of ponies she had known countless years ago... those restless dead, destroyed by the darkness that had taken over the Crystal Kingdom, waiting for... what? Revenge? Justice? How could they ever hope to achieve either when the real root of all of this was long gone, and her father was nothing but... but a scapegoat...

The winged unicorn silently turned around, striding slowly back towards the entrance... and then she halted, looking out, seeing Shining Armor and Miss Take both waiting for her, watching respectfully, quietly. She didn't think they even realized that they were holding hooves, sitting together... such a good couple. Such a right couple, better than she and Shining had been. And he could even still be a prince, technically, couldn't he?

That thought made Cadence smile faintly, and she leaned up, settling a hoof against one door... and glancing up in surprise at how easily the massive gate shifted. It was huge and solid, but without the lock to keep it shut, moved freely.

Then her eyes roved silently back over her shoulder to her father, where he lay, peaceful and silent. She looked at him, noble, self-sacrificing... when had anyone ever sacrificed for him? He'd saved these... these scum that had become the Crystal Ponies, even though they had been nothing but murderous barbarians. He'd allowed himself to be written down in history as a tyrant and dictator. And now here he was, ready to die at his own daughter's hooves, and apologizing for it...

Cadence looked back out towards Shining Armor and Miss Take, who looked so good together. Then she looked again over her shoulder at her father, before smiling faintly and trembling as she slowly turned her eyes back forwards.

The two looked worriedly at her, but Cadence only shook her head before she said quietly: “Take care of each other, okay? This... this is the way things should be.”

And before either of them could speak, Cadence grabbed both of the colossal armored doors and shoved forwards as hard as she could. They slammed closed with a tremendous boom that drowned out the shouts of both Shining Armor and Miss Take, and their hooves made little sound as they ran forwards and pounded against the metal, as Shining desperately tried to open the lock... but Cadence knew that lock had been made by her father. It would only open for a pony who could key into her father's magic.

She turned around, and saw her father staring at her. And Cadence smiled faintly at him before she whispered: “It's okay now, Daddy. I'm... I'm going to stay with you. You've given up enough for the world... let me give something up for you. This... this is all I want, anyway.”

Cadence strode forwards, then she silently reached up and hugged her father tightly around the neck, as the king trembled... before she felt his forelegs return the embrace all the same. She heard him whisper that old nickname for her... and then his grip became tighter, and she felt his body quake as that evil they had called Sombra rose up through the king...

They pulled apart, and it was the darkness that looked at her, bared its teeth at her... but Cadence only smiled in return and gently grasped his shoulders. And Sombra looked confused... before he suddenly snarled and yanked himself away before streaking upwards, landing on a tall machine of some kind at one side of the open room and glaring down at her balefully.

Then, without a word, he was simply gone, as the audience of ghosts all looked almost accusingly at her... but Cadence only closed her eyes and sat silently down with her back to the door, knowing that sooner or later... he would come back. He would come back, and whether or not she had done the right thing didn't matter: she'd done what she'd needed to for herself.

She was his daughter. And he was her father. And they would never be apart again.

Episode VIII: A Hollow Symphony

Episode VIII: A Hollow Symphony
~BlackRoseRaven

Shining Armor and Miss Take slowly limped out of the ruins of an old watchtower, a third form bundled and shivering on the stallion's back as the Crystal Heart gleamed on the Changeling's. They both halted, looking silently over their shoulders into the gaping, dark maw that led down into the honeycombed passages where they had lost...

The stallion shook his head as he clenched his eyes shut, and then Miss Take said gently: “Come along, Shining. Look, the sky is darkening, and we have to get to help as soon as possible.”

“I'll... I'll send up a flare, that way the Royal Guard will meet us halfway.” Shining murmured, and Miss Take smiled at him encouragingly before the stallion flicked his horn sharply, a bolt of magic shooting high into the air and then lazily turning over, floating and marking their position. It wouldn't take the Royal Guard long to home in on their position... but that was no reason to stop moving, either.

He began forwards, and Miss Take followed him, both ponies looking uneasily back and forth at this eerie and desolate section of the Crystal Kingdom they had emerged into. The twilit air felt so cold against their skin, and it didn't help either of them feel like they were nearly safe yet... or like they hadn't failed almost every step of the way.

Cadence was gone. She'd locked herself up with Sombra, and... Shining clenched his teeth. He wanted to say it wasn't fair, but who the hell was he to decide that? He was angry at her for what she'd done... he was ashamed of himself for not trying to stop her, and not giving her more to fight for. For being a failure as a husband and a partner and a friend.

He lowered his head, but Miss Take only smiled at him quietly, the Changeling saying softly: “Now don't be like that, Shine. Cherish her gift, her blessing... even though it hurts. But she was brave, and she was strong, and... she did what she felt was right, Shining Armor. We couldn't have stopped her. Furthermore, we had no right to stop her from making her own decisions, even if... we don't agree with her. Even when it hurts.”

Shining Armor only shook his head, then whispered: “How can you see this as anything but a colossal failure? I know you're not so callous that you're thankful she's gone, just so you and I...”

“Don't go flinging stones just because you're hurt, Shining Armor.” Miss Take said softly but sternly, and Shining sighed a little but nodded a bit, dropping his head. Miss Take was always a lot faster to reprimand him when he started going down that stupid passive-aggressive road that Cadence had always hated too...

He swore under his breath, but then Miss Take interrupted his thoughts, saying emphatically: “You can still believe in her, darling. I know what she did, it was for herself... but it was also for her father, and it was also for us. Is that not noble, something to appreciate and be thankful for, my dearest? Of course it is. And you know that. And you also know that she was and is strong, and brave, and determined. I believe, my sweet, that she will save her father. You should too.”

Shining Armor looked silently over at the mare for a few moments, and then he bit his lip before nodding slowly and murmuring: “I... I do. Or at least, I hope she will...”

“She will.” croaked the voice of the pony bundled up on his back, and Shining Armor looked over his shoulder with surprise as Miss Take smiled warmly. The bundle shifted... and then General Archon managed to push his badly-burned, blinded face free from beneath the cloth, breathing slowly before he whispered: “I can't see... but I can tell you're dragging your hooves, Captain Armor.”

“Sir, not to be rude... but you should be dead. I've never seen a pony in as bad a condition as you are. So could you please... not insult me for once and just rest until we get to a medic?” Shining Armor asked awkwardly, and Archon grunted quietly, dropping his head and closing his eyes as the ivory unicorn sighed in relief.

“It's good to see you, Amadeus. I knew you were alive.” Miss Take said softly, and then she hesitated before adding quietly: “If the pain is too intense, I would be glad to... help you sleep...”

“No. There's... little pain. I think it's because I died.” Archon fell silent for a moment as Shining Armor frowned and Miss Take looked uneasily up at the unicorn, but the old stallion chuckled quietly before saying quietly: “I'll... debrief you both later. But off the record... I think... I remember my wife telling me I still... have a debt to repay before I can rest. And I promised my grandson I'd come home.”

Miss Take smiled faintly, and Shining Armor gave a quiet laugh before he looked up, swallowing thickly as he tried to fight back the tears that suddenly pricked at his vision, whispering: “Goddammit. I should have made Cadence promise, too.”

Archon only lowered his head, and Miss Take silently reached up to squeeze Shining's shoulder, half-resting against him as they walked onwards, the stallion leaving a trail of tears in his wake as wished that everything had been different... and yet all the same, thanked Cadence from the bottom of his heart for everything she had done, for all of them, and promised that he would never forget her.

Cadence silently wandered the massive facility, countless feet beneath the Crystal Kingdom, sealed beneath earth and darkness. She had spent quite a long time blindly trying to find her way through the shadowy halls, until she had finally wandered her way into some kind of generator room and discovered that the ancient, moldering machines still worked.

Once she had managed to turn the generators on with a few thrown switches and a lucky kick, the rest of the facility had started to wake up from its slumber and emerged into a rusted half-life. The lights were dim but lit her way well enough, and several mechanical doors had come unlocked, giving her more space to wander.

So wander she did. That was about all she could do, really, and it seemed like there were quite a few floors to the facility to look through, and she had yet to come across anything dangerous, much less alive. Oh, sure, she had come across a few awful, mechanical pony-things, but they had been broken and long-dead... or as dead as machines could be, anyway.

She paused on one of the lower levels, then glanced up at a bridge above she had just passed over a few minutes ago. Sombra was there, glaring down at her, leaning over the rails, but she only smiled at him faintly: and, after only a moment, Sombra vanished in a burst of darkness.

He had attacked her twice, but she hadn't fought back. There was no point to it: he was her father, and he was... he was sick, and not in control of himself. Furthermore, he hadn't actually hurt her: startled her the first time, sure, but the second time she had just looked up at him even as he'd pinned her down, snarling, baring his teeth... but then vanished as quickly as he'd come.

She knew her father was in there, somewhere. And she knew that she could save him, even if she wasn't entirely sure of how. The mare sighed softly as she strode silently through what was almost some kind of underground, steel plaza, looking back and forth at these stalls that could almost be shops... what purpose had this all served? There was much more to this place than just some lab, or storage warehouse... had this place meant to be some kind of underground city?

Cadence paused, then approached one of the little, shop-like stalls built into the wall and slipped inside. The front area was empty, but when she slipped into the back, she found boxes upon boxes, most of them unopened but a few eviscerated, with their contents spilling out over the floor and along the rotted-out shelves they had fallen down.

She saw nuts and bolts and other little pieces for assembling... things. She didn't really want to guess what: the thought that things like those metal ponies might need them brought ghoulish images to mind of metal ponies walking around this mall-like structure, picking up some oil here, some new screws there, then meticulously repairing themselves back at home or some other booth...

Cadence shivered a little, then she turned around and muttered: “Brings a whole new meaning to what a spa day would mean, too...”

She walked out of the shop, then frowned and glanced down the wide hall to see Sombra standing there. For a moment, they only looked at each other, and then Cadence bit her cheek before she called hesitantly: “Why don't you come and walk with me for a little while, Daddy? Or... or maybe I could follow you. You must know this place-”

Sombra growled at her, then turned and leapt into the air, vanishing into a dark streak that took flight to the floor above. He dropped out of sight, and Cadence sighed quietly before smiling faintly at the ground, murmuring: “It's... it's okay. It really is okay. Because no matter what happens, I'm still going to be here. I'm not going to leave you. And I know... you're not going to leave me.”

Cadence stopped, then she sighed and looked back and forth before turning around and muttering: “Although I'd really like something to eat. Or at least a drink of water... but I guess I might have to get used to not having a lot of either.”

She stopped, then hesitated before looking up and asking after a moment: “Dad? If I left here and promised to come back... would you wait here for me, or would you go outside to look for me? It's just... I know that when I'm here, you'll be here. Every instinct tells me that... I don't want you... following me outside and hurting ponies because you think I'm trying to leave though. I won't. You're not alone anymore, Dad...”

The only reply she heard came in the faint echo of her own voice, and she sighed softly before murmuring: “Well... either way, I still have a lot to explore first before I even think about trying to find... a way in and out. I... hey, maybe one day you and I...”

Cadence stopped, biting her lip, before she gave a faint smile. No, it felt good to talk as she walked through this deserted place... she felt like her father was listening to her when she did. Even if maybe he didn't quite understand, he was still hearing, getting used to her voice again: it was something to help him know he wasn't alone.

“Maybe one day, Daddy, you'll start feeling better... and then we can leave here, and... live somewhere nice and quiet, away from everyone.” Cadence tried to make her words as positive as possible, even if part of her was well aware it was unlikely that day would ever come. But she knew what she had gotten herself into and... she was willing to do whatever it took to be with her father. To give up what she'd had, just to have her father back, even like this...

But it didn't stop her from dreaming, and hoping, as she continued in a murmur: “Yeah... we'll have a little farm, Daddy. In Equestria... I think you'll like Equestria. It'll probably take you a little while to get used to, because it's such a warm, happy place, and I know that you're... that can scare you a little. That you're not used to that anymore, but... I'll be there beside you and even you deserve a little happiness, you know.

“No, you... you especially deserve a little happiness, Daddy... I wish you would remember that.” Cadence said softly, shaking her head briefly and smiling faintly as she strode out of the mall area, and into a long, concrete passage. She glanced back and forth, but there were no real distinct features to it: it was just a large tube, dimly lit by the hanging lights above.

She paused, then looked over her shoulder, eyes drawing to the roof as she heard a clicking sound... and then she sighed a little, saying wryly: “Daddy... I can still see you up there. Don't be silly.”

Sombra only glowered at her from where he was curled on the roof, looking at her moodily from the shadows above one of the hanging lamps. She looked up at him for a moment, then invited softly: “Come on, come down from there. I know it's hard for you to believe but... I'm not going to hurt you. I'm not going to leave you.”

Sombra only continued to look at her, cat-like as he lay against the roof, the darkness swirling around him and his ragged red cape floating eerily around his body in plain defiance of gravity. After a moment, Cadence smiled faintly, then she shook her head and murmured: “You really are being a big baby right now. But okay, Daddy. I'll... just remember that you can come down any time you want.”

Cadence turned, walking onwards down the tunnel, trying to focus on what was ahead as she reminded herself not to rush her father, to give him time, a chance to adjust. But as she stepped out of the other side of the tunnel, she couldn't help but shiver a bit as she stared back and forth and realized... there really was a lot to adjust to.

She was in some kind of massive stone cavern, huge supports towering along the length of this carved corridor she was in. They both braced the ceiling countless feet above as well as acted as supports for the system of pipes and wires that crossed the underground hall in all directions. But most of this network seemed to feed into the opposite end of the corridor, where what looked almost like a small, purposefully-detached fortress loomed.

It was all strangely unsettling. The winged unicorn looked uneasily back and forth before she shook her head quickly, then began to step into the corridor... before wincing when Sombra suddenly grabbed her by the shoulders and yanked her backwards. He growled at her, pinning her against the wall, but the look in his eyes was almost one of worry as he gestured sharply at the fortress and rasped a single word: “No.”

Cadence's eyes widened, opening her mouth... but then Sombra all-but-vanished. Yet all the same, he had tried to communicate with her... maybe even tried to warn her about something. And the mare bit her lip before she looked in the direction of the small fortress, wondering uneasily why Sombra would want her to avoid it, and feeling strangely certain that whatever was there... it was important for her to find.

But that would mean going against her father's warning... and more than that, she was well-aware it was an incredibly stupid idea. Considering that Sombra was nearly indestructible and unkillable, something that might worry him, hidden away in a place that had been put together by some kind of world-destroying giant... she should probably do her best to give it a wide berth.

And yet... what if it wasn't something bad? What if Sombra was afraid because there was something there that threatened the darkness, or brought back memories? He seemed to fear being reminded of his past, after all... maybe he was even afraid of being healed. There was no real reason to assume that it had to be something terrible...

Well, okay, maybe that was a little bit naïve. There were plenty of reasons to assume it was something horrible. But still... she could at least take a look, right? What would be the harm in that?

Cadence started down the corridor of stone, then stopped and frowned over her shoulder when she heard a growl. She saw a flash of movement, and the mare sighed quietly before looking back and forth uneasily... but with the niches in the rocky wall, the pillars and the network of pipes above, there were too many places for Sombra to hide for her to lock on to his position.

All the same, she drew her eyes slowly along the darkest corners before she sighed softly and said quietly: “Sombra... Daddy... why don't you come down here and tell me what's bothering you? I want to help you and... well... if there's something there that scares you, let's face it together, okay?”

A growl from the darkness, a shift above, and Cadence's eyes flicked up, just catching a glimpse of Sombra as he flitted over the pipes to a new hiding place. But he was fast, and she lost track of him again... until his voice whispered from a nearby clump of shadows: “No. No.”

Cadence bit her lip, looking at the wall where her father was half-hidden in a furrow, before she turned her eyes towards the fortress in the distance, shifting on her hooves, thinking silently... and then she finally sighed softly. Maybe she was rushing a little, trying to speed up her father's recovery, but... that was only going to make things worse, wasn't it?

She looked at him quietly as he rumbled in the shadows: she thought she was starting to see a little past that animal darkness, read his emotions a bit. Because there was so much more than a Brokenhearted or some wraith made of shadow and evil there: her father was in there, somewhere, and Sombra himself could think, and feel, and maybe even dream...

The winged unicorn studied him quietly for the longest time in silence, and then she finally cleared her throat as he only stared back at her from where he was buried beneath the shadows, the mare saying softly: “Okay. Let's... let's talk about it later, okay? Besides, there's lots to explore down here. I should look at everything else I can first before I go wandering into danger.”

Cadence smiled briefly, and Sombra only continued to look at her silently before the winged unicorn turned and walked back down the tunnel. She returned to the mall area, and felt Sombra's presence fade... but she knew he would be back. And in all likelihood, he was still keeping an eye on her, making sure she didn't go back towards that strange fortress or anywhere else he didn't want her to see, for whatever strange reasons he had.

Exploring the rest of this massive underground facility would probably take a day, maybe even two, to really give her a grasp of where all the rooms were and what everything contained. Even just walking around, poking her head in where something caught her eye, she found immense warehouses, and ancient, strange machinery, and in one room what looked like some kind of old aqueduct sticking out of the wall over a deep cement pit. Cadence studied this curiously, then flapped her wings and propelled herself up to the mouth of it, landing and looking thoughtfully back and forth before she murmured: “It feels cold.”

Cadence strode forwards... and then she heard a rushing sound a moment before Sombra seized her by the shoulders and flung her backwards. She barely caught herself with a flap of her wings, cursing and hovering above the pit before black gemstone tore up through the walls and floor of the tunnel, tearing the brittle stone apart and causing the lip of the passage to collapse. It likely destroyed most of the aqueduct as well, and Cadence grimaced a bit before Sombra shoved his way literally through the black gemstone, passing out of it like it was nothing but smoke as he snarled: “No escape!”

“I'm not trying to escape!” Cadence said almost pleadingly, gesturing up at him before she added in a sharper voice as she settled to the cement floor on the other side of the pit: “Tell me! Talk to me! I'm not going to leave you, I just...”

Cadence slumped, even as Sombra continued to snarl threateningly at her, and then she closed her eyes before murmuring: “Come on, Daddy... you... you can communicate. I know you must still be in there, somewhere... I know you're not entirely gone. At least, not yet...”

The winged unicorn looked up, licking her lips slowly before she sighed softly as Sombra only growled at her again. But he was... settling, at least, as she murmured quietly: “No escape. I don't want to escape. I'm here, with you... do you understand? I'm not going to run away... I'm going to stay. Stay...” Cadence pointed at herself, then silently gestured to Sombra. “With you.”

Sombra rumbled, but it was a less aggressive noise, his eyes losing some of their maleficence as he shifted on his hooves... then bared his teeth suddenly before vanishing back into the dark gemstone. Cadence did her best to remind herself that it was going to be slow and difficult, that really, the fact that Sombra was putting up with her presence at all was a good sign... but still, it hurt, and it made her... sad. Nothing else could really describe how she felt, apart from that one little word: sad.

Her eyes lowered as she pawed at the floor with one hoof for a moment, and then she shook her head quickly before muttering: “Dammit, Daddy. I wish you would talk to me...”

She looked up again at the sealed mouth of the tunnel that presumably led outside, and then she shook her head quickly before turning away, heading back through this strange facility. But on the way out, something caught her eye, and Cadence curiously made her way over to an enormous, surprisingly-whole metal tank that seemed to be steaming faintly.

Except it wasn't steam coming off it: it was very cold, she found, and the mist flowing off it was icy. It was hooked up to some kind of barrel-like contraption with a tube sticking out of it, and Cadence curiously twisted the handle on this: nothing happened, but that didn't deter her. She instead poked her way around the keg-like machine until she found another set of switches at the side of it, playing with these until the ancient machinery finally rumbled to life.

She thought it was strange: while a lot of the stuff she'd come across in this facility was garbage, some of this machinery had been fortified with magic and was made of different materials, seemingly designed to last forever. The mare curiously inspected the key, wondering what precisely it did before she walked back around to the front of it to twist that handle again... and then smile warmly as a bit of clear water splattered out of the tube.

The mare stuck her hoof in the flow before letting go of the handle to cut it off: she splashed it curiously into her mouth, then smiled again at the taste: clean and pure and cold. Now she just needed a container or two...

Cadence thought to herself, then turned around suddenly and retraced her steps back to the mall area. It took her all of twenty minutes to dig up a few large bottles and a weird little thing to carry them in: some kind of metal bin that hung off her side like a satchel, with flakes of what looked like ore still in the bottom of it.

She wondered if there was a mine down here somewhere: maybe these tunnels had even originally been mining shafts, repurposed and expanded into this little underground city. She didn't remember a lot of the details, how her father and Valthrudnir had constructed this place...

The mare shook her head as she headed back towards the facility with the water machine. She didn't want to think about it much, either: the idea that her father had been nothing but a pawn and a toy in some scheme of some world-destroying giant...

She shivered a bit, then looked down and frowned as her mind insisted on trying to hash things out all the same. She had said herself that all the Jötnar were supposed to be dead... so what about Valthrudnir? And why had he played such a sick game with them?

That part, at least, Cadence could make a few guesses at. Even from the little she'd seen of him in her own memories, Valthrudnir held himself as arrogant and superior, like they were nothing but playthings that existed for the sole purpose of his amusement. So he had amused himself, and by making his little deals and playing his little mind games, he had gotten her father to build this massive facility for him, that might still house some of his secrets...

She also felt strangely sure that Valthrudnir had been destroyed. It was only a hunch, but she figured that his arrogance had likely led him to playing a game with the wrong people: just like she instinctively knew what he had been, she instinctively knew there were others out there who could kill him. People he'd probably make the mistake of taunting and mocking and lording over instead of just destroying out of hand...

Or at least, she hoped his hubris had gotten to him. She wasn't sure that she was strong enough herself to fight something like that... even if that old, strange part of her said that it would fight all the same. It would do everything in its power to punish and kill him all the same, for the evils he had done, for his involvement in...

Cadence shivered a bit, and then she closed her eyes and stumbled to a stop as she felt a pulse of pain in her head. She was getting tired, thinking too much, and every time these old memories came up, they hurt her. They made her want to run away and bury her head in the sand...

She shook herself out briefly, then breathed slowly as she lowered her head, telling herself that she'd find a place to settle down after she picked up the water.. She focused on just making herself move forwards for now, on putting one hoof in front of the other as she made her way back to where the water machine sat in the odd duct-room.

She filled up the water bottles, then drank a little bit from the tap and let some of the liquid splash out over her face. It almost immediately helped her feel better, and the mare sighed softly as she drew her head back and shook herself briskly out, giving a wan smile as she scrubbed absently at her features with one hoof.

The mare sat back for a moment, just giving herself the space to breathe, lowering her head as memories tingled strangely through her mind. Her memories were demanding attention, and Cadence shifted uncomfortably before she sighed a little and lowered her head, rubbing slowly at her face as she murmured: “I'm scared. But I know that I can't just keep running away, can I?”

Cadence shook her head briefly, then she shook her head slowly before looking around the room. Here wasn't really the best place to confront her memories, anyway. She might as well try and make herself comfortable before she went on some weird mystic journey into her own memories, or whatever the hell she was going to do.

After a few more moments, she managed to pick herself up and get herself moving. She checked the machine over to make sure it wasn't leaking water or anything, then tossed the bottles in the carrier and made her way towards the nearest exit. She decided to explore a little further rather than head back to the mall: with everything else she was finding, she was sure there must be some kind of bunkhouse nearby.

As she walked, she let her eyes wander... and frowned uneasily as she saw a few ghosts lingering along the hall she'd chosen to go down. They seemed to be clustered near certain sections of red piping, and Cadence made a note to track down where those pipes went when she was feeling a little more... intact. That nasty part of her didn't really care, but that nicer part of her felt like if there was something she could do to help these spirits, she should. And she was starting to get the feeling that these husks of ghosts were attracted to either very good or very bad things.

Cadence turned her eyes back ahead: letting her instincts and curiosity guide her through the halls and rooms until she finally came upon the strangest thing she had ever seen. It was like a little row of tiny homes lining one wall, each with a simple door and tiny window looking in on some kind of sitting room.

The mare let herself into the first apartment, curiously striding through to the back of the room and opening the sole door there to let herself into... a kitchen of sorts, although it was unfurnished and the cupboards hung in bare disarray. It was small, but there was enough room that one, maybe even two ponies could move around it comfortably enough...

She smiled faintly, thinking of Shining Armor for a moment before heading to the back of the room, where there was another door: one that led into a small bedroom, she found. It wasn't much more than a moldy bed and a ragged pile of blankets, but the pillow looked like it might be okay... and from what she'd seen, there weren't a whole lot of vermin or pests down here.

The mare poked her way through the blankets, grabbing the most-serviceable looking ones and the pillow before she turned and made her way back out of the little... house, really. It felt more private, more quiet than an apartment, and she liked that a whole lot. She wondered silently if these had ever really been meant to be used... or if her father had designed this section of the facility, and Valthrudnir had allowed it to be built only because it probably amused him to let her father think that he'd had any real say in his plans whatsoever...

Cadence grimaced and shook these thoughts away, hating how fast they kept rising up to ruin any moment of happiness she might be having. She sighed quietly, rubbing at her face slowly before murmuring: “Just... come on, Cadence. Hold on a little bit longer, then you can have your nice little cry or... whatever it's going to take to get you back on your hooves.”

She nodded to herself firmly, then did her best to follow her own advice as she searched the remainder of the little homes. She liberated blankets and pillows from most of them, then shook these all briskly out before using a few simple cleansing spells to get as much dust off them as possible... although this made her blankets smell a little less like clean laundry and a little more like she'd gone and burned them.

Cadence made herself a little nest in the last apartment, preferring to set up on the floor of the front room rather than risk jumping into one of the beds and probably just breaking it. Besides, the blankets were thick enough she was able to lay one down under her and feel comfortable on it: she'd definitely slept in worse places. And with her metal bin and the bottles in front of the door, and one of the uglier blankets pinned up over the window, she felt strangely... safe.

Her eyes slipped closed... and almost immediately, she felt herself falling into darkness and memory, the world in her mind leaping eagerly up to catch her and pull her down. Part of her was afraid of how easy it was to lose herself in this strange world of mind and memory; the rest of her was afraid of what was waiting for her here, in a place that was supposed to be her and yet... wasn't.

She fell through the past, going beyond the life she remembered living with her father, and found herself in a place of both great light... and great darkness. She saw golden halls and golden armor, heard songs of battle and joy, felt the warmth of the fires and the cold air... no, it wasn't just the air that was cold...

Cadence's eyes opened, and she looked uneasily back and forth. She was in a place made of ice and shadow, a stone ceiling high above in place of a sky, and a gaping black pit in front of her. Around this pit were metal totems shaped like terrifying monsters, chains and torture instruments hanging from these, and Cadence shivered a little as she walked forwards and uneasily looked along these ominous, ice-speckled statues.

She stopped at the edge of the pit and looked down into it, gazing uneasily into the black water... before her eyes flicked up in surprise as a voice said softly: “Take the raw materials from Helheim. Form the flesh from the world of punishment and torment.”

The black water rippled, and then Cadence gasped and staggered backwards as ice, and metal, and the flesh of the dead spilled down from the sky, splashing soundlessly into the pool. She looked sharply to the side, trembling violently as she stared at the hawk-masked thing that was standing calmly to her left, black robes flowing around it like smoke, its metal talons tented calmly in front of it.

“Fill it with the blood of Asgard. Give it a spirit that will never crumble, that will never bow, that will never break. Make it loyal and proud.” said a second voice, and Cadence trembled as she looked to the right at a second, almost identical figure... but its mask was different, more bear than bird, and yet with the same skeletal design...

“Teach it honor, and cruelty. Make one side augment the other: may it be as cruel and ruthless as it is honorable and loyal. May it destroy what it hates as mercilessly as it protects what it adores.” said a third voice, and Cadence looked straight ahead to see a third figure in a wolfish mask, the mare trembling violently at the sight of these three things that radiated death, and control, and judgment.

“And darlings, oh, my darlings... do try and make her pretty! So pretty, she'll sweep the men of Midgard off their feet with her looks alone! Gorgeous like the... swan, oh yes, a swan, perfect! All we have to do is add a few feathers, we'll make her perfect for the Alföður's designs!”

This voice was completely different from the three terrible beings in front of her: it was female and giggly and full of life and energy and secret intentions. Cadence shivered violently before she tried to look over her shoulder, but that voice filled her with a terror she couldn't describe, that was part fealty, part awe, part raw hatred...

And, just as she began to steel herself to look over her shoulder, there was another great splash from the pool before the mare looked quickly forwards, then trembled violently as she stared into the black water, shaking her head weakly as a shape slowly began to rise from it...

It was wearing a mask, shaped like a bird's skull: it was dressed in a white cloak and dress, made of silk white as snow, gilded with gorgeous white feathers. And Cadence staggered backwards, her whimpers catching in her throat as she stared at this terrible and soulless thing, this cold and heartless doll, this homunculus; the Swan Maiden.

Cadence staggered backwards... and cold hands caught her, icy fingers squeezing into her shoulders, but Cadence didn't dare look around, trembling violently and staring with terror at the emotionless golem across from her as that sly female voice whispered into her ear: “My darling, my darling... my dangerous little dear. You are Promethean, the bitter leaves before we learned how to make them into tea. The roots before we figured out how to turn them to medicine... or poison, I suppose, that works too... for someone like you.”

The mare whimpered, shaking her head weakly, swallowing thickly before she tried to clench her eyes shut and jerk free from the cold hands and the colder memories... but the image of the Swan Maiden was burned into her mind, and those icy fingers felt as real to her as everything else she had experienced. Telling herself it wasn't real was just making the panic and the pain worse, because even if this was all in her mind... it made it no less as real as the floor she knew was under her body, or the great and empty facility she was trapped in, or her father, lost in the darkness...

“No, no. Before the Valkyries, there were many prototypes... warrior maidens, guardians, monsters of all kinds of different designs... it took the All Daddy quite a while to figure out how to make all these different things he wanted to mesh together into one special cookie.” continued the frosty being gripping into her shoulders, her voice almost tender. “Some of these, oh darling, were ancient: before I was exiled from Asgard, as a matter of fact, and let me tell you, cupcake, that was a long time ago! Longer than you can count... longer than I can count, and I'm real smart! Real smart!

“Some of these designs were lemons, wouldn't work, nope not-at-all; others were powerful and dangerous... but hideous. And I don't just mean outside: some were pretty gross inside, too.” the female voice continued informatively, and Cadence trembled at how... entertained it sounded. “Some were able to learn, others were just dumb brutes, and All Daddy threw most of them away... except the ones that turned out not quite right, but oh, were still so very useful...”

The voice giggled, and those frosty claws massaged along her shoulders before Cadence slowly opened her eyes, staring weakly at the Swan Maiden before she whispered: “I'm just... I'm nothing but some kind of puppet... a... a failed experiment, a monster...”

“Oh, darling...” purred the female voice, and Cadence trembled before whispering: “Some of my best friends are monsters... and look at you, Danzsöngr! Oh, aren't you just the sweetest of cupcakes these days? You got wrapped up in a package of flesh and blood when you fell, and you crashed down into the embrace of that stallion you came to call 'Daddy,' and now... look at you, sweetie! Taught to feel, taught to love, taught to be gentle and kind and good... even if it seems that just like a cat, when you lose one of nine lives, another layer of the new gets skinned away, like you're slowly but surely returning to what you once were...”

Cadence whimpered and tried to shake herself free from that icy grip before she looked up in horror as the Swan Maiden seemed to lean towards her, staring at her with emotionless, cold eyes that glowed like spotlights through her mask, and the winged unicorn staggered backwards in terror before whirling around... and finding nothing at all behind her. Literally nothing: there was only darkness all around her, even as a cold claw seemed to draw teasingly down her side as that female voice sang almost lovingly: “Remember who you are... remember where you came from... and never forget the times we spent, together...”

“Get out of my head!” Cadence shouted, grabbing at her face and trembling violently. She shivered, clenching her eyes shut, desperately trying to wake up, to wake up, to wake up...

Something grasped her. Something warm, hooves that she recognized the touch of, and the mare's eyes snapped open before she looked up to see Sombra standing over her, looking down at her silently. She gazed back up at him, then trembled faintly before throwing herself forwards and hugging him tightly around the neck.

Her father stiffened... then suddenly yanked away, and Cadence flopped stupidly forwards to the ground before there was a rush of shadow as Sombra hurriedly fled, tearing down the curtain as he leapt out of the room. Cadence shivered on the floor for a moment, gritting her teeth... before she frowned suddenly, looking back and forth as surprise outweighed her heartache.

She was awake. It wasn't a dream, and her father had actually been here in this room. He'd actually made contact with her... and the mare looked down silently for a moment before she gave a faint smile, reaching up and brushing her mane carefully back. That meant her father really must be inside that shell... he really was responding to her, or at least trying to.

Cadence sat up, then rested back in the mound of blankets and pillows she had made, breathing slowly before she shook herself out quickly. She honestly wasn't sure what to make of... anything, really. But now that she was waking up, shaking off what she was trying her hardest to think of only as 'bad dreams,' and there was the thought that her father had been here, watching over her, trying to soothe her when she was suffering...

Something inside her asked almost coldly how she could be so sure that Sombra hadn't just been feeding off her pain... but Cadence remembered that warmth. More than that, there was the love of her father: her father, who had found a filly that had fallen from the sky and taught her love, and how to be good, and nurtured her into who she was today.

No matter what she was... even if she had once been Danzsöngr, a Swan Maiden, before whatever had happened, had happened, and she'd been flung out of Valhalla and fallen to Midgard... she was also Cadence. She couldn't escape her past, perhaps, but that didn't change who she was in the present... and she was pretty damn sure she had emotions, thoughts, dreams, desires of her own. Whatever she'd once been, now she was... she was more.

Cadence shifted a little, then nodded once to herself. Still, it took a few minutes for her to pick herself up and get herself going. She checked her armor, and smiled briefly as she drew one of her throwing knives out of her belt: great against most opponents, but... the Brokenhearted, Sombra, Pain... she wished a little she'd learned to specialize in something else.

But then again, she'd made it through all the same, right? She'd never have to worry about fighting Sombra again, and Pain was gone, purged by fire. And as far as she knew, there were no other Brokenhearted that had been infected by the dark energies that Sombra radiated: she was sure there were still ponies out there with broken hearts, but nothing like Sinister or Dexter or Pain.

Cadence sat back against the wall, looking down at her own hoof. She knew that Sombra spread his poison without meaning to. She knew that his presence itself was toxic, maligning whatever he spent too much time around. She knew that his dark magic and the negative energy he emitted affected unicorns the deepest... so did all that mean that one day, she would become like him? Or was the fact that she seemed to have gotten used to the poisonous atmosphere of this place actually a good thing?

Cadence didn't know, either way. She shifted a little, then only smiled faintly before closing her eyes and bowing her head, murmuring: “You know what? Either way, it doesn't matter. Either way... I'm with my Father, and that's all that I care about. I'm here with you, Daddy. I won't abandon you, no matter what happens. And how can my heart break if I'm happy?”

She looked up, then nodded once before finally picking herself up off the floor, deciding it was time to stop moping and continue exploring. She knew there was still plenty of the facility left to explore, after all... and she figured that Sombra must have a little nook of his own somewhere, too.

Ten minutes later, Cadence was wandering through a section of the facility she hadn't been in yet, marveling over how... whole this part of the building looked. Pipes were still gleaming, the lights were bright, there was a lingering sensation of warmth... and the only thing that made her shiver was the fact there were quite a few phantasms silently standing around here and there, many of these spiritual husks frozen in strange and almost distorted poses.

Cadence wished silently she could do something for them... or at least, that she could close her eyes to them. Maybe that was a little cruel to think, but there was nothing she could really do for most of them anyway: some of these spirits were nothing but... residual energy, memories that had been scarred into the very reality of this place, their souls long since moved on and leaving only these flickering shapes behind.

She did her best not to walk through too many of the phantasms on her way through the hall, trying to focus mostly on that warmth herself: with a bit of effort, though, she was able to put the husks out of mind, treating them more like they were part of the scenery than the eerie shreds of spirits. Instead, she put her focus on checking out the rooms breaching off from this hall, and she was pleasantly surprised by a few of the things she found.

She found special designing equipment in one room, and another was filled with textbooks on magic. Another looked like a personal office, although she was disappointed to find that most of the old parchments in here had either turned to dust or disintegrated at her touch. She found enough to know that this room hadn't belonged to her father, though, which admittedly made her lose some of the interest in it... although it left her wondering who else had been involved in this project. She wished back then she'd paid more attention to it... but she'd always avoided the facility, too afraid of running into Valthrudnir or Thesis.

But as she continued through these rooms, she found one that was dominated by a strange, circular machine. It had little metal arms sticking out of it, meant to hold something in place, and there were various scrapers and special tools scattered over the floor, spilled from the guts of a large, overturned shelf on wheels. And there was a large rolling table on one side of the room, with raw crystal and half-formed gemstones covering it, and what looked like some kind of heart-shaped mold...

Cadence realized that this was where her father had shaped the Crystal Heart, and she turned with amazement back towards the strange machine in the center of the room. She stroked silently along the device, studying it intently before she asked softly: “Is that why this all feels so good? You worked so hard to turn Valthrudnir's machines against him...”

It made her admire her father all the further before she strode quietly around the machine, heading to the metal table and silently tracing over several of the imperfect crystals. Some were rough, others were smooth but broken, a few were nothing but raw materials that had been smashed or clearly used for practice. She wondered how long it must have taken for him to master this, all in secret, all while fighting the darkness slowly taking him over...

Cadence turned around, and she was unsurprised to see Sombra was standing in the doorway, looking at her. She gazed back at him, and then she bit her lip for a moment before giving a brief smile and stepping slowly forwards.

Sombra tensed, his eyes narrowing, but he allowed her to get a little closer: when she closed the distance to just a few feet, however, he dropped his head with a growl, body flexing. Immediately, Cadence stopped and sat back, smiling at him comfortingly: she knew he wasn't going to attack her, but she didn't want to drive him off, either.

She just sat, and Sombra slowly relaxed even as he slid back an inch, scowling a little and returning his cat-like glare to her. She looked calmly back at him, and there was silence for the longest time before the mare finally cleared her throat, then asked quietly: “So how much... do you remember, Daddy? I... I think I'm starting to remember everything. Even all the little details...”

Cadence glanced down, then she shook her head and closed her eyes, murmuring: “You really did save me... you know that, right? I came here a disoriented little filly and you picked me up and you taught me right from wrong, good from evil... you taught me love, and loyalty, and honor and compassion. No, even more than that, you taught me virtue.”

She stopped, then looked down and laughed a little before her eyes flicked back up towards him, studying the stallion as he only continued to look at her, unmoving, silent. “I was just a young mare when all this happened, but... I can't help but feel all of it is my fault. I think Valthrudnir... came looking for me. I think he had some idea what I was... but he walked right past me, because he started playing that sick game with you and our kingdom and... he never expected a monster like me to have turned into who I am now.”

“Monster...” Sombra echoed, and Cadence looked at him silently before the dark stallion furrowed his brow, then bared his teeth at her. “No.”

But Cadence only gave a faint smile, lowering her head and reaching up to quietly touch her own breast. “Yes. I am, more than you are. Daddy, you're... you're sick. It's not your fault, everything you've done; you tried so hard to save everyone, in spite of... in spite of who they were, and what had happened to you.”

“Me?” Cadence laughed faintly, whispering: “What those barbarians did to our people... how they... abused you in the past, how you died fighting to save them, and how now, their descendants call you a monster and a tyrant and...”

She stopped, shaking her head slowly before murmuring: “You taught me to be good, and to be strong, and to fight to protect these ponies even if I couldn't... swallow my bitterness. You taught me never to kill unless necessary... and yet I have killed. I've killed dozens on my way to find you, even knowing they were being used by the Phoenix Guild and others. I made Sinister and Dexter suffer, and I... I enjoyed it. I... I'm not a good pony, Daddy. I'm sorry.”

Sombra shifted back and forth... and then he suddenly turned and vanished through the door, and Cadence sighed softly before she murmured: “And somehow... I still feel better. I still feel like you listened, like you heard me, and... like one day, you'll just sweep in and make everything better when I least expect it.”

Cadence glanced over her shoulder at the shaping machine one last time, and then she strode back out into the hall and pressed onwards. She just let herself wander, eyes roving back and forth silently as she slowly made her way through the facility, leaving the warm halls behind and entering some kind of massive storage warehouse...

There were boxes upon boxes, many of them wrapped in plastic: Cadence stopped by one of these to curiously rip the thin material off, then poke along the cargo crate until she found two half-hidden handles on either side that she simply had to pull until there was a gasp of air and a clank. The top of the cargo box popped up, Cadence wincing away before she hesitantly yanked it the rest of the way open on the hidden hinge, then looked down with surprise at the countless unmarked cans inside.

Cadence picked one up and stepped away, letting the lid slam back down. She flicked one of her knives out of her belt with telekinesis, then stabbed firmly into the top of it... and was rewarded with a gush of soupy liquid.

She grimaced, then licked some of this stuff off her knife before looking moodily at the can. Beans, it tasted like. Not her favorite but... well... the pang of hunger she felt told her that it would do. Not that she really needed to eat or anything, but right now a bit of food would help her feel better. She'd always been an emotional eater... Shine had always hated that...

She smiled faintly, wondering how he and Miss Take were doing. She had no idea how long it had been since they'd parted ways, though... this place seemed... timeless. The lights were always the same, there was no sound, no weather, no nothing but the endless stretches of concrete and metal, and occasionally her father...

Cadence pried the top off the can with her throwing knife, then wiped it clean before tossing it back in her belt, drinking the cold, soggy beans from the can like soup. She grimaced a little at the sliminess and the taste, but... it was better than nothing. That was what she kept telling herself: that it was better than nothing, and she should be thankful for that.

She ate most of the beans, then looked awkwardly at the can before shrugging a little and turning her eyes towards a moldy-looking metal box sitting nearby. It didn't seem to have anything useful in it, so she tossed the empty can inside, awkwardly looking back and forth and calling lamely: “I uh... it would help if you could tell me where everything is, Daddy! Then again, I guess... you probably don't care that much about litter down here...”

Cadence shifted awkwardly... then sighed before looking moodily over the other cargo crates. She thought about trying to pry more of them open, maybe find something better to eat, but the beans had... well, made her not hungry, that was probably the best way to put it.

Instead, she headed onwards, wandering into the halls again: she walked them for a few hours before finally succeeding in making a full circle of the facility, arriving back at the sealed entrance doors. The mare looked at these for the longest time, then smiled faintly as she looked to the side and said softly: “You didn't manage to sneak up on me this time.”

Sombra looked at her quietly from where he was standing across the room, the dark stallion regarding her silently. He shifted back and forth, then suddenly narrowed his eyes at her before saying quietly: “Go.”

Cadence frowned at him, and Sombra bared his fangs at her, then he stepped forwards, shouting furiously: “Go! Go! Go!”

He stomped towards her, snarling furiously, and Cadence staggered backwards, shaking her head and trying to shout over his ranting, his chanting: “No, stop, I'm not going to go, I'm not going to leave you here-”

Sombra grabbed her by the shoulders, then half-turned and flung her viciously into the doors, Cadence gasping in pain before Sombra pointed at her and shouted, in a voice that was raw with not just rage, but despair and pain and even fear: “Go!”

And then, without another word, he turned into a streak of black smoke that shot backwards, and Cadence mouthed wordlessly at him before she trembled for a moment, then gritted her teeth and charged after him, yelling almost desperately: “I'm not leaving you, Daddy! I won't leave, and I won't abandon you! Come back!”

She chased him through the facility, every now and then catching a glimpse of him ahead as he looked back at her with something like terror and pain in his glowing eyes. And as she started to close in on him down one long, sloping corridor, he suddenly spun around and roared, his horn glowing blackly before massive spikes of black crystal tore up through the floor and walls, barring her way.

Cadence didn't stop, didn't slow: instead, she picked up speed before gritting her teeth and leaping upwards, flapping her wings sharply as her whole body glowed white, wings spreading wide before she smashed straight through the black stone like it was nothing but smoke. She dropped down on the other side of the barrier, and Sombra shook his head violently, spinning around and bursting apart into shadow that arced into the next room. “Go!”

“No!” Cadence shouted back as she continued the chase: she smashed his way through the barriers and the traps he dropped as he tried to flee from her, slowly but steadily gaining until they crashed into the mall area, Sombra looking wildly back and forth before he tried to make a leap to the upper levels-

And Cadence shot in front of him, forcing him to veer around in midair before he streaked towards the only exit he could see: the far tunnel on the bottom floor.

Cadence chased him, and Sombra hissed almost desperately as he was forced into the stone passage, looking wildly back and forth before he started to leap up towards the network of pipes: but Cadence was still in the air, shooting forwards to intercept him, and the stallion dove back to the ground to narrowly avoid her grab, becoming shadow that streaked rapidly down the long corridor and towards that small, detached fortress in the distance.

The winged unicorn followed, breathing hard as she struggled to keep up to him, but refusing to let him escape: one way or the other, she was going to make him understand that he couldn't drive her off, and she wasn't going to abandon him. Then she winced as her father, in the shape of almost-liquid darkness, simply slid under the sealed doors that barred the way into this desolate-looking fortress.

Cadence dropped from the air and landed in front of the building, hesitating even though she knew every moment she lost was another chance for Sombra to find a way to outmaneuver her... and then she bit her lip, shifting nervously. Maybe she should go, wait for him to come to her again... except, well, he had been scared of this place, too, hadn't he? And she had to show him she wasn't afraid of him, or afraid of staying here with him. She needed to... to reach back to him, because in a weird way, his lashing out was an attempt to connect with her, to protect her.

She breathed slowly in and out, then strode forwards and uneasily pushed against one of the doors. It gave a little, so she pushed harder, gritting her teeth and muscling the heavy, armored door slowly open to step past it and into a pristine white room that was also... terribly cold.

She shivered, exhaling and scowling a little at the sight of her own breath as the door rumbled shut behind her. Cadence uneasily looked back and forth through the empty lobby she had entered, noting that the only decorations present were paired black statues of ponies standing lifelessly on either side of the two sets of double doors in the walls, facing each other... mirroring perfectly. She was starting to get the feeling that whoever had designed this place was a big fan of symmetry. And even after countless years of just sitting empty, there was surprisingly little damage. Stains of rot here, a few cracks there, but otherwise... cold, and flawless, and so... hollow.

There was a large, tinted window in the far wall, but her view through the glass was obstructed by what looked like a metal shutter. Cadence approached the window all the same, striding along it as if she could magically see through the steel at the right angle, and then she shook her head quickly before grimacing and looking up at the ceiling... but it was flat, featureless, with no shadows for her father to hide in.

After a moment, she closed her eyes and took a slow breath, her horn thrumming faintly... and then she frowned uncertainly, turning back towards the window. She could feel some powerful life force on the other side of this wall... was that her father? But it felt different somehow: there was certainly a hint of... poison, but...

She shook her head briefly, shifting uncertainly before deciding to head to the left for now. She couldn't really feel anything apart from that presence, so she only shook her head briefly before pacing quietly towards the double doors she had chosen.

They pushed open easily, and Cadence strode through into a curving corridor that was as sterile and empty as the first room. Again, only the black metal statues stood sentinel, and more windows faced in towards whatever room was in the center of this cold, soulless place, all of them shuttered and blocking the growing curiosity she felt, wanting to know what the hell was at the core of this place...

Cadence felt herself almost drawn down the corridor, to another room that almost perfectly mirrored the lobby: the only differences were that there was no exit door here, and instead of a window into the center room, there was a massive, armored vault door. The winged unicorn looked over this for a few moments, then bit her lip before she reached up and grasped the valve handle on one side of it, spinning it rapidly until there was a loud hiss of air, and the huge door swung slowly open.

The winged unicorn hesitantly stepped through the circular doorway, staring out with confusion at the room beyond. It looked... well... unimpressive to her. Sure, the floor was a little weird: it was arranged almost into circular slices that formed steps down to the center of the room, where there was some kind of dome-shaped machine humming pleasantly away.

She looked up... and stared in disbelief at the sight of the massive pipes and cables that crisscrossed back and forth over the roof, all feeding into some kind of massive metal ring that was suspended on thin metal arms. The mare looked uneasily at this, her eyes drawing over the sinister runes carved over its face before she shivered a little as some old, ancient part of her mind whispered: It's a portal ring...

Cadence hesitantly stepped forwards... then flinched in surprise as the dome in the center of the room suddenly slid apart, revealing an unpleasant-looking, rectangular machine topped with a glowing crimson sphere, a mechanical voice ordering: “Halt for inspection.”

Cadence stopped and frowned... then winced when a bright red light shone out of the orb, scanning back and forth over her body before the machine beeped several times, then announced as the light vanished: “Foreign entity detected: analysis indicates moderate threat level. Commencing system lockdown.”

The dome slammed closed, and Cadence grimaced as the vault door slammed shut behind her... before her eyes widened as she heard something gearing slowly up beneath her, her instincts howling-

The mare leapt to the air only a moment before the entire floor crackled violently with electricity, Cadence swearing under her breath and hovering nervously before glaring down at the dome as the machine said in its calm, maddening voice: “Warning. Foreign entity still active. Reanalyzing and preparing to deploy security drones.”

A pause, and then several clicks before sirens began to faintly blare throughout the halls, muffled by the thick walls and shutters over the windows. “Warning. Second foreign presence detected. Alert: analysis indicates second presence is of higher threat level. Recalculating and adapting for new parameters, please wait...”

“Yeah, sure, I'll just sit here and wait for you to kill me.” Cadence muttered, then she shot quickly forwards and circled the dome before she quickly drew two of her knives from her belt with telekinesis, stabbing these sharply down into the narrow split where the dome could part.

Immediately, the machine began to beep away, electricity sparking violently over the surface of the metal shell, but Cadence grimaced only a little when sparks shot past her face, her knives sizzling but refusing to slip away as she pried the shielding apart little by little. She gritted her teeth, then snorted as the crimson orb pulsed erratically, displaying the closest thing to fear some programmed piece of metal could as it warned: “Breach imminent. Be advised that in the event of Master Lobe damage, override will engage and CK-7 will be activated.”

“Don't know what that means. Don't care.” Cadence growled as she managed to force the shell completely open, and then she simply slammed a hoof down into the crimson sphere, shattering it in a burst of electricity.

She flinched away from the crackle of lightning, then flapped her wings hard as the machine exploded with enough force to send her knives and pieces of metal shielding flying in all directions, the mare wobbling backwards in the air before dropping to the floor as she lost her balance... and sighing in relief as she only felt a faint stinging beneath her hooves, the trap disabled. But she could still hear the alarms blaring outside, and what sounded faintly like fighting... was her father in trouble? Was there something else out there?

Cadence began to turn... and then she staggered backwards in surprise as the broken ruins of the machine buzzed weakly, before a distorted, electronic voice echoed through the room: “Catastrophic damage detected... override en-engaged. CK-7... activated. Operational status: fifty percent... optimizing for current condition... attempting data download: f-failed.”

There was a loud clanking, before Cadence looked back and forth in surprise as what looked to her like several long, thin shelves of metal slowly rose up around the center of the room. But they were filled with wires and microchips and things that Cadence didn't understand, the mare gritting her teeth and wondering if she should start attacking these while she had the chance before her attention was drawn again to the center of the room.

The ruined machine was shivering... and then it slowly began to rise as a wide, circular section of flooring rose slowly up, revealing some kind of glassy capsule. And Cadence staggered backwards in horror at the sight of the thing inside, as that awful mechanical voice proclaimed: “A-All hail the Clockwork King!”

The monster inside the glass tube was enormous and metal and shaped terribly like the dragon she had come to fear so much: it was some kind of mechanical, massive golem, with red glass eyes and thick plates of metal armoring its bipedal body. And whatever it was, it was far from complete: one arm was little more than a metal skeleton and thick cables that were bunched up like muscle, both its legs were incomplete, with some kind of exoskeletal braces locked around its limbs to keep it standing inside the tube.

Wires fed down from the top of the tube into the back of its neck, and more cables came up from the floor, plugged into its incomplete legs and its spine. Cadence shivered as she stared at this horrible thing... and then she stumbled backwards in shock as it moved suddenly, electricity sparking over its body before it announced in a cold, emotionless voice: “Assimilating and enslaving local systems... takeover complete. Unit CK-7 online. Pinging Decretum; awaiting response.”

The machine's eyes flashed, then lit up with crimson, cruel light before it leaned forwards, its soulless glare locking on her as it ordered: “Surrender and submit to conversion, or be exterminated.”

Cadence shivered, then gritted her teeth and shouted angrily: “If you can understand me, you oversized tin can, then listen up! I will never bow my head to any stupid metal doll of Valthrudnir's! I'm going to push every trace of him out of this place, and out of this world, and that starts with you!”

The golem looked coldly at Cadence from inside its glass prison, and then it straightened before pushing its claws against the sides of the cylinder it was in, saying calmly: “Analysis complete. Targeting and defensive systems engaged.”

Cadence swore under her breath, then drew one of her knives, deciding to attack before this thing could size her up any further... before staring in disbelief as several walls of thin metal rose out of the ground between her and the mechanical monstrosity. Then she winced as the thin steps of metal beneath her hooves began to move, as more of the narrow walls rose up from the segmented floor, sparking with electricity.

The mare stumbled, then threw herself backwards, her sharp eyes sizing up what was going on: all those segmented rings in the floor that she had thought were just steps... they were all moving now, some clockwise, others counterclockwise, all at different speeds as thin metal walls rose up to various heights out of the floor. Some were even rising and falling to further confuse her... and even though the rotations left the occasional window or aisle she could see the golem controlling them through, there was no pattern to it she could discern.

The mare looked up, then gritted her teeth before leaping into the air as she spread her wings... and then gasping as a massive weight seemed to grab her out of nowhere, slamming her cruelly to the ground. She struggled to stand up, baring her fangs before she looked down in horror as she heard machinery rumbling beneath the floor and she saw sparks of electricity travel along the ground...

Cadence gritted her teeth and shoved herself off the floor as hard as she could: she barely managed to hop in what felt like incredibly-increased gravity her horn sparking violently before she almost crumpled to the ground. But beneath her, the floor now glowed bright pink... and she flinched only slightly backwards when electrical energy surged over the metal, the mare wheezing in relief and muttering: “Thank you for teaching me that, Shining...”

There was a loud crackle and sizzle, and Cadence looked sharply up as she heard the ancient machinery losing power and gearing down, the metal walls grinding to a halt in their rotations. It left a narrow hall straight to the strange machine in the center of the room, as it announced coldly: “Overload detected. Recalibrating and rebooting systems now.”

Cadence didn't understand its words, but she understood what the sudden lack of movement, electricity, and pressure against her meant: the golem was vulnerable. And Cadence gritted her teeth as she launched herself forwards through the opening between the shielding it had created, her horn glowing bright white before she threw herself into a lunge when she drew close.

Her hooves and horn smashed viciously into the barrier, cracks ripping through the glass even as the mare flinched in pain as she rebounded. But she caught herself and quickly leapt up, flapping her wings hard and tracing vicious punches up along the front of the cracked tube, the front of the cylinder crumpling inwards further and further from the strength of her blows.

The golem in the cylinder only watched her movements coldly, crimson eyes pulsing before it suddenly lashed a fist forwards, moving freakishly fast for its size and stature. A steel fist smashed through the safety glass, punching into Cadence with enough force to send her flying backwards with a gargle of shock before she cursed and flapped her wings hard as instinct screamed at her.

She barely avoided being sliced in two by one of the metal walls as it sped towards her: instead, it only clipped her hind limb as she lurched backwards, knocking her off-balance. She spiraled wildly out of the air, then cried out in agony as she hit another thin metal framework stomach-first, bouncing off it and crashing to the ground on her back with a groan of pain.

She shivered and shook herself fiercely out, then slowly began to force her way up to her hooves, breathing hard and glaring towards the center of the room as the golem said, voice uncaring and unchanged: “Containment field integrity at twenty-five percent. Overriding safety parameters.”

“Now if only I knew what the hell he was saying.” Cadence muttered... and then she grimaced as the metal walls in front of her began to revolve again, electricity sparking along the sharp steel frames before she snapped: “You can't hide in there all day, I'll-”

“Purging atmosphere.” announced the mechanical voice emotionlessly, and Cadence had a moment to frown before she looked back and forth in shock as several large vents clanked open, a horrible rushing sound filling the air... except a moment later, there was no air.

Cadence gargled, then clutched at her throat, her eyes bulging, her body spasming violently before she looked desperately back and forth. But she couldn't hear, could barely see, and gravity was increasing again as she felt that distinct hum of electricity building up, up, up...

The mare screamed silently, then suddenly twisted around as her horn sparked with energy, turning bright white before she shot into the air in defiance of the increased gravity, of the lack of atmosphere, of the mechanical world's attempts to bind her down.

She transformed, becoming an ivory phoenix that streaked through the air to smash into one of the shuttered windows: she collided with enough force to tear a hole in the metal cover and bend it completely out of place, the glass beyond shattering as she turned back into a stupefied mare a moment before she was buffeted backwards by a gush of air as oxygen, precious oxygen, flooded back into the room.

“Quarantine breached.” The synthetic voice almost sounded disgusted as Cadence flopped painfully down to the ground, gasping in pain as electricity sparked over her body... but the electrical charge was already fading rapidly as the framework shielding the golem ground slowly to a halt. “Recalibrating systems.”

Cadence gritted her teeth, coughing before she staggered up to her hooves, then lunged forwards in spite of the fact it felt like every nerve in her body was on fire. She stumbled into a run, zigzagging through the metal shielding before charging towards the broken front of the capsule.

She leapt towards the hole that the golem had punched in its own sanctuary, and as she'd half-expected, the machine moved with lightning speed and precision, slamming a punch towards her that shattered the face of the glass prison... but Cadence bared her teeth and streamlined her body, stretching her forelegs out to catch its limb and then yank herself forwards as her wings flapped hard.

She almost slid up its incomplete arm, sending up sparks as her armor scraped against pieces of metal before she caught the beast around the neck and spun around it like an axle. Her horn slashed down, tearing through the cables feeding into the back of its neck, then through the wires feeding along its spine before she hit the ground, swinging a hoof out to twine into a mess of black cords connecting to one of its incomplete legs.

Before she could tear them free, the golem spun around and kicked her viciously in the stomach, knocking her back into the glass wall with a gargle of pain. Cable tore and snapped, and Cadence brought up both forelegs, wincing in pain as the metal foot of the monster slammed cruelly into her bracers, then again and again, denting and warping steel as her body hit the curved glass behind her with enough force to send a spiderweb of cracks through it. And just as she began to move to get out from under the kicks, one of its metal claws reached down and seized the mare by the mane.

She cried out as she was yanked into the air and pinned cruelly by the skull to the wall behind her, then she cursed and forced herself to focus as it swung its other metal fist at her, gritting her teeth and swinging her own hooves out to deflect the blow to the side. Instead of crushing her, the golem punched a hole through the glass shielding, and Cadence hurriedly snapped her horn forwards as she flung herself backwards, wrenching loose from its grip as she shattered through the glass wall.

She hit the ground and rolled backwards into the metal shielding, flinching in pain before scrabbling to her hooves... and the golem glared down at her with artificial scorn and hatred before it said coldly: “Warning. Hardware failure detected. Recalibrating. Threat level elevated.”

Cadence grimaced as she shook herself out, looking uneasily over her shoulder at the framework behind her... before frowning uneasily as the tall, thin slices of metal all began to sink slowly back into the ground.

She shifted nervously, looking back towards the golem in its glass cage... before her eyes widened as the machine calmly tore itself free of the remaining wires before stepping forwards and smashing through the wall of the capsule like it wasn't even there. Cadence hurriedly backpedaled, gritting her teeth before the golem's red eyes flashed, announcing coldly: “Initiating primary engagement. Systems optimized.”

Moving almost casually, the machine reached back and grasped the top of the capsule, which still had the remains of the broken dome and destroyed machine on it. Then the golem ripped this loose before half-turning and flinging it at Cadence with ease, and the mare was barely able to leap out of the way with a curse before the machine stomped after her, raising one mechanical arm.

Cadence's eyes widened as a section of plating slid open on its forearm and what looked like some kind of weapon emerged. The mare leapt to the side as it aimed at her, barely avoiding a blast from some kind of cannon: whatever it was, it cut cleanly through the metal floor where she had been standing a moment, leaving a distinct, circular wound.

The cannon traced after her as Cadence bolted to the side, before leaping into the air with a wince when it fired again: the shot narrowly tore through her tail, sending down a chunk of burnt, blackened hairs as she cursed in surprise before she snapped her horn sharply towards the creature.

An ivory fireball shot through the air and hit the golem... and it dissipated to nothing but embers on contact, the golem slowly turning towards her as it held up its other hand. Lightning surged between its fingers, and Cadence narrowly dodged to the side before a massive blast of electricity erupted through the space where she had been a moment before, the mare hissing in pain as the edge of the discharge managed to catch her all the same.

Then she stared as the cannon pointed straight at her: she barely reacted in time, leaping straight up as it traced several shots after her. The bullets of energy tore through the floor and wall with ease, Cadence cursing under her breath before she quickly drew a throwing knife from her belt and flung it sharply at the golem.

The knife bounced harmlessly off the machine's chest, not leaving so much as a scratch. It seemed to distract the golem, however, which allowed Cadence to hurry around towards its side, as the golem announced calmly: “Analyzing.”

Cadence rushed towards its back... and even if it was ungainly, it managed to stomp around in a circle quickly enough to swing one arm backwards to intercept her wild dive, smashing her across the face and knocking her flying to the side.

She hit the ground on her back, but then quickly rolled and shoved herself off the ground, springing into the air and flapping her wings once as the golem shot at her. The energy bullet narrowly whizzed by, punching through a shutter instead and shattering the glass on the other side.

The mare dropped from the ceiling as the golem fired again... and then its arm suddenly spasmed, electricity sparking along the limb. Cadence's eyes widened as she saw the cannon had turned a bright orange from all the shots it had fired, and the mare made a wild run at the creature, hoping that meant what she thought it did.

It stepped towards her, electricity sizzling over both arms as it slammed them savagely down to crush her, but Cadence dodged the attack before jumping forwards and smashing a hoof across its steel face. She barely dented the metal, however, the mare cursing before a steel claw lashed up and smashed her away, ripping through her breastplate and tearing deep wounds through her chest as she was knocked crashing painfully backwards.

She skidded around in a circle... then stared in disbelief as the golem straightened, the mare feeling a powerful thrum of magic as several metal plates on its chest slid quickly out of place. It revealed what looked like an enormous, crimson gemstone in its breast, surrounded by bubbling tubes of black poison, all of it fused together by metal and wires and vicious alchemy...

Two large, circular lenses swung out in front of the gemstone, and it glowed with hellish energy before releasing a powerful blast of red light that was focused into a ruby laser. Cadence narrowly avoided the beam, wincing in surprise as crimson lightning splashed up where the laser struck and traced slowly forwards, leaving a long trail of melted metal over the floor and up one wall.

Then the golem twitched before the energy vanished, the lenses folding rapidly back into its body as the plates slid closed over its breast. Steam hissed up from its frame as Cadence gritted her teeth, realizing a little too late that it was vulnerable, going too slowly into a sprint...

The golem recovered, its red eyes flashing before it stepped forwards and slammed a fist down, and Cadence narrowly dodged out of the way before she leapt forwards, running up along its arm and then leaping past its shoulder to drop to the ground-

It swung one blocky heel backwards and smashed her away like she was nothing but a bean bag, the mare swearing in frustration and more stunned than she was hurt. She recovered quickly, but the golem was already turning, again forcing her to back quickly off and instead attempt to hurry behind its back.

She looked sharply over it: it was missing a lot of its outer armor, but disabling its legs or naked arm would still be extremely difficult. It had strength and range advantages on her, and incredibly sharp senses: she didn't think it was possible to ambush this thing, and it was only growing more dangerous by the moment. She needed help. She needed a miracle.

And then one of the broken shutters was torn completely loose from the shattered window, Sombra leaping into the room with a snarl. His shadow-body trembled, his eyes glowing with rage and hate before he roared furiously at the machine, and the golem's attention was drawn towards the dark stallion as it said coldly: “Warning. Anomaly detected. Reevaluating: recommencing engagement under new parameters.”

“Daddy! We have to work together!” Cadence shouted, hopeful and desperate... and then she gritted her teeth as Sombra completely ignored her, simply barreling straight towards the golem.

The machine only rose its cannon and fired, and Sombra howled in misery as the bullet of energy tore through his body and knocked him backwards with a tunnel torn through his body, the stallion falling limp and still as black smoke burned up from his prone form. Cadence's eyes widened as her mouth fell open, but she couldn't scream, couldn't speak, as the golem said coldly: “Hostile terminated. Moving to reengage previous target.”

The golem slowly turned towards Cadence, and the pink mare swallowed back her tears as she gritted her teeth and set herself, waiting for the machine to begin targeting her before she leapt straight up and flapped her wings hard, launching almost to the ceiling.

It fired at her, but Cadence zigzagged back and forth, the bullets of energy smashing through the wall, then tearing up through the mess of cables and pipes above, knocking chunks of ceiling loose to crash in a hail around the pink mare. She used the chaos to her advantage, dodging backwards into the mess of dust and swinging, torn cable and hanging pipes.

The golem strode slowly after her, scanning back and forth through the confusion before it stopped and rose its other hand. Lightning crackled along its fingers for a moment, and then there was a tremendous, thunderous boom before the mare was violently ejected from her hiding spot with a cry of agony as the shockwave of electricity pounded against her.

She hit the ground in a smoking heap, rolling backwards with a curse before hurriedly picking herself up and glaring up at the machine only a few feet away. Then her eyes widened in horror as the golem stepped forwards, slamming a steel stump of foot down on top of her as she desperately shoved both forelegs up, fighting to keep it from crushing the life out of her as the machine said coldly: “Determining required pressure. Applying at medium level: ten thousand pounds.”

Cadence screamed, her body quaking, but the mare shoving roughly back, struggling against the metal foot bearing cruelly, remorselessly down against her before her eyes blazed as she began to slowly push it back... and then, as if the golem was toying with her, it announced: “Increasing pressure to eleven thousand pounds.”

The metal foot began to crush down on her, the mare gasping in pain as she trembled, then clenched her eyes shut, refusing to let things end this way, fighting with all the strength she had to push back up against the golem...

“Increasing pressure to-” And then a black shape leapt onto the machine's back, and the golem was knocked off balance, stomping past Cadence and pinwheeling its mechanical arms for balance as dark energies crackled over the machine's body. Cadence looked up with shock and amazement at the sight of her father as he snarled, pounding away at it with one hoof as his horn and eyes blazed with terrible, malignant energies as his magic melted and warped the armor of the golem.

Then the machine managed to reach suddenly up, seizing her father by the face before flinging him away, even as it said in its emotionless, hostile voice: “Anomaly detected. Reclassifying and beginning analysis. Moving to engage and suppress.”

The golem took aim at Sombra and fired as the dark stallion landed on his hooves, and Cadence stared in horror as her father spun around... and ended up right in the path of the bullet of energy, which tore through one of his front legs and knocked it flying off his body. Sombra staggered backwards with a snarl as his limb limply flew through the air, then dissolved into dark ashes before it could even start to fall... before the dark stallion grinned suddenly, baring his fangs as a new foreleg rapidly formed out of black fire and shadow.

He flexed this slowly, and the golem slowly lowered its cannon as Cadence laughed weakly, staring past the machine at her father. She remembered fighting him, how limitless he'd seemed, how all the energy in the air had reinforced all his powers. But was he powerful enough that he could take on a machine that might be even more tireless, even more merciless than the darkness fueling him?

Cadence gritted her teeth: maybe he couldn't alone, but her father wasn't alone. She leapt to the air, flapping her wings hard as Sombra roared and charged in from the other side, daughter and father both throwing themselves into the fight against the golem.

But the golem barely twitched as electricity sparked over its body before it released the built-up charge in a massive shockwave, sending both Cadence and Sombra flying backwards. The winged unicorn gasped in pain, recovering faster as she dropped to her hooves and hit the ground in a sprint, determined to keep pushing, to keep fighting, until this mechanical doll was nothing but yet another broken pile of scrap metal like the rest of Valthrudnir's projects.

Her rush was too fast, too direct, too driven by pride: she leapt, and the machine half-turned and caught her by the throat with its incomplete arm before Cadence screamed in agony as electricity sizzled violently along her body, making her muscles go numb, her whole form drop limp as she gargled weakly. She dangled helplessly as the golem rose its other arm, opening fire with the cannon at Sombra and driving him back with a barrage of shots.

Sombra hissed, baring his fangs and flexing his body as a shallow trench one bullet had managed to scrape through his form slowly healed. He glared furiously at the golem, his eyes sparking with anger before the machine rose Cadence calmly in front of himself, then said coldly: “Assessing... situation deemed critical. Terminating.”

The golem's hand clenched, and Cadence screamed again as lightning ripped over her body, her armor starting to smoke and fuse together, her flesh smoldering, her hair starting to burn...

Sombra stared, his eyes glowing, and something inside him writhed, then twisted and screamed for release. He snarled, his eyes blazing with dark light, new and old mixing together before he roared and stomped forwards, and several massive spikes of black crystal tore suddenly free from the ground, spires and blades of dark stone hammering against the machine and knocking it off balance before he charged forwards.

He leapt, his whole body glowing with dark, unholy energies as he streaked like a comet straight for the golem... then simply tore straight through its unfinished arm, chunks of cable flying in all directions as the machinery of the metallic monster ground and clanked in outrage. It staggered to the side as Cadence fell with the dismembered limb, her eyes drinking in every detail as she saw Sombra hit the ground only to spin around and unleash a tremendous surge of black flame and raw, dark force that knocked the golem off its feet, sending it crashing to the ground and skidding a short distance away along its stomach in a squeal of sparks.

Cadence winced as she landed and bounced free, landing on broken metal and jagged black crystal, but she barely noticed the pain as Sombra leapt in front of her, snarling and glaring furiously... and then he leaned suddenly forwards, roaring angrily: “She is mine! Mine! You will not touch her!”

The winged unicorn couldn't help but laugh weakly at this, and then she shook her head slowly, carefully picking herself up as she muttered: “Well, I guess that's... something anyway.” She stopped, then she carefully picked herself up, breathing quietly as she looked over at him and said quietly: “Daddy... I'm... your daughter. You know that, right?”

Sombra shifted and growled, and Cadence shook her head quickly: no, she couldn't waste time being stupid right now. What was important was that she and Sombra figure out some way to coordinate their attacks so they could take this monster down.

The golem was slowly pushing itself up to its feet, unsteady, the stump of arm sparking faintly. Cadence narrowed her eyes as Sombra snarled before starting forwards, and Cadence grimaced and stepped forwards, grabbing her shoulder.

He growled and snapped at her at the contact, but Cadence only leaned forwards, glaring at him before she said sharply: “Daddy, listen! We need to work together if we want to bring it down, but I think that we can-”

Sombra wrenched himself away, then ran straight for the fallen monster, his horn glowing with malignant energies as he bared his fangs in a cruel grin-

The golem halted in a crouch, glass eyes glowing brightly as there was a distinct thrum of magic energies before a shockwave of electricity exploded out of its body, slamming Sombra backwards. Cadence winced and leapt forwards to catch him with a gasp, falling back to her hooves... and then almost collapsing herself with a gasp as a wave of lightheadedness and nausea spilled through her. Her muscles twitched, and her mind bubbled, and she felt...

She shook her head back and forth, breathing slowly before gritting her teeth and straightening as Sombra yanked himself away, but at least this time only snarled. Then again, the machine was still surrounded by a very visible network of chain lightning that was jumping back and forth around it, bouncing off the floors and ceiling and crackling through the air as it carefully, slowly straightened.

It turned slowly around, and the shield of lightning finally faded out from around it as it analyzed them in silence. They looked back, and then something inside the golem clanked before it said coldly: “Abandoning safety protocols. Overriding limiters.”

There were several clanks before electricity sparked over the golem's body, and Cadence studied the machine intently... then grabbed her father when he tried to step forwards. He growled at her, but this time didn't try and shake her off, the two watching as the golem trembled strangely before its body began to glow faintly with energy.

Its red eyes glared at them, and then it began to stomp forwards, moving faster, smoother than before in spite of the fact its legs were incomplete. It rose its remaining arm as it walked, opening fire at them with the cannon, and Cadence cursed and flung herself to the side as Sombra only growled and charged straight at the golem.

Cadence winced as one of the bullets of energy shot past her... except it wasn't so much a bullet now as it was a fireball, which exploded in splatter of what looked almost like some kind of flaming slag wherever it hit. And its aim was much further off, even if it was firing far faster than it had been before as it concentrated its fire on her.

She thought for a moment that her father had actually slipped in under its radar... but without even looking down, the golem punted the dark stallion backwards before the machine's chest plating clicked quickly apart.

There was a tremendous boom and a flash of crimson light, and Cadence's eyes widened as Sombra screamed in agony. He crashed down to the metal floor and rolled backwards with a gasp, his whole body sizzling with crimson lightning as the golem paused to turn its eyes coldly towards him, the gemstone in its chest thrumming eerily. “Compiling data: complete. Targeting.”

The lenses flicked down in front of the bared gemstone, and Cadence's eyes widened before she hurriedly drew a throwing knife from her belt. She could feel the magic gathering, the mare leaning forwards and slinging the knife with all her strength into the front lens.

The knife buried halfway through the glass, and the golem looked down almost in surprise before the red crystal surged with energy. A moment later, a beam of red light tore through the lenses, concentrated by the first... but diffused by the second cracked lens, the knife warping and distorting under the concentrated energy as rays of light struck the walls, the floor, tore through the ceiling... and only scraped her father's body, letting Sombra recover his strength before he vanished into shadow that shot up and disappeared among the pipes and cables over the ceiling.

The ray died out, and the golem looked down before reaching up and simply smashing the second lens, even as it announced coldly: “Warning. Significant damage detected to laser artillery array. Sealing core while repairs are completed. Updating data.”

The remaining lens folded quickly away, the plates locking shut over the golem's breast before there was a faint hiss of steam: and this time, Cadence was rushing forwards even before she saw the moment of vulnerability, as the golem reset its mechanical body.

She smashed into its breast, cursing in pain as energy sparked against her hooves: it had insulated itself with some kind of mechanical magic. But she only used its body to launch herself down, hitting one of its unarmored upper legs as her horn glowed brightly and her hooves burst into ivory flames, smashing viciously away at the cabling and metal framework.

The golem swung at her as it came back to life, but Cadence kicked herself off its leg and shoved all four hooves into its limb, half-riding it up into the air before flinging herself backwards. But it reacted faster than she had expected, the cannon firing a single shot at point blank range that smashed into her shoulder.

She was knocked flying backwards by the small explosion, her armor and shoulder both shredded, her body crashing painfully back to the ground before she rolled with a gasp to steady herself. But she barely had time to look up before she was forced to throw herself backwards again, boosting herself with her wings to narrowly escape a short volley of shots.

Cadence flapped her wings and launched herself to the side, hitting the ground painfully on her bad shoulder and leaving a streak of blood behind her before she rolled out of her slide and snapped her horn out. A blast of white flame met a bullet of energy in midair, the explosion blinding both mechanical golem and winged unicorn for a moment.

The machine was faster to recover and lock back on to Cadence, but before it could fire, Sombra dropped out of the air and smashed down into its face, pounding savagely on the dragon-shaped head of the machine with a roar. The machine staggered backwards, buzzing loudly before it reached up and seized the dark stallion, yanking him off before flinging him viciously to the ground and slamming a kick into his stomach to knock him crashing and rolling away with a hiss.

But Sombra managed to jerk himself around, slamming his hooves into the floor, and dark spikes of crystal erupted upwards around the monstrosity, knocking it back and forth before a lucky blade jutted up through the leg that Cadence had already damaged. The golem sizzled and sparked violently as it staggered to the side, nearly falling over as cables tore and metal frame snapped, the machine looking down at its limb as it said coldly: “Warning. Mobility decreased due to structural comprise. Recalculating.”

“Die!” Sombra ran forwards, and Cadence flinched as she began to scramble towards the machine herself: wasn't Sombra ever going to learn, or was the animal darkness in him just that strong?

As expected, the golem moved fast, taking aim at her father with the cannon: but what she didn't expect was for her father to burst apart into a stream of shadows that almost-mockingly spun around the fireball that shot at him, before the smoky darkness twisted upwards and smashed into the side of the golem's face as the shadows reformed into her father.

It staggered backwards, then reached up... but Sombra lashed a hoof down, driving it into the machine's eye before grinning savagely and yanking backwards. And the golem's gears clanked as its internal workings gave what almost sounded like a scream of pain, as glass and lightning exploded out of the golem's head, black twists of gemstone jutting up out of the ruined socket.

The machine staggered, buzzing and grinding, its body jittering for a moment as Sombra growled down at it in triumph... and then the stallion was seized by the golem's steel claw before he was slung savagely down into the ground, stomped on viciously again and again and again as the golem almost snarled: “Eradicate all targets.”

Cadence ran forwards, cursing, but forcing herself to focus and keep her head this time: if her father could do it, then goddammit, even now she could too. And as she drew close, she felt the pulse of energy, saw the faint thrum of electricity over the golem's body as it prepared to repulse her with a shockwave...

Cadence dropped like a stone, anchoring herself against the ground and creating a pinkish barrier of energy in front of her a moment before there was a tremendous blast of lightning. It hurt to hear her father screaming in agony, and the lighting curled and lashed around the shield, still managing to strike her, to whip at her... but the moment the pulse ended, Cadence let the wall drop and flung herself forwards through the still-dissolving energy, kicking off the machine's leg and running up the length of its steel body before she yanked a knife free from her belt and slammed it down into the golem's remaining eye.

Machinery screamed again as the golem staggered backwards, the crimson light whiffing out as glass shattered in a flare of electricity. The blinded thing stumbled back and forth, buzzing and crackling as it lashed its arm back and forth, but Cadence had already landed by her father and pulled him backwards, the two glaring as the machine staggered away.

The winged unicorn breathed slowly in and out as the golem finally staggered to a halt, body sparking as it tried to look back and forth, remaining claw flexing. Slowly, it straightened, then said emotionlessly: “Visual sensors compromised. Systems rendered... ineffective. Activating emergency protocol. Temporary shutdown initiated to conserve energy...”

Slowly, the machine lowered itself to a crouch, and Cadence frowned uneasily as Sombra growled darkly at the ruined thing. The mare shifted slowly, straightening and breathing quietly as Sombra shook himself off and straightened, and there was silence for a few moments before the mare asked uneasily: “Did we do it?”

Sombra growled and paced slowly to the side, looking suspiciously at the monster, while Cadence only bit her lip before hesitantly starting forwards. She looked warily at the machine, stopping in front of it to study it intently before she poked it a few times... but the golem didn't move.

She guessed that maybe they had done enough damage to stop it after all.. and then Cadence frowned uneasily as she heard a loud banging. Her ears and senses sharpened as Sombra looked up with a growl, before he suddenly looked at her and hissed: “Come here.”

Cadence immediately leapt over to him, and Sombra stepped up beside her... possessively, but protectively, too. Or at least that was what she told herself, as she muttered: “You know, you could try saying 'please,' Daddy... we're going to have to work on your... everything.”

Sombra only growled, then he hissed loudly as Cadence winced at a smashing sound that filled the air, hearing glass shattering and metal rupturing before she looked to the side in shock in time to see one of the black pony statues she had passed on her way inside was climbing calmly in through the smashed window. And her jaw dropped before she shook her head violently, asking in disbelief: “They're machines too?”

The polished black golem faced them soullessly, and Sombra snarled before lunging forwards and striking it... to no effect whatsoever. He almost literally bounced off the metal pony, before the machine Cadence had first mistaken for a statue calmly reached up and grasped Sombra's head tightly between its front hooves before beginning to crush his skull.

Sombra wrenched back and forth, his eyes widening before he started to howl in misery as smoke hissed up from his head as his skull cracked, his features began to horribly contort. And Cadence cursed as she ran forwards and snapped her horn down, a white blast of flame smashing into the pony-golem...

And that did nothing either, not even distracting it. Cadence cursed, leaping forwards to grab it by a foreleg and try and pry it away from her father, but the thing was merciless, emotionless, and completely focused... and Cadence could hear more smashing sounds now, and more metal hooves calmly walking towards them, serving the final whim of their mechanical master.

Then Sombra snarled and suddenly reached up, seizing the pony-golem by the head before his horn flashed... and Cadence stared in shock as the machine's metallic head transformed from metal to gemstone, the pony-golem losing its grip and almost falling over with a loud buzzing. And yet, all the same, it managed to start slowly straightening after a moment, even more hollow and relentless than the dragon-golem had been.

Cadence stepped back from it, looking back and forth, but Sombra had already lunged over towards another of the pony-golems, as if he could fight it. Then her eyes flicked back towards this machine, with its crystalline head, and she reacted more out of wild hope than anything else, snapping her horn towards it and sending out a blast of pink light.

Gray immediately spread along the black gemstone as the pony-golem staggered backwards... and then cracks ripped through the surface of the machine's head before it crumbled away to nothing but dust, revealing a fragile framework inside of thin rots and cables.

Cadence stepped forwards and simply smashed one foreleg through this, and the golem staggered to the side, buzzing brokenly before it collapsed in a heap. The mare began to smile... and then she gasped as a cold metal hoof slammed into her side and knocked her sprawling.

She winced over her shoulder as a golem reached down to grab her, but she quickly slammed both rear hooves into its face: less to try and hurt it, more to launch herself skidding away on her back before she rolled back up to a standing position, shouting: “Daddy! We have to work together!”

“Kill them all.” rasped Sombra, and Cadence didn't know if it was a response or just coincidence. But he didn't seem to be paying attention to her as two more golems backed him slowly into a corner, the dark stallion uselessly splashing them with black flames and creating spikes of dark crystal that simply shattered where they hit.

Cadence ran towards the two ponies, looking quickly around the room: there were at least three more statues, and only one or two of them looked like they weren't functioning properly: the rest moved slowly but surely, unhindered and unhurried. Either way, though, they weren't in a good position right now.

She leapt onto the back of one of the golems, and it stopped and began to shake itself back and forth... although the movement was almost slow, making it easy for her to ride its bucking before she hopped off it and slammed down on the back of the second golem. It stopped and dropped onto its haunches, as if trying to toss her off, but the mare smoothly leapt over its head and seized it by the skull to slam it face-down into the steel floor.

That didn't even seem to annoy it, however, the golem picking itself slowly up the moment Cadence leapt away, and the mare cursed... before Sombra stepped up beside her and shouted angrily: “Kill them!”

“We need to work together!” Cadence replied almost desperately, and then she gestured at them and snapped, as they began to approach again: “Turn them to crystal! To crystal! We can't break their armor otherwise!”

Sombra only snarled, then leapt forwards... and he was almost slapped aside by one of the golems, while the other reached for Cadence. The winged unicorn gritted her teeth as she leapt backwards, then swore under her breath when she hit the wall, leaning back against it and gritting her teeth as the two golems drew closer.

She began to ready herself to lunge away... and then Sombra roared in fury before lashing his horn out, and a ray of black light washed over both golems. The soulless machines seemed to flinch as their metal bodies rapidly transformed to black crystal, and Cadence gritted her teeth before she snapped her own horn fiercely forwards, blasting the golems with a flash of pink magic..

It turned black, corrupt crystal to nothing but gray ash and dust, the two golems clanking and screeching before they both collapsed into wrecked hulks, wires sizzling and frames snapping without the support of their bodies. Cadence sighed in relief... then winced when Sombra leapt almost eagerly towards the remaining golems, the mare swearing under her breath as she whirled to leap after him.

Sombra ran for a cluster in the distance, while Cadence's eyes locked on a damaged golem that was sloppily attempting to flank her father, going unnoticed by him likely because it wasn't challenging enough prey. Still, if he wasn't careful, it was going to box him in with the others...

Cadence leapt onto the damaged golem's back, and it clanked as it staggered back and forth, the mare wincing as she clung to it with one hoof while yanking a knife free in the other, and then she stabbed this viciously down into a rusted gap in the machine's neck before punching the handle of the knife as hard as she could.

The golem spasmed, then collapsed limply forwards, its head twisting back and forth helplessly on its shoulders before the mare leapt off the broken machine and ran towards where Sombra was pelting the remaining trio with magic.

One of the golems had been partly crystallized: Cadence quickly splashed this with her magic, and a leg shattered beneath it as part of its body turned to gray stone, the golem falling and spasming uselessly against the ground with a series of grinding clanks. Then she grimaced as she staggered, her head swimming as she felt recoil burst through her body. She was starting to run out of energy...

She needed a breather, but Sombra was aggressively attacking the two golems, even though his magic wasn't having any effect. She needed to wait for him to transmute them or figure out some way to get through to her father what they needed to do...

And then Sombra suddenly went rigid, staring upwards as both golems halted and looked almost lifelessly upwards. Cadence looked between them with surprise before her own eyes were drawn upwards, her eyes widening in shock as she saw a crackle of electricity travel around the portal ring suspended above.

The mare stared, watching as energy began to spill through the ring... and then her eyes snapped down as a cold mechanical voice announced: “Ping successful. Connection to Decretum has been established. All hail the Clockwork King.”

“No...” Cadence whispered, staring with disbelief at the reanimated dragon-golem, and then she looked up in horror before snarling and leaping into the air, flapping her wings and shooting towards the portal. She had to disable it somehow, maybe... shatter the ring or-

A fireball hammered into her, and the mare shrieked as she was knocked out of the air, crashing down on her back. Sombra roared as he whirled towards her... and then snarled as one of the golems seized him from behind before shoving him down and pinning him, the other striding calmly past towards Cadence as the dragon-golem slowly stood.

It lowered its arm as electricity crackled over its mechanical body, red light flickering weakly out of one mostly-blind eye as it said calmly: “Master system files updated. Power rerouted from damaged sectors to environmental sensors. Evaluating...”

Cadence looked up blearily as the golem in front of her began to lean down, and Sombra's eyes blazed with hellish light before he threw his head back and roared, a terrible, black shockwave erupting from his body that turned both his surroundings and the two pony-golems to nothing but black, jagged crystal. Cadence flinched back in shock at the power of it, seeing cracks already ripping through the dark stone as it twisted and distorted.

She didn't hesitate more than a moment, snapping her head forwards and unleashing a beam of pink light that tore straight through the golem in front of her, then ripped through the pony-machine pinning Sombra. And both almost exploded from the force of the positive energy that ripped through them, letting Sombra lunge to his hooves and whirl around with a cruel grin even as the remaining machine looked down and said emotionlessly: “Suppression has failed. Reengaging.”

“And this time we'll make sure you never stand up again.” Cadence growled, leaping up beside her father, and Sombra smiled coldly before the two set themselves, heads lowered, eyes blazing.

The one-armed golem seemed to look coldly back, and for a moment there was silence before it suddenly rose its limb. But before it could take aim with its cannon, Sombra sharply lashed his horn out, blasting the arm with a wave of dark flame that transformed metal to black crystal before Cadence fired a ray of pink light through the limb.

It exploded into chunks of dark shrapnel the cannon sparking before several more small explosions ripped up the length of the creature's arm, knocking metal plating out of place and the remains falling limp and useless: nothing but a broken stump was left behind. Electricity sparked over the golem as it looked at them coldly, and the two glared back before Sombra suddenly roared and then ran forwards, his battlelust getting the better of him.

The machine golem only watched coldly before its chest plating clicked suddenly open, and the crimson gemstone inside gave a mighty, terrible flash. Sombra was knocked backwards by the burst of energy with a howl of pain before a lens clicked into place in front of the core of the creature... and then another, and then a third, Cadence's eyes widening in horror as the golem said pitilessly: “Rerouting all power to core. Overriding safety restrictions and maximizing focal power. Target locked. Core armed.”

A pause, that lasted forever, even as Cadence tried to throw herself into a sprint... but it was like the air had turned to jelly, like gravity was crushing down on her again, like the world itself was holding her back before the golem said calmly: “Opening fire.”

There was a tremendous crackle of magic, and Sombra looked weakly up, still stunned by the energy wave before a massive beam of light crashed through the lenses, focused into a crimson laser so concentrated it was almost a solid thing.

It smashed into Sombra, and he screamed in agony as he was driven backwards by it, slammed bonelessly to the ground and flailing in misery. He scraped and bounced against the metal floor as the laser pushed him slowly across it, Cadence screaming a denial as she ran towards him... and then the ray of energy suddenly cut out, and Sombra was left in a smoking, smoldering heap, his body twitching weakly, his eyes rolling in his head as he gurgled brokenly.

His body had become... pale. Smoke wafted up off his bruised frame, and his eyes had lost their glow. His horn was cracked, and there were terrible red veins pulsing through his flesh, like that evil light had crawled inside him and infected him. Cadence skidded to a halt beside her father, trembling violently... and then she looked up as the golem announced coldly: “Energy levels still optimal. Analyzing data and overriding procedural protocol. Preparing to exterminate.”

Cadence snarled, stepping in front of her father before she shouted angrily: “If you want him, you have to go through me first! I will not let you hurt my Father!”

Her body trembled as she anchored herself into place, and adrenaline surged through her tired, aching muscles, washing away the pain... even if she could feel a distinct crackling along her horn that told her no matter how much she talked tough, no matter how hard she kept fighting... she was out of magic, and out of energy.

And then her eyes widened as that thrum of magic passed through the air, and her the core in the creature's chest glowed red before it said coldly: “Parameters accepted.”

There was a pulse, and then a blast of crimson... and Cadence snapped her horn forwards on reflex more than anything else, putting the little magic energy she had left into a ray of pink light that crashed into the crimson. She poured all her reserves into the ray, and the lasers shoved against one-another, energy crackling around the two before Cadence's eyes widened as the red glow slowly began to crawl towards her.

She could feel her father behind her: if she moved, she would save herself, but he would likely be destroyed. If she didn't move, then chances were they were both going to die here and now unless she could outlast this terrible machine... and Cadence trembled as she anchored herself, tears running from her eyes as she tried to press forwards, but there was no energy left for her to call upon, and now it was just willpower alone powering the failing ray of magic from her horn...

And more and more, the crimson laser was pressing forwards, grinding down her magic, pushing closer, closer, closer, until Cadence was gasping, sweat rolling down her body, tears dripping from her eyes as she shivered in agony from the exertion... and then screamed in agony as the crimson laser smashed into her horn, dispelling her own ray of energy completely as crimson lightning crackled over her frame and the red hell engulfed her.

It tore through her body, made her arch her back, tried to drive her backwards as waves of force and energy washed over her... but she forced herself to lean into it, pressing back against it with her body now instead of her magic. Oh, how it hurt though; every nerve of her body was glowing with agony, every muscle flexed and felt like it was tearing, her bones quaked beneath the burning insulation of her flesh.

She gasped and looked over her shoulder, seeing her father staring up at her, his eyes wide, his mouth agape... she saw concern and surprise and disbelief, and the mare forced herself to smile at him, their eyes locking, conveying a thousand messages at once between each other. But loudest of all was Cadence's promise, the one she had made so many times: she wasn't going to abandon him. He had suffered too long for too much: now, she would suffer for him.

And Cadence was reminded of everything she was fighting for, all the reason she was here. She was reminded that she had lived... and died... solely to be with her father, and now this machine, this soulless puppet, was trying to take all of that away...

The mare gritted her teeth as she found the strength to turn her gaze back into the beam, gasping before she snarled and slowly tried to shove her front hooves down... and gradually, they lowered, slamming to the ground, tears and blood streaming from Cadence's eyes as she shoved herself into the beam. Her whole body was on fire with pain, but that pain was feeding her determination and her anger and her pride. There was both the growing need to protect inside her... and the need to destroy.

Cadence stomped forwards into the red laser, then anchored herself, gritting her teeth as her body crackled with crimson energy. She glared forwards, refusing to turn away as the golem sparked with electricity, then said coldly: “Increasing output. Warning: exceeding maximum safe charge value. Core temperature rising...”

“I'm not afraid... I am... not afraid!” Cadence shouted, even as her white wings began to char, and what pink coat remained began to boil and pale. “I won't let you hurt him, no matter what!”

The machine sparked in response, and the red light seemed to intensify further as Sombra stared up at Cadence, watched as feathers were blown from her wings, as chunks of armor began to melt away and tear free from her body, and the dark stallion clawed his way up to his hooves with a snarl. He flinched as red lightning crackled over his body, but then clenched his eyes shut, his horn sparking painfully before he suddenly roared and stomped both hooves viciously down into the ground.

Several massive spikes of black crystal exploded upwards, tearing out of the ground and smashing up through the open chest of the golem, as more dark stone washed up over its legs to pin it in place. The machine whirred violently as the lenses cracked, then shattered as there was a great burst of crimson energy, chunks of steel flying in all directions as Sombra leaned forwards and roared: “Mi amore! Do it now!”

Cadence lunged forwards: she didn't even know where the strength came from as she charged across the room and up one long, ramp-like pillar of black stone that had pierced into the open chest cavity of the golem. She lunged forwards, through the smoke and the crackling electricity and the red flares of light, and for a single moment she saw everything, in perfect clarity: she saw herself, rushing forwards, stained almost completely white now, and she saw the machine, suspended and helpless on black gemstone blades, a perfect machine that was now a victim of its master's hubris.

Cadence's body glowed white, and then she smashed viciously into the core, driving into the red crystal... and ripping out the back of the golem in a great blast of red hellfire in the form of a glowing white bird, the phoenix shooting almost to the wall before veering sharply around and streaking back towards the golem.

Electricity was already crackling over the machine as black blood leaked from shattered vials, corroding circuits and causing wires to burst into flames as the golem spasmed and blared feeble, useless alarms... and then the ivory phoenix smashed into the back of its head, ripping it loose from its shoulders and tossing the useless hunk of metal off to the side.

There was a flash, and then the mare dropped to the ground in front of her father in her own form, breathing hard and trembling as she smiled faintly. Sombra looked at her for a moment, and then he gave a faint smile before whispering: “You saved me, mi amore. You saved us both.”

Cadence began to open her mouth... and then her father crumpled forwards, and Cadence's eyes widened in horror before she leapt forwards, grabbing him around the neck and hugging him fiercely. She trembled violently, shaking her head as those awful red veins pulsed powerfully through his body, the mare whimpering before she whispered: “No, no, no... D-Daddy, no, we've come this far...”

Sombra was silent, only breathing painfully in and out, and Cadence shook her head weakly again... before looking up in horror as there was a distinct buzzing sound before the portal ring swung slowly down, revolving so that the swirling vortex of energy faced Cadence and her father. The mare trembled violently, then gritted her teeth and staggered up to her hooves, not knowing if she was feeling strong or feeling numb, if she was alive or already dead on her hooves, if this was pure anger or pure fear twisting her stomach as a metal hoof pushed out of the portal.

A massive, metallic shape slowly emerged from the vortex, and Cadence trembled violently, staring over it with horror. This was probably what the mechanical golem would have looked like if complete, a glorious steel construct that radiated a sense of invincibility, indestructibility... but this one was far more terrifying than the golem, because it wasn't a dragon's mechanical skull on its shoulders, but what looked like an actual pony's head. A mane of black cables and raw blue lightning sizzled around sallow features, with cold eyes that were rimmed with deep black, and Cadence felt a terrible sense of familiarity about this mare as the... the monster stepped forwards.

“Get back! I destroyed one of Valthrudnir's toys already, and I'll... I'll kill you too if you take another step!” Cadence shouted furiously, stepping forwards and trembling hard.

The mechanical mare looked down at her coldly for a moment, and then she gave a thin smile before saying contemptibly: “Valthrudnir is dead. And what you destroyed...”

The mare reached up, and Cadence stared as some kind of strange, blue image appeared beside her, the mare tapping over this calmly before she said moodily: “Yes. You destroyed CK-7... an alpha-model prototype for the Clockwork King system that ran Decretum. Still... no normal pony could do that... but you're no normal pony, are you?”

“Who... who are you?” Cadence whispered, trembling violently as the mare turned towards her... and then she flinched in surprise when she looked at that square of light floating beside the mechanical mare, seeing something on the translucent screen that she hadn't expected. “Why do you have a picture of me? What's-”

“I'm assessing data. Shut up.” the strange creature said irritably, and Cadence gritted her teeth... before staring in shock as the golem-like pony muttered: “A remnant from Valhalla. I didn't think any of them were left...”

“What... what are you talking about? I'm... how do you know...” Cadence trembled hard... then winced and looked over her shoulder, looking down at her father as Sombra gargled, then began to shiver violently, those awful red lines starting to spread further through his body. “D-Daddy, hold on, just hold on while-”

Whatever else, this newcomer was surprisingly fast and silent. All Cadence saw was a shadow, and then she was seized by the skull, her head forcibly jerked back as the mechanical mare leaned over her, Cadence gritting her teeth but knowing there was nothing she could do as she felt a surge of magic... and then her eyes widened in shock as not pain, but warmth and energy spread through her body, the mechanical mare saying coldly: “I do not like pleasantries. I am Hecate, the new empress of Decretum. You are likely a Valkyrie or a demigoddess and therefore useful to me. Come with me.”

Cadence mouthed wordlessly at this, and then she trembled before shaking her head violently, saying sharply: “I'm not going anywhere! Not without my father!”

“Your father?” Hecate frowned at this, straightening and looking down at the dying stallion on the floor, and then she scowled before saying contemptibly: “No. That is not your father. That is nothing but a broken shell of a corrupted stallion, one that's already been incinerated from the inside out by a powerful charge of energy. He will die.”

“No!” Cadence shouted, and Hecate looked at her with surprise before the winged unicorn leaned up and snapped: “I will not leave him behind! I don't care what you think, who you are, what you want or need... what I need is my father, the stallion who raised me, who Valthrudnir tried to turn into a monster but... he failed, because that is still my father, he is still inside him, and I won't leave him!”

“I could take you by force.” Hecate said coldly, raising a claw as it sparked with electricity... but Cadence only grinned bitterly, setting herself and glaring challengingly up at the mare.

“I'd like to see you try. You don't even know what I am... I came before the Valkyries. But my kind wasn't as pleasant to Odin's eyes.” Cadence almost spat, her horn sparking with energy even as part of her barely comprehended what she was saying, while the rest of her only knew it was true.

There was silence for a few moments, and then Hecate gave a thin smile before nodding slowly and grudgingly. “Then we'll take him-”

“And you'll help me save him. If you help me save him, I'll do anything you want.” Cadence said sharply, and Hecate glared at her before the winged unicorn said quietly: “You're very good at cloaking your emotions, but... I can feel them a little, all the same. For some reason... you want me. And I even get the feeling it's something I'd want to do... that I'd want to be a part of. You hate Valthrudnir and you want to protect the things that he tried to destroy-”

“Don't presume to know me, or I'll leave you and your father here to die.” Hecate snapped, but there seemed to be a strange sort of appreciation in her eyes... maybe even an eagerness, as she nodded slowly and gestured to the thrumming portal ring behind her. “Pick him up and bring him with us. But I can already see you're as annoying as the Valkyries are. I just hope you're half as useful as well, or I might be tempted to kill you anyway.”

“I've died at least four or five times now. I seem to have trouble staying dead.” Cadence muttered, but then she nodded quickly before turning and silently picking up her father, carefully shifting the stallion onto her back.

Then she stopped and trembled as her mind settled, and instead of that old Swan Maiden, that vicious, cold warrior that rose up against anything that dared to threaten the people she cared for, the softer, gentler side of her silently took over, the winged unicorn looking up and asking quietly: “Can you really save him? Can you really...”

Hecate only looked at her, and then she turned her eyes towards Sombra before giving a small, strange smile, reaching a single claw down to touch the stallion's cheek as she said quietly: “I'm sure it'll be a waste of my time and resources... but let's just say I take a certain pleasure in undoing Valthrudnir's plans. And I have yet to come across anything he's created that I could not destroy.

“Now, enough dawdling, or your father will die and it will be your fault for wasting time. Let's go.” Hecate said contemptibly, suddenly cold again as she turned and strode towards the portal.

As she vanished through, Cadence lingered for only a moment longer, swallowing thickly and tossing one last look over her shoulder... but she saw nothing here, except for ruins, and devastation, and the lonely head of the beaten golem, wreckage that laid upon wreckage.

So, knowing no other choice, and that she didn't belong in the world above any more than she did in this world below, the mare strode forwards, hoping against hope that this new world would give both her and her father a place where they could finally belong, together.

Epilogue: Lingering Notes

Epilogue: Lingering Notes
~BlackRoseRaven

The Changeling Queen stormed through the hive and slammed open the doors to her private dining hall... and then she glared as an eye twitched in frustration, clawing at her holey mane as she shouted furiously: “Metanoia, what are you and that stallion doing?”

Shining Armor looked almost guiltily up as Miss Take smiled brightly, her Third Eye gleaming on her forehead, looking much more like a seductive Pegasus adventurer than Changeling royalty as she sang: “The floor is lava, Chrissy darling, and you're burning up!”

“The floor is not lava!” Chrysalis almost howled, storming forwards and shoving her way through the group of drone servants all happily serving Miss Take and Shining Armor, who were sitting on top of an enormous dining table. “Get off! Get off! I order you to get off!”

“Oh, be a good hostess, sweetie!” Miss Take said disapprovingly, and Chrysalis stared at her before the half-Changeling gestured around, saying reasonably: “Do you see how immense this table is? Darling, it's gorgeous, but it's positively ludicrous! Shine and I can barely talk to each across it, let alone sit together, and my dear, if you want to maintain a good relationship, you must sit across from each other. You must face each other, for a little while each and every day, darling.”

Chrysalis' eye twitched, and then Shining Armor grinned lamely before he reached up and tugged at the thick hide jacket he was wearing, saying lamely: “Hey, so, thanks for the birthday gift.”

“Yes, honey, but next time please don't leave the wallet of the pony you stole it from after you ate him in the pocket. Very gauche. Very gauche.” Miss Take chastened, and then she leaned forwards quickly and smiled warmly, adding positively: “But I was very proud of my baby sister for trying so hard all the same, very very proud!”

“I am not your baby sister. I am a Queen of my own hive, and at least I don't toddle around with a stupid pony I once easily made my brainless slave, working for the things we consider to be food!” growled Chrysalis, and Shining Armor rose a hoof... then winced and slowly lowered it when Chrysalis hissed at him like a cat.

“Manners, sweetie. And darling, he's not my food, he's my sweetie sugar muffin cake!” Miss Take smiled warmly, and Shining smiled lamely as he looked embarrassed despite himself. “And what do you mean, work for the ponies? They pay me to find new land, explore the unknown, and steal priceless artifacts. And best of all, I get to do it with my husband! Why, look at us right here and right now, serving as ambassadors of Equestria to the local Changeling Queen!”

Chrysalis scowled at them before she rose her head and said pettishly: “And you are earning no favors from me by sitting on my table like foals. Get down from there, now.”

“No.” Miss Take smiled pleasantly, adding positively: “And darling, you are going to agree to all the terms and conditions we've laid out... and you're going to give me that pretty armoire in the guest room, too. Oh, and some of those fancy gemstones from your treasury.”

“No!” Chrysalis snapped, glaring furiously at the mare. “And you can't make me, either! You're... you're nothing but an outcast, Metanoia! I am Queen!”

“And a Queen needs her drones. Your drones like me more than they like you.” Miss Take said cheerfully, clapping her front hooves together... and Chrysalis twitched as several of her servants nodded dreamily, gazing up at Miss Take as her big sister winked. “Social hierarchy, darling. I'm still older and wiser.”

“You can't just... come in and take my things!” Chrysalis shouted, but now it sounded more childish than outraged, the Queen stomping her hooves like a foal about to tantrum. “I don't have to do anything for you! I am a ruler!”

Miss Take chuckled at this, then winked and trilled happily: “Yes you do, sweetie, because even if you're Queen... I'll always be your big sister, darling!”

Chrysalis glared furiously at them, and then Miss Take added positively: “Oh, by the way, before you go looking for him... I went ahead and removed your brainwashing from that poor stallion you had all flummoxed, thinking you were his wife. If you want to live out your homemaker fantasies, dear, then please do what I did. Steal a husband away the honest way.”

Chrysalis stared, then gritted her teeth and trembled before spinning away and yelling childishly as she ran off down the corridor: “I'm telling Mommy!”

“I uh. Think you hurt her feelings.” Shining said after a moment, and Miss Take covered her mouth and pretended to look worried. “Oh, stop that.”

He gently shoved her, and Miss Take swayed before smiling warmly and slipping past their empty plates, sitting beside him and wrapping her forelegs tight around his neck. Shining sighed after a moment, then he smiled faintly down at her before reaching up and rubbing a hoof silently over his traveler's jacket, feeling so strange with how... right this felt.

He was an explorer, running into the wild with his strange new marefriend, seeking out new friends and stopping new foes before they even found out about Equestria. Sometimes he missed his old life, sure... but this... this was exciting, and it challenged him, and he got to help ponies and protect people and there was no more being a soldier, or being a prince: now, life was about being him. And he thanked Miss Take every day for freeing him... and even more, thanked Cadence for not just letting him go, but helping him find his way, strangely enough, to where he was now.

He laughed a little, and Miss Take looked up at him inquisitively... then blushed a bit when he gently kissed her, their lips meeting before the stallion smiled and winked as he drew back, saying easily: “Well, come on. Let's send our report to Archon. He'll want to know what's going on.”

“I already did, darling. You were sleeping in though, sleepyhead.” Miss Take reached up and ruffled his mane, and Shining huffed and shoved at her lightly before she teased: “But I do know that unless it involves your hair, my darling, many things tend to escape your attention.”

Shining Armor only rolled his eyes, then paused for a moment before frowning at her uneasily, asking lamely: “You uh... you made it professional this time, right?”

Miss Take only looked at him innocently, and Shining Armor groaned loudly, slapping his forehead and thinking wryly that even if so much else had changed, there would never be one day where he'd be safe from getting a lecture from Archon...

But Amadeus Archon was only chuckling quietly as he sat back in his wheelchair, a small smile on his features. Scars and burns covered half his visible face, and a fold of cloth was tied tightly around his head to protect his blind eyes, while the rest of his body was dressed in a pristine uniform he insisted on dressing himself in every morning... and somehow never failed to make as neat and orderly as it had always been.

Only one leg remained his own flesh and blood: the other forelimb had been replaced by a prosthetic, as had both his hind legs. But he still found his way around well enough, even though there was always a unicorn nurse in attendance that he regularly frustrated by refusing the help of.

Currently, another officer looked awkwardly up from the letter he had just finished reading – with only a slight stammer, to his credit, at some of Miss Take's phrasings – and the old stallion shook his head slowly before he said wryly: “I'll compose a response myself later tonight. Thank you, Captain. You are dismissed.”

The soldier saluted quickly, then looked awkwardly for a moment... before Archon calmly saluted back as if he'd clearly seen it, saying pleasantly: “The gesture is appreciated, son, but the uniform I wear is much different now. Now I'm just a Director. Not a General.”

With that, Archon reached down and carefully wheeled himself around in a circle, and his nurse sighed and walked up behind him, grasping the handlebars with magic to guide him as she reprimanded: “Director Archon, excuse me, but let me help-”

“I don't need your help. I'm going home to my grandson after a long night of work.” grumbled Archon, but he allowed the nurse to take control after a moment, and the old stallion sighed as he shifted in the wheelchair, asking finally: “Shouldn't you be helping someone else?”

“You know, you're always talking about this other pony you knew once. And she was bullheaded and made bad choices and refused everyone else's help too. She did, right up until the end, isn't that right?” asked the nurse mildly, and Archon gave a wry smile. “Do you want to turn out like her, with no one knowing where you are, or what's happened to you?”

“Young mare, it's not nearly as simple as you seem to think. I say all those things about her... but really, there's few ponies I've admired more.” Archon said quietly, and then he turned his eyes up towards the sky, adding softly: “And I might not know where she is. But I think I know who she's with. And that makes all the difference.”

The nurse frowned, but Archon only chuckled before adding wryly: “But maybe you're right. I'm too old for any more adventures, after all... and I already have my family waiting for me back at home. Hurry it up.”

“Yes, sir.” the nurse grumbled, pushing him onwards, and Archon chuckled again as he rested back in his wheelchair, feeling the wind against his face and thinking of her... of that reckless, idiot mare who had done so much for Equestria, as he seemed to turn towards the statue honoring the lost Princess Cadence with a smile as they passed it... but his head knowingly tilted all the same, well-aware that she wasn't nearly as lost as so many ponies thought.

You weren't lost after you found what you had been looking for, after all.

Cadence sipped at her blueberry tea, smiling a little to herself as she rested back in her comfy little apartment. It was plush and nice and altogether, just a great little place, she thought. And better yet, she made enough with the little job Hecate had set her up with to pay for some of these nice little things, like that tea she was so fond of.

The mare shook herself out, her short-cut white mane fluttering around her face before she absently rubbed at her chest: she had turned almost completely ivory, except for a few strange pink markings over her body that were almost like stripes, and one distinct pattern on her breast that looked like a bird, rising in mid-flight. Even her cutie mark had been burned away, only a faint outline left behind that vaguely resembled a hollow heart.

Then she glared a bit at the zebra lounging on the loveseat on the other side of the table, when he slurped loudly at his own tea. He had an inverted stripe pattern and skull like markings over his face, which was half-hidden by a top hat. And he was extremely annoying and rude and loud and obnoxious, and yet she kind of liked him and respected him all the same. “Cygne, the hell am I doing here?”

“Look, La Croix, you're the closest thing I know to a death spirit. I mean, Hecate has all kinds of us... Orphans, here, like she calls us. I mean, I guess that's what she calls us, since she calls this place the Orphanage and all.” Cadence said a little awkwardly, gesturing around at the apartment... and really, the entire, massive complex that sat on the steel and lightning world of Decretum, a technological paradise full of the marvelous and the terrifying.

La Croix was giving her a mild look now, though, so after a moment the mare steeled herself before saying plainly: “I've died. A lot. I see ghosts and memories that not even you can. I need to know what's up with me. I thought you might be able to help figure that out.”

“Y'all think that because I be a Loa, I must know everything 'bout freaky ghost stuff?” asked La Croix flatly, and Cadence sighed tiredly before the zebra sat up and added more seriously: “Look, okay, you and your papa ain't bad folk. I like you plenty, Cygne. And sure, I be glad to help y'all if I can. But I don't know nothin' 'bout no oiseaus 'cept that some of 'em taste real bon.”

“Thanks, La Croix. Really.” Cadence said dryly, and then she sighed a little and shifted a bit before looking out through the glass doors, murmuring: “I just wish I knew what I was, that's all.”

“You be lucky, that's what y'are. And I ain't talkin' 'bout the way you can't quite seem to hit the big ol' fais do do, either.” La Croix said mildly, and Cadence gave him a curious look, and the Loa smiled and shrugged, gesturing easily past her with one hoof. “You be the only damn orphan I ever met who also has a papa.”

Cadence smiled despite herself, then she glanced over her shoulder as there was a quiet chuckle before a pony slowly emerged from the kitchen, saying softly: “Well, not to be rude, La Croix... but I think that between the three of us, I'm the lucky one.”

Sombra emerged: he was black as night, but his eyes didn't glow with malicious energies, and his expression held all the softness of Serenite in it. He no longer wore his cape or crown, but instead he had a harness across his breast that helped secure a large, heavy steel casing across his back. It protected a strange machine that had been developed by Hecate and surgically implanted into her father along his spine, protecting him from being taken over by the poisons that even now ebbed through his body... but thankfully, couldn't be spread so long as that machine continued to function.

He calmly strode over to join them, and Cadence smiled as he sat on the couch beside her, the two gazing at one-another before La Croix bowed his head politely to Sombra. But Sombra only chuckled, saying softly: “You're always too kind to me. You all are... and mi amore, we'll find the answers one day. For you, for me... but for now, I am content. We have each other. We're part of something better, something good. I am not yet... healed, but the machines that Valthrudnir would have once used to destroy the world... are now part of what is being used to give me back my mind and body, and that... is a miracle I welcome more than words could express.

“We're on our way, Cadence. There are answers here. And Hecate will help us find those answers, stop what machinations of Valthrudnir's remain, and protect not just our world... but the many that exist out there. This is a gift.” Sombra smiled over at Cadence, reaching up and gently squeezing her shoulder. “Don't question what you don't have, mi amore. And don't sprint for the finish before you even begin the journey. Everything we need will come in time; the rest, we can make our own answers for.”

Cadence smiled warmly at her father, then nodded firmly, gazing at him with love and adoration and respect in her eyes as she savored his words, and the sight of the stallion who, even in deepest darkness, burned with a guiding light so bright that she knew, as long as he was in her life... she would always be able to find the right path.Cambiano i suonatori ma la musica è sempre quella:

Finchè c'è vita c'è speranza.

Episode I: The Rhythm Of The Dance

The Rhythm Of The Dance
~BlackRoseRaven

The winged unicorn smiled softly, gazing out over the field with strange longing in her gentle amaranthine eyes: her wings, covered in pale-pink feathers the same color as her gorgeous coat fluttered a little now and then as she brought her hooves up to rest them on the railing of the balcony that overlooked the fields far below, golden shoes that adorned them clinking as her swirled pink, cream and violet mane swayed a little.

The gemmed tiara that rested on her head fell forwards a bit and tinked quietly against her tall horn, and she gave a little sigh before reaching up and quickly pushing it back, not taking her eyes off what was happening in the field below. A white unicorn stallion dressed in purple, heavy armor was shouting orders as he ran drills with soldiers in golden mail, the commander's voice so strong that even from here the winged unicorn could almost make out the words.

“Watching your husband again, Cadence?” asked a soft voice, and the soft pink pony blushed a bit and hurriedly straightened, coughing and clearing her throat as she awkwardly stood as straight as possible. Then she looked lamely up when her tiara fell askew again, as a much-larger, ivory-coated winged unicorn stepped out onto the balcony beside her with a soft smile, her amethyst eyes gentle, and her mane flowing with a multitude of soft colors.

“Princess Celestia, I...well... yes.” Cadence admitted after a moment, but when Celestia only smiled softly at her, the soft pink pony relaxed a little and smiled back, saying quietly: “I guess I'm just still not used to any of this, that's all.”

“It's alright, Cadence... to tell you the truth, it took me a while to get used to ruling Equestria as well.” Celestia replied gently, then the much-larger mare hesitated for a moment before reaching up and adjusting Cadence's tiara, making the soft pink pony smile lamely. “Besides, you've had a lot to get used to. But ever we found you, I knew you had an important role to play here...”

“Yes, but... what is it?” Cadence almost pleaded, turning her eyes up to Celestia: Celestia, who wore her own diadem and peytral so naturally, who was regal and strong and respectable, who had all the natural poise and grace required to be a ruler of Equestria. “Princess Celestia, you told me I was found when I was just a foal, wandering the wasteland. I was brought before you, and... you told me that... I had a great destiny, but... I don't... I still don't understand why I was made a princess. Even where I come from, or how I fit in with yourself and Princess Luna, even if...”

She glanced over her shoulder, spreading her wings slowly and flapping them once, and then she smiled faintly as they closed and her eyes settled on her cutie mark: a crystalline heart, with golden ribbon stretching out from either side. Nothing so great and glorious as the crest of the sun that was Celestia's cutie mark... “You and Princess Luna mean so much more to Equestria than I do. Do so much more for Equestria, too...”

“I don't know about that, Cadence... love is very powerful.” Celestia replied softly, and Cadence shifted and smiled a little before the ivory mare turned gentle eyes to her. “And do I have to remind you that you and Shining Armor were instrumental in putting a halt to King Sombra? Or that it was your love for him that not only broke the spell over your husband, but defeated Queen Chrysalis and her Changeling swarm?”

Cadence only dropped her head, then she blushed when Celestia touched her under the chin, guiding her eyes back up with a smile. “And I remember you were Twilight Sparkle's foal-sitter as well. You were looking after Twilight even before I was... I think our destinies are all intertwined, Cadence. Besides, it's not so bad, is it?”

“It's... it's not that, Princess Celestia, I don't want to sound like I'm complaining...” Cadence turned away, gazing quietly down into the training fields below to watch the military drills continue before she sighed a little. “And don't get me wrong, I do like being involved, and serving Equestria as best I can. I just think... sometimes... maybe... I could do more, if... well...”

She looked over her shoulder awkwardly, but Celestia only gave a small smile and shook her head slowly, replying with a hint of entertainment: “Now I understand what's bothering you, Cadence... but haven't we discussed this several times before? And every time...”

“I know, I know, and... you're wise, Celestia, and you're charming and you can always get me to see things from your point of view but...” Cadence halted, then smiled a little, closing her eyes as she murmured: “The heart wants what the heart wants.”

Celestia studied the gentle pink pony for a few moments, and then she nodded slowly before saying softly: “And that's why I'm not going to say anything this time, Cadence. I know that I can't change your mind... all I can do is ask you to look at what's around you, and how much you've helped Equestria in your new role. Look at all the good things you've done, and the projects you've helped my sister and I complete. Equestria is a better place because of your help, Princess Cadence.”

The soft pink pony nodded hesitantly, even as she almost hid behind her swirled mane with the faint blush that rose in her cheeks, and then Celestia reached out and touched her shoulder gently. “You're doing good here, Cadence. You fit in well with myself and my sister. Take tonight to think, and we'll meet tomorrow with the Royal Court to finish discussing those resolutions.”

Cadence nodded a little, giving a faint smile to Celestia, and the ivory mare smiled back before she turned calmly and left the soft pink pony alone on the balcony. But all the same, Cadence still felt like Celestia's presence was still here as she leaned over the railing and gazed longingly down into the field below, watching as the soldiers continued their exercises beneath the warmth of the sun.

After a few minutes, the rose-colored mare finally pulled herself away from the railing, adjusted all the pretty things she was wearing, then took a short breath before raising her head and gracefully striding back into Canterlot Castle. She smiled kindly at the ponies who bowed or greeted her, reminding herself again and again of all the things she had been taught about Canterlot etiquette: poise, dignity, grace, and respect.

She had great role models: Celestia and Luna were both calm and cultured and courteous. They had been brought up in their roles, from what Cadence knew, while she had... well, she had never really imagined that one day she would be here, a princess in Canterlot. And her wings again gave the slightest flutter even as she continued slowly on her way through the halls towards her private quarters, feeling as always that it had something to do with... what she was, more than who she was.

Sure, she couldn't deny that she liked it, that she saw the value in it: her decisions alongside Celestia and Luna affected the entire nation, and they had the most wonderful parties, and she had all kinds of friends and admirers. Getting pretty clothes and good food and anything else she desired was now as easy as raising her hoof or ringing a bell... well... almost anything.

Cadence's wings fluttered again as she gave a small smile: Celestia, who had done most of her mentoring, had been very firm there were certain things she wasn't supposed to do anymore... at least, not in the public eye. Cadence had her guilty pleasures, though, and she knew she was lucky that Shining Armor was happy to either indulge her or turn a blind eye to her more... eccentric eccentricities.

And happy as being a princess – the dream of almost every little filly! – made her... all the times she'd felt happiest, she'd felt the most worthwhile, hadn't been while attending banquets, or drafting laws, or overseeing Canterlot for a few hours. It had been when she had been taking action, like when she and Twilight Sparkle had climbed up out of the abandoned mines to stop Chrysalis, or when she and Shining Armor had gone to the Crystal Kingdom to stop the evil King Sombra.

Her wings fluttered a bit once more, and Cadence fidgeted in midstep before furling them tight at her sides, even as almost-longing twisted through her mind: it was strange, how... how she reflected on those memories with such... happiness. The experiences had been awful: being deceived, humiliated, and thrown into a dark void, fighting her way out to find Shining Armor almost lost to Chrysalis' enchantments... and almost as bad, the pain of forcing herself to sustain her magic for days and days to save ponies who were complete strangers, under what had seemed like purposefully-vague orders from Celestia. Not that she or Shining Armor had questioned her: Princess Celestia always knew what she was doing, she had learned... or at least, she made herself believe.

Not that she ever doubted Celestia, quite the opposite: she adored her, looked up to her, saw her as a mentor. And yet in the back of her mind something chewed at her, because Celestia was so... so determined to shape Cadence into... well... what she was well on her way to being. A princess.

Cadence dropped her head a bit as she began to make her way through a wide, empty foyer, no longer really paying attention to where she was going as she found herself lost in thought... and then a voice called to her, waking her up from the near trance she had fallen into: “Princess Cadence! Shouldn't you have an escort?”

The coral winged unicorn looked up with a smile despite herself as the large ivory stallion strode towards her with a grin, a bit of his rugged blue mane visible beneath his purple helm. His armor gleamed, still looking polished and pristine despite the drills he had been running alongside his soldiers. And after a moment, Cadence rose her head high, then replied primly: “Are you offering, Captain Shining Armor? Don't you have other duties to attend to?”

“Well, the safety of the princesses is the top concern of the Royal Guard of Equestria. After all, Princess Cadence, who knows what terrible evil might lurk just around the corner? There might be terrifying cobwebs, or a vicious spider, or maybe an uneven floor tile you could chip a hoof on.” Shining Armor replied seriously, and Cadence did her best to withhold a smile as the stallion took another step towards her, closing the distance between them as he leaned in with a teasing wink. “I know how badly you require my protection, after all.”

“Oh yes, save me, save me, Shining Armor. I heard there was a mass of dust bunnies gathering for an attack, I could be completely overwhelmed and the whole country would just fall to pieces without me.” Cadence replied just as solemnly, sitting back and waving her front hooves back and forth, and then the two ponies looked at each other for a few moments before they both laughed, the stallion stepping forwards to embrace her tightly as Cadence wrapped her own forelegs firmly around his neck, burying her face against him and smelling polish, and sweat, and a faint hint of lavender. “You used my shampoo again.”

“I like your shampoo.” Shining Armor sat back, the two ponies looking at each other fondly before he reached up and pulled his helm off, grinning as he tossed his gleaming, multi-tone blue mane. “Besides, as I recall, it was my mane that got your attention in the first place, wasn't it?”

“Yes, because I thought you were the bulkiest mare I'd ever seen with those gorgeous flowing locks of yours, Shine.” Cadence replied easily, and Shining Armor hid his smile behind a flat look before the mare reached up and carefully brushed back his hair, gazing into his dark blue eyes affectionately.

He looked back, then softened a little bit, studying her before he asked softly: “Hey, are you okay? You look like you've been thinking a lot...”

“I... was. I was just watching you running drills again, and... well...” Cadence shook her head, then she glanced up and smiled, waving a hoof to dismiss her own thoughts even as Shining Armor looked at her with a little more worry. “It's not important. Besides, Princess Celestia gave me the night off... hey, I know, why don't I make us a nice dinner at home tonight? I'll make your favorite, and we can just... be with each other.”

“I'm on duty until late tonight, Cadence, I don't want you to have to wait for me...” Shining Armor began... but then he smiled a little when the winged unicorn reached up and touched his shoulder gently, the stallion giving a sigh before he shook his head and closed his eyes, murmuring: “You spoil me, you know that? You're way too good to me.”

“Well, I have to be. You're Twilight's big brother, and I've always liked her.” Cadence replied with a smile, and Shining Armor rolled his eyes before he punched her shoulder lightly. She punched him gently back, then smiled again and said softly: “And I kind of like you too.”

“I know. I'm the luckiest stallion in the world because of that.” Shining Armor leaned forwards, and Cadence closed her eyes, meeting him in a gentle kiss that lasted for a few moments before the two pulled apart, both with eyes only for each other before the stallion chuckled and slipped his helm back on. “But I'd better get back to work. I have to report to one of the Generals and give an assessment of the new recruits, and then do a patrol of Canterlot.”

“There've been lots of patrols lately... do you know why Celestia's scheduled so many?” Cadence asked curiously, and when Shining Armor gave her an amused look, the rose-colored mare looked back pleadingly. “Shine, come on, I'm your wife! And I'm also a princess! Don't make me order you to tell me!”

“Cadence, we've been over this. We both have our jobs, and I have to...” He winced as Cadence leaned forwards, giving him her best puppy eyes, and the unicorn did his best to look away as he reached up and covered his face, saying hurriedly: “Oh come on, don't give me that look, you know I hate it when you do that!”

“Please?” Cadence drew out the word, leaning forwards, arching her back as she looked up at him, and Shining Armor huffed behind his hooves before the winged unicorn grumbled and sat back, pouting a little. “Oh fine, then don't tell me. I'll just march over to the General and ask him.”

“Oh don't do that, please don't do that. The guys laugh at me enough as it is after that one time you... no, I don't even want to talk about it.” Shining Armor dropped his hooves, sighing and looking down at her flatly as Cadence looked back up pointedly, then he hesitantly nodded. “Can you at least wait until tonight, though? It's nothing important, I promise... you know if... if it was something important, I'd always tell you. You're my wife, and the love of my life, before you're a princess or anything else, and... you come first.”

He reached up, taking one of her hooves gently, and Cadence softened as she straightened, smiling across at him quietly as she murmured: “I know, Shine. And you're my husband and the stallion I want to wake up beside every day for the rest of my life. Even if...”

“Now, hey, no getting serious again. We've talked about that.” Shining Armor chided gently, and Cadence nodded as she looked up, forcing away the worries that always rose in the back of her mind. “I really need to get going, though, or the General's going to turn me inside-out. I won't be home until around ten tonight, but... I'll be looking forwards to that dinner,, and I don't have to get up early tomorrow.”

“Then I'll take that as a promise, Captain.” Cadence replied softly, and Shining Armor smiled back at her before they traded another quick kiss, and then the winged unicorn said gently: “I love you.”

“I love you too, Cadence.” Shining Armor smiled at her beneath his helm, then he turned and strode quickly towards the nearest set of doors. Cadence watched him go with longing in her eyes... not just for the stallion himself, but... but something else, too, as she closed her eyes and sat for a moment in the otherwise empty foyer, the lingering smell of polish still hovering around her.

Cadence shook her head out, then carefully adjusted her peytral and her tiara before nodding firmly once to herself... and sighing tiredly when the movement made the tiara fall out of place again. She grumbled, once more fixed it, then rose her head and turned around, deciding that it would probably be best for now for her to go home and settle down.

Shining Armor smiled to himself as he strode slowly beneath the mid-morning sun through the streets of Canterlot, rolling his head on his shoulders before yawning loudly, and one of the Royal Guards asked mildly: “Long night, sir?”

“Hey, eyes front. But... yes, it was.” Shining Armor replied after a moment, smiling as he turned his attention ahead, and the four armored soldiers that made up the patrol all gave him looks that varied between amusement and envy. “Anyway, it's almost time to head back. Anyone see anything out of the ordinary?”

The soldiers all answered in the negative, and Shining Armor nodded a bit as he looked back and forth, smiling again: this was the Canterlot, the Equestria, he loved and sought to protect. Clean streets kept safe by good ponies... not just him and his soldiers, but ponies like his sister and her friends, and the decent people that made up most of the city... hell, most of the country.

Yes, they had their problems, still, and sometimes there were concerns... but Princess Celestia was always quick to respond these days, and wouldn't simply stand by and let anyone threaten her country. Even if they had been getting reports of rising crime, and strangely-dressed ponies, even if the patrols had been almost doubled over the last few weeks... Shining Armor still saw mostly good things around him. Saw peace, and prosperity, and happiness.

Maybe that was why he was so unprepared for what happened next.

One moment they were walking down the clean, cobbled streets, and the only ponies they saw were pleasant people, going about their morning errands or out for a walk: next, Shining Armor felt an alarm blare in his mind, and when he looked up, he realized too late there were suddenly two cloaked ponies on either side of the patrol, boxing them in, moving as calmly and silently as if they had always been there.

Shining Armor stumbled over his own hooves, even as behind him, one of his soldiers laughed, none of them seeming aware of what was going on... and just as the Captain of the Guard began to open his mouth, not knowing if he was going to shout a warning at the cloaked figures or his own troops, one of the strange ponies was suddenly beside the guard just behind the white unicorn.

The soldier began to turn, surprise on his features... and then he choked as the cloaked pony slammed a hoof into his throat before there was the singing sound of steel springing forwards, and the rending of flesh. Red splattered over the pavement, so bright it seemed surreal, as Shining Armor stumbled around in a circle and stared in shock... and the cloaked figure smoothly seized the soldier he had just attacked by the back of the neck before flinging him to the ground, the Royal Guard only staring outwards stupidly, his mouth working uselessly as he spasmed and choked on his own blood.

And then the moment of shock was gone, and Shining Armor swung his horn down and fired a bolt of magic at one of the other cloaked ponies, knocking it flying backwards as he shouted: “We're under attack!”

His soldiers immediately dropped to ready positions despite how shocked they looked, facing towards the cloaked figures... but then the one furthest from the group gargled, and Shining Armor's eyes widened in horror as he saw one of the cloaked ponies had managed to leap up behind the soldier and wrap a steel wire around his throat. The ivory unicorn began to charge forwards, but a moment later there was another cloaked figure in his way, as his other soldiers were engaged by the last.

Shining snapped his horn down, meaning to blast the cloak out of his way, but in a deft, sharp movement, the unknown pony swept his cloak off and flung it into the magic missile that fired at him. The cloak was blasted to pieces, and Shining winced as he was blinded for a moment by the flurry of burning cloth debris before a hoof smashed through the cloud and into his face, knocking him staggering backwards.

Then another two hooves smashed into his chest, and he was knocked crashing and rolling on his back with a gargle, landing sprawled out as he stared in horror at the pony that had attacked him. It was a Pegasus, dressed in lightweight, silver body armor engraved with a symbol of a bird, red bracers locked around his forelegs. “This one we keep alive. The others are unnecessary. Eliminate them.”

Shining Armor snarled as he leapt to his hooves, running forwards, and the Pegasus only looked at him coldly before springing forwards at the last moment: but as his front hoof swung out, Shining dropped low, and the blow sailed high over his skull before he slashed his horn against the chest of the Pegasus, denting his armor and knocking the Pegasus backwards with a grunt of surprise.

The unicorn tackled forwards as the Pegasus stumbled, knocking him onto his back before he swung a hoof savagely down into his face and stunned him. Then Shining looked up and snapped his horn outwards, firing a blast of energy into one of the still-cloaked ponies that had pinned one of his surviving soldiers.

He was knocked flying, before Shining shouted a denial when the other cloaked figure simply snapped the neck of the soldier he had managed to pin down. The unicorn began to lunge forwards, but a moment later, something hit the ground in front of him before exploding in a tremendous blast of light and sound... and for Shining Armor, agony as well, as arcs of energy sizzled over his horn and his vision went blurry, his thoughts went static.

A hoof smashed into him from... he couldn't even tell where, the pain in his head was too great as he collapsed to the ground, and then he felt another hoof seize his mane, yanking his head back before a voice said coldly: “No. We need him alive. Follow your orders.”

For a moment, there was nothing, and Shining Armor gritted his teeth as he tensed his body, readying himself to spring to his hooves... but before he could, the hoof on his scalp shoved his head viciously down into the street, and everything went black.

Princess Cadence didn't know what to do, or say, or even think: all she could do was pace back and forth, trembling and trying her hardest to rein in her emotions as soldiers and officers and officials all scurried around the large meeting room. Every now and then, she felt their eyes on her, and for some reason their sympathy just made her more scared and more hurt.

Shining Armor's patrol had been attacked and wiped out – and in broad daylight, on a busy street, no less – by ponies that had been identified as members of the Phoenix Guild. A semi-legal secret society that existed in Canterlot, of warriors, hunters, and mercenaries. But never before had they done anything like this, even if they were suspected of being involved in plenty of unsavory activities around the country.

Not only had they killed four soldiers and taken Shining Armor hostage, their boldness had gone further: a messenger from the guild had arrived at the castle only thirty minutes after the attack, while everyone had still been scrambling to understand what the hell had happened. And in a clear, cold voice, he had declared this was a demonstration to the ponies of Equestria: of the power of the Phoenix Guild, and the helplessness of the nation. That this was the first act of a new dawn that was coming: that this was the act that would wake up Equestria and force them to understand they had all become weak, and their Princesses could not protect them forever.

The messenger had announced calmly where Shining Armor was being held, and that if they wanted him returned, they had several demands they wanted met: one of the most insane was that now that the Phoenix Guild had shown their strength, they desired to be placed in charge of national defense and a new training program for the military.

Celestia had tried to buy time: in spite of the insanity she was faced with, she had said calmly and courteously that they would need time, and these things would require discussion. She had tried to bargain with the messenger, but the pony had ignored her... and there was very little Celestia could do. The messenger had made it very clear, after all, that if something happened to him... then bad things would happen to Shining Armor. So he had come, made his demands, and then simply walked back to the den of inequity he'd come from, looking down on all the ponies he passed with contempt, as if disappointed he was leaving the castle alive.

They were dealing with psychopaths, who had trained and bred other psychopaths, who idolized psychopathic traditions. The Phoenix Guild was a cult with their own rules and plans and ideals, and Celestia was still trying to figure out how to approach this situation. And time was growing short, and Cadence knew that there was a very real chance in the near future, she was going to lose her husband.

The rose-colored mare trembled and took a shuddering breath, then she looked up sharply as she heard Celestia say quietly at the meeting table: “-can't allow her to do that. Have you locked down the area?”

“As much as possible, ma'am, but... these terrorists aren't just crazy. They're dangerous. And the way they're just sitting there inside their compound... they might have a back way out, or this whole thing could be a decoy, and... I can't put my soldiers at risk, trying to send them in there. Not after what they did to that patrol.” replied a grizzled unicorn, shaking his head quickly as he grimaced. His eyes flickered towards Cadence, but the pink winged unicorn dropped her gaze to the floor and pretended to be lost in thought... not too hard, with how distraught she knew she looked. “I... hate to say this... but they have to stopped, and punished. We can't let these criminals walk all over us like this. Shining Armor is a good stallion, but the nation must come first, before-”

“No!” Cadence shouted, looking up with a tremble, and the General winced as Celestia looked up sharply. Then the soft pink winged unicorn turned, shaking her head violently before she strode across the room, breathing hard as tears welled up in her eyes. “Celestia, please! I know... I know they made a ransom demand-”

“They made many demands, Cadence, and it's all too clear to me that they're not after money. They're trying to take control of Equestria.” Celestia said quietly, shaking her head slowly. “They targeted Shining Armor because they knew how it would affect you. That's why they demanded you deliver ten thousand bits to their front door... so they could take you hostage. Because you are a Princess of Equestria, and through you, they expect to be able to get to me.

“I'm sorry, but... you are a princess. We have a responsibility to our nation... over ourselves, and sometimes even over the ponies we care about.” Celestia shook her head slowly, and Cadence trembled, breathing harder, shivering and shaking her head weakly. “I know you love him. I know your love for him was so strong, it saved Equestria... but this time, we can't-”

“Celestia, I won't... I won't leave him to die! You can't make me leave him to die!” Cadence shouted suddenly, straightening... then cursing when her tiara fell lopsided before reaching up and flinging it off, ponies ducking as the headpiece shot across the room and hit the wall hard enough to leave a crack in the plaster. “I understand, but... my husband is my husband and I can't leave him to die, do you understand that? And... and...”

Cadence trembled, then looked up, her eyes pleading as they locked with Celestia's darker irises. “Let me... let me take the ransom. Even if they really do just... if I am walking into an ambush, please. I have to do this, and... I won't hold it against you if... you have to do something drastic afterwards. If things don't work out. But Celestia... he's my husband. I need to try and save my husband. And if I can't do that, then I need to... at least be with him.”

There was silence for a few moments, and Celestia closed her eyes slowly, then nodded silently once. And Cadence smiled widely, trembling, before looking up in surprise when the ivory winged unicorn said slowly: “But this isn't the sort of thing... a princess should do.”

For a few moments, Cadence looked across at Celestia... then she nodded slowly in understanding and straightened, her wings fluttering at her sides as she murmured: “Thank you.”

With that, Cadence turned and hurried out of the room, and the General frowned nervously over at Celestia as the ivory mare looked calmly back at him, before he asked finally: “Princess Celestia... not to question you, but is this a good idea? Princess Cadence is-”

“She is not Princess Cadence right now, General.” Celestia replied quietly, and the ivory mare smiled faintly as she closed her amethyst eyes. “Right now she's a wife, and a lover, and a mare... and going to do whatever it takes to get her husband back.”

She halted, then shook her head quickly and gestured towards another pony, who looked sharply up. “Go and get the ransom ready, and bring it to Cadence's quarters. And let's hope that we can find a way inside that building and to bring down the Phoenix Guild before we lose two good ponies.”

The pony saluted quickly, then turned and hurried out the door... but only a few minutes later, while Celestia was discussing possible entrance tactics with the General, the pony staggered back inside, breathing hard and looking frazzled as he held up a hoof, and then all eyes looked at him with shock as he blurted: “Princess Cadence didn't take the ransom!”

“What?” the General shouted, looking alarmed, but Celestia only closed her eyes... then gave a small, curious smile, even as the General began hurriedly: “There may still be time to catch her, let's send our fastest Pegasus out to courier the ransom to her, she must... she must be out of her wits! Maybe I can have my soldiers ahead cut her off, or-”

“No General, don't worry. But get your troops ready and tell them to keep a sharp eye on the Phoenix Guild compound.” Celestia said calmly, and the General stared at her incredulously before the princess stood up and smiled, looking down at the stallion with a strangely-relaxed expression. “Some ponies are rulers. Some are lawmakers. But some ponies prefer action over words.”

The General only shook his head disbelievingly, and Celestia smiled again as she thought of Cadence... Cadence, who was already striding quickly through the streets of Canterlot, heavy satchel hanging on one side of her body and a gorgeous cloak covering her frame, her diadem glinting over her head and her eyes locked straight forwards. Soldiers stared at her but didn't stop her as she headed straight for the cordoned-off zone.

She swallowed a little as two fellow Captains of the Guard looked at her incredulously, and then the rose-colored pony straightened and said firmly: “I am here to deliver the ransom demand to the Phoenix Guild. Only I am allowed to approach the building, otherwise... they'll hurt my husband. Please let me pass.”

“Princess Cadence...” One of the purple-armored Captains reached up and pulled off his helm, shaking his head slowly. He was a unicorn, his mane shaved short, his coat dark red, orange eyes gleaming with sympathy. “Captain Armor wouldn't want you to go in there. You know that.”

“I do. And I have to, all the same. He's my husband... and let's just forget about the formalities, Autumn, this... this isn't the time to talk rank and status right now. Besides, you were his friends.” Cadence smiled faintly, as Autumn hesitantly nodded and looked at her nervously. “And you're my friends, too. And as my friends... please get out of the way. Please let me do this, and... no matter what happens, good or bad, don't move in. I'll deal with this.”

“Cadence, since we're off the record right now... this is an incredibly stupid idea.” remarked the other Captain, a viridian Pegasus, and Cadence smiled despite herself and nodded in agreement as she looked over at him pointedly. And then the Pegasus shrugged a bit, sighing before he glanced over at Autumn and muttered: “I really do hope Shining's okay in there. But not too okay. Not when he's lucky enough to have a mare like you for a wife, Cadence.”

“I think what Evergreen is trying to say is... good luck.” Autumn said mildly, and Cadence nodded again before she started forwards, then halted when the unicorn suddenly reached out and grabbed her shoulder, adding quietly: “We'll keep everyone back as long as possible.”

“Thank you.” Cadence smiled over at him, nodding slowly, and then she swallowed thickly and trembled before straightening and taking a slow, deep breath. Her wings fluttered a little, and then she closed her eyes tightly and recited silently: Poise, dignity, grace, respect. Poise, dignity, grace, respect...

Slowly, she strode past the blockade that had been set up at the end of the street, and into the wide square beyond, her eyes roving slowly over the Phoenix Guild building. It was enormous and dome shaped, likely once a cathedral, now the home of a cult of killers. Tall iron fencing surrounded it, with a single set of gates open at the front, where three armored Pegasi calmly sat as if waiting for her, unfettered by the countless eyes of soldiers that surrounded them.

Cadence swallowed thickly as she approached, then her voice cracked when she tried to speak: hurriedly, she cleared her throat, then managed out as she halted some ten feet away: “I... I am here to pay the ransom for my husband's life. Please spare him. Please...”

“Bring her inside.” ordered one of the Pegasi, and the pony in the middle nodded: Cadence noted that his bracers were a different color than the others, a pale white instead of red. He listened to the others without hesitation, striding forwards, looking at her with awful coldness that was mirrored on the faces of the others, like emotion was the first thing that was stomped out of anyone who joined this cult of lunatics.

He reached for her as she shrank back a little, trembling... and then suddenly grit her teeth and slammed her head into the face of the Pegasus, sending her tiara flying from her head and him stumbling backwards as his eyes widened in shock before Cadence leapt forwards and swung a vicious uppercut up beneath the stallion's jaw. He was struck with so much force that his body was knocked limply into the air, arching almost gracefully backwards as saliva and blood flew from his mouth before he crashed down on his back in an unconscious heap.

The other members of the guild were both staring in disbelief, and Cadence gritted her teeth as her horn glowed and she yanked the clasp holding her cloak in place open, rearing back on her hind legs as she ripped the cloak free, satchel flying loose from her body as well. As the cloth flew into the air, body-fitting lightweight armor was revealed, sparkling in the sunlight like it was crying out in jubilation at finally being put to use.

Chain mesh covered her limbs and stomach, and heavier plates of white and silver were locked over her upper body and upper legs. Her wings spread wide and her body trembled with a tumult of emotions: excitement, anxiety, fear, love, and rage.

To their credit, the Pegasi recovered quickly, and one lunged forwards only moments after Cadence's satchel hit the ground with a snarl... that turned back to a look of surprise when Cadence easily caught his foreleg in one of her own before slamming her other hoof into his chest and launching herself into the air. She spun violently as she flapped her wings hard, disorienting the stallion before half-flipping and diving straight towards the ground before flinging the Pegasus forwards at the last moment.

His face collided with the hard stone of the square with a loud crunch, driven down beneath Cadence's hoof as she landed smoothly on top of him, and the last remaining Pegasus rushed at her back: but without even bothering to look, Cadence shoved herself off the ground by her front hooves, wings flapping firmly to give herself an extra boost as she kicked both rear legs out and wrapped them tightly around the Pegasus' throat.

He gargled, grabbing at her limbs before Cadence's wings twisted and flapped again, reversing her momentum and dragging the male head-over-heels in a front roll that sent him crashing down on his back as Cadence swung a hoof down viciously between his legs. She struck the stone of the square just beside the base of his tail with enough force to rupture the rock, as the soft pink pony glared over her shoulder and positioned one of her rear hooves against the stallion's throat, shouting: “Where's my husband?”

The Pegasus only stared at her, and then his eyes flicked upwards; immediately, Cadence snarled and rolled to the side, at the same time pincering the stallion with both front and hind hooves to drag him on top of her, before the stallion arched his back with a cry of pain as several bolts hammered into his body, shot by Pegasus half-concealed on the roof of the cathedral. Cadence gritted her teeth as the stallion spasmed, hooves clawing madly at her before she managed to swing all four hooves up and kick them hard into his body, launching him into the air.

The Pegasus howled as he flew on a lazy arc, and Cadence rolled backwards as she swept a hoof out, catching her satchel bag and yanking it towards her. Her horn glowed brightly, almost tearing the flap off as a variety of objects flew out of it: a white steel coronet that locked into place around her head, several small sheathed knives on a belt that snapped quickly around her body, and a pair of silver and white bracers that locked into place around her front legs.

And a moment after she had strapped her equipment on with telekinesis, the Pegasus fell out of the air and crashed down on top of her back with a gurgle, before Cadence furled her wings tightly to her sides and broke into a sprint. Bolts from crossbows peppered the ground around her and slammed into the body of the Pegasus on her back, but Cadence kept her head low, her eyes glowing with focus as she charged through the open gates and straight down the path leading to the enormous double doors of the cathedral.

Without stopping, Cadence leapt upwards and bucked her body hard, flinging the bolt-riddled corpse of the Pegasus off her back before she snapped her horn out, throwing the body as fiercely as she could with telekinesis. It struck the double doors so hard that it almost smashed them off their hinges, knocking them wide open as Cadence charged straight into the enormous, open room beyond as members of the Phoenix Guild – mostly Pegasi – all looked up in shock. “I'm here for my husband!”

There were at least eight other ponies in the wide room, which was empty except for the racks of candles along the wall, a few benches that had been shoved aside... and near a niche at the back where the altar had likely once stood, Shining Armor was tied back in a chair, the stallion looking at her incredulously. Beside him was a unicorn wearing black bracers and heavy armor, a sword sheathed on his back, and this apparent-leader was the first of the stunned Guild to recover before he shouted: “Bring her down!”

Cadence charged inside, her teeth grit, her mind burning: she didn't remember anything before being brought as a foal before Celestia, emaciated and dusty and beaten... but somehow, her mind and body knew this art better than these killers did. She had always had this part of herself, that Celestia had told her must be locked away, must be kept secret, must be kept safe... but now...

A Pegasus lunged at her, and without slowing, Cadence slammed an elbow into his throat before leaping upwards and gracefully flipping sideways to dodge a low tackle from another cultist. Her hoof swung down as her wings flapped and she caught herself in midair, and she seized the back of the head of stunned Pegasus before flinging him into another charging pony.

They crashed together and both fell over as Cadence launched herself higher into the air, looking sharply up even as several Pegasi flew quickly after her: her eyes were already locked on the chandelier above, made of one enormous, heavy iron ring suspended by chains, and the winged unicorn shot through the center of this and rammed into the inside of the ring, grunting with effort and flapping her wings hard to force it to swing through the air.

The chains creaked loudly as the rings swayed upwards... and then Cadence spun herself smoothly to the outside of the ring and slammed a hard double-kick of her rear hooves into it, knocking the heavy iron ring swinging backwards. It smashed into two of the Pegasi that had taken into the air after her, knocking them plummeting from the skies as the others cursed, before the ancient chains groaned and one of the metal links snapped loudly.

Cadence didn't even look back as she shot back towards the ground, however, forcing herself to ignore even the scream of metal and the rumbling that tore through the ceiling: instead, she streamlined her body, diving straight at the unicorn even as his horn glowed with telekinesis and his sword was yanked free from the sheath on his back-

Then the unicorn grunted in surprise as Shining Armor flung himself to the side with a grunt, and the chair he was in overbalanced and smacked painfully into his captor, knocking him stumbling. The unicorn cursed, snarling towards Shining Armor as his sword raised high... and then Cadence smashed headlong into him and knocked him flying bonelessly through the air, crashing into the wall opposite and slamming his head against the stone hard enough to leave a distinct red blotch.

His sword was flung into the air as the unicorn lost his telekinetic grip on it, but a moment later Cadence caught it in her own and swung it down deftly, slicing through the ropes binding Shining Armor to the chair. The white stallion gasped in relief, dragging himself up to his hooves as he opened his mouth... and then he was cut off by a tremendous crash as the as the chandelier smashed down to the floor behind them, sending up a blast of dust and stumbling several Phoenix Guild members as one or two unfortunates were crushed.

Shining Armor winced as he hauled himself to his hooves, tossing his bloodstained mane, flexing his bare body: he was bruised and beaten and they had stripped his armor, but the stallion was grinning all the same as he looked over at Cadence, saying wryly: “They're never going to let me live this down, honey.”

“We can worry about that later.” Cadence smiled despite herself, and then she turned her eyes back through the cathedral as the dust from the chandelier's collapse began to settle and more Pegasi from the Phoenix Guild shot in through the smashed-open doors. And she could hear noises as several doors around the room were silently opened and more tried to slip in unnoticed, breathing slowly before she held the sword up in front of him. “Are you okay enough to fight?”

“More than okay.” Shining Armor readied himself, taking the sword Cadence offered in his own telekinetic grip and swinging it sharply back and forth before he gritted his teeth and rose his head proudly. Cadence smiled warmly even as her eyes remained on the regrouping enemies, and then the stallion cracked his neck and bared his teeth. “Let's show 'em what we're made of, Cadence!”

The rose-colored winged unicorn only gave an entertained shake of her head... then she suddenly turned and smashed a hoof into the face of an assassin that had been attempting to slip in beside her, knocking the Pegasus sprawling before she pounced on top of him and smashed the back of his head into the ground, knocking him out. And like it was a signal, the more than a dozen enemies in the room began to converge on them, as Cadence shouted: “Just be careful, honey! I don't want to have to rescue you again!”

“They ambushed me!” Shining Armor retorted, even as his horn glowed and he created a barrier of blue in the air above, several bolts fired by Pegasi with crossbows bouncing off this. Then the stallion gritted his teeth and flicked his head to the side as another Pegasus charged in, only to have most of the teeth knocked out of his mouth by a strike from the pommel of the sword, before Shining Armor followed up with a blast of telekinetic force that knocked the Pegasus hurtling across the room and into another guild member.

Cadence didn't reply as two more Pegasi leapt towards her, both wearing bracers with long, deadly blades that curved out of them, swinging viciously towards her before the winged unicorn glanced over her shoulder at the wall they were driving her towards. One leapt forwards, trying to catch her off guard, but Cadence launched herself into the air and flipped smoothly backwards before all four hooves struck into the wall, the winged unicorn flexing for a moment before diving forwards.

She smashed directly into the Pegasus that had lunged at her, slamming him to the ground before she rolled forwards, hauling the stunned pony with her and flinging him firmly into the face of the second attacker. Then, without missing a beat, the rose-colored winged unicorn leapt into the air and yanked two knives free from where they were sheathed on her body, catching them with telekinesis.

She snapped her horn forwards, and both knives shot through the air and into the chest of a Pegasus with a crossbow. He was knocked from the sky with a howl of agony, and Cadence flapped her wings hard, flying up into the air as several Pegasi leapt up after her and the other crossbow-wielding ponies quickly turned their attention on winged unicorn.

Shining Armor, meanwhile, slashed his sword back and forth, parrying and blocking every attack from the two ponies in front of him: one had a dagger, the other a set of those vicious bladed bracers. Then the unicorn winced when a third Pegasus leapt up from behind the two fighting the unicorn to fling a spherical object at him, but the unicorn hurriedly batted it away with the flat of his sword as he leapt backwards.

The ball struck the face of one of the Pegasi in front of him and exploded in a flash of light and sound, and Shining Armor winced in pain as he felt the same anti-magic pulse that had robbed him of his strength before rip along his horn. This time, however, he had managed to avoid the worst of the blast... while the Pegasus that had been hit directly was screaming in pain, his knife dropped and hooves covering his face, blinded by the flash and deafened by the sound.

The pony with the bladed bracers leapt forwards... and this time Shining Armor didn't dodge, instead swinging the sword outwards as hard as he could to smash into the Pegasus' own weapons and knock him sprawling backwards with a curse of surprise. But the third Pegasus that had joined the fray immediately leapt over his fallen compatriot... except Shining Armor quickly ended his involvement by catching him by the head and slamming him face-first out of the air and into the ground.

Then he cursed in surprise at a familiar cry of pain, looking up in time to see Cadence stumble away from a Pegasus that had managed to catch her with a springblade. The winged unicorn grasped at her bloodied shoulder as the Pegasus glared across at her, then lunged as he swung his hoof forwards, the spring-blade again popping out of its bracer like a striking cobra... but this time, Cadence swung a hoof up and struck the Pegasus' foreleg in midswing, knocking him back before she leapt forwards and slammed a headbutt into his face that knocked him out.

And without glancing around, Cadence grabbed the unconscious pony in front of her by the forelegs before half-spinning and flinging him straight behind her, knocking another pony that had been charging at her flat. Then she leapt back into the air and yanked another knife free from her belt, throwing it upwards and flicking her horn to launch it through the wing of a Pegasus with a crossbow.

The Pegasus cried out in pain as he was knocked out of the air, falling... and crashing loudly on top of another pony that was just getting to its hooves, knocking them both out. Then Cadence winced when a bolt shot by and narrowly scraped over her armor, before she gritted her teeth and shot towards the Pegasus that was now fumbling hurriedly to reload his weapon.

Shining Armor, meanwhile, smashed the flat of his sword across the face of a pony before he kicked both rear hooves out into the features of another. The assassin behind him dropped to the ground in a drooling heap as the guild member in front of him staggered, and the stallion leapt forwards to seize the enemy by the shoulders before slamming a fierce headbutt into the Pegasus, cracking his skull and knocking him limp.

The unicorn staggered backwards with a wheeze, sword still floating at the ready beside him before he smiled despite himself at the sight of Cadence seizing a Pegasus, spinning violently with him, and then simply flinging him down into the fallen chandelier. The Pegasus bounced off with a distinct clanging sound, then flopped to the broken floor around the enormous, fallen iron ring, but even as he twitched weakly he showed no sign of getting up.

Slowly, the bruised ivory stallion surveyed the bedlam they had caused, whistling a little as he let the sword floating beside him sink to a rest position. The bodies of fallen Pegasi lay everywhere, with one or two unicorns mixed in the bunch, and Shining Armor smiled a bit as he looked up and watched Cadence calmly touch down in front of him.

She was smiling warmly, and Shining Armor chuckled quietly before he said softly: “You know, Celestia's going to be really mad. I don't think even Twilight knows about this side of you, Cadence.”

“It's... it's not a side of me. It's just... something I know how to do.” Cadence shifted embarrassedly, pawing a hoof at the ground before she softened and looked up, studying her husband quietly. He looked back at her, then they both leaned forwards and traded an embrace and a soft nuzzle, the mare murmuring: “I was so worried about you.”

“I know. I'm sorry. I've been thinking of all the excuses I want to say, all the reasons I want to make, for what happened, but I won't waste your time, Cadence. And... we're not done here yet, are we?” Shining Armor smiled a bit, and Cadence tilted her head curiously before the ivory unicorn glanced over his shoulder and gestured towards a recessed, sliding stone panel in the floor. “There's a door there that leads down... I dunno where. But a bunch of these weirdos were saying that their boss is somewhere in there. The guy who ordered all this... and I heard them saying that he was never after anything except for us.”

“What?” Cadence reared back in surprise, and then she frowned deeply as the stallion looked at her and nodded calmly. And for a few moments, there was silence, before Cadence said finally: “And... you... really want to go and find this guy, Shine? We can just walk out of here!”

“I... I know, Cadence, but... look at this!” Shining Armor gestured around at the room, filled with wreckage and fallen bodies. “I don't want this to happen again, and Cadence... I... okay, I'll tell you what. I'll go on ahead and you-”

Cadence slowly scowled at him, and the white unicorn stuttered to a halt before he finished awkwardly: “What... I mean is... I'll go first, and.... you follow after me, honey. Just...” Shining Armor stopped, then softened. “Cadence, you're a princess. I'm a soldier. I'm the one who signed up for this. You need to promise me you'll get to safety if...”

“No. Right now we're not soldier and princess, Shine. And you know what? We never are, between us.” Cadence said firmly, shaking her head quickly before she closed her eyes and murmured: “I don't even know my past. Let's not lie, Shining Armor, I was made a princess because I'm an alicorn. But none of that is important right now. None of that should ever be important between us. You're my husband and I'm your wife, and we're going to do this together.”

Cadence stopped, then smiled a little as Shining nodded awkwardly, looking a bit abashed. “I'm beside you. And you're beside me, right?”

“Right.” Shining Armor replied softly, and then he turned around and shook his head out, and the two strode calmly over to the sliding panel as he added softly: “But you were made a princess for a lot of reasons, Cadence. Don't ever doubt that or worry about that. You've done wonderful things for the country.”

“But maybe right now I can do something more than just sit and follow along with Celestia and Luna, Shine.” Cadence smiled over at him, and the stallion nodded firmly in response to her before they both looked forwards and faced the recessed stone panel. “Let's finish this.”

The two leaned down, horns glowing brightly as they both seized the stone panel, and it shuddered violently before slowly, painfully pulling open, dust hailing down in a stream and several cracks spreading through the rock as the thick panel slid to the side. The two were only able to force it halfway before the panel nearly shattered and something else loudly gave way, but it left more than enough space for them both to step carefully down onto the stone stairs beyond.

Shining Armor took the lead, horn glowing brightly and sword raised as he looked back and forth slowly, and Cadence shivered a bit as a strange – and worse, somehow familiar – sensation rolled through her stomach. The bottom of the mossy steps led them into a dank, empty stone room that had likely once been a crypt.

There were several passages leading out of this room, but only the hall straight ahead of them was lit by flickering torches, and the two ponies traded looks before they both nodded firmly and strode ahead, the stallion still maintaining a short lead as Cadence rolled her shoulders, then shivered again.

She felt... afraid. Not in the way she had been before: that had been fear for Shining Armor more than anything else. Now it was like something else kept nipping at her senses, as they stepped slowly out of the dark corridor and into an octagonal room that was lit by much larger lanterns. And as Cadence looked back and forth, her mind suddenly froze when she looked at the enormous set of double doors at the back of the room, guarded by two metallic statues of snarling pony-monsters on a short landing at the top of a set of steps.

Shining Armor started towards this, and Cadence reached up and caught him, the stallion looking over his shoulder at her in surprise as the winged unicorn breathed hard in and out. Something was here. Something that was her antithesis, something that hated her... something that maybe had to do with her past, she didn't know. Something of wastelands and loneliness and death...

Then there was a loud clang from behind them, and both ponies leapt forwards as a heavy metallic gate fell into place over the tunnel, locking them in. Cadence gritted her teeth and Shining Armor looked quickly towards the doors, opening his mouth... before an awful, echoing scream ripped out of one of the metal statues, and was shortly imitated by the second as they both began to vibrate.

Chunks of metal hailed down as clanging and banging and awful noise filled the air, mixed with what sounded like horrible, clucking laughter before both steel constructs all but exploded, revealing a pair of hideous, blackened and charred ponies. They both posed with their forelegs raised high, their heads thrown back as debris and shattered metal hailed down around them, and Cadence felt a flash in her mind as she realized those hadn't been statutes: they had been iron maidens, torture cages.

Then both of the awful things that had been sealed inside them slumped and faced forwards, lipless mouths twisted into permanent broken grins. Their teeth were sharp, they had no manes or tails, and the only places where their coats and flesh hadn't been burnt black was where white scar tissue covered them bodies. And horribly, Cadence realized they mirrored each other: on one, almost the entire right side of the creature's body was covered in ancient wounds and white scar tissue and horrible mutilations, while the other was the opposite.

They rasped for air, breath rushing in and out of their gangly, emaciated frames. Their eyes were sunken and had no soul, only hatred. And the only differences between them were that one had likely once been a unicorn, but its horn had been shattered near the base and left useless, while the other had the stumps of wings twitching weakly on its back.

Then they both jerkily stood and stepped out onto the stairs, giving what sounded like a strange, clucking laugh, before one whispered eagerly: “Meht llik s'tel, gnilbis.”

“Gnilbis, meht llik s'tel.” the other seemed to agree, and then both of the creatures halted and gave their broken, clucking laugh, heads and bodies twitching violently as they did so as Cadence shivered and staggered backwards in horror, and Shining Armor shook his head weakly, then gritted his teeth and anchored himself, raising his sword in front of him.

“Stay back!” he shouted, but it only drew the eyes of both monsters to him, and the stallion winced a bit before Cadence stepped up beside him, swallowing back her fear as he asked sharply: “Left or Right?”

“Left!” Cadence said immediately, and then she lunged forwards, fear making her aggressive as she gritted her teeth... and stared in horror as the once-unicorn monster that had the left side of its body covered in awful scars and wounds seemed to simply appear in front of her before a hoof smashed her into the air, and a second punch knocked her flying across the room to bounce painfully off the wall and fall flat on her stomach with a cry of pain.

Shining Armor made the mistake of looking away, shouting his wife's name... and then Right was in front of him, seizing the unicorn by the face and slamming him down into the ground before yanking him up and biting savagely at the unicorn's throat. But the ivory pony managed to swing his sword up on luck more than anything else, and the monster bit only the sword before Shining Armor swung it hard outwards, knocking the monstrosity staggering and ripping an ugly wound through its features.

Yet the monster barely seemed to notice, and the sword didn't do nearly as much damage against the rubbery, blackened flesh as Shining had expected it to, the stallion cursing as he leapt forwards aggressively and slashed the blade down across the beast's breast... and the wound was bloodless, going almost unnoticed as Shining Armor was almost-disdainfully slapped backwards as the monster laughed.

Left, meanwhile, was twitching and gurgling as it approached Cadence, as the winged unicorn carefully picked herself up, breathing slowly... and then she gritted her teeth when the monster lunged at her before she flung herself into the air. But Left was freakishly agile, his burst of speed carrying him to the wall before he leapt upwards and kicked off it, twisting around to tackle Cadence out of the air and slam her back down to the cold ground.

She cried out in agony, then barely managed to yank her head out of the way when the beast snapped at her, the creature instead getting a mouthful of her mane. It hurt like hell when it tore back and ripped and frayed her locks, and Cadence snarled as she slammed a double-kick hard into Left's stomach, knocking the monstrosity flying backwards into the wall.

It bounced off, seeming stunned for a moment as the winged unicorn rolled backwards, reaching back and yanking her remaining knives free from her belt and tossing them into the air one after the other to send each shooting forwards with sharp telekinetic lashes. One, two, three knives sank home into Left's chest as it twitched with every impact, falling back on its haunches for a moment... and then it simply picked itself up and strode forwards as if unaware of the projectiles buried in its body.

Cadence's eyes widened, and behind her, Shining Armor stared in horror as he found himself having the same issue: his sword was buried completely through Right's breast, the end sticking out of the monster's back, and yet the monstrosity didn't even seem to be aware of the sword as it forced slowly, steadily forwards even as Shining Armor continued to try and keep it pinned with telekinesis and the blade buried through it.

Right broke into a sprint without warning, and Shining Armor cursed as he felt recoil hammer along his horn, then he looked up too late as the creature zigzagged and he tried to raise his hooves in a wild attempt to defend himself, but Right outmaneuvered him with ease and seized him by the throat with a cackle before yanking him into the air.

At the same time, Cadence swung her horn towards Left, firing a blast of light into him... and the monster simply ignored it, rushing forwards to grab Cadence by the collar and yank her off her hooves, then step forwards and throw her with that awful, clucking cackle. She flew through the air... only to collide halfway across the room with Shining Armor, who had just been thrown by Right.

The bodies of the two ponies almost tangled together as they spun with each other and then crashed down to the ground in a heap, Shining groaning and Cadence shivering and cursing under her breath before the stallion mumbled: “That does give me an idea though.”

Cadence looked up at this with a frown, and then she winced when Shining Armor hauled himself up to his hooves, her body atop his own before he leaned back and seized her. And Cadence's wings opened on their own as she realized all too clearly what he meant to do, before the unicorn leaned forwards with a grunt and flung the mare forwards as hard as he could.

The armored mare smashed into Left and drove the monster crashing backwards into the wall, leaving cracks in the stone as her rear hooves swung down and smashed into the creature's stomach. Left retched loudly as its head fell back, eyes seeming to bulge before it coughed something up and out of its jaws... and on instinct more than anything else, Cadence swung a hoof forwards and drove the glittering piece of mirror the monster had coughed out into the wall, shattering it into dust.

The monster beneath her screamed and flailed wildly, knocking her crashing backwards with a cry of pain before she rolled backwards as Shining Armor looked past her in shock, and then Cadence's eyes widened as Right leapt at the unicorn's exposed back. And in that moment, she reacted on instinct, doing the only thing she could think of: she hammered Shining Armor with a telekinetic blast that knocked him crashing backwards into Right.

The two rolled together, both disoriented before the heavier unicorn landed on top of the charred monster, and Shining Armor winced before he leapt backwards, flicking his horn to tear his sword free from the monster's chest. It twitched once before beginning to calmly sit up... and then Shining Armor snapped his sword down, and there was a distinct crackle as the blade ripped through the monster's stomach and whatever was hidden inside it.

Right screamed and flailed at the air, but he was pinned to the ground by the sword as Shining Armor breathed hard, shaking his head out and gritting his teeth as the beast finally stiffened and fell still. The white unicorn closed his eyes and hung his head a bit, breathing slowly in and out before he looked over his shoulder at Cadence as the rosy mare approached, asking him with soft amusement: “Haven't we discussed picking me up and throwing me at things in the past?”

“Well, you always seem to like it, Cadence, whatever you say afterwards.” Shining Armor reasoned as he turned around, and the mare began to smile, began to shake her head... and then her expression froze on her face, and a shiver passed through her body as she looked towards the double doors at the back of the room.

A moment later, Shining Armor felt it too: the malice, the dark presence, the... emptiness. He gritted his teeth as he flicked his horn, yanking the sword free from the charred corpse and stepping protectively in front of Cadence, even as the mare whispered: “No. No, don't.”

But then her eyes were drawn back to the doors as they rumbled slowly open, her breath catching in her throat, her body trembling as her mouth worked silently for a moment before the thing that was emitting that awful presence made its way into the room. At first, neither pony recognized the creature that stood before them: impossibly, he looked like another winged unicorn. He was dressed in armor more ceremonial and ornamental than it was real, designed with spikes and blades to make him all the more intimidating. Veins visibly pulsed through his sallow features, and his eyes were closed tightly and sunken in his head, his mane hanging raggedly over half his face... but then his awful, animal eyes opened, and Cadence recognized the orange, curved standing from the creature's head.

“Sombra...” Cadence whispered, and Sombra chuckled quietly. His eyes glowed with greenish hell, red irises locked on her as dark violent energy streamed around his features, bleeding his hatred, his malice, his evil into the air. “No... no, no, you...”

“You thought they defeated me? No, no, no. Yes, I've been... near and far, but you can't erase me that easily.” Sombra said softly through the mouth of the Pegasus he had taken over, and Shining Armor snarled before the tall creature – monster – stepped forwards as his eyes locked on Cadence, whispering: “But you. You set my plans back. You got in my way. And you hold a special place in my heart...”

“You don't have a heart!” Cadence snapped, and Sombra only chuckled, smiling coldly as he reached up and touched his armored chest.

“Perhaps not. After all the time that's passed and the problems you and these ponies have given me, after all the time spent... decaying... I've been forced to sink so low I had to take over a living host. But to take revenge on you, right under Celestia's nose? It's worth it.” Sombra leaned forwards, baring sharp teeth at them as his eyes glowed a little brighter, and then he clutched at his head as a shiver ran through him, veins pulsing visibly as his tones became more animal, less-sentient: “Kill... the... girl...”

“You won't touch her!” Shining Armor snapped, stepping forwards as he leveled the sword at the dark entity, and Sombra's lucidity seemed to return as an irritated look passed over the possessed pony's features. “You won't escape this time, Sombra, there's-”

“Be quiet.” Sombra flicked a hoof, and Shining Armor winced and leapt backwards when a spike of black crystal jutted suddenly out of the ground towards the ivory unicorn, before it vanished into smoke as Sombra looked at them with a cold smile. “Go ahead, kill this body. But darkness is eternal. Darkness is power. Darkness sweeps over everything, and no matter how bright your light shines, one day the darkness will muffle it and consume it.”

He breathed quietly, then licked his lips slowly as his horn glowed and he glanced over his shoulder, and two jagged pieces of broken mirror floated out of the doorway, glimmering darkly. Shining Armor's eyes widened, and then he began to leap forwards... but with a flick of one hoof, both Shining Armor and Cadence were driven backwards by a wave of force and the lanterns around the room were all extinguished, leaving them in complete darkness.

A sick sound of flesh tearing filled the air... and then, one-by-one, the lanterns burst into eerie green fire, filling the room with poisonous life as the same sepulchral radiance filled the doorway behind Sombra. And Shining Armor snarled and looked back and forth at the sight of Left and Right: the monsters were back on their hooves, and Sombra simply chuckled before he turned calmly around, heading for the doorway.

Cadence felt something inside her rise up and seize the controls for a moment, felt her body fill with fire before she lunged into the air before she even knew what she was doing, tackling Sombra from behind and knocking them both rolling through the doorway as the monstrous stallion gave a roar of surprise and anger. They bounced together several times, then flung each other away, both landing and skidding backwards on their hooves.

Shining Armor immediately ran for the foot of the steps, then winced and skidded to a halt when Left and Right leapt in front of him, turning their deathless grins on him as Left whispered: “Gnilbis, emit siht yawa teg mih tel t'now ew.”

“Yawa teg t'now eh. Gnilbis, emit siht ton.” rasped the other, and Shining Armor cursed as both Left and Right began to slowly prowl towards him.

“Cadence, if you can hear me...” Shining Armor gritted his teeth, then he straightened and shouted: “I'm going to deal with these guys, you handle Sombra! I know you can do it, Cadence!”

Inside the other room, Cadence smiled faintly at Shining's voice, then she looked quickly back and forth to take in her surroundings as Sombra snarled and rasped: “You challenge me? Stupid girl...”

But the winged unicorn only shook her head shortly before she straightened, her eyes locking with Sombra's as she said quietly: “You don't intimidate me, Sombra. We beat you before. We'll do it again, as many times as it takes, until you're sealed away forever.”

But Sombra only gave a short laugh at this, then he gestured coldly around at the gallery hall they stood in: it was enormous and lined with suits of armor all standing at attention, with an ancient throne sitting at one far end. Green, pale fire burned in the braziers that stood between the silent sentinels along the walls, their foul reek and unholy light adding to the pressure Cadence felt on her mind with Sombra's words: “Go ahead. Do it. But with one single touch, I corrupted the leader of a mighty order into a puppet of my will. With a single word, I made that leader turn on Equestria, which the ancient Phoenix Guild used to protect. Your bonds of honor and 'harmony' are a slow death; you should thank me. I'm not like Celestia. I don't draw out suffering and decline over thousands of years.. only a mortal lifetime or two.”

Cadence gritted her teeth, and Sombra grinned before his eyes blazed and he roared, sweeping a hoof outwards, and the pink winged unicorn leapt to the side as spikes of black crystal ripped out of the ground where she had been standing a moment before. Then Sombra leaned forwards, snapping his horn down to unleash a blast of dark fire, but Cadence smoothly threw herself into a dive, passing just beneath this before she hauled herself forwards and flung herself towards the monster as her wings flapped hard at the same time, swinging out a hoof to smash into Sombra's face and sending him staggering with a cry of shock and pain.

Shining Armor was fighting hard against Left and Right, but the paralleled monstrosities seemed to have learned from their last encounter... and worse, Shining had managed to almost gut one, and found no trace of any mirror shard inside its stomach.

He swung his sword out to block a swing of a hoof, knocking Right staggering before Left plowed into Shining Armor's side with its head and tore upwards, stump of horn ripping agonizingly against his side. The white unicorn howled as he was hefted into the air before Right jumped forwards and slammed into him with enough force to send the stallion flying across the room, hitting the floor and skidding on his wounded side, leaving a trail of blood behind him.

He cursed and shoved himself to his hooves, breathing hard as Left and Right gave their awful, clucking cackle, and then one suddenly sprinted straight forwards as the other leapt upwards, hooves hammering against the wall and propelling it forwards. Shining Armor winced as he did the only thing he could, pouring most of the strength he had left into a barrier spell as both monsters lunged at him.

They both crashed into the sapphire wall that formed, Left's head twisting awkwardly and Right scrabbling wildly near the top of the slanted wall before it fell backwards and crashed down on top of its sibling. They both flailed violently for a moment at each other, and Shining cursed as he let the barrier drop before leaping to his hooves... and his eyes widened before he flicked his horn upwards and sent a bolt of magic into the lantern mounted on the wall above the creatures.

It shattered and half-fell, not tearing completely free of the wall, but vomiting burning oil and and green flame out over the creatures. At first, Shining Armor grinned... and then he only winced when the two monsters gurgled, then cackled, slowly clawing their way up to their hooves and not seeming to care in the slightest about the malevolent flames now eagerly consuming their already-charred forms.

He winced, only hoping that Cadence was doing better than he was... and the winged unicorn, meanwhile, was leaping back and forth as Sombra flung blasts of dark fire at her and summoned spikes of crystal out of the earth. He was panting heavily, a bit of drool falling from his mouth and eyes glowing brightly, standing safe atop a pillar of black crystal and out of her reach.

She was barely fast enough to avoid the endless barrage of attacks he was flinging at her, and there was no way he'd allow her to take to the air, or even get close to the tower he stood on. He was animal and vicious and unrelenting, and it seemed like the more he used his powers, the more he reverted back to nothing but a force of shadow, something less-than-primal with its need to destroy, destroy, destroy...

It made her think of the Crystal Kingdom... and what had kept Sombra away. What had poisoned him, and destroyed him... and Cadence gritted her teeth, almost throwing the idea way before reminding herself that here she was today, a princess, fighting this monster and trying to save her husband, all because of... “Dammit!”

Cadence dodged another blast of dark flames, then flicked her horn, replying with a volley of her own magic: pinkish bubbles gleamed brightly as they sailed through the air, several hitting the pillar with loud pops, and one striking Sombra squarely in the eye, making him curse and grab at his face as Cadence took a moment of reprieve... before staring as the monster dropped his hooves away from his features, his eye twitching as if there was something stuck in it as he roared: “Your 'love' can't hurt me while I'm in this body!”

He swept a hoof outwards, and Cadence cried out in agony as the ground beneath her erupted in a blast of black crystal, several spikes ripping into one of her wings and the others hammering into her body, throwing her backwards. She crashed down and rolled several times, gasping and cursing under her breath as blood ran through her dented armor.

Slowly, she looked up... and then stared: not at Sombra, but at the pillar of crystal he was standing on. He was grinning in triumph, but didn't seem to realize that where her magic had hit, black crystal had turned to gray, rotting ash, and it was rapidly spreading as the possessed stallion whispered: “Don't worry. It'll be easier for you if you die without knowing your past.”

Sombra began to lean forwards... and beneath him, the pillar shattered into ashes and chunks of black stone, the monster yelling in shock as Cadence flung herself up to her hooves with a gasp of pain and snarled, shaking her mane out of her face and running forwards to renew her attack.

The rumble of the crystalline pillar collapsing attracted the attention of Left and Right, who had almost cornered Shining Armor, and the unicorn stallion took the chance to hurriedly blast both burning monsters backwards with a telekinetic hammer before he ran past them, leaping over the lowest risers and dashing for the other side of the room. The monsters were slow to pick themselves up, giving Shining Armor more than enough time to skid around in a circle by his sword and lift it back to a ready position with telekinesis.

He was burnt, bloody, and breathing hard, watching as the two creatures climbed to their hooves... and then Left twitched violently before suddenly starting to look wildly back and forth, and it rasped: “Gnilbis, ees t'nac I.”

Right hissed low in his throat.. then suddenly twitched as well, grabbing at his features. And Shining Armor's eyes widened as he realized that the eyes of both creatures were now just gaping sockets, wreathing and blinded by the emerald fire slowly consuming them, before Right murmured: “Ees t'nac I, gnilbis.”

Shining Armor breathed hard, and then his eyes widened as he caught something else: as Right turned his head back and forth, he saw a distinct gleam inside the creature's skull, and the ivory unicorn glanced at his sword before he gritted his teeth. No, he had to make his chance count, and the best way to do that... “Hey, crowbait! I'm right here!”

Both of the creatures looked sharply towards them with their grinning maws, their empty sockets, and the unicorn dropped himself to a ready position before Left and Right charged blindly forwards, sprinting straight at him... and at the last moment, Shining Armor sidestepped smoothly and flicked his horn outwards, stabbing the sword viciously into Right's skull through one of its hollow eyes, and over the crackle of flames and the hammering of hooves, Shining Armor heard the sound of shattering glass.

The unicorn flung himself forwards in a dive as Right threw its head back and screamed, tumbling over with the sword still buried through his head, and the ivory unicorn grinned... then howled in pain when Left leapt onto his back even as its sibling lashed back and forth in its death throes, and Shining Armor felt himself forcibly rolled onto his back as Left twitched and drooled and opened its jaws hungrily.

The stallion swung upwards at the monster, crying out in pain and horror at the green flames he felt licking at his living flesh, at the strength of this awful thing, at the feeling of it pushing down no matter how hard he tried to push back up against it as its hollow eyes glared down at him... and Shining Armor's panic only grew as he saw there was no broken piece of mirror secreted inside its skull. It was somewhere else... and finally, the ivory unicorn managed to bring his rear hooves up and kick the monster as hard as he could in the stomach, at the same time yanking instead of pushing on its shoulders to throw the burning monster over his own head.

He scrambled for his hooves with a curse of pain, smelling his own skin burning, gasping hard and feeling drained... and Cadence wasn't much different. Her teeth were grit, one of her wings was wounded and torn, she could smell her already ripped-and-frazzled locks burning from a near miss of a fireball.

But Sombra was rasping hard, and something was wrong with him. He kept twitching violently, kept gurgling, his eyes were glowing with such awful light and he'd stopped talking. Cadence eyed him warily as the monster almost stumbled when he began to prowl slowly to one side... before grinning suddenly and rasping as he slammed both hooves into the ground.

A rush of black spikes exploded out of the earth in a line, and Cadence swung her horn forwards with a snarl, unleashing a ray of neon pink light in response that neatly tore through the black crystal and reduced it to smoke long before it could touch her, then blasted into Sombra. He staggered backwards from the magic, then howled in fury and frustration, unhurt but enraged as he leapt forwards into a sprint straight at the mare.

Cadence stared in shock, but then leapt forwards as well... and when Sombra clumsily attempted to pounce on her, she neatly stepped backwards and smashed a dropping hook across his features, sending him muzzle-first into the ground. Immediately, he howled in pain... before it turned to a scream when Cadence swung another hoof up and hammered into the orange horn standing out of the possessed pony's forehead.

There was a burst of black blood as it was almost dislodged, and Cadence cried out in agony as she felt awful pain flare through her hoof and along her limb... but Sombra was grabbing at his face, screaming and hissing as blood ran down from where the hoof had been fused into the pony's skull. And Cadence snarled as she saw the vulnerability, and understood the cost... and yet all the same, she ran forwards, lunging towards him-

Sombra looked up as his eyes flashed, and the world went dark before Cadence felt... cold. She realized she was no longer moving... and slowly, as the eerie green light returned, she found herself looking down almost distantly to see the series of crystalline spikes that had torn through her body, holding her aloft. Her blood ran down them slowly, in rivers of red that almost glowed in the shadows, the rose-colored winged unicorn silent as Sombra leaned forwards and whispered: “Mine.”

Slowly, she looked up at him, their eyes meeting as Sombra licked his lips hungrily. He drew closer, and she wasn't afraid as she closed her eyes, breathing quietly in and out, letting herself go limp. And thoughts swirled through her mind: Shining Armor, Twilight Sparkle, Celestia... others... friends... family... she had all let down.

Her eyes flickered as she felt Sombra's hooves grasp her face eagerly, tilt her head upwards, baring his sharp fangs in a grin... and she reached up and seized his front hooves with a snarl, as her body twitched, and agony helped wash away that numbness, and awaken her determination. Helped remind her of who she was, that she had come this far... and that with love alone she had beaten this monster before.

Sombra snarled up at her, then bit at her like an animal, and Cadence drew her head back before her horn glowed brightly as she focused all the energy she had left into it, before sweeping savagely upwards to smash her horn against Sombra's. Conflicting powers met, and Cadence cried out in agony as she felt like Sombra's dark magic was blasted directly into her brain, while Sombra screamed as all the things he reviled, and feared, and hated, were blasted directly into him... except unlike Cadence's, his body was not his own, and his horn-

The orange, curved horn tore free from the possessed pony's skull with a sickening rip, flying upwards as cracks of light tore through it before it exploded in a tremendous bang, with an awful, forsaken scream, and a moment later the pony body that Sombra had possessed collapsed backwards before exploding as well. Cadence cried out, but there was no time for disgust as Sombra's dark crystal was blasted into nothing but smoke by the wave of force that erupted through the air and whiffed out both dark magic and toxic green fire.

Outside, Left howled in misery as Shining Armor stumbled, then stared in shock as the flames whiffed out and charred skin peeled away to reveal nothing but fragmented, mishmashed glass. Left twisted back and forth, the awful thing cracking itself further with every movement as diamond dust fell from its body, before the ivory unicorn leapt forwards with a roar and slammed a hoof as hard as he could into the creature, and it shattered apart into nothing but fragments with another broken howl.

And as the hideous creature collapsed, Shining Armor looked up as he felt a second wave of force rumble through the air, and he dashed up the stairs even as natural flame rose unbidden in the braziers and the lanterns, as the world settled. Even as everything went right, he felt everything going wrong, as he shouted desperately: “Cadence!”

He stumbled through the doors... and stared in disbelief at the sight of Cadence laying in a pool of her own blood, her eyes closed, shivering weakly, and the ivory unicorn lunged across the gallery, heedlessly charging through ashes and broken debris as he half-fell beside her and grabbed her, rolling her over and whispering: “Cadence... Cadence... no, no, oh... I still... come on, I still haven't... made things up to you for what happened with Chrysalis. I still... what am I supposed to tell Twilight? Cadence, what am I supposed to do... without you? I can't fail you... I... Cadence... please...”

He dropped his head down against hers, trembling, hugging her tightly up against his body... and then he froze, not daring to breathe, not daring to move, as he felt it. The minute shift... the feel of her breath. The movement of her lips against his ear, as she whispered something... and he smiled faintly, closing his eyes and whispering back: “I love you too. I... I got you.”

But Cadence was already gone again, faded back into the darkness, into a dream. Into a story she had never been told, but that had everything to do with her... a story that began with 'once upon a time...

there was a King who was good and benevolent, and beloved by all his people. But his wife had passed away many years ago, and he had no heir. He was afraid for what this would mean for his small but important kingdom. After all, he knew that many other unicorns like himself had fallen to the temptations of evil... and his kingdom was very special, because it reflected the hearts and minds of its ruler, and its people.

So he prayed, and asked for help, each and every day. He prayed, and prayed, until one day, a shooting star crossed the sky and fell to the earth. And to the King's delight, it was a beautiful baby girl, and he knew this was the answer to his prayers.

The King loved his daughter. He took her everywhere with him... and he was amazed when this baby, so little and young, showed such a power of love and understanding already. She seemed to drink in the world with her eyes... she seemed to love everyone equally. She was strong and even-tempered, and he knew she would become an even better ruler than he had been.

As she grew older, he decided to have her trained by his mightiest heroes. At first, some of them scoffed at teaching such a young child, but the King insisted, so they trained her. And to the surprise of the heroes, she learned quickly. But when asked, she never once said that she was learning to fight... she said that she was learning to defend. Her wisdom and skill humbled the mighty heroes, and the King was again delighted with his daughter. And all complemented her natural grace: they began to call her 'Cadence' for the rhythm and skill with which she moved in her training.

But one day, while out walking by himself, the King found himself being followed by a stranger. He stopped to speak to this stranger, and at first, found himself terrified, for he was faced with a great and terrible dragon. The dragon soothed him, however, saying he meant no harm, before he whispered evil promises to the good and righteous King, of power, and eternity. The King refused, but the dragon spoke of awful evils in the future, and soon enough, the King began to grow unsure of himself.

And the cunning dragon found the King's weakness, and told him this: 'Reject my offer of power, go ahead: but know then that you will die, and your daughter will be left all alone in the world. The people will be jealous of her, and she will only be a foal, and unable to save your kingdom. Unable to save herself, from the awful evil.'

So the King finally asked what the dragon desired in return, and the dragon replied kindly: 'You will owe me one favor in the future, that is all.'

The King, foolishly, accepted, and the dragon touched him with a single claw. And it was then, too late, that the King understood he had done something awful, when the dragon vanished, and he felt an awful coldness settle inside him. And even if he found he had powerful new magic, he felt that he was losing something more important than strength alone.

For weeks, the King grew worse. He felt awful urges and desires rising up inside him, and a thirst for power. He felt pain when he saw the happiness of others, like it was an insult to him. Only his daughter soothed him. But one day, he found himself lashing out in anger even at his daughter, and it was then the King knew that he had been deceived.

He returned to the place where he had found the stranger, and the dragon awaited him there. But nothing the King could do could harm or hinder the dragon, who only laughed, and then reminded: 'You owe me one favor, and I have decided the time has come to repay it, King. And the favor is this. You will kill your daughter.'

And the King knew he could not resist the dragon... but he thought he had one small chance to save everything he cared for. So he begged the dragon to allow him one last night with his daughter, and privacy. The dragon eventually agreed, but only after the King promised to bring him the filly's body as proof.

The King rushed home, and found his daughter. And he spent the night with her, and during that night, controlled the evil trying to consume him, before he used the very same dark powers the dragon had given him to brew a special potion and a special spell. Before his daughter slept, he gave this to her, placing her in a deathless, ageless slumber, where she would not breathe, not dream, not her heart beat, and yet all the same, she would live.

He brought her before the dragon, who saw the filly's pallid cheeks, and that she did not breathe, and that her heart did not beat, and he was satisfied. The dragon left, and the King returned to the Kingdom, and had his daughter placed inside a coffin, and asked his four bravest heroes to take the coffin deep into the unknown, and to bury it, but shallowly, and swore them to never return to the kingdom, and never tell anyone of where they buried this most sacred of treasures.

They did so, and the King lived only one more sunset, before all that he was died... and instead, his body became ruled by a raw and evil power who was the opposite of the good king, and destroyed everything that the king had worked for...

and it ended, in darkness.

Cadence shifted uneasily in bed, then she blinked blearily before opening her eyes... and smiled faintly at the sight of Shining Armor leaning over her, the stallion breathing out a sigh of relief as he squeezed one of her hooves tightly in both his own. “I... I thought... I was worried that...”

“I know, Shine. I'm okay.” Cadence closed her eyes, then she reached up and brushed at her torn mane before grimacing a little, feeling a spark of pain when she sat up. Slowly, she looked around the room, and realized after a moment she was at home, and this was their bedroom.

She licked her lips slowly: her mouth was dry, her throat hurt, and her eyes ached, like... like she had maybe been crying in her sleep. She shook her head a bit, and then glanced up at Shining Armor, asking quietly: “How long has it been?”

“A few days... three now, I think.” Shining Armor glanced towards the shuttered window, and Cadence followed his gaze, smiling a little at the sunlight streaming quietly in. “Celestia, Luna, and Twilight have all been here... a few others, too.”

Cadence smiled at this, looking up at her husband, and he gazed back before they leaned towards one another and traded a fierce, tight embrace. For a few moments, they only held onto one-another, and the only sound was birdsong before Cadence closed her eyes and allowed herself to slip back into bed.

She rested quietly on the mattress, then looked up at the ceiling and murmured softly: “I need to talk to Celestia at some point, Shining Armor. I... I understood something. I'm not meant to be a princess. Oh, I know, I like it, and it fits me, but... I think I'm here for a different reason. I think... I have a different purpose. And I'd like to go back to the Crystal Kingdom, Shining Armor... if I do, will... will you come with me?”

“You know you don't even have to ask.” Shining Armor said softly, and Cadence smiled over at him before he added: “But... you need bedrest right now, okay? All this... it can wait a little while. Give it time to sink in, don't just go running off. You've been happy... not showing off those skills of yours, right? I mean, I thought you were... embarrassed about that side of you, honey.”

“I...” Cadence reached up, touched her face, thought of her name... and then she shook her head slowly and smiled again, closing her eyes and murmuring: “You know what? I think you're right about one thing... let's not think about it too much yet. This... this is just the beginning, after all. And I know we're far away from the end yet. Just... stick with me until we get there, okay?”

“Always, Cadence.” Shining Armor said softly, and then he slipped forwards onto the bed, and Cadence closed her eyes as they wrapped their forelegs around one another and held each other close, curling up together in the soft comfort that was all Cadence wanted to think about and experience with so much ringing around in her mind... but all of it made unimportant with the comfort she could always find with Shining Armor by her side, and the love that kept her heart warm.

Episode V: Scherzo

Episode V: Scherzo
~BlackRoseRaven

They limped into the waystation almost a full two days behind schedule: Cadence was honestly surprised that the wrecked train had made it at all, really. Archon was quick to assemble everyone – civilians included – into neat, ordered lines, and then lead them out into the snow-covered, enormous building for 'processing.'

They all checked in at the front desk, while Archon's soldiers secured the station. Archon was on edge for some reason... it made Cadence nervous. She didn't sense anything herself, and Shining Armor seemed too exhausted to notice more than what was immediately in front of him – and even then, she had to gently nudge him into signing these silly papers at the desk – but after their trip she had begun to respect Archon a little more. Plus, you know. It was a lot harder to hate him or call him paranoid when they had been attacked and all, just like he'd been worried about.

After Archon himself checked the logs and took a head count to make sure they hadn't picked up anyone extra, he organized them into formation again, his soldiers protecting the civilians, and Shining and Cadence at the head of the column beside him, after ensuring they were both outfitted in full regalia and polished enough to look presentable. Shining Armor was less-than-thrilled, but Cadence only tried to respect the General's decision and his... particularities.

The station was only a short distance outside of the Crystal Kingdom, in the blowing, snowy tundra that both snared and safeguarded the gorgeous little empire. But they were able to follow a heated path through a short cement tunnel right to a set of guarded gates leading in through the evanescent barrier that shielded the little nation.

Cadence shivered a bit as they approached, and Shining Armor looked over at her worriedly: she tried to smile when she caught his eyes, studying him silently for a few awkward moments and not entirely... knowing what else to do, what to say... not even sure what she thought of this stallion beside her. Her throat felt dry and her eyes felt watery and her head was heavy and... and... “I'm fine, Shine. It just feels... funny, being here again. I didn't feel this way the last time we were here...”

“Land is just land, unless you call it home.” Archon said moodily without looking over his shoulder. It was cryptic and strange coming from the General... and yet at the same time, Cadence understood exactly what he meant by it.

Shining Armor only frowned a little, then he shook his head quickly before reassuring: “Look, no matter what happens, we're here and we're going to make it through this, one way or another. We have each other and you've been saying this whole time that all the answers are here.”

“Answers are never in a place, son. You either know them or you don't.” Archon grumbled, and Shining Armor grimaced a bit... but didn't say anything. And the General didn't bother continuing either, turning his attention ahead to the soldiers guarding the doors and saluting them sharply as he said briskly: “General Archon of Equestria, requesting entrance to the Crystal Kingdom. I have my written orders from Princess Celestia as well as a full list of our supplies and the identities of everyone traveling with us.”

“Uh...” One of the guards looked blank, while the other shifted lamely, but Archon only looked coolly from one to the other, as if he expected these earth ponies who weren't even dressed up in fancy armor to be as capable and professional as the soldiers he trained back home.

After a few seconds of them squirming, Cadence sighed tiredly before she stepped forwards, giving Archon a flat look before she smiled at the soldiers and said calmly: “We're here on business. Please let us through, and we'll talk to the regent at the castle.”

Both guards nodded quickly, smiling in relief, and Archon gave Cadence an ill look before he said moodily: “You are not in command of this operation, Princess Cadence. Our authority lies on equal ground. Don't forget that.”

“Exactly, General. Our authority is equal.” Cadence replied evenly, and Shining Armor stared at her with disbelief as Archon scowled moodily. “But I have more experience dealing with the Crystal Kingdom than you do. I won't interfere with your operations, but you should leave diplomacy to me.”

Shining Armor grabbed at his face, looking horrified, but Cadence and Archon only continued to look at each other calmly before the General nodded with a grunt. “Very well. We present ourselves to the regent, and we'll make our plans from there. We also have a private matter to discuss.”

“After we talk to the regent and we get everything else in order, General. You have your soldiers, and I have duties of my own.” Cadence replied, with only a little bit of stiffness in her voice. And Archon gave her another look before he simply grunted in agreement, eyes flicking back ahead as the doors were pushed open in front of them.

They both gazed into a glowing, radiant light that ebbed and flowed, filling the doorway beyond, and Archon spared her one last look before he nodded briefly and turned his eyes back ahead, calling clearly: “Fall in line and march!”

He led the way forwards, and Cadence sighed and shook her head, following after him: Shining was only able to fall in next to her because of his training and his familiarity with the mare, still gaping at her as he asked disbelievingly: “Are you really Cadence?”

Cadence smiled faintly at this, her eyes flicking towards him as they passed through the blinding light, the mare shivering in spite of the warmth that radiated through her body. She'd never felt that before when stepping into this gorgeous place... and Cadence closed her eyes tightly, taking a slow breath as she tried to just focus on taking one step after the other.

Was she really Cadence... if only Shining knew what a good question that was, she thought, as her eyes flickered open and she looked silently back and forth. All around her was beauty, with a blurry horizon of warm energy that made a manufactured blue sky, through which it was impossible to see the dreary gray and the endless squalls beyond. And only a short distance away were the edges of the gorgeous houses and pretty dwellings that belonged to the Crystal Ponies...

They were already passing an enormous crop of tomatoes, as a matter of fact, where fruits were growing to double, even triple their normal size thanks to the warm energies that inundated this fertile soil, that filled the world with nutrients and life and lent such strength to the entire kingdom.

One of the Crystal Ponies straightened from this patch, covered in red stains from picking tomatoes all day, and he smiled at them... and then Cadence flinched as memories overlapped for a moment and she instead saw a snarling beast of a pony, splattered with blood and standing in a field sown with ashes, eyes glowing with rage and hate-

And then it was just a pony again, continuing to wave happily at the column as they passed by, and Cadence shivered violently as she looked ahead down the pleasant cobblestone path they were following. She could feel her husband looking at her uneasily, but the mare only shook her head briefly before she murmured: “It's... it's nothing. Just... the memories again. And I feel so...”

Her body quaked, and Cadence gritted her teeth as she looked back and forth, breath almost catching in her throat, her eyes flicking around as if she was walking into a trap, not coming... home. But maybe that was precisely why she was so terrified... she was home, and for the first time in her life, she really... she knew that she was home.

What Archon had said made all the sense in the world to her mind: all the times in the past she'd been here, and well... it had just been land to her, and she had just seen these ponies as... well, ponies. Just like the citizens of Equestria...

But now she knew this place: she looked at the tower in the distance, and it overlapped with the mighty, glorious castle of old in her memories, dusted with snow but so happy, so warm and beautiful, so enchanting... and then she only saw that tower again, that desolate and lonely tower that stooped like an old stallion over these countless little huts and homes of these ponies.

The ponies, too, now she looked at them and she didn't just see ponies anymore. Ponies who laughed and smiled and were pleasant and good and the descendants of a tyrannized people. Now, though, she saw the truth: Sombra had become a tyrant in order to save them. Sombra had broken their ancestors, because their ancestors had been barbarians and murderers. He had killed and routed his own people to save these thankless ponies who now called him an abomination, and had conveniently lost all their memories of their own ancestors' sins...

Cadence gritted her teeth, and then she glanced to the side as Shining said hesitantly: “Hey, calm down, okay? I know this is hard for you, but I'm right here by your side, alright? You can do this.”

The rose-hued mare nodded a few times, gritting her teeth and shivering a little before she muttered: “I... I hope you're right. And I know you... I appreciate you being there, but it's just... hard.”

“Stop crying about it and look it in the face. Open your eyes and stop acting like a little filly looking for her parents so she can hide behind them. Face the world.” growled Archon, and Shining Armor gritted his teeth, glaring at the General's back.

Cadence looked uneasily over at Archon, shifting uncomfortably... but now that she wasn't just looking at him as some... some giant, tyrannical military dictator, now that she actually saw him as a pony, she found it a lot harder to be frustrated by his advice. Sure, a little surprised, a little insulted, a little indignant even at how rough and blunt he was, but... all the same...

She took a slow breath and looked forwards, even as Shining Armor reassured: “Look, I'm sure that uh... General Archon here means well. He's just a little... look, Cadence, you're already the strongest mare I know. Even stronger than my little sister, and you know how stubborn she is. You don't have to push yourself.”

The winged unicorn glanced over at Shining Armor for a moment, then she smiled faintly and shook her head briefly before raising her head again, forcing herself to gaze around at her surroundings, to face what was causing her so much fear as she murmured: “No. No, I'm... I'm okay, Shine.”

The ivory unicorn looked at her almost uncomfortably for a moment before his gaze flicked up to Archon, and Cadence felt a strange... almost-hurt coming from him. But then the Captain of the Guard simply smiled before returning his eyes to her, saying finally: “Okay. If that's what you want and uh... well... kind of funny to see you two getting along so well...”

“I guess we got to know each other a lot better on the train, while you were... busy.” Cadence smiled briefly over at Shining Armor, who grimaced a bit at these memories, before the pink mare suddenly gave a small laugh and said softly: “Even though it looks like you still found all the time you needed to take care of your mane.”

“Hey, priorities, right?” Shining replied after a moment with his own brief smile, and he looked both relieved and... maybe just a little bit uncomfortable. A funny combination, but it made a weird sort of sense: the fact she was still somewhat sane probably made him all the more nervous that she was actually trying to work with Archon.

She smiled over at him, and then he slipped towards her, learning down and whispering in her ear: “But hey, honestly, don't let him get under your skin, okay? We're here to put a stop to your nightmares, first and foremost. Let's get you fixed up and let Archon worry about himself, you know he's just here to set things on fire anyway.”

Cadence glanced over at Shining Armor and felt... well... odd. In the past, she would have probably grumbled some kind of agreement with him. Now, she thought she saw what Archon meant about Shining being kind of... well... a wimp. “He's here to help, Shine. And anyway, why don't you, you know... actually try talking to him?”

“Because there's no way that could go horribly, horribly wrong.” Shining Armor remarked dryly, leaning back a bit and giving her a pointed look, and then he sighed a little when she looked almost imploringly back at him before the ivory unicorn ground his teeth together, then he finally cleared his throat and looked ahead, saying uncomfortably: “So uh... General Archon sir, uh... nice weather we've been having, huh?”

Archon ignored the stallion completely, and Cadence sighed tiredly and dropped her head before she muttered: “Well. Maybe we should just wait until we get to the castle to discuss this.”

Shining Armor grumbled an agreement, and Archon only kept his eyes sternly ahead, refusing to acknowledge either of them. Cadence scowled a little between the stallions, but their bickering at least helped her get her mind off everything else... and well, Archon's advice seemed to actually be helping, too. Forcing herself to look ahead, to take in the world around herself, and see it instead of flinching away...

As they walked into the great city-state that was the Crystal Kingdom, she looked back and forth and saw the world in the present. It made the hold of her memories weaken even as more surged back, even as they struggled to drag her into that pit of both glory and agony that was her past... but the past couldn't hurt her, and she wasn't going to be magically swept away by it, either. She wasn't going to let the bad memories rule her, and she wasn't going to lose herself in the good memories for that matter, either.

She walked through the present, gazing over the houses, the ponies... and those acidic feelings that had curled up from the pit of her stomach began to settle, as did the tremendous joy, the terrible sorrow, and the deep, gnawing anxiety that had shaken her body and mind. It made it easier to focus on what they had to do right now: not her wild hopes for the future, but the simple, little things that had to come first.

Not that it made her all that much less fidgety, but... she could at least acknowledge that this little adventure in the Crystal Kingdom probably wasn't going to be like the rest of the trip had been. It would start with a docile walk to meet the regent, a few pleasantries and probably a form or two, and then they would end up doing research and trying to find... well...

Cadence frowned at this, looking down and wondering uncomfortably... well... what the hell was she looking for, exactly? The short answer was her father, but it was a hell of a lot more complicated than that... even if Sombra was known to lurk in the ice fields, it wasn't like she could just go out there and look for him, for more reasons than she had hairs on her head.

The longer, more-coherent answer was that she couldn't just go looking blindly for Sombra: she needed to figure out a way to... to get through to him, or to safely restrain him. She hated thinking like that, like she was going to trap and cage him like an animal, but... well... that was kind of what she was going to have to do, wasn't it?

It was hard to stomach. For a whole lot of reasons, it just played hell on her mind. Cadence shivered and closed her eyes, and memories flooded back that belonged to her and that had belonged to her father, as her horn thrummed faintly with strange energies...

“Cadence? We're almost there.” Shining said gently, interrupting her thoughts, and the rose-hued mare blinked and looked up in surprise before she smiled awkwardly over at her husband, who smiled hesitantly back before he gestured awkwardly ahead.

Cadence looked up... and laughed despite herself as she realized they were already crossing the expansive square towards the base of the castle-tower. It stood on four large supports and stretched high into the sky, polished and enchanting and so fantastic in its design...

And yet it was nothing compared to what it had once been, Cadence thought longingly, drawing her eyes slowly down this immense structure. How many ponies, she wondered, had realized that the tower's true purpose now wasn't as a ruling seat, but instead it was a massive amplifier...

Her eyes drew down, and Cadence smiled a little as she saw the source of this nation's prosperity and fortune, thrumming quietly in its plain glass housing on top of its little pedestal. The Crystal Heart: it was precisely what it sounded like, a heart-shaped artifact shaped out of the rarest of crystal and charged with powerful magic... and Cadence thought that only she was privy to the real origin of that beautiful thing.

Her horn sparked faintly as she looked at it, and she shivered a little: that old, ancient magic was calling to her. Oh, sure, she had always felt that strange similarity, that kinship with it, but it was only now that she was coming to understand the depth of her connection to it, and what exactly that meant.

There were ponies gathered around the pedestal, basking in its beauty and warmth: a few of them looked almost hypnotized by the thrumming gemstone, while others were lazing, placid and peaceful. It was hard to imagine that these silly, almost-vapid ponies were the descendants of a brutal, sociopathic clan of barbarians... but there were the little tells here and there, too, visible even through the sparkling of their manes, the gemstone-gleam of their coats. Things like their large, sharp hooves meant for crushing, or the toughness of their hides, or their larger, crueler teeth...

Cadence shook herself quickly as Archon stopped in front of the pedestal, scowling a little as he drew his eyes from the piled-up offerings at the bottom of the stand before studying the glass case moodily. His horn glowed for a moment, and the crowd of ponies all reared back in surprise as a lick of flames flared along the case, several lethargic gazes turning towards him before the stallion asked sharply: “Why isn't this under better protection? There's no magic, no security, not even a lock!”

“Why would it need protection?” asked one of the Crystal Ponies with an honest, child-like curiosity. “The Crystal Heart is what keeps our whole nation running. Who would ever try and steal it? They'd put everyone at risk.”

Archon glared at the pony who'd spoken, then he glanced over his shoulder and said brusquely: “We should speak to the regent immediately about this. Furthermore, this is one of your responsibilities, Cadence. I expect you to ensure this is protected.”

Shining Armor scowled a bit, but Cadence only sighed and shook her head slowly. “Actually, General, this is something both of us are going to have to deal with, as I think you know well enough yourself. Although...”

She bit her lip, and Archon frowned, and asked moodily: “Well? Out with it, Princess Cadence, I don't play word games or particularly enjoy fishing.”

Cadence gave General Archon a dry look, and then she shook her head before saying finally: “Let's discuss it upstairs. Besides, you're right. We should go and see the regent and get him to at least put the wards back in place.”

Archon nodded after a moment, then he briefly stepped away to look over his soldiers and the uncomfortable lines of civilians, studying them before he said briskly: “All civilians are free to go. Soldiers, set up a guard around the Crystal Heart and wait here for further instructions.”

With that, the General turned and gestured sharply towards the open set of double doors leading into the foot of the fortress. He started ahead, and Shining frowned a little before he quickly slid over to Cadence as they followed in the old unicorn's wake, saying quietly: “You know, I'm sure we can put this off if you want... and we can always just slip away, too.”

“No, that wouldn't be right, Shine. Besides, Archon's right.” Cadence replied, and then she gave a brief smile and added: “You could try and speak up if you really think he should do something different, though.”

Shining Armor laughed dryly at this, then he mumbled: “Right, and end up peeling potatoes or just being railed on about what a spoiled little princeling I am. Besides, you're better at that stuff, and... you know. Not his soldier.”

“Neither are you.” Archon said irritably from the head of the line, and Shining Armor blushed and clamped his mouth shut before the General added sourly: “Like I've said before. If you have a problem with me, say it to my face, Captain Armor. Stop hiding behind your wife.”

“No problem sir! Yes, sir!” Shining Armor said hurriedly, and Cadence sighed, smiling a little despite herself... but at the same time seeing... well, probably a little of what Archon saw. Sure, it was still kind of cute in its own hangdog way, but at the same time...

Cadence shook her head briefly and returned her attention to the task at hoof. In only a few minutes, they were making their way towards the throne room: but before Archon could reach the doors, the regent was already waddling out, the chubby pony looking delighted to see them as he called warmly: “Princess Cadenza! Prince Armor! And of course, High General Archon, what an honor it is to see you all here!”

General Archon only grunted as he came to a halt, saluting calmly before he glanced over his shoulder as his horn glowed. Several scrolls were yanked free from his small carry-bag, floating quickly over to the chubby regent, the earth pony stumbling to a stop and awkwardly catching these in his forelimbs as he fell back on his rump.

Archon didn't seem to notice or care, though, saying brusquely: “These are from Princess Celestia. My orders and my authorization, as well as notes regarding Princess Cadence and the reason for her presence here. I'm sure that you've already been briefed on this, however.”

The regent smiled: a friendly, open expression that made him look even rounder. Cadence, in spite of everything, couldn't help but look at his rather rotund blue body and his little sprawl of green mane that sat like a starfish on his head, and thought wryly that Blueberry really was a perfect name for him. “Yes, General, I'm very certain that's all in good order. We really don't have to discuss this now, though, I know you must want rest after your long journey-”

“We're far behind schedule. This all needs to be taken care of now.” General Archon said irritably, and then he glanced over his shoulder briefly before returning his eyes to Regent Blueberry, saying shortly: “Princess Cadence agrees with me. Prince Shining Armor's opinion is not necessary.”

“Uh.” Blueberry looked awkwardly over at Shining Armor, then he smiled lamely when Archon narrowed his eyes slightly, the regent saying uncomfortably: “Well, General Archon, uh... Princess Cadence and Prince Armor are both very familiar already with the way things work here. Perhaps they can be excused for now while we discuss the rules and laws of the kingdom, and where I'm going to have your soldiers stationed. Would that, perhaps, be acceptable?”

“Shine, could you get our luggage and bring it up to our usual room? I'm sure Blueberry has our suite prepared for us.” Cadence smiled over at the regent, who nodded and looked relieved. “I'll stay here and uh... deal with things. How does that sound?”

Shining Armor shifted uncomfortably on his hooves, but then he gave a brief nod before mumbling: “Just... don't have too much fun with your new friend, Cadence.”

Cadence gave Shining a mild look, but he only dropped his head a bit as he walked away, looking oddly dejected. The rose-hued mare shifted uncomfortably, biting her cheek, but then Archon said moodily: “Perhaps now we'll have fewer distractions. Or complaints, for that matter.”

“You're as bad as Shining is, you know. You're both like little colts.” Cadence grumbled, giving him a flat look. Archon scowled at this, but the pink winged unicorn didn't give him a chance to reply as she instead turned her attention to Blueberry, asking: “Can we please move into the throne room to talk about this?”

“Oh, uh, of course.” Blueberry said awkwardly, and then he smiled lamely when Cadence gently lifted the scrolls out of his forelegs with telekinesis, hurriedly turning around and running through the ajar doors to the throne room. The unicorn and winged unicorn followed, the mare doing her best to resist the urge to continue to glare at Archon as he looked around disdainfully at the interior of the castle.

“No defenses whatsoever. Nor even any attempts to fortify.” he muttered, then scowled a little as they entered the throne room, where the regent was carefully pushing a small table in front of the throne for them. “Where are your guards?”

“What guards? This is quite literally the happiest place on the planet, General Archon! We have little to fear from dissidents inside the kingdom... I'm not sure we even have dissidents anymore inside the kingdom!” Blueberry laughed and smiled invitingly... then wilted under Archon's baleful gaze. “Just a little joke, I... I assure you I'm well aware that not everything is... going well.”

“Then why aren't you taking recent events seriously?” Archon all-but-interrogated, striding quickly forwards to the other side of the table before he slammed his hoof down on top of it, and the regent yelped and cowered quickly away behind the furnishing. “Is this what I have to expect from the entirety of the Crystal Kingdom?”

“Archon, stop. They're not...” Cadence hesitated and she approached, then she shook her head briefly before saying finally: “Look, just explain your plans to him and please try and bear in mind that the Crystal Kingdom is used to being protected from almost any kind of outside interference. They're like...”

“They're like a nursery school in here, and I've been assigned to protect the toddlers and their toy.” Archon muttered, looking disgusted before he took a slow breath... and Cadence was just relieved when he nodded briefly. The regent probably didn't see it or feel it, but Cadence could: Archon was trying to be patient, even if she had no doubt he'd be frustrated again before long.

But he was trying. And she knew that somewhere in there was a pony who had good intentions for them all, he just... was a little rough around the edges. So for now, she turned her eyes back to Blueberry... then sighed a little when she saw he was all-but-hiding. “It's okay, honestly. We're just here to talk about the best possible way we can... make everyone safe, okay?”

Archon grumbled noncommittally, but the regent looked a bit mollified by this, brushing at himself before he gestured awkwardly at the throne, asking finally: “Would you care to take a seat here, Princess Cadence? It's yours by right, after all.”

“No... thank you, but no.” Princess Cadence gave a small smile, shaking her head briefly even as she felt a strange thrum run through her body. Yes, she supposed that this throne really was rightfully hers... but that really wasn't a path she wanted her mind to go down right now. “You sit, regent. I'm not here to take back over as a ruler. I... after my business here is done, I plan to...”

Cadence shifted, then shook her head and turned, picking up two chairs sitting at the side of the hall with telekinesis and pulling them maybe a little too fast over to the table. She winced and awkwardly caught one against her body as Archon simply flicked his horn to stop the other, but the General didn't comment as he sat down. “Let's get down to business.”

Cadence smiled lamely and dropped in her own seat as the regent nodded, awkwardly clambering into the throne and clearing his throat. He looked down at the table, hooves in his lap... and then simply looked dumbly from Cadence to Archon, the General glowering before asking acidly: “Can you tell me about your military force, and the security precautions currently in place, or should I just go find those numbers myself?”

“Oh, uh, sorry, General sir. You're... you're just as focused as the stories say.” Blueberry said awkwardly, shrinking back in the throne as he gave a weak smile before he cleared his throat and hurriedly added: “Not that it's a bad thing! I just.. .thought we might take a moment to...”

Archon was already scowling again, so Blueberry ducked his head, turning his attention quickly away as he twiddled his hooves and then mumbled towards his lap: “We don't have a large scale military... there's no need for it. We have portable warding and shielding crystals that can be set up anywhere needed and a small militia composed mostly of volunteers. But we're really not fighters, you understand: our defenses here are almost absolute...”

“Almost. There's always a flaw.” Archon said moodily, and then he scowled and looked over at Cadence. “Is there really no major military presence here?”

“The Royal Guard provided security when I ruled, and helped train and establish the militia... which I'm guessing hasn't exactly flourished since we left.” Cadence stopped, then asked suddenly: “Wait, what about the knights, and jousting, and the war games?”

“Well, that only happens once a year, at the fair. We don't really have any real knights, you know.” Blueberry said awkwardly, shrugging a bit and giving a lame smile over at Cadence. “Just foal's stories. A lot of our history is mixed with folklore, you know, and some would say our legends are even more important to us than what really happened. We'd all like to just forget about Sombra, after all.”

Cadence twitched a bit: Blueberry didn't notice it, but she felt Archon's sharp eyes flick towards her immediately. She forced herself to smile and nod, hurrying to change the subject as she said quickly: “They say that if we forget the past, though, we're doomed to repeat it... and not the good parts. I know in the past we've let our guard down before regarding certain things, and we can't let that happen again, can we? So I'd really appreciate it if you could at least put up the wards around the Crystal Heart again... and I'm sure General Archon would be extremely interested in seeing the mobile wards put into use.”

Blueberry looked thoughtful at this, and then he smiled a little before nodding, saying hesitantly: “Not to put my hoof where it doesn't belong, but... our engineers have been working on some new crafts and artifacts that I think you'll be very impressed with. Maybe you'd both like to take a look at them?”

“What I'd like to see first are those wards set up around the Crystal Heart. Once I've ascertained their usefulness for myself we can move on to other things.” Archon said moodily, and the regent dropped his head awkwardly.

There was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments, and then Archon turned his eyes towards Cadence, asking calmly: “What are your plans, Princess Cadence? What precisely are your reasons for coming here... apart from ensuring the safety of the Crystal Heart, that is.”

“I...” Cadence shifted uncomfortably, biting the inside of her cheek for a moment before she took a slow breath and turned her eyes towards the regent. “Blueberry, I need your help. I'm afraid that King Sombra and his minions might attempt to attack here. Any threat to the Crystal Heart is likely only a diversion.”

“Then we should lock down the Crystal Heart before preparing a squadron of unicorns.” Archon said distastefully, glancing over at Cadence and ignoring the horrified-looking regent. “My officers have already been briefed on how to deal with him, as an energy lifeform.”

“He's not an energy lifeform, and he's not 'living shadow,' either. I'm not sure what he is anymore...” Cadence looked down for a moment, then shook her head quickly before muttering: “And either way, it doesn't matter. You can't kill Sombra, and... driving him off would be...”

Cadence bit her tongue, and Blueberry shook his head wildly, saying worriedly: “B-But... but wait! What do you mean, King Sombra might be trying to attack? That's impossible, though, there's... there's no way that he can get through that shield...”

“The Brokenhearted can pass through it, though...” Cadence muttered, frowning at the ground, and when both ponies looked at her, she cleared her throat and said hurriedly: “Brokenhearted is... what we've decided to call those ponies that Sombra infects. Didn't uh... didn't you hear about that in your briefing, Archon?”

Archon only gave her an unamused look, making it clear she wasn't fooling him... although Blueberry nodded a few times at this before he shifted nervously, looking uncomfortably back and forth. “And these Brokenhearted... they can pass through the barrier? But how is that possible?”

“Because some wounds don't heal.” Cadence murmured, and then she shivered a little and rubbed slowly at her face. How could she explain to these two she'd seen it all, in memories that weren't her own? How could she explain the purpose of the Crystal Heart had been to wipe out the disease and darkness that caused the Brokenhearted, but if the corruption had already taken hold in a pony...

She shook her head shortly, then sighed softly before saying hesitantly: “Think of them as... as very sick. A pony's body can shield their disease from even our most powerful healing magic, especially if we're only treating the symptoms as we see them.”

Blueberry shifted uneasily again at this, and then he bit his lip before saying worriedly: “Maybe... maybe I should go and see about those wards immediately, then. We don't want any sick people getting near the Crystal Heart.”

Cadence sighed a little at this too-literal interpretation of her words... and then she glanced to the side in surprise as Archon said in a surprisingly-even voice: “You should attend to that right now, regent. And perhaps you could show my soldiers to their quarters while you're at it. I'll only be a moment longer with Cadence and then I'll come down to see what's going on myself.”

The pink mare fidgeted uncomfortably, but Blueberry looked relieved at this chance to slip away, nodding hurriedly before he turned quickly away. The two watched as he stumbled through the doors, and then Archon scowled before looking over at Cadence and saying irritably: “Out with it.”

“Stop bossing me around, Archon, please. This is... personal.” Cadence said quietly, shaking her head and closing her eyes.

“I don't care. I'm not here for your 'feelings,' or your 'emotions,' Cadence. I'm here to get a job done and I need to know what the hell is going on.” Archon replied icily, and he didn't flinch even when Cadence slammed a hoof against the table and glared at him furiously. “Throw a tantrum if you want. I still need an answer.”

“Fine, you want an answer? We need to catch Sombra, but we can't kill him. Both because I'm not sure if he can be killed, and because I want him hurt as little as possible! I don't care about the Crystal Heart, or these ponies, or you and your endless goddamn mission to save Equestria!” Cadence snapped, standing up and glaring angrily at the General as he only looked coolly back. “Sombra is more important to me than any of those things, do you understand me?”

“You give me one good reason why I should put my soldiers' lives at risk to try and capture a monster like Sombra alive, Princess.” General Archon said calmly, unfettered by her anger. “Get yourself in check.”

“No, I won't 'get myself in check,' not until you start acting less like a machine and more like a pony!” Cadence gritted her teeth, slamming her hooves against the tabletop again and trembling for a moment before she looked across at Archon and said angrily: “And because Sombra is my father. Are you happy now? Sombra is my father, and I have to save him and... and if you hurt him, Archon, I swear to the Horses of Heaven I'll... I'll hurt you.”

Archon looked across at Cadence, and Cadence breathed hard as she glared back at him, before the stallion finally closed his eyes and gave a quiet sigh, lowering his head and muttering: “I'm too old for this.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Archon looked up and said distastefully: “This is a bad idea. You coming here was a bad idea. You're too close to this and you can't be counted on to make the right decisions. You'll spare him when you should strike. And you'll strike others when they should be spared.”

“He's all I have.” Cadence replied, and her voice trembled with pain for a moment before she gritted her teeth as anger burst back up, leaning forwards over the table and snapping: “And I'm the only pony here who can save Sombra, or stop him for good! Like it or not, you need me, Archon. But I don't need you.”

“Yes, you do. I'm the only voice of reason in your entire life. I am the only person who is not going to indulge or coddle you. I am the only person you can count on to actually tell you if something is wrong or you're being an idiot, instead of making namby-pamby reassurances and platitudes.” Archon retorted, and then he climbed to his hooves and strode around the table, standing face-to-face with the mare.

Cadence glared at him, and he looked unflinchingly back before he said quietly: “And this is an idiotic idea. He is not all you have. You have a husband, a people, and responsibilities. You have friends and have been crowned as a Princess of Equestria. You don't get to just sacrifice all of that because you're convinced that King Sombra is your father.”

Cadence dropped her eyes, trembling a bit before she bit her lip, hating how easily he overrode her. Then she took a slow breath and drew her eyes calmly up, saying softly: “What I do with my life is my decision. Not yours. Not the kingdom's. Not Celestia's. Not Shining's. It's my life. And he's my father. I'll take care of it myself if I have to, Archon, and we won't put any of your soldiers or these citizens in danger. Just stay out of my way. That's all I ask.”

“No. Part of my mission here is to protect you, even from yourself.” Archon grimaced, then he sighed tiredly as Cadence set herself and glared at him. “I'm not going to fight you, filly. But we're going to have to do this together. And you're going to have to understand something: even if we capture Sombra, we cannot hold him for an extended period of time. He's too dangerous. We'll have no choice but to kill him. Do you understand?”

Cadence gritted her teeth... and then she cursed under her breath before saying quietly: “Fine. I'll catch him. I'll fix him. You just stay away from him.”

“No. You don't seem to get it, Cadence. You're not alone in this, and you don't get to be alone in this.” Archon retorted, shaking his head with a scowl. “Don't act like a child. And don't treat me like some kind of thug, either. I might not be fond of this idea, but if you live up to your end, I'll live up to mine. Understood?”

The two looked at each other for a few moments, and then Cadence finally nodded grudgingly and dropped her head, muttering: “Fine. You made your point, Archon. Happy?”

“Never. Where's your husband? We should talk to him about our plans.” Archon said moodily, and Cadence gave a short laugh and shook her head slowly, making the General frown.

“No, nothing, just... I just realized I haven't spoken to him about... any of this, really. He doesn't know Sombra is...” Cadence bit her lip, looking down silently. “He doesn't know a lot of things. And I... I don't really...”

“He has to know. I'm not here to play marriage counselor, but he has to know what's going on. We can't afford dissension in our ranks right now.” Archon said irritably, and Cadence gave him a sour, irritated look. “You can glare at me all you like, but that makes what I'm saying no less true.”

Cadence grumbled under her breath, and then she sighed a little before dropping her head forwards and nodding a little, murmuring: “Fine. I'll talk to him tonight. For now, I'd appreciate coming up with a plan, okay?”

Archon looked at her moodily, and then he grunted and nodded after a moment before muttering: “Very well. Then we find Shining Armor and he can decide if he wants to handle this as a prince or a soldier.”

Cadence scowled a little, but decided not to say anything for now: Shining Armor could fight his own battle against Archon for once. Although now that she was thinking about him, she couldn't help but wonder where exactly he had wandered off to...

Shining Armor watched with interest as several engineers worked quickly around the Crystal Heart, setting up several large, heavy rings inscribed with all manner of runes and infused with power channeled by the large gemstones inset throughout them. They thrummed slowly away, and the ivory unicorn smiled slightly before he glanced over at Regent Blueberry, asking curiously: “So these things really work?”

“Yes, sir! They respond to what we call a keystone, you see. Only by holding out the keystone and using a special, secret password can you turn the machines on or off.” said Blueberry warmly, and then he winked before leaning over and whispering loudly: “To turn them on you say 'generate.' To turn them off you say 'degenerate.' You might even be able to do it without a keystone, since you're a unicorn and all! Although I'd be rather careful, it may sting a little to pull in all that magical energy.”

“Uh. That's a great use of that word.” Shining said awkwardly after a moment, and then he cleared his throat before asking quickly: “So you mentioned that you had other defensive devices, right? Maybe I could take a look at them before you show them to General Archon and Cadence.”

“Oh, certainly, sir!” Blueberry smiled and nodded firmly before he gestured at the engineers, saying quickly: “Excuse me, is Pinwheel on duty, do any of you know?”

One of the engineers opened his mouth to reply... and then a glass sphere struck him and exploded into a net of energy that knocked him sprawling backwards with a yelp, paralyzed by the magic that twined around him. He rolled helplessly back and forth as the other engineers stared in shock, but then a second glass orb flew down and shattered against one of the remaining ponies, snaring him as well in a net of energy.

The last engineer bolted as Archon's officers shouted orders to the other soldiers, and Shining Armor swore as he looked up as Blueberry squealed and ducked behind him. Then the Captain of the Guard cursed and set himself as his eyes locked on the sight of Miss Take standing on top of a large carriage parked just outside the shadowed base of the tower, smiling warmly down at him. “Hello, darling! So good to see you here!”

“What the hell are you doing?” Shining Armor shouted, half-disbelieving, half... hurt. But he wasn't surprised, at the same time. Somehow, part of him had expected Miss Take to pull some stunt like this: she wasn't exactly the kind of pony to sit happily on the sidelines, after all.

“Why, I'm just showing you what these neat little toys do, that's all.” Miss Take said innocently, and then she glanced to the side as a unicorn soldier launched a fireball at her. But fearlessly, she only winked and titled her head towards it, and the green gemstone on her forehead flared with emerald light before the fireball simply vanished. “Uh-uh-uh. Naughty, naughty, trying a sneak attack like that.”

Miss Take tut-tutted, then grabbed something hanging off her side before she slung it cheerfully forwards. Shining Armor immediately began to lean towards her, his horn glowing... but then he yelped as Blueberry tackled him to the ground and hurriedly grabbed his horn, making the stallion wince. “Hey! What are you-”

The large, octagonal device bounced once against the ground before a surge of energy shot out of it, and Shining Armor was knocked rolling painfully backwards, Blueberry yelping as he was launched off the stallion's back with him. And yet, he was lucky compared to the other unicorns nearby: they were not only blasted off their hooves by the surge of anti-magic, but the magic energy each soldier had been channeling was violently disrupted in a surge of electricity and raw, explosive force.

Shining Armor groaned as he slowly picked himself up, grimacing and glaring at the octagonal device as it popped, sizzled, and danced for a few moments, then finally fell silent. The stallion swore under his breath at this, grinding his teeth together before Miss Take asked innocently: “So what do you think, darling? Versatile enough for you? My, it certainly knocked the heads off those soldiers: it's really too bad they're trained to prepare spells beforehoof.”

“An antimagic surge... I doubt that's what that little toy was originally designed to do, though.” Shining muttered, rubbing slowly at his horn: it was painful, but thanks to Blueberry interrupting his concentration, he hadn't been actively channeling magic when it had gone off. If he had... “You almost killed them! Hell, for all we know-”

“Oh stop that, they're perfectly fine. Besides, sweetie, you're the one who's going to be in hot water when Cadence finds out that you paid a soldier to lug all your luggage up to the room for you.” Miss Take said disapprovingly, clicking her tongue and shaking her head slowly. “Bad, bad colt. You're only as good as your word, you know.”

“I... that's not important, what are you doing here?” Shining Armor hated that he actually blushed a bit at her reprimand, but he refused to let himself get distracted... and dammit, sure, she had helped them on the train, but if Cadence came down and saw her now... or worse, Archon... “Look, surrender and lay down-”

“My sweet head? Or do you want me to lay down my whole body for you?” asked Miss Take kindly, and the stallion stuttered to a halt before she smiled slightly and added pleasantly: “Oh, and excuse me, sir? I know you're there behind me. But if you or any other soldiers attempt to jump on top of me, I'm going to have to take extreme measures. I'm not that kind of girl, after all.”

“All soldiers, withdraw immediately!” Shining Armor snapped... and then he gritted his teeth when only a few of Archon's troops did so. “Did you hear me? Withdraw!”

An officer scowled over at Shining Armor, then said curtly: “We are well aware of your relationship with this subject. It would be in everyone's best interests if you would withdraw for now, Shining Armor, and let us handle this. You are not the officer in charge of this mission.”

Shining Armor mouthed wordlessly for a moment, and then a Pegasus made the foolish mistake of lunging at Miss Take's back: without hesitation, the mare immediately kicked both rear hooves back into the Pegasus' face, knocking him flying before she easily stopped a second soldier that lunged at her by catching his head in one hoof, smiling at him as he looked at her with shock before she slammed him face-first into the top off the carriage with a crunch.

Then she chuckled quietly before easily tossing his limp body away, the mare straightening and saying pleasantly: “There are only five more of you ready to attack me. Two broadside, one head-on, one from behind... one inventive darling thinks he can hit me from above. That's very cute, sweetie, but it's nothing out of the standard rulebook. And like I mentioned, I don't like when other ponies try and get on top... at least, not without an invitation.”

She winked over at Shining Armor, who twitched and scowled horribly at her before the mare said almost teasingly: “Oh, don't look so sour, sweetie! Alright, alright, I'll tell you why I'm here: you remember our little incident on the train, yes? Of course you do, you wanted to use the hoofcuffs on me! Well, the long and short of it is that our mutual friend Pain has decided that it would be very helpful if I would go ahead and snatch that nasty old Crystal Heart up like I was saying I would.”

“I... what?” Shining Armor stepped forwards, his eyes widening before he glared over at one of the officers, snapping: “I'm not your superior officer, but the Crystal Heart needs to be protected! Get those engineers on their hooves and get those shields running, now!”

Archon's soldiers shifted uneasily on their hooves, and then Shining Armor said curtly: “None of you can hold her off. I can. Do it.”

“Darling, I'm trying to help you. Can't you see that?” Miss Take wheedled, and Shining Armor ground his teeth together in frustration and anger. But she only smiled tenderly in response, shaking her head slowly and saying softly: “Please. You don't belong here, with these silly colts playing soldier. And I promise I'll give the Crystal Heart right back after we're done dealing with You Know Who. But the big bad boogey can't come in and play while the nightlight's on... and I know it's important to you both that you deal with this nasty thing, one way or another. So let me help, huh? Let me be the 'bad guy' and do what you can't.”

“For one thing, none of us have decided what we're going to do yet about that. For another, Miss Take, I don't think Cadence exactly wants your help. And last, but not least, if you remove the Crystal Heart you'll put everyone in the Crystal Kingdom at risk, and I can't let that happen!” Shining Armor said sharply, and then he gave a grim smile as he looked back and forth, seeing with relief that at least the other soldiers were listening to him now... but then again, with so many of Archon's troops unconscious, and Miss Take completely unharmed and still with plenty of toys left on the belt around her body...

“You really are wholeheartedly determined to just be absolutely no fun at all, aren't you?” clucked Miss Take, and then she gave a long, drawn-out sigh before nodding once and saying kindly: “Well, you know what they say, my darling. When you love someone, sometimes you have to hurt them for their own good. So remember, sweetie. This is all for your own good.”

Shining Armor only set himself, rolling his shoulders beneath his heavy purple armor before he took a slow breath, saying wryly: “So I guess this means the honeymoon's over already, huh? And Cadence was actually trying to like you.”

Miss Take only winked at this, replying in a kind voice: “Flattery will take you plenty of places with me, darling, but I think you'll have to do a little better than that if you really want us both in your bed at the same time. Diamonds, maybe.”

The stallion stared at her, then he began to open his mouth... and realized almost too late she had just done that stupid trick that always made him let down his stupid guard a moment before she slung one of those glowing crystalline orbs at him.

Shining Armor flicked his horn up at almost the last moment, and the sphere was deflected into the stone ceiling above, shattering in a useless hail of sparks against the tower's base. Miss Take had already launched herself towards him, but this time the ivory unicorn was ready, refusing to let himself be baited or lose focus again.

He lunged to meet her, and she smiled almost playfully as she caught one of his forelegs: she began to slide past him, yanking his limb painfully with her, but Shining quickly backpedaled, moving with her as he slipped his foreleg down to catch her around the waist.

Then he grunted and hauled forwards, slamming the mare down onto her back and lunging to pin her by the shoulders, gritting his teeth as he dropped a knee onto her stomach to stop her from attempting to kick him off. She squirmed beneath him for a moment, then looked up at him thoughtfully, her whole body relaxing as she said mildly: “My oh my. Where'd you find the time to practice, honey? You're doing a whole lot better than usual.”

“I'm not playing a game this time, Miss Take. You're a criminal. You apparently made a deal with a very dangerous pony. And one way or another I'm going to make sure you're out of my life for good.” Shining Armor said grimly, glaring down at her, but Miss Take only smiled tenderly in response.

She leaned up as best she could while still keeping her body surrendered beneath him, the mare saying softly: “Now, darling. Don't hide your feelings... but there's no need to be so upset, so betrayed. It's nothing personal, just a quick job that I promise will benefit us all... I wouldn't ever do anything to hurt you, darling. I don't want to get rid of Cadence, you know... I want you to come to me honestly.”

“There is no us!” Shining snapped, stomping a hoof savagely down beside her head and leaning down to glare into her eyes... her so-calm, so-gentle, so-enchanting eyes... “You're under arrest, Miss Take, for-”

“Let's not list everything I've been accused of, darling, it'll take just far too long.” Miss Take said kindly, and then she winked at him as he gritted his teeth. “Tell you what, sweetie. You and I will play a little game. And if you can hold on until Cadence arrives, then I'll stop trying to steal the Crystal Heart. And we both know she's coming, sweetie. She always interrupts our fun.”

Shining Armor began to open his mouth, and then the green gemstone on Miss Take's forehead flashed brightly, antimagic and emerald light making his head spin as he reared back with a curse. And before he could do anything, both of the mare's hooves kicked viciously upwards and caught him under the muzzle, knocking him flopping onto his back as Miss Take neatly sprung backwards to land on her hooves.

He gasped in pain, then rolled quickly up and winced, rubbing at the underside of his jaw. Miss Take was only smiling at him, though, studying him with interest before she said pleasantly: “So would you like to play, Shining Armor?”

Shining grimaced a bit at this, and then he rose his head and said quietly: “This has to end, Miss Take. One way or another, this... this sick 'game' has to come to an end. And I only see one way that it can. So this is your last warning. Surrender peacefully.”

But Miss Take only smiled softly, the Pegasus raising her head and saying gently: “When you close your eyes and try to hide from everything that's right in front of you, then of course you can only see one way out, Shining Armor. But if you'd just look around, darling...you'd see there's a thousand other doors that will open if you'd just be willing to close one.”

Shining Armor cursed under his breath... then suddenly snapped his horn forwards, blasting Miss Take backwards with telekinesis. She grimaced as she caught herself on all four hooves, skidding violently before the gemstone on her forehead gleamed brightly, but Shining gritted his teeth and created a curtain of energy in front of himself.

The gemstone flashed, cracking the barrier, but enough of the toxic energy was sponged up to save Shining from the effects of both the antimagic and her deadly charm. The stallion immediately charged forwards, gritting his teeth as he shoved the dissolving barrier in front of him, and Miss Take's eyes widened in surprise before she simply grinned and leapt upwards, flapping her wings once to neatly flip over the stallion before he could plow into her.

Shining skidded to a halt, then he spun around as he manipulated the rotting magic even as he felt it melting away into nothing but raw energy, twisting the wall around to smash Miss Take with it like it was a giant flyswatter. The Pegasus cursed in pain and staggered, but that was unfortunately the extent of the damage he managed to do, as the remains of the magic wall dissolved.

Shining attempted to tackle her... and Miss Take caught him easily around the neck, flipping him over her body and slamming him savagely down onto his back before she swung a hoof down at his face. The stallion was barely able to yank his head to the side with a wince before he swung his head up, lashing out with his horn-

He was shocked when he heard Miss Take cry out in pain, his eyes widening as he rolled over onto his stomach and stared. The Pegasus was trembling, a hoof over her cheek, her eyes shielded as she clutched at her features, and Shining... didn't know what to say. Couldn't process what had just happened, as he slowly stood up before saying awkwardly: “I... I didn't mean to...”

Miss Take whimpered and turned away, and Shining winced and strode towards her before he even realized what he was doing, as the Pegasus whispered: “You d-didn't mean to what? Hurt me, Shining? Or just c-cut my face...”

“This... just... this has to stop. These twisted games, your... I don't even know what you're doing, Miss Take. Trying to get my attention? Trying to convince me you're better for me than Cadence? How do you expect to do that with stuff like this?” Shining asked quietly, leaning towards her and hating that... he actually felt concerned about her. That didn't make any sense, though, he didn't... they had been fighting, why should he feel bad about doing... what he had to...

“It got you talking to me now, didn't it?” mumbled Miss Take, and Shining gave her a mild look... not that she was able to see, covering her face and turned away as she was. “You're so proud, so convinced that you're doing the right thing, you won't say a word to me otherwise...”

“Because you always try and say or do things to get me in trouble with Cadence. Or anyone else around, for that matter.” Shining said gently, not even knowing why he was trying to be nice, and then he cleared his throat before saying abruptly: “Let me... let me see.”

“No.” Miss Take said sulkily, and Shining Armor smiled despite himself: she sounded a lot like when Cadence was grumpy. Except when Cadence was grumpy he was more afraid of being hit, and somehow Miss Take seemed more... well... no, no, don't go down that road, Shining. Just. Make sure it's not serious and then take her in.

“Come on. Look, I don't know much about healing magic but every soldier gets taught the basics. I can mend the worst of the damage, at least.” Shining said awkwardly, and then he continued gently: “And afterwards, why don't you and I go up into the castle, and we'll have a little chat with General Archon and Cadence, okay?”

The mare grumbled under her breath, and then Shining carefully reached up and took her by the face, gently guiding her to look at him as he brushed her hooves away... before he stared blankly at the fact she was completely unblemished, saying dumbly: “Hey. Wait.”

Miss Take slammed a headbutt directly into his face, knocking him staggering backwards with a gargle before she smashed a vicious hook across his jaw, knocking him backwards in a stunned sprawl as she said icily: “If you want to be nasty, Shining, I can be far more cruel than you. Now, it's one thing to try and play seriously. It's quite another to attempt to stab a mare in the face, Shining Armor. That is what is known as 'impolite.'”

Shining gurgled dumbly on the ground, and then he shook his head quickly before gritting his teeth and rolling to his hooves, glaring at her furiously before he snapped: “What in the name of hell is wrong with you? Are you crazy?”

Miss Take's eyes blazed at this, and then she shouted back: “Am I crazy? You're the one continuing to chase a love that never was! But fine, Shining Armor, I would much prefer to be a 'crazy stalker' as you so often call me, than a coward like you who uses his handsomeness and his charm to wriggle his way through each and every miserable day of his life!”

“Wriggle?” Shining stared at her dumbly, and then he glared at her, snapping; “And I am not a coward! You think you know just about everything about me and Cadence but-”

Miss Take grabbed a glass sphere in either hoof hanging from her belt, flinging them sharply at the stallion, but he cursed and quickly created a barrier in front of himself, reflecting them both back at her. Miss Take neatly slid out of the way of one of the spheres and caught the other, however, gritting her teeth before she flapped her wings to launch herself high into the air.

Shining followed her movements, keeping the barrier raised in front of himself as he narrowed his eyes: she raced along the underside of the tower, streaking over his head and flinging the glass sphere in one hoof straight down at him, but the stallion easily tilted the magic barrier he'd created overtop his body, deflecting the sphere harmlessly away.

Miss Take dropped behind him and lunged forwards, but Shining quickly flicked his horn to almost toss the magical barrier behind him, the mare slamming into this before she bared her teeth and flapped her wings sharply, boosting herself into a sprint up the wall of energy. Shining cursed and hurriedly yanked the barrier into roof position again, however, and Miss Take snorted as she ran off the other side of it and leapt out into thin air, gracefully spinning and flipping her body to land neatly on her hooves, once more facing the stallion.

He dropped the magic wall between them, the two glaring at each other before the gemstone on Miss Take's forehead began to glow eerily. Shining Armor set himself, his eyes narrowing and his body flexing, focusing his energy.

They were still only for a few moments before Miss Take suddenly launched herself forwards, but Shining Armor forced himself not to react right away, gritting his teeth until his eyes caught the sudden gleam of the gemstone.

He launched the magic barrier at her like a sledgehammer as Miss Take snapped her head down, unleashing a concentrated blast of toxic emerald miasma: the two opposing forces collided as both the Pegasus and the unicorn flung themselves backwards, gritting their teeth and wincing away as there was a tremendous, crackling explosion of green light and raw magical force.

Miss Take was the first to react, leaping upwards and shooting fearlessly through the hurricane of energy and antimagic, and Shining Armor swore as he looked up and saw her diving towards him: for a moment, he thought he caught a glimpse of something twisted, something almost macabre that was hidden beneath Miss Take's beautiful visage... and then she smashed into him, and the two rolled backwards before Shining kicked her off and spun up to his hooves with a curse.

She landed agilely on her hooves, refusing to let up the attack as she bolted at him again, but Shining leapt up to his own and caught her when she flung herself at him. Maybe he couldn't keep up to the agility of this mare, but he did have one advantage over Miss Take: raw strength.

He half-turned and slung her down hard, and Miss Take corkscrewed violently through the air before she spread her wings and flapped them firmly, launching herself out of the spiral and landing on her hooves with her teeth bared. She ran at Shining Armor again as he set himself... and then his eyes widened as she suddenly leapt backwards and yanked one of the larger, discus-shaped devices off the belt around her waist, flinging it at him.

It zipped through the air with a sound like a scream, and Shining Armor hurriedly ducked under it... only for the disc to spin around and promptly boomerang back into his head, knocking him staggering with a curse. He swore under his breath as the disc shot away before spinning back towards him, the stallion ducking under the sharp dive... and right into Miss Take's hoof, cursing and staggering backwards before her hooves pummeled viciously across his features, knocking him stumbling back and forth as the disc continued to violently dive at him again and again.

He snapped his horn forwards, but his telekinetic blast was overwhelmed by a burst of antimagic from Miss Take's gemstone: all the same, Shining was knocked reeling with enough force to get him out from beneath the flurry of strikes. And even as his mind thundered with pain and confusion, Shining slashed his horn back and forth, warding off a lunge from Miss Take before he half-turned and smashed the discus out of the air, the weapon bouncing against the ground with a bleat before he stomped savagely down on it.

Miss Take gritted her teeth and dropped her head, studying him sharply as Shining Armor staggered backwards to a ready position, taking a slow breath as he steadied himself and looked across at her coldly. The two glared at each other for a few moments, and then Miss Take bared her sharp teeth before she leapt forwards, swinging her hooves out in a vicious flurry as she searched for an opening.

But Shining Armor only kept his head low and anchored himself on the spot, blocking her vicious volley of strikes as he breathed slowly in and out, forcing himself to be patient, to wait for his chance. He couldn't afford to make a mistake: this time, if he really wanted to win, if he really wanted to put an end to this once and for all, he had to make Miss Take make her namesake.

And she finally did, slamming both front hooves down against his forelimb in a gesture that was more raw anger than anything else, giving a curse of frustration... and Shining immediately seized her by one leg and yanked her forwards over his body as he slammed his other hoof into her gut.

Miss Take gargled, her eyes bulging before Shining Armor gritted his teeth and struck her again, then again, the half-Changeling gasping weakly for breath before she slumped dazedly half-over him, her eyes slipping closed, her whole body shaking from the impacts.

Shining Armor looked down, biting his lip and feeling strangely... guilty. He looked back and forth, then sighed before almost gently tossing her forwards, sending her thudding quietly down on her back before he muttered: “You brought that on yourself, you know.”

He looked down at her silently, then shifted uncomfortably, leaning down to study her almost serene features. She barely stirred, and he sighed a little before frowning as she tried to whisper something, the stallion hesitating only a moment before leaning down and tilting his head as he asked quietly: “What? I can't hear you...”

“You shouldn't pull your punches.” she murmured into his ear, and Shining frowned a little before gargling when her hind legs snapped up in a scissors around his throat, before the mare sharply rolled and slammed him viciously down on his side, the stallion cursing and clawing at her hind legs uselessly as she smiled down at him vindictively.

He glared back at her as best he could while fighting back unconsciousness, twitching and shifting uselessly back and forth before he finally gasped out: “You should stop... faking being hurt...”

“Just a little test, darling. Besides, you really did hurt me... that first punch was a doozy.” The mare meditatively rubbed at her stomach, giving him a thoughtful look before she smiled slightly and reached down to gently flick his nose. “But don't worry, darling. I don't blame you. We both got a little hot under the collar, that's all.”

Shining glared up at her before his horn began to glow, but Miss Take only reached out and absently flicked it, making him wince as his magic was disrupted. “Now stop that. I'm still honestly curious, sweetie... however did you improve so fast? Usually you're all... messy.”

The stallion glared up at her... and then he suddenly hauled himself to his hooves, the mare's eyes widening as he seized her by the hips and hefted her with him before he dropped forwards and yanked her down at the same time, slamming her back-first into the ground. She cried out in pain before Shining tackled her, dropping his foreleg against her throat and using his larger body and weight to pin her in place.

She gasped for breath, eyes wide with shock as he pinned her, the stallion shouting down into her face: “You're threatening everything I've worked for! Goddammit, I don't love you! I love Cadence, and I... she's my everything, all my honor, all my everything is tied to her now and-”

Miss Take slammed an elbow into the side of Shining's neck, and his whole body arched, his eyes bulging with shock before she grabbed him by the face and rolled over, slamming him down on his back and straddling him as she glared down at the stallion. They looked at each other for a few moments, and then Miss Take said quietly: “You never struck me as a coward, darling. So just what is it that keeps you with Cadence, then? Guilt, fear, shame? I have no trouble believing you do care about Cadence, don't ever think I doubt that, because I don't: what I doubt is the depth of your devotion. What I doubt is that you love her any more than as a very dear friend.”

“And what do you know about friends?” Shining growled, glaring up at her... but his determination was undermined slightly when he flinched as Miss Take leaned down towards him.

She studied him calmly, and then smiled softly before pecking his nose gently, saying softly: “It's precisely because I haven't been surrounded by friends and loved ones all my life, Shining Armor, that I know the value of them, and I know my feelings. How well do you know yourself? You've always been safe and secure and insulated, snug as a bug in a rug. You've never had to really think about things, have you? It's always all just fell in place. Your family was always there for you; you need a career? Well, you always did excel with the Little Guard, so Royal Guard it was. And hey, that takes care of friends and companions too! Marefriend? Well, Twilight's foalsitter is quite pretty, isn't she? And you're a rather handsome, on-his-way-up young stud.”

Shining glared at her, even as he shifted uneasily, his teeth grinding together as Miss Take said softly: “We're programmed, my love, to think that our relationships will last forever. It's that old herd instinct... you are what you are, they are what they are. To have things any other way seems silly, doesn't it? And yet, love wanes... we fight against it, but it does. True love will endure the sands of time, will grow stronger for it, but...”

She clicked her tongue quietly, smiling softly down at the stallion. “Some others are simply not meant to be. Not when they're based on a flare of hormones at the right place and time. And you two are already growing apart...”

“I love her.” Shining Armor whispered, and then he cursed under his breath before reaching up and shoving the mare off. She stumbled away, but smiled at him calmly all the same even as he shouted: “I wouldn't have married her if I didn't, if I wasn't sure that-”

“You can't even be sure of your own wedding day, considering how Queen Chrysalis interfered. How do you know she didn't have anything to do with your sudden marriage to Cadence as well?” asked Miss Take with a slight smile, reaching up and tapping her nose knowingly. The stallion stared at her, then gritted his teeth... but a tremble ran through him.

He wanted to shout and lash out and be angry. He wanted to... to tell her she was wrong, to call her names, to stomp his hooves. He wanted to shove her away... but at the same time, he understood that he didn't... he didn't have any coherent arguments. He just kept saying over and over again that he loved Cadence, and that was that, stubbornly, stupidly...

But did he? Did he honestly, really, truly? Miss Take's words reverberated in his mind, and she... she was the only pony he'd ever met who could make him so mad, and yet at the same time he couldn't bear the thought of hurting her. Even when they fought seriously, every time he thought he'd actually injured her, he found himself...

No, it was her... it was that damned Changeling influence, that was all. He had to push past it, he had to be strong. He had spent years with Cadence... all those years couldn't go to waste! He couldn't abandon or betray her, he couldn't run away from everything he had because of this exotic, erotic little mare who had nothing but a weird obsession with him...

“You don't love me. You're just... trying to screw with my head, like Chrysalis. You're a Changeling: all you're interested in is what you can get out of this yourself.” Shining Armor said after a moment, looking up and gritting his teeth.

Miss Take looked at him for a moment, and then she looked away and sighed softly, murmuring: “That's the most hurtful thing you've ever said to me, Shining Armor. Hurtful and foalish. And yet I will still forgive you for it, my darling, because I know you're confused and scared right now... I only wish you'd handle this with more grace.”

“Just... just surrender, and be quiet.” Shining Armor said roughly after a moment, shaking his head shortly, closing his eyes as he took a few slow breaths before he rose his head and said sharply: “This is your final warning. Surrender immediately or I will use force. No more games.”

Miss Take smiled faintly at this, looking at him sadly before she said gently: “Very well. No more games, my darling. If you're so determined to make this mistake, I'll let you make it. But don't expect me to pull any punches either.”

Miss Take calmly reached back and undid the belt holding the glass and crystalline baubles on, before her eyes flicked to the side as the forcefield around the Crystal Heart finally burst into life. Shining Armor twitched, then laughed briefly: he had actually forgotten entirely about that. All his focus had been on Miss Take... on... no. No. Stop it. Get her out of your life. For... Cadence.

The Pegasus easily tossed the belt aside before she spread her wings, raising her head slightly and saying softly: “Alright, Captain Armor. If you take me down, I'll go quietly. You'll never see me again. How does that sound to you?”

“Like everything I want.” Shining Armor said coldly... but his voice quavered just a little before he gritted his teeth and ran straight at the mare.

The Pegasus looked at him almost sadly before she leapt up into the air and stomped both rear hooves viciously down, looking to end the confrontation immediately: Shining Armor, however, suddenly snapped his head back, narrowly avoiding her hooves before he slashed his horn forwards just as she began to kick upwards.

A telekinetic hammer slammed into Miss Take's stomach and launched her across the battleground with a gasp, the mare's eyes bulging before Shining Armor gritted his teeth and charged towards her, creating a dome-shaped barrier in front of himself as he ran. The Pegasus' eyes widened as she landed, her wings spreading even as the green gemstone on her head glowed brightly.

An emerald flash smashed into the barrier, but the antimagic wasn't powerful enough to eat through the shield completely: enough of the dome-shaped shield was left that Shining was able to ram it into Miss Take like a battering ram, knocking her backwards-

Miss Take's front hooves slammed into what remained of the barrier, bracing herself with her rear hooves against the ground. She skidded violently, sending up dust before she managed to lock herself in place, Shining Armor's eyes widening in shock as he staggered to a stop, unable to push forwards against the surprising strength of the Pegasus.

She glared angrily down at him, then flapped her wings hard and launched herself over the dissolving dome, shooting around the shield and slamming a hoof into his side. He staggered as the shield vanished, then made himself spin towards her as he slashed his horn down-

She caught his horn against the flat of one hoof before another slammed across his face, knocking him staggering to the side before a second hoof rammed up into his throat, knocking him backwards as he gagged loudly. He tried to lunge at her, but the Pegasus moved with sinuous speed, dropping onto her back and kicking both rear hooves up into his stomach to knock him flopping overtop her.

He crashed down on his face and swore as he rolled around, beginning to leap to her hooves as he faced her again... and without losing a beat, Miss Take rolled backwards and then shoved herself up on her front hooves as she kicked both rear legs sharply out. The impact of the kick knocked Shining Armor's head back in a great spray of crimson, the stallion howling in agony as he stumbled away from her before Miss Take looked coldly over her shoulder, saying quietly: “I don't want to hurt you, darling. But unlike you, I can compartmentalize. I was an assassin for the hive for a long time... I had to learn to lock away my silly feelings with all the ponies the Queen made me hurt. Otherwise, I would have gone mad.”

Shining gasped as he staggered to a halt, glaring at her furiously through his bloody muzzle as Miss Take slowly turned around, and then the unicorn leapt forwards: but fearlessly, the half-Changeling only dropped to a ready position as the stone on her forehead flashed, stunning the stallion and knocking him off-course before she leapt forwards and caught him around the neck, wings flapping to haul him up into the air with her before both her hind legs kicked viciously into his stomach.

He gargled as he was knocked higher into the air before Miss Take slammed into him like a cannonball, the surprisingly-strong Pegasus ramming him into the ceiling above before she gracefully kicked both rear hooves into his armored stomach, holding him in place against the bottom of the tower as she smashed hoof after hoof into his bloodied features as her wings flapped powerfully.

She was strong, fast, agile, and more ruthless than he had imagined, as he was batted back and forth like a toy, his blood splattering down over her features before she seized his face and slammed her head into his jaw. Shining Armor howled in agony, but then gritted his teeth, using the pain and anger to focus through the beating he was taking.

He brought both elbows up and slammed them into either side of Miss Take's neck, the mare gasping before Shining Armor slammed a hoof into her face. Her head wrenched backwards, and then he seized her by the throat as they began to fall, yanking her down with him and the two going into a crazed spiral before Miss Take managed to roll a moment before they hit the ground.

Shining Armor smashed down on his back, and Miss Take bounced painfully free of his grip as he was left in a sprawl over now-cracked stone, panting roughly. But all the same, he gritted his teeth and rolled over, slowly picking himself up as Miss Take laughed weakly, then dragged herself to her own hooves, whispering: “I just can't seem to knock you down, can I?”

“You've knocked me down plenty. I just always get back up.” muttered the stallion, and then he spat to the side before grimacing a bit as the Pegasus flapped her wings... but one moved a little jerkily. “Looks like you sprained something.”

“More like tore something... still, darling, don't get overconfident.” Miss Take said quietly, looking across at him coldly. “I've been nice to you so far. Don't make me get angry.”

Shining gave a wry grin at this, the two setting themselves... and then they both looked up in surprise as a voice said coldly: “I hired you to do a job for me. Not to waste your time with this idiot. Is this what I'm paying you for, Miss Take?”

There was another Pegasus now standing nearby, and at first, Shining didn't recognize her. But then his eyes widened in shock as Miss Take said quietly: “I'm permitted to spend my free time however I desire, Pain. You wanted the Crystal Heart by evening. You will have it by evening, dear.”

Pain: the Pegasus that had been in charge of the attack on the train. But she looked nothing like the mare Shining Armor remembered: she was wearing a simple cloak over a body that had become gray and dead-looking, shifting bruises flexing and rolling beneath her pallid coat. Her eyes were dark sockets, with glittering black malice glaring out of each, half-covered by the stringy black mane falling over her face. A smoky miasma seemed to leak from her wings, adding to the vileness that radiated from her body.

Pain glared at them, and Shining Armor set himself and turned his eyes towards her as he felt Miss Take shift subtly as well. The Brokenhearted's eyes flicked back and forth, and then she bared her teeth, flaring suddenly with anger as she hissed: “Wait. I see now. This isn't just a game... you have feelings for this piece of trash!”

“My feelings for him are irrelevant. I know my job. I am a professional.” Miss Take said calmly before she looked back and forth, adding distastefully: “Shining, darling, do tell your soldiers not to break formation or do anything heroic now. Pain is not as nearly as pleasant as I am.”

“They're here for the Crystal Heart! Stay close to that forcefield, don't let either of them near it!” Shining Armor said sharply, and then he grimaced and added curtly: “Any moment now, Cadence and General Archon are going to arrive, Pain, and-”

“Shut up.” Pain said coldly, not even sparing him a look as she continued to glare directly at Miss Take. Miss Take simply looked calmly back, refusing to drop her gaze before Pain said softly: “I hired you because I thought you would get the job done efficiently. You have done excellent work in the past for our guild, and I found you... entertaining... on the train. You told me this would benefit us all: removing the Crystal Heart would invite Sombra into the Crystal Kingdom, Cadence would destroy him, and I could then destroy her.

“Instead, I find you here, playing a game with a pony you...” Pain snarled in disgust, spitting to the side, her whole body shaking with rage for a moment. “Love. How pathetic. How absolutely disgusting. This is a betrayal.”

“Darling, get over yourself.” Miss Take said kindly, and Pain stared at her before the Pegasus smiled pleasantly, leaning forwards and saying softly: “I understand that you have a certain... thing when it comes to emotions, dear. Because of what you've become, such positive feelings are anathema to you, aren't they? Well, my darling, just because I'm happy and you're not, it gives you no right to try and take my happiness away from me. I'll get your job done, sweetie. I promise.”

“I don't care about your promises. And furthermore...” Pain looked coldly up at the sound of hooves running through the square, and Shining Armor felt both relieved and strangely guilty as General Archon and Cadence both appeared. “You've wasted your chance. No. You're fired.”

Miss Take frowned slightly at this, sitting back and looking perturbed as Cadence skidded to a halt beside Shining Armor, looking quickly over him before she glared over at Pain and Miss Take. General Archon, meanwhile, stopped in front of his troops before sharply flicking his horn, and circles of flame burst into life around the two Pegasi, the old stallion saying coldly: “You are both under arrest. So much as twitch without approval and I'll incinerate you.”

Miss Take chuckled quietly at this before the gemstone on her forehead gleamed distinctly, and a moment later there was a bright emerald flash that reduced the flames around her to nothing but embers, the mare smiling kindly over at the General as she said politely: “I fear there's a small misunderstanding here, darling. Yes, perhaps I was a little hard on Shining Armor, but seeing as I was just 'let go' from my current employment... I suppose that means I'm on your side. At least for now.”

General Archon narrowed his eyes, and Cadence frowned before she looked sharply at Shining Armor, who shifted uneasily, looking away and clearly not wanting to be part of the conversation. But before anyone could say anything, a laugh came from the other cage of fire before Pain slowly, calmly strode through the intense flames.

Her cloak burst alight immediately, the cloth rapidly burning down into strands and charred rags that spilled free from her scar-covered body. Her black mane smoldered and sparkled with embers, but her teeth were drawn back in a ruthless grin, her bruised, rubbery body unharmed as she said softly: “You'll have to do much better than that, ponies...”

General Archon narrowed his eyes, and Cadence cursed and trembled before she stepped forwards, snapping: “Leave her to me! Your magic can't hurt her, she's Brokenhearted!”

“I don't care what you call me. It doesn't matter... nothing matters, except your death, and Sombra's.” Pain narrowed her eyes dangerously before she looked over at Miss Take, saying coldly: “And hers. I will not stand a traitor, much less a happy traitor. The only thing you deserve is fear and pain... that's all we all deserve. That's all I will give the world.”

Cadence shivered as General Archon said coldly: “I will not allow you to fight this enemy alone, you are a Princess of-”

“Oh, darling, shush now. She's never alone.” Miss Take smiled kindly as she stepped forwards, keeping her eyes sharply on Pain. “But dear, I'm not sure we can actually kill her, even if the two of us put aside our differences and work together...”

“No... you'll never kill me... you'll never end my pain...” Pain seemed to lose focus for a moment, looking to the side and frowning strangely, and then she bared her teeth and slowly looked back towards the two ponies. “Yes. I'll kill you with my own hooves here and now, while I have the chance. I'll kill all of you. That's the only way to end my pain. By giving it to the entire world...”

Cadence set herself... then twitched when her tiara fell askew before she quickly flicked her head to the side, launching the diadem away. General Archon stayed back, but she felt his determination to fight all the same, and she felt Shining Armor... hesitating, confused, letting his goddamn emotions cloud his goddamn judgment-

“Shining! Stay back and shield Archon!” snapped Cadence, and the stallion looked at her with dumb surprise before he nodded hurriedly and fell back by the General... and did she really feel hesitance from him? Like he didn't want to get close to Archon because of how much of a jerk Archon was, could he not just put his stupid childish feelings aside for-

“Darling!” shouted Miss Take, and Cadence looked up too late before a hoof slammed into her face, knocking her crashing backwards with a gasp. She rolled quickly, though, then cursed and flapped her wings hard, using them to balance and using her forelegs to block and deflect Pain's vicious, lunging strikes at her.

She was locking onto the emotions of the ponies around her, and she didn't even know why her magic was reacting so strongly. She felt General Archon, and it was like he had two minds: one was judging her sharply and fiercely, and the other seemed to feel every blow she took along with her. One mind was all logic and cold calculation: the other mind was empathy and burning passion.

She felt Miss Take: conflicted and suffering, and yet somehow all the purer for it. She wanted the best for them all, but she knew that to give to one, was to take from another. She cheered for her... and she cried for her. She loved Shining Armor, but hurt all the same over what she had to do.

Pain slammed forwards into a grapple, and Cadence met her, the two glaring at each other furiously as they pushed against each other, using every bit of strength and leverage they could dredge up. And Cadence felt her horn glowing as she locked onto Pain's emotions without thinking, without even wanting to...

And yes, Pain... she was pain. That's all there was anymore, pain and a great terrible emptiness, where the little sanity she had was caught in a maelstrom of hatred. For all her discipline, all her strength, all her professed goals, she was bouncing erratically from one thought to the next, consumed by the darkness inside her, left... Brokenhearted. This was what it meant to be Brokenhearted: to be taken over by hate and emptiness and madness, to lose who you once were, to suffer forever, trying to inflict your pain on others, to take away their happiness because you had survived so much only to understand that you would never be free of the suffering, the suffering, the endless eternal suffering...

Pain suddenly twisted her body and brought both rear hooves up in a vicious shoveling kick into her stomach, and Cadence was knocked crashing backwards... and into the magic barrier that Shining Armor had created, the mare wincing as she bounced off it with a thunk before gritting her teeth and leaping up, using it to propel herself forwards as her horn glowed brightly. And Pain looked up at her, with anger and hate... and beneath it all, with sorrow and a silent plea for the peace that only death would give her.

Pain leapt up to meet her, but Cadence twisted her body in midair and smashed a kick into the side of Pain's head, knocking her back to the ground. She landed heavily, and Miss Take leapt forwards, smashing into the Brokenhearted with a fierce headbutt before the emerald gemstone on her forehead flashed brightly, stunning the corrupted Pegasus.

Cadence took the advantage to fly in and slam a punch into the back of Pain's head, driving her face-first down into the ground. She hit with enough force to kill a normal pony: Pain, however, only rolled forwards and swung one rear leg down in an axe kick that caught the surprised Miss Take in the face, knocking her staggering with a gasp before Pain flung herself up from the ground and tackled Miss Take backwards, slamming her bonelessly down into the hard cement before beginning to slam her hooves down in a vicious volley of concentrated, precise strikes.

The winged unicorn's eyes widened in shock, recognizing what was about to happen before she flung herself into a full-out tackle, smashing Pain off the half-Changeling even as Miss Take coughed blood and clutched at her chest, trembling violently as she rolled over with a broken gasp. But Pain moved with almost impossible speed and grace, half-rolling to fling Cadence off before the Brokenhearted caught herself on two hooves and threw herself forwards to land on Miss Take's back, seizing the half-Changeling by the mane and slamming her face cruelly down into the ground once, twice, thrice-

A jet of flames hammered into Pain's face and knocked her staggering with a curse, and then Cadence leapt forwards, gritting her teeth and slamming an elbow into the base of one of Pain's wings, cracking the bone before she seized the mare around the waist and half-spun, flinging her sharply away. Then the winged unicorn quickly backpedaled to drop beside Miss Take as Archon snapped his horn out, a wall of flames erupting in front of them and cutting off Pain.. although Cadence knew that at most, it would only buy them a few seconds.

She quickly grasped Miss Take's shoulder: no matter what she felt about the half-Changeling, right now she was an ally and someone Cadence was going to need the help of. “Can you breathe?”

“She tried to kill me. And she came rather close, at that.” Miss Take whispered, then she coughed more blood before rasping: “My... my ribs... I think...”

Cadence's horn glowed, and Miss Take whimpered as a pink glow surrounded her body. But as warm energies rushed through her, she felt the worst of the damage healing... although her ribs would still be brittle. “I can't do much better than this... I... Shining! Protect Miss Take with your magic!”

“Are you crazy?” Shining asked incredulously, and Cadence gritted her teeth and glared back through the large barrier he had already created. “I just mean-”

“If Pain gets her hooves on her again, she'll break her ribs loose again and then drive them into her heart, and there's no magic that can heal that!” snapped Cadence, and Shining winced before the winged unicorn swore and looked uneasily forwards through the roaring flames... where was Pain? Why wasn't she trying to attack them again?

And then Cadence heard it: a wild shout, before it was silenced, and the mare's eyes widened in horror before she spun around and saw that Pain had circled around the barrier wall and had already killed two of the officers. Another leapt at her as the rest hurried to drop into defensive positions, but Pain caught the soldier that tried to attack and briskly snapped his neck, tossing him aside without sparing the corpse so much as a glance.

Then she cursed as a wall of flames burst up in front of her, glaring fearlessly into the fire... before her eyes widened in shock as the flames twisted themselves into three large, distinct tentacles that snapped downwards and attempted to seize around her, the Brokenhearted snarling and yanking back against the bonds of flame twining around her body.

Archon poured more energy into the magic, pitiless as the flames began to burn white hot, beginning to melt through Pain's rubbery hide like it was made of plastic as he forced the tendrils of hellfire to drag her to the ground. Her mane and tail burst into flames as she struggled uselessly, and Shining Armor gaped in shock before he winced when Archon growled: “Move the barrier. Protect your soldiers, protect the princess!”

Shining Armor grimaced as he did so, twisting the wall of energy around to shield the soldiers behind the near-impervious magic wall, shouting: “Cadence! Miss Take! Get in here, and-”

And then Archon's eyes widened before Pain roared and yanked herself backwards, the Brokenhearted tearing free of the coils of flame and staggering away with her teeth grit. Her body smoked and smoldered, the seared trenches in her flesh flexing... and then a black miasma filled up the wounds before they rapidly healed, sealing shut and leaving dark, charcoal-colored scars behind.

Pain breathed slowly, then flexed her body and rose her head, saying coldly: “I cannot die. Not until I have killed everyone who hurts me... not until my unhappiness spreads through this entire kingdom. Not until everyone suffers, as I have suffered. Not until my pain infects you all.”

“We either burn her away to nothing, or we stop her from moving.” Archon said coldly, and then he glanced at Shining Armor and snapped: “Why haven't you protected those mares yet? Armor them, drain the barrier's durability if you have to! And you, Pegasi, low-line formation now!”

The soldiers immediately obeyed their commander's order, while Shining Armor hesitated only a moment before flicking his horn, grimacing as he felt the barrier in front of them weakening even as incandescent energy twisted around Miss Take's body, layering her in a magical shell.

Miss Take smiled briefly over her shoulder, then she shook herself out as Cadence quickly put herself between Pain and the thinned barrier, ignoring Archon's shout to withdraw. Instead, the pink mare glared at the Brokenhearted even as a tremble ran through her body, her horn sparking as she felt herself keying to the madness, the hate, the emptiness of the Brokenhearted again...

“You should stop this.” Cadence said quietly, not even knowing where the words were coming from, why she was trying to speak to this... broken, vile thing in front of her. “You should stop, Pain, and think. Remember your training. Remember who you are. Remember that this is pointless: you want Sombra, don't you? If you kill us all, who will destroy Sombra for you? Sombra is the evil that slipped into your broken heart and transformed you into this... think about it. He can make that emptiness inside you worse. Or he could make you whole again.”

Pain frowned at this, head tilting, eyes locking on Cadence as if she was struggling to make sense of her words. And Cadence shivered as she read into the Brokenhearted's emotions, felt that confusion, felt a moment of turmoil where her old self nearly pushed up through the maelstrom of emptiness that she had become...

And then Pain closed her eyes, laughing quietly before she whispered: “Your tricks won't sway me, Princess Cadence. A fair attempt, but I know what I must do. All here will die. All here will know my pain.”

“Death isn't pain. Death is release.” Cadence replied softly, shaking her head briefly and raising her head slowly. “It's living that's difficult, Pain. You should know that by now.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Pain gave a thin smile before she gestured slowly to the corpses of the soldiers she'd killed. “No. They're trapped inside those lifeless shells. Their spirits will writhe in torment until the pain and hate consume them, and they will rise up anew, like me. My touch brings a special kind of death, Cadence. Just wait and see.”

“I feel sorry for you. You've lost yourself so completely...” Cadence shook her head slowly, then she winced as her horn sparked faintly, feeling a strange ache spreading down through her veins, lighting up her wings with a painful, prickling heat. Her proximity, this connection she had formed to the Brokenhearted... it was letting her stall Pain and get a sense of what she was going to do next, but it was having the strangest effect on her...

She shivered a bit, and then glanced to the side in surprise as Miss Take stepped up beside her, armored by Shining's magic. Considering the beating she'd taken between Shining and Pain, the winged unicorn was amazed she was on her hooves... and even more amazed when Miss Take said quietly: “Let's take her together, darling. I know we can't kill her, but I've never really been fond of killing, anyway... nor am I kind enough to wish a quick death to her.”

“I... I know a little about the Brokenhearted. I'll keep her busy. You hit her where it hurts.” Cadence replied in a low voice, and Miss Take smiled slightly, tipping her a wink to show she understood. And admittedly, the winged unicorn couldn't help but feel a little bit of wry amusement at the fact that Miss Take had understood her plan faster than Shining Armor likely would have. “Be careful, though. She's not playing around. If she gets her hooves on you she'll go for a killing blow.”

“I won't be silly enough to let my guard down again, darling. I know we're playing for keepsies now.” Miss Take replied eloquently, and the two mares set themselves as Pain only studied them intently.

“You're a traitor. Honor means nothing to you, does it?” Pain asked almost gently, her eyes locked with a grim fascination on Miss Take. “You switched sides so easily. Just like how you helped them on the train, when it's our organization that funds your operations.”

“Many organizations fund me, darling. You could call me a public corporation, providing services to the needy.” Miss Take smiled kindly, bowing her head politely before she added almost pleasantly: “But if it's any consolation, I think from now on I'll avoid making deals with bloodthirsty assassins. You've all been rather bad for my health.”

Pain snarled at this, then leapt suddenly forwards, her emotions changing so fast, so erratically, it barely gave Cadence a moment's notice. The winged unicorn leapt immediately for the Brokenhearted, but the Pegasus only swung a hoof sharply out, striking her in the face without even bothering to look at her and knocking the rose-hued mare sprawling.

Miss Take only smiled as Pain dove at her... then the gemstone on her forehead flashed brightly, disorienting her attacker. It was only for a bare moment, but it was long enough that Miss Take was able to leap forwards and slam a hoof up into her throat, knocking her backwards with a gargle before the half-Changeling pounced on her and snagged the assassin around the neck.

They shoved against each other as they both flapped their wings and spiraled up into the air, grappling violently as Pain snarled and Miss Take smiled coldly. And Cadence grimaced a bit, wondering if Miss Take had actually listened to her at all before her eyes widened as the two veered suddenly back towards them. Miss Take had furled her wings shut, and was riding Pain almost like a board, the Brokenhearted forced upside-down as she flapped her wings wildly to try and stay airborne.

Cadence saw her chance, as Pain tried to seize Miss Take by the forelegs, distracted completely by the half-Changeling: the winged unicorn leapt up as Miss Take kicked off the Pegasus, Pain left defenseless for that one crucial moment before Cadence slammed a hoof straight down into her face, spiking her like a volleyball and sending her rocketing headfirst into the stone floor. Pain bounced once with a sickening crunch... but landed on her hooves, staggering drunkenly but still somehow conscious even with part of her head crushed in and her eyes glaring with hatred through the blood now masking her features.

Cadence landed in front of her, shivering at the sight of Pain's skull rapidly healing... but she felt something else, too. Her horn sparked, and before she even realized what she was doing, she smiled across at the Brokenhearted before saying calmly: “It looks like your name really does suit you, since you're the only one feeling it.”

Pain's eyes blazed, and then she began to lunge, Cadence dropping herself at the ready... before, to her surprise, the winged unicorn felt a complete shift in Pain's psyche. The Brokenhearted staggered to a stop, staring blankly for a moment before her eyes narrowed dangerously, and then she said softly: “You won't provoke me that easily.”

The winged unicorn responded to this by snapping her horn forwards and blasting Pain with a bolt of pink energy, the Brokenhearted skidding backwards before her eyes bulged in shock as she grabbed at her face. Tears welled up in one of her eyes as she looked at the ground for a moment... then suddenly snarled in fury, head snapping up as Cadence felt her emotions writhing wildly, like Cadence had just stabbed a knife through all that hate and darkness and insanity and struck some feeling, some emotion, into the struggling heart of the corrupted Pegasus.

The Brokenhearted roared at her in rage and fury, a tinge of humiliation brightening her cheeks: just like Thesis, there was no better provocation that lighting a fire in those old emotions, driving her into a frenzy. But this time, Cadence wasn't a small foal, unable to defend herself, and this wasn't some mighty, perfect warrior across from her... even if she had no doubt that Pain was a very real threat to her and everyone here.

Pain dove at her, fast and vicious, and Cadence could feel the need to kill, maim, destroy in every movement of the Pegasus: yet at the same time, some of her discipline had been lost in her frenzied madness, making it easier for the pink mare to predict every punch, every grab, every attempt to flank or push her.

Her hooves moved in a blur, blocking each and every strike at her before she grimaced as Pain seized her foreleg, yanking it outwards as she swung the other up: in response, Cadence blocked the hook and twisted Pain's forelimb savagely as she flicked her other foreleg sharply out, knocking Pain's limb wide and forcing her to bend awkwardly to one side, following the movement of her limb.

Cadence slammed a hoof into Pain's chest, but the Brokenhearted was quick to recover, rolling quickly backwards to tear free of the lock on her wrist before she spread her wings. Before she could launch herself at Cadence, however, the winged unicorn snapped her horn out and smashed Pain backwards with another ray of pink energy, and Pain almost fell over as she grabbed at herself, snarling in anger and trembling as her emotions went wild again.

Then Cadence swept out her horn, releasing bubbles of bright pink energy: a childish, silly magic. But Pain leapt sharply away from these, looking back and forth almost desperately before her eyes locked on the belt of baubles Miss Take had left behind, the Brokenhearted lunging sharply for these-

The belt burst into flames a moment before Pain could reach it, and several of the glassy artifacts exploded with sizzles of energy, driving Pain backwards as she covered her face with her forelimbs at the flash. And then she gasped in shock as one of the bubbles whizzed down and slammed into her back, exploding with a pop of light and leaving a bright, glowing bruise where it had struck.

Pain staggered back and forth, then gritted her teeth even as Cadence felt her emotions surging out of control: some semblance of who the Pegasus had once been was trying desperately to surface, and the wild array of emotions was sending fear and horror through the Brokenhearted. Only now, Cadence was starting to understand why, too: that sudden warmth, that emotion, brought with it a surge of not just consciousness but conscience, making Pain question everything she was doing, washing away the madness and replacing it with the terror of what she was becoming.

“N-No!” Pain bared her teeth, struggling against it... before gasping in agony when Miss Take slammed both rear hooves into that bright spot on her back, sending her sprawling forwards. And Pain flinched as she was filled with real, physical pain for a moment, even as the bright bruise vanished: but to a creature that had previously been numb to the agony, it was like a shock of cold water, stopping her in her tracks.

Cadence flicked her horn, gritting her teeth and launching another bubble at Pain, but the Brokenhearted leapt upwards and flapped her wings hard, flipping over the sphere before it could strike and shooting straight at Cadence with a snarl. The winged unicorn immediately lashed her horn out, making the pink sphere bolt after her as she brought the other up in front of her like a talisman, and Pain's eyes widened before she skidded to a halt, scrabbling at the floor like a wild animal faced with flame.

Pain leapt to the side, hitting the ground and rolling sharply before hissing when the ground beneath her burst suddenly into flames, staggering and then leaping up to flap her wings hard and extinguish the fire. She looked furiously up at Archon before snarling when Miss Take slammed down into her back, driving her down... but Pain barely touched back down on the ground before she kicked off, a pink bubble splattering uselessly into the floor of the square beneath her before the Brokenhearted swept a hoof up, seizing the surprised half-Changeling above her before she flung her viciously forwards.

Miss Take slammed into the barrier, then cried out in agony when Pain crashed into her back with enough force to crack the magic wall, Shining Armor cursing and gritting his teeth before Pain seized Miss Take around the neck. But before she could twist, Cadence sent the last bubble shooting into the side of Pain's face, the Brokenhearted howling in fury and pain and fear as she grabbed at her face with one hoof and lost her grip on the half-Changeling.

Miss Take gritted her teeth and slammed one hoof into Pain's face, knocking her head back before the assassin snarled when the half-Changeling seized into her mane. The assassin brought her free hoof back as the other grabbed Miss Take's wrist, while Miss Take braced her back against the barrier and brought up both rear hooves.

She kicked viciously out just as Pain slammed her hoof forwards: they struck each other at almost the same time, Miss Take's head snapping back with a scream of agony as her green gemstone cracked, Pain gasping as the half-Changeling kicked her hard enough to send them flying in opposite directions, the magic wall behind her shattering with the violence of the attack. And even as Shining Armor stumbled, he watched in horror as Miss Take flew limply backwards, the gemstone exploding in a burst of green flame and sulfur-reeking smoke, her body twisting slowly through the air as emerald lightning shocked over her body and dissolved the magical armor that had been protecting her...

And as she flew backwards, she changed, her body almost seeming to melt as she fell with her mane smoking, her eyes wide and helpless, every muscle in her body refusing to react before she hit the ground and bounced limply. Shining stared at her, not looking up as he heard Pain snarling, and Cadence yelling and charging; he didn't look up even as Archon shoved past him and roared an order to the Pegasi still in the air; he had eyes only for Miss Take, as she whimpered brokenly on the ground, bleeding slowly from a deep gouge in her skull as more crimson liquid spilled from her mouth and ears.

Miss Take looked up at him, stared at him with her gorgeous eyes, through mottled-pink features, over which black, almost scabrous skin grew like webbing. Insectile, broken wings flittered weakly as appendages that looked almost melted twitched against the ground... and then, in a sudden burst, she threw herself backwards and covered her face with one foreleg, turning her face away and shrieking: “Don't look at me! D-Don't look at me, no!”

Shining Armor stared down at this wretched, twisted creature, mouthing slowly, drawing his eyes over the fibrous texture of her body, the unnatural jigs and jags of her anatomy that came from the coupling of a Pegasus and a Changeling. He forgot about everything else as he stepped cautiously towards her, shaking his head weakly as he looked at this pathetic, crying, craven thing...

Pain lunged towards the defenseless unicorn, grinning coldly... and then she swore furiously as the line of Pegasus soldiers all flapped their wings as one, sending out a powerful gust that knocked her spinning off course. And before she could catch herself, a blast of pink energy hammered into her spine, ripping up along her back and making her scream before she spun around and dropped with a vicious hammer of one hoof down toward Cadence.

The winged unicorn blocked her with both forelegs, grimacing at the force of impact before she stepped forwards and drove an elbow into Pain's face. The Brokenhearted's head snapped back, but then she lunged suddenly and simply bit savagely into Cadence's foreleg, and the pink mare cried out in shock and revulsion, eyes widening before Pain tore backwards and ripped a deep wound through her forelimb in a splatter of blood.

Cadence staggered, and Pain slammed her head into Cadence's face before leaping forwards and tackling her onto her back, hooves slamming into her throat and shoving her down, pinning her and crushing her neck beneath their strength. Shouts filled the air as Cadence's head swam, her horn sparking violently as her wings spasmed and she felt a wild array of emotions, the world above her becoming nothing but a blur as all the fight left her body...

Soldiers lunged at Pain from all sides, Archon roaring orders, but Pain kept one hoof on Cadence's neck as she swept the other out, seizing the first Pegasus to attack her by the face and slamming him down into the ground: then both rear legs scissored backwards, catching another Royal Guard that lunged at her between them before briskly twisting to the side and snapping his neck.

She rolled her whole body with the movement, flinging the corpse into another Guard before he could attack, and at the same time she stepped off Cadence, giving the rose-hued mare a moment to breathe before Pain swept her up and pulled her back against her body, smiling coldly as she put her in a chokehold that almost cradled her back against her chest. The soldiers froze, and Archon snarled in fury before he leaned forwards and said coldly: “If you kill her, you don't escape here alive.”

“Death doesn't scare me, unicorn. Your promise only makes it more tempting to kill her.” Pain said softly, and then she smiled coldly, saying quietly: “No, this is my promise. I'm going to kill her slowly in front of all of you. And I will not be kind: I will take my time, making it hurt, killing her mind before I kill her body. I will leave her a braindead, empty husk before I tear out her beating heart. Unless one of you kills her first... or you, General Archon. Will you serve your country, serve your crown, serve your precious pride by killing your Princess and your enemy? Your fire might be powerful enough to consume me if I give you an opening... but you'll burn her as well.”

General Archon bared his teeth, and Cadence trembled before she tried to slam an elbow backwards... but Pain simply caught her limb, then twisted it savagely up behind her back before yanking it hard to the side, and Cadence arched her back and screamed in agony as she felt it dislocate.

Cadence slumped back against the Brokenhearted, and then she gargled as the foreleg tightened around her neck, starting to choke her again as Pain said coldly: “You only have a few seconds to make your decision. Show me your dedication; I will show you suffering in return.”

The General cursed under his breath, then looked over his shoulder... but Shining Armor was only looking mutely towards them, standing over the shivering, broken heap of Miss Take. The Royal Guard were staring with horror, and Pain was smiling coldly... all her wounds gone, a determined, persistent madness in her eyes. There were only a few vague scars left after all that fighting, through which she had never tired, never lost her strength...

Cadence gasped weakly, and her wings shivered again as they thrummed painfully, her horn sparking as she felt something terrible and awful rising up through her. She felt ice and darkness, and there were screams, as gold was tarnished by dark red blood... it didn't make sense. None of it made any sense as her eyes clenched shut and she whimpered.

Pain looked down at her coldly, then squeezed her tighter before scowling in disgust as her horn sparked violently, the Pegasus twisting her foreleg to make Cadence gasp. “Your magic won't help you now, Cadence. Do anything foolish, and I'll use you as bait for Sombra.”

“I don't know what's happening...” whispered Cadence, staring sightlessly up towards the sky: as she felt her life draining away, something else was awakening inside her. But she thought she'd discovered her past? She thought she'd known who she was, what the hell was this feeling coming over her, where did these flashes of impossible life come from...

Pain looked at her with disgust, then twisted her foreleg again... and Cadence screamed in agony before General Archon snarled: “That's enough! Release her now or... I will do what has to be done to protect Equestria!”

“Do it.” Pain said with gentle finality... and then she smiled calmly before slowly twisting Cadence's dislocated limb again, the winged unicorn crying out in agony as her wings flapped uselessly, bucking back and forth as she tried helplessly to free herself from the iron grip of the Brokenhearted, her horn sparking again as, unseen, the Crystal Heart reverberated violently beneath the shield of energy protecting it...

There was a bright flash as Cadence's eyes glowed with light, her jaw falling open as she felt a magic like she'd never felt surge through her body, awakened by a force she didn't understand... and then Pain simply seized her around the neck and jerked to the side, snapping it with a single twist. Cadence went limp, even as her horn continued to spark weakly, the pink mare gurgling brokenly as General Archon stumbled forwards and shouted in disbelief, his cold shell falling away as he stared with horror.

Shining Armor almost fell forwards, trembling hard, and Miss Take looked up from behind her hooves with a whimper, all eyes staring at Pain as the Pegasus smiled coldly... then simply hugged the limp body of the Princess back against her, closing her eyes and saying mockingly: “How does it feel to be so impotent, so weak? To be helpless? To be unable to change your fate, or that of those you care about? Share in my suffering, share in my pain, and-”

General Archon snapped his horn up with a roar, and the ground shattered beneath Cadence's corpse and Pain with the power of the conflagration that flared violently up, Archon's eyes blazing with hate and fury as he shouted, raw with rage: “I will not let her death be in vain! I'll burn you away to nothing but ash and dust I'll scatter to the wind! I'll avenge Cadence here and-”

A black shape burst up through the hellish flames, and Archon looked up in horror as it floated near the ceiling, calmly hovering in spite of the flames still burning over her body. Her flesh was still literally boiling in places, but in others, burnt and blackened body was already regenerating: it still looked seared and scarred, but Pain was smiling almost pleasantly, saying softly: “How quaint.”

General Archon breathed hard, staring up at her with shock, and the immense pyre began to die down beneath the Brokenhearted as Pain shook her head slowly. She began to lean down... and then she frowned as a tremble ran through the world, the mare looking down with disbelief as the flames beneath her turned pure white.

The ivory fire danced and flared, swirling and twisting slowly and beautifully as it lost all heat and smoke, strange, glowing embers of light floating up out of it as Pain flinched back in surprise... and then a shape streaked up from the ivory mess and smashed into Pain, driving her up into the ceiling with enough force to crack it before a hoof smashed across her face. She was knocked hurtling backwards with a gargle a moment before a blast of pink light shocked across her body, and Pain screamed in agony before the white shape shot forwards and smashed into her again, driving the Brokenhearted backwards and leaving horrific ivory cracks where it struck, which throbbed with divine, radiant light.

Pain half-fell backwards, her eyes wide with terror as she stared at Cadence, who was glaring back at her as white energy crackled over her body. Her wings flapped powerfully, keeping her easily aloft as her eyes glowed with eerie radiance: she was beautiful and terrible, wrapped in a powerful magic like none of those present had ever witnessed.

Pain shook her head in disbelief, and then Cadence flapped her wings hard as her horn sparked, and bolts of white energy streaked from her wings, the ivory darts twisting around and burying themselves into Pain's hide. The Brokenhearted howled as she was driven backwards, kicking wildly at the air as she hurriedly swept the thorns free from her body, and then the winged unicorn snapped her horn out again and blasted Pain backwards with another ray of pink light.

The Brokenhearted cried out, her body steaming, her eyes wide with horror before she suddenly spun around and bolted in terror, flapping her wings as hard as she could to get away. Cadence only glared after her... then trembled violently before she slowly let herself drop to the ground, landing in the white flames and gasping quietly before she clenched her eyes shut as the ivory fire faded slowly out, and the glow receded from around her body.

She trembled hard, her horn sparking painfully, her wings fluttering weakly... but they were steaming silently, and whatever had happened to her had drained all the color from them, leaving them white as snow. Her horn, her mane, her tail... they had all also turned ivory, although she wasn't aware of any of that. Everything was just blurs and confusion as she staggered slowly around... and all she knew was... “Daddy... is this what I need to save you?”

And the soldiers only stared at her, and Shining Armor looked wordlessly at his wife as Miss Take rose her head uneasily, trembling violently. Only General Archon had the strength to stride forwards, looking over the mare disbelievingly before he cursed under his breath and snapped at his soldiers: “Stop standing around like idiots and get a medic! Secure the area, track that Pegasus! You know your jobs, now do it, colts!”

Cadence looked weakly up at General Archon, then she laughed faintly and reached up to slowly rub at her neck, whispering: “It's okay... Pain... she's gone already. I scared her... I... I don't know what happened. Something happened, right?”

“Yes, something happened, Princess.” General Archon said quietly, quickly checking her over before he frowned and reached up to uneasily touch her head gently by her horn, and Cadence groaned in pain. “You're feverish. Signs of magic overexertion... not that that's any surprise. And...”

General Archon scowled over his shoulder at Shining Armor, and then he shouted: “Get over here now, Captain Armor! Furthermore, I want this area protected by a large-scale forcefield, and considering what just happened if I hear any backtalk from you about how you 'can't,' I will-”

“Leave him alone, General. I have a headache and your yelling is hurting.” Cadence mumbled. She wasn't sure that she was entirely making sense, but the whole world was blurry and swimming around her, and she felt nauseated and agonized and... she kept touching her neck. She felt... had she... she had really...

Shining Armor looked uneasily at Cadence, biting his lip, staring at her and feeling a strange... he didn't know what. How many times had he almost seen Cadence die now? How many times had she thrown herself into harm's way, while he played the supporting role? And just what was his wife, his Cadence, starting to become?

This all was starting to feel like a mistake. He couldn't even keep track of his own emotions, much less what was going on with everyone else. Every time he thought he was doing the right thing, he ended up contributing to precisely the wrong thing. And he couldn't... he just couldn't...

The stallion shifted uncomfortably, and then he sighed before turning towards Miss Take, who was trying to cover her face with one foreleg even as she looked up at him, trembling. Shining softened at this, and then he carefully reached down and gently pulled her limb away before he said softly: “Come on. You don't have to do that. Can you stand?”

Miss Take hesitated, and then she nodded before slowly struggling up to her hooves. Shining quickly leaned down, helping her before he looked almost guiltily up at Cadence, but his wife only smiled faintly at them before striding uncertainly forwards, walking past Archon as she whispered: “Don't hurt her. I'll come to you.”

“Princess, rest. Shining Armor, I already gave you an order. This place needs to be protected.” Archon said sharply, looking icily over at the stallion as he slowly came closer, with Miss Take leaning against him and her face buried in his mane, the mare trembling and – for the first time that Shining had ever seen – vulnerable. “Put her down. She's a criminal.”

“She helped us.” Shining Armor almost snapped in return, shaking his head quickly. “And she needs help, too. She's bleeding pretty badly still and... I... I mean...”

He looked uncomfortably over at Cadence, but the whitened mare only gave him a faint smile before she shook her head slowly, murmuring: “She fought well. And I... I still don't know what happened, Shine. I mean, I thought that... but I couldn't have... and I'm not...”

Cadence silently reached up and touched her own chest, and then Miss Take whispered, from where she was safely hidden behind Shining's mane: “There's an old legend among the Changelings that if you fill yourself with enough love... then nothing can destroy you. Perhaps if there are Brokenhearted... there must be the strong-hearted as well. But I fear I'm in no fit state to debate the topic, darling... I just... I'm very glad you're okay. She must not have...”

“My magic wasn't meant to kill you, only Pain. The Changeling is right, Pain must only have stunned you, and my magic bypassed you harmlessly or...” Archon looked strangely nervous, shaking his head shortly before he muttered: “It doesn't matter either way. You're alive. You're not well, but we'll get you stable. We'll discuss all of this tonight... after Shining Armor raises the barrier.”

“I... fine, General Archon. I can at least put up a ward. When the other unicorns wake up they can assist me in shielding the tower.” Shining Armor said finally, nodding briefly as he looked uncomfortably between the ponies.

General Archon nodded, but even Shining Armor could see through his cold facade, could see the unease with which he studied Cadence. And Cadence was trembling and scared and yet... Shining was a little scared of her, too, with what she had done. And what other secrets could she be hiding from him? She had whispered for her 'Daddy' but who was that, who could need saving, unless...

No, Shining couldn't imagine that. That was impossible. And yet he'd also thought that it was impossible that he'd ever consider... no, he wasn't going down that road either. Yet all the same he looked uncertainly at the meek and beaten Miss Take at his side, biting his lip as his stomach twisted again, wishing that everything would just fall into place again like it always had in the old days, and more afraid than he wanted to admit of what the future held for him... for all of them.

He looked up at Cadence, and Cadence looked back at him before she smiled as reassuringly to him as she could, even through the haze starting to take over her mind. Her horn sparked once before she looked slowly towards the Crystal Heart, half-hidden behind the thrumming forcefield protecting it. Her eyes locked on this last relic of her father's noble rule, and she felt her horn spark as the heart gleamed brightly, and her mind filled with a thousand secrets for one bright moment... but then faded away to a darkness that gently swept away all her pain and fears and questions, leaving her in the silent embrace of one last memory, that burned like a candle in the dark, and kept her safe and close in the trusted grip of the father who meant everything to her.