//------------------------------// // Nemo Nos Impune Lacessit (Rarity/Cadance Dark) // Story: Parma Quentaron Sintë Undómëo // by Undome Tinwe //------------------------------// "Rarity! I'm so glad you could make it!" Cadance hugged the smaller unicorn as she entered the dining room of the Crystal Palace. "I wouldn't miss this for the world," Rarity replied with a warm smile. "I was afraid that you wouldn't want to see me again, after..." "Water under the bridge." Cadance waved her hoof dismissively. "You're still my friend, after all. Anyways, I've almost got everything set up for dinner except the wine. Would you like to come with me to the cellar to pick it up? I've got a bottle of Amontillado from before Sombra's reign waiting there just for us." "That sounds lovely." With that, the pair set off on their quest for fine vintage. Cadance pushed open a door that led to a staircase and motioned for Rarity to walk through. "So..." Rarity paused uncertainly before continuing. "How has Twilight been since...?" She trailed off, unable to bring herself to finish the question. "There are good days and bad," Cadance replied from behind her. They reached the bottom of the stairs, and she motioned for them to continue down the torchlit corridor. "There's been a lot of bad days recently, unfortunately. She hasn't been out of the library much." The hallway seemed to dim as Rarity bowed her head solemnly in acknowledgement and guilt. "I was hoping she would be able to move on." "Twilight's not exactly good at that sort of thing," Cadance replied, a flash of irritation in her voice showing through before she quashed it with a bright smile. "But let's not talk about that. You made your choice, and we all respect that. So, what's going on in Canterlot? I don't get to visit much these days." That was a much safer topic of conversation, and Rarity regaled Cadance with stories of scandal and passion from the capital as they reached the end of the hallway. "Over here," Cadance pointed at a doorway at the end. Rarity pushed it open and they continued downwards, deeper into the bowels of the castle. "I'm glad to see you're doing well through all this. Oh, by the way, you'll be happy to know that we just approved the building of the new Carousel location in the Empire." "That's wonderful!" Rarity replied. They continued down this new corridor until they reached the end. Her head tilted in confusion as she noticed that there wasn't anyplace else to go. "It's too bad you won't get to see it open." "Wh-?" Rarity's confused reply was cut off when she turned around and saw Cadance standing a few feet away from her, her horn lighting up with magic. "I'm sorry about this, Rarity." There was true contrition in her tone, but Cadance's eyes blazed with determination as she fired her spell at the ceiling, triggering the arcane trap she'd set up beforehand and causing a pile of rubble to come crashing down. She barely managed to glimpse Rarity's eyes widen in shock and horror before she was completely sealed off by a barrier of rock and crystal. Muffled screams came from the other side, and Cadance ignored them. "I didn't want to have to do this," she said, even though she knew Rarity probably couldn't hear her. "But our family has a motto that we've honoured for generations. Nemo Nos Impune Lacessit. No One Insults Us With Impunity." She walked away from Rarity and her final fate. "You broke Twilight's heart, so now you have to pay the price. Goodbye, my friend."