The light of morning shone down upon Cadance’s face, bathing her in a golden glow. It was an absolutely horrid thing for it to do. She lifted up a hoof and held it above her eyes, a scowl forming on her face as she sat up. Would it kill Aunt Celestia to tone down the sun for once? Cadance already lived in the brightest and shiniest place on Equus, having the sun be this bright and intense on a city like this was pure torture. Every surface was practically a mirror, and it felt like all of them were aimed at her tower bedroom.

Cadance knew she could probably throw the blanket over her head and squeeze another half hour or so out of her sleep, but the sun was relentless in its rudeness, and she knew that Shining would need help with Flurry this morning, so with a grumble and a pout, she sat up fully in her bed and stretched her wings and hooves into the air. With a grunt, she arched her back and felt something pop back into place before relaxing back against the headboard with a sigh of contentment. Despite the less-than-stellar dreams, her sleep had been adequate.

Looking around, she first thing she noticed that Shining wasn’t in bed with her, which wasn’t anything new; he often got up a few hours earlier than her to get a head start on the day’s activities while giving her time to spend with Flurry at breakfast. The second thing she noticed was that Flurry’s crib was empty, the little blankets made and fluffed up nicely, just the way her daughter liked them. This, however, was a little odd, given that Flurry usually woke up with her mother. Still, it was nothing to worry over --- Shining probably decided to care for Flurry this morning instead. She’d have to thank him for that later.

Kneeling down in front of the tower’s window, she whispered a silent blessing for the Ponies of the Crystal Empire, followed by a thank you to Celestia for the good morning (along with a muted request to make it less bright), before rising to her hooves to begin her morning routine. Trotting over to the wardrobe, she fished out her peytral and crown, and while donning them, she summoned a mane brush to pull out any knots that had formed in the night, while also smoothing out each hair to a level of precision that would’ve made Twilight’s friend Rarity blush from jealousy.

After a quick check in the mirror to ensure she looked presentable, Cadance nodded to herself and flashed a smile before trotting out of the room and into the hallway beyond. She watched with a bemused smirk as two Crystal Praetorians stood to attention on either side of the door.

“Good morning, Princess,” the one to her left declared. “Sergeant Rope Knot reporting. Do you require an escort at this time?”

Cadance shook her head. “At ease, sergeant, I know my way around well enough. Do you know where my husband is?”

“Ah, good, so Flurry’s likely getting fed already. Thank you sergeant, carry on.”

The sergeant blinked, seemingly distracted by something. A look of concern flashed over him for a moment, but it was quickly replaced by a cooler countenance. “Er, you’re welcome, Your Highness. Enjoy your meal.”

Cadance nodded in thanks and began walking down the hallway, not even noticing as the two guards behind her stared at one another in confusion.

The Palace seemed quieter this morning, but Cadance supposed that the maids and servants were elsewhere at the moment, possibly preparing for some of today’s events. That didn’t explain the lack of guards in the hallways, however. In fact, the two Praetorians at her door were the only ones she had seen since she had started her walk. Normally there would be at least one patrol on each level of the Palace, but as she continued to make her way two levels down towards the dining hall, she had not seen anypony around.

She’d have a chat with Captain Sentry later, she decided. Even though the Crystal Empire was largely secure against any threats from the Frozen Empire, that was still no reason to be lax in security.

She shoved those thoughts out of her mind, however, as she finally arrived at the dining hall, where she did indeed find Shining and Sunburst sitting at the ornate royal table, enjoying a humble breakfast of eggs and toast. Flurry was nowhere to be seen.

Shining’s yellow eyes lit up when he saw his wife step into the room. “Cady! Good morning honey! How was your sleep?”

“Marvelous,” Cadance replied, giving him a brief, gentle kiss on the lips before sitting down next to him. Then she raised an eyebrow. “Shining, are you wearing contacts?”

Cadance looked closer, and Shining’s cerulean eyes stared back at her with a curious tilt of his head. “Oh, nothing, must’ve been a trick of the light, forget it.” Shining seemed to accept that and returned to his breakfast, and Cadance turned to the other Unicorn at the table with a smile. “Good morning, Sunburst!”

Sunburst returned her smile and raised a mug of coffee with his magic in a small toast to her. “And to you, Your Highness. You’re in good spirits this morning, that’s good to see.”

Cadance let out a titter. “Oh, come now Sunburst, you’ve been with us for how long? We’re all friends here, call me Cadance.”

A maid soon joined them at the table, bringing a plate of eggs, toast, hay bacon, and orange juice with her and setting it in front of the Princess. Cadance thanked her with a smile and began to dig into the eggs with a fork. “So,” she said after she swallowed her first bite. “What’s on the agenda for today?”

“Well, barring any of the usual, uh, complications, you have to make a speech for the Crystal Ponies at 9 AM, followed by overseeing a changing of the guard at 9:30, and from there you’ll be--” Shining started.

Shining let out a dry chuckle. “Oh, how I wish I could these days, but no, I’m still standing commanding the defenders on the walls,” he replied. “Now then, after that Day Court will begin at 10, which will--”

“I’m sorry honey, but maybe I’m not fully awake yet, but something isn’t adding up here,” Cadance interrupted again, raising a hoof. “What wall? What defenders? We have the shield, isn’t that enough?”

Sunburst stopped mid-sip from his mug and looked up, meeting Shining’s gaze with a raised eyebrow. Shining looked back at Cadance and after a moment replied with, “Nooo? We haven’t had a shield in a long time, Cadance, not since the Heart was destroyed. The wall is the best we can do, unless you can find an artificer that can somehow restore the magic from a drained artifact.”

Silence fell upon the room. Thinking that her question was sufficiently answered, Shining cleared his throat to continue, but stopped when he saw his wife looking at him as if he had lost his mind.

“What...are you talking about?” Cadance asked slowly, looking between him and Sunburst. When she didn’t receive an answer, she let out a laugh. “Ooooh, I see what this is. Is this a prank you boys planned up? I’ll admit, it was good, you got me.”

Both stallions were now frozen in place, staring at her incredulously, but Cadance had already started looking around the rest of the room at the guards near the doors. “Were all you in on this too?” she asked with a smirk, but then she froze too as she noticed something odd about the guards she hadn’t seen when she came into the room.

Where normally there would be ten guards, there were only seven, and only two of them were Praetorians. Three of the remaining five were from Canterlot’s Solar Guard, one was a Thestral from the Lunar Guard, and the last one...was that a blue, quadrupedal Dragon in Dusk Watch armor?

“...Honey? What happened to the guards? Since when were was Twilight accepting Dragons into her guard detail? I commend her on the initiative, but I wasn’t aware of any deal with Dragonlord Ember to allow such a thing.”

“They...th-they’re not from Ember, Cady...” Shining stammered. “They’re r-refugees from Warfang. Don’t you remember? The other world?”

“Remember what?” Cadance exclaimed, throwing her wings out behind her. “What’s Warfang? What other world?”

Sunburst’s jaw slowly began to drop, and he glanced to Shining for direction, only to see Shining doing the same to him.

Cadance, meanwhile, was now examining the entire dining room with narrowed eyes and a furrowed brow. Some of the guards wilted under her gaze, while others shifted uncomfortably as they sent glances towards their Prince, silently begging to be relieved. Cadance’s scan eventually concluded, and she slowly turned to gaze back at her husband. Yellow eyes gazed back at her before flickering back to cerulean, but she listened to her inner voice and ignored it. “Shining...something’s not right here. First I notice that there aren’t any guards wandering the hall, then you start speaking about a wall that doesn’t exist, as well as the defenders on it as if we’re facing an enemy, and now Dragons and another world. This is a prank, isn’t it?”

“Yes!” Shining whisper-shouted, putting his hooves over his face. “How did this even happen?! How could you forget all that’s happened?”

Sunburst sighed and adjusted his glasses, looking between Cadance’s untouched orange juice and his coffee. “I think you’re gonna need this more than me, Your Highness...” he muttered, telekinetically hovering the mug over to her. Cadance rolled her eyes skyward.

“Well, let’s start with what you do know,” Shining said. “Do you remember the Rupture?”

Sunburst’s ears flattened and he made a face. “The event that destroyed the world as we know it? The Red Crusade? Aether? Any of this ringing any bells?”

“Not even the fall of Equestria?” Sunburst pressed. “Please, Princess, you have to remember something! You’re Ponykind’s last hope! If you don’t remember...the few hundred of us that are left are lost forever...”

Cadance had fallen silent, staring at Sunburst in horror. Shining took this moment to speak again, only his voice was plain and sounded defeated. “The Griffons fell first, followed by the Kirins and the Abyssinians. The Dragon Lands and Warfang tried to hold back the tide, but Chrysalis’s forces were too strong. Equestria fell soon afterwards, and most of the magic in the world fell with it. The survivors from Warfang decided to join up with us at the Crystal Empire. They figured that two dying races fighting side by side was better than both of them dying alone...”

Cadance’s unblinking eyes gazed into Shining’s, as if searching for any lie within them. There was none to be found.

Sunburst reached over and put a hoof on her shoulder, and she jerked back as if she had been touched by a monster. Her eyes darted over to him, causing him to stumble backwards. “Y-Your Highness, please, maybe you should, um, lie down and rest?” he suggested nervously.

“I don’t need rest,” she replied calmly. Too calmly. “I need answers. But more than that, I need to see my daughter. I thought she was with one of you when I woke up this morning, but that’s clearly not the case. Is Flurry with Thorax today?”

All around her, the guards winced as if from an unseen blow, and the Dragon looked over at Shining with a worried look.

Sunburst’s eyes widened and he gasped. “Your High--Cadance, listen to me, there’s no need to--”

“No. No more listening,” Cadance interjected. “Where is she, Sunburst, Shining? Where is Flurry Heart?”

Shining trembled and didn’t dare meet her gaze. Without another word, he rose from his chair, hung his head, and left the room, weeping bitterly. The Dragon guard glanced between his fellows and the scene in front of him before gliding after the Prince. He landed next to him and reached out with a claw towards his shoulder, but the Prince shoved him away, roaring at him to leave him alone. Shining then disappeared around and corner, Cadance staring after him with shock written over her face.

Fear washed over her like a tsunami, a thousand times stronger than any other fear she had ever felt before. She lifted up a hoof and gazed it, watching it tremble like as if she was freezing. What was happening to her? What had happened to her beloved husband? What had happened to the world while she slept?

Behind her, Sunburst let out another sigh, this one longer and sounding more defeated than before. He removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose with his magic, feeling more tired than he had felt in days. Then he stood up and trotted over to her side, saying, “If you want to see your daughter, I can show you. She’s with Thorax, and far away from the world’s troubles. Come.”

Wordlessly, she followed him. Together they walked through the Palace hallways, never speaking and never meeting each other’s gazes. Those they passed looked upon her with yellow eyes full of curiosity and...indifference, as if she were barely a fly on the wall to them to study. But she ignored them all. They weren’t important to her. When they had reached the doors leading out into the courtyard, Sunburst hesitated just for a moment before opening them. Cadance shielded her eyes from the blinding radiance of the sun, and then, steeling herself, took her first few steps outside.

Her jaw dropped, and the fear that had overtaken her before came back with a vengeance. Her face had turned ashen, and any words or breaths she had never made it past her throat, which felt like it was being clamped down upon from all directions. Her wings slumped to her sides until they touched the ground, and her body instinctively crouched low in sheer abject horror.

The world she was looking at was not the one she knew. Massive islands of stone and fire floated past her vision on the horizon, dripping pockets of lava into the vast sea of red below. The Crystal Empire itself was perched precariously on one such isle, the snow around it melted and evaporated long ago. Far above her in the sky she could see even larger, more irregular landmasses, aimlessly drifting through the blackened void of space. The horizon was tinged red and orange from the lake of fire below them, and several swirling pillars of shadow and purple energy could be seen rising from the lava like beacons. Sometimes they would intersect with one of the floating islands, and the islands would disappear into them and never return. Other times, eldritch abominations, the stuff of nightmares that even Luna would have trouble fighting, would crawl out of the pillars like dead things rising from unseen graves, gliding through the air on wings of bone and putrescence towards the various islands with intentions of conquest.

And among the ruins of the world once so bright, a dark and terrible castle loomed in the distance, seemingly untouched and unafraid of the evil that now surrounded it. The only thing standing between it and her was a thin wall of stone some distance away from the Empire, upon which stood hundreds of creatures of all shapes and sizes --- Ponies, Dragons, Griffons, Abyssinians, Deer, Yaks, Kirins, and many more she didn’t recognize. Too many for her to keep track of. At the end of all things, the world had united against a common threat.

She dared not speak, but she had to scream. She wanted to so desperately, but no sound emerged. She could only stare into the Rupture and let it stare back.

Sunburst put a hoof on her shoulder, but it felt cold on against her fur, and a chill went down her back. Her legs wobbled and she collapsed onto the courtyard, still unable to speak. Sunburst waved away the concerned guards that came to her aid, knowing that she would be alright.

Eventually, air was once more able to fill her lungs, and she gasped, choking and coughing. Sunburst patted her on the back as she dry heaved onto the courtyard, before helping her onto her hooves once more. Once she was able to speak, she turned to Sunburst and whispered, “This can’t be real...”

“It’s as real as I am to you,” Sunburst replied solemnly. “Come on, our destination isn’t too far away.”

Cadance peeked out from behind the primaries of her wings and met Sunburst’s gaze. Were his eyes always yellow?

Sunburst reached a gentle hoof towards her, and, surprising even herself, she took it, lifting herself up. Like two ghosts travelling down the River Styx, she followed him once more down a narrow path leading away from the courtyard and away from the wall. Past several empty homes and over a bridge overlooking an empty aqueduct they went, entering a thick mist that seemed to permanently lie over a section of the city.

Eventually, however, they broke through the mist and stepped into probably the only truly beautiful thing Cadance had seen that day: a small garden, made out of equal parts flora and crystal. Only the most pristine, flawless crystals were on display, and they shimmered in the resplendent sun in a rainbow of colors. The colors danced over the grass, making it look as if it was encrusted with jewels. Despite the horrors around the garden, it seemed as if this place was all that remained of the once peaceful and joyous Equestria she had known before she woke up. For the briefest of moments, she forgot about the fires, the despair, and the monsters as she gazed in wonder at the sight before her, her eyes lighting up with hope and joy. Could this be where Flurry was, safe from the ruins of the world? Had Thorax taken her here?

She was about to take another step forward when Sunburst held a hoof up in front of her. She glanced down at him, surprised to see him so crestfallen in a place of such beauty. “What’s wrong, Sunburst?”

He pointed at a nearby grove of trees, still shrouded in the mist. “Your daughter’s in there.”

The way he had said it felt so wrong, and an icy pit formed in her stomach. Suddenly the garden felt less beautiful, and the colors dimmed. Stepping off the path, she entered the grove of trees and saw several grey stones enveloped in the mist. There were four in total. Flurry was nowhere to be seen.

“Flurry? Flurry darling, where are you? Are you hiding? Thorax, are you here?” she called out. There was no answer. “Sunburst, I don’t see her.”

Cadance stepped further into the grove, now standing near the stones. She looked past them and still didn’t see anything. Then she looked down at one of the stones, and she recoiled in horror.

Here Lies Flurry Heart
Daughter, Niece, Princess
Taken Before Her Time
She Will Be Avenged
May Faust Save Her Soul

“No...no! Nononono...!” Cadance whispered, stepping back with every syllable. Her horn lit up and she mentally shoved the mist away, revealing the other stones and the words written on them. She glanced at one:

Here Lies Thorax
Friend To All Ponies
He Fought For Peace, Died For Love
He Will Dance In Elysium
May Faust Save His Soul

Here Lies Luna/Nightmare Moon
Aunt, Friend, Princess, Repentant Hero
She Died So That We May Live
She Will Be Remembered
May Faust Save Her Soul

Here Lies Twilight Sparkle
Sister, Friend, Princess, Element of Magic
She Died So That Harmony Could Fight One More Day
She Will Be Honored For All Time
May Faust Save Her Soul

Cadance stumbled back and screamed. She screamed until the crystals around her began to shatter. She screamed until her throat was sore. She screamed until she felt Sunburst tugging at her, begging her to calm herself. But she didn’t. All she could do was scream and weep.

They were dead. They were all dead. Her precious, sweet, innocent daughter! Who did this? How did this happen?! How was this the world she lived in? How could everypony be so calm?!

“Your Highness, please!” Sunburst pleaded, putting his forehooves on her shoulders. “Calm yourself!”

“Get away from me!” Cadance bellowed, slapping him away with a wing and stumbling away from him out of the grove. “Both of you, leave me alone! What have I done to deserve this?!”

Her ears began to ring and she fell to her knees, weeping uncontrollably. The ground shook beneath her, but she ignored it as the tears burned against her face. Everything hurt. Her brain, her legs, her wings, her eyes, her tears, it was all burning.

They were right to give up hope. They were right to despair. How could anyone do anything else in a world like this, where even hope was a lie?

The ringing in her ears grew louder and more desperate, until she finally realized that it wasn’t her. It was bells. Alarm bells. Sunburst shouted behind her, but the words were garbled. More cries erupted in front of her, all around her, above her, but she couldn’t hear them. All she could sense was the heat...the flames...the burning...

Then she opened her eyes and saw her. The demon. The Sun Witch. Daybreaker, staring down upon her with sharp teeth and maddened eyes, wings and mane blazing brilliantly with the fury of the sun. And yet the radiance she emanated couldn’t hide the yellow slits that stared impassively, calculatingly at Cadance through the mist from behind the fallen Alicorn.

Without a word, Daybreaker held up a hoof and gently caressed Cadance’s cheek. Their eyes met, and suddenly Cadance felt...kinship. Daybreaker had been crying too. She had wept until there were no more tears to shed. Then the madness had taken her, and she, like Cadance, had burned.

Daybreaker’s warm hoof suddenly turned molten, and Cadance screamed one final time.

Like a cold blast of wind blowing through an open door, everything around Cadance was swept away behind her, vanishing into white mist. The flaky, cold grass under her hooves turned soft and vibrant, fluttering slightly as a comforting, light breeze tickled her body. The demon was gone, as were her flames. There was no sound but Cadance’s heavy breathing and quiet sobbing.

She was no longer in danger, but the memories of the nightmare remained, as did the pain and the tears. As long as they stayed within her mind, she would never be safe. She would never be free from them. Wrapping her wings around her body, she curled up on the grass and wept into her hooves, cringing as she felt something soft and warm envelop her in a gentle embrace.

“Shhhh...it’s alright now, Cadance,” a soothing, beautiful voice whispered into her ear. “I’m here now, and the nightmare is over. You’re safe.”

The voice’s familiarity caused Cadance’s ears to twitch, and she dared to look up into the concerned cyan eyes that gazed down at her. Luna’s expression was one of understanding and boundless love, with only a twinge of regret and sadness.

With gritted teeth and a whimper, Cadance pressed her face into Luna’s chest and threw her arms around her, her tears splashing against Luna’s dark blue fur. “Aunt Luna, h-help me...” Cadance moaned, trembling with each word. “I...”

Luna leaned forward and kissed Cadance on the top of her head, wrapping a second wing around her. “Be at peace, Cadance,” she said softly. “Let it all out. Breathe the fresh air and feel the warmth of love once more.”

The two Princesses remained sitting on the grass in each other’s embrace for several long moments, neither of them saying a word. Cadance’s tears continued to fall, but her trembles grew more infrequent as she held onto her aunt, until finally they stopped altogether. Her mind was slowly coming to terms with the fact that she was safe again, although her tears continued to flow. Luna hummed a soft lullaby she had learned long ago, the words having been lost to time but its power just as strong as it was when it was first sung.

Eventually, Cadance let go of her aunt laid down on the grass, laying her head atop her arms. She then opened her eyes, once again meeting Luna’s gaze with a haunted look. Still neither of them said a word. Cadance wasn’t ready to speak yet, and Luna was patient.

A few moments later, Cadance let out a long sigh and asked in a scratchy voice, “Have you...have you ever thought that your dreams were something more? That they were trying to tell you something?”

Luna nodded. “Many times, Cadance. Dreams and visions are often one and the same. Many times they’re just fantasies of the dreamer, but other times they represent ideas, concepts, possibilities, signs, or portents.” She put a wing over her niece. “Do not be troubled by them, for not all of them are true.”

“How can I not?” Cadance whispered glumly. “This was no mere nightmare, Luna. This felt real, as if it was a vision of the future. A future meant to be...” She closed her eyes. “It’s like I’m walking through with through a field of the dead and dying, and I can only watch while they plead for my help.”

Luna frowned. “I very much doubt a future such as what you saw is meant to be ours.”

“How else can you explain it? As I said, this was no mere nightmare. I heard things...saw things...that don’t exist. That shouldn’t exist. Warfang and monsters and other worlds. I heard voices in my head telling me things, strange things that made no sense. How could I dream all of this? If this was not a vision of the future, what else could it be?”

“There are many things about dreams that are impossible to understand, dear niece,” Luna replied. “Many have tried to interpret them before, but ask ten different Ponies and you’ll get ten different answers, so I have learned to not only interpret them for myself, but also to wait and see. I do not know about this ‘Warfang’, nor do I know why your mind conjured such horrors, but they will not bother you anymore.”

Cadance attempted a smile at her aunt’s words, but she still looked glum. “Sometimes I wish I was as wise and patient as you.”

Luna bent down and nuzzled her cheek. “My wisdom was born from great mistakes that I still regret to this day. You, however, are far wiser in that you’ve learned that same wisdom without making the same mistakes. I envy you in more ways you could know, Cadance. And as for patience...” Luna smirked and waved a hoof. A faint trace of magic swirled around it and then poofed away. “I doubt I could be patient enough to deal with little Flurry Heart on a daily basis like her mother can.”

As if on cue, a faint, adorable giggle echoed around them both, and ghostly visions of mother and daughter playing in the field could be seen. This time Cadance’s smile was genuine as she watched her apparition play with Flurry’s, and she laughed softly along with them. Sometimes Flurry would cry, only for her mother to come to her aid immediately and bring a happy grin back to her little face.

There was a hum inside her mind, and the Voice returned. It will not last forever. All things must end, whether they be the world or a happy family.

Flurry’s cries echoed and faded within Cadance’s mind, and her smile fell as unbidden memories of the nightmare resurfaced. The Voice inside her gave a mocking chuckle then faded away along with the cries.

Seeing her niece’s frown, Luna hugged her tightly once more. “I may not know all the answers you seek, Cadance, but I do know this: your beautiful daughter is safe, as are all the others. And if this is a vision of the future, then it’s a future we shall fight to ensure it never happens. This I swear to you.”

Luna pursed her lips. “I...will have to think on that. You are not the only one who has been having nightmares as of late. A few hours ago, Tia had a vision of her own, this one of the day I was banished. It had haunted her much like this one had haunted you, and for a moment, it looked as if history might repeat had I not stepped in and calmed her down. She had never been so close to transforming in many, many years...” She paused, as if searching for her next words. “Even my own thoughts have been clouded...”

The Princess of the Night shook her head. “Trouble not yourself with these things, Cadance. Your dreams for tonight will be nothing but beauty and peace, as will the dreams of all those in the Empire. I will consult the Astral Plane and its vast knowledge for the answers to our questions. Until then, rest and be at ease.”

Cadance sniffed once, but her smile returned as she nuzzled the elder Alicorn. “Thank you, Aunt Luna. May Harmony bless your night and guide your hoof.”

Luna nuzzled her back and began to fade away. “And you as well, dear niece. Tonight will be a night of joy.”

Cadance sighed as the last remnants of Luna faded into the mist around her, and she closed her eyes once more, feeling the warm breeze and sinking her hooves into the soft grass beneath them as she laid down to rest her weary head.

Three Ponies and one disguised Changeling wandered the darkened streets of the Empire, dodging street lamps to avoid being spotted and occasionally stopping to allow Sunburst a rest from the constant scanning. Such was the case now, as Sunburst sat on a bench and rubbed the base of his horn in consternation. He did not doubt that the other Unicorns in the patrols were having a much better go at it than he was, given their natural affinity for magic compared to his lesser ability.

Flash stood guard a short distance away with a spear at the ready, while Shining kept watch over Sunburst to make sure he didn’t burn himself out. Unfortunately, Shining was in a different yet similar predicament as Sunburst. He was a prodigy when it came to shield spells, and his magic was stronger than the Royal Crystaller’s, but he knew little about the more scientific spells, and the less said about his thaumaturgical knowledge, the better. He was not his sister, though he was proud of the fact that his shield spells were stronger than hers, Alicorn wings or no.

Thorax, meanwhile, was off to the side disguised as a nondescript Praetorian, pacing back and forth with an increasing amount of worry etched onto his face. To Shining and the others, he seemed to be rather distracted and distant, or at least more than usual. Every so often he would shake or tap his head repeatedly with one of his hooves, sometimes even muttering things under his breath. Shining of Flash sometimes caught a word or two, but nothing concrete that could be discerned. When asked about it, Thorax insisted that it was nothing, but Shining still had his doubts.

It was no secret that Thorax still had secrets of his own, despite his newfound friendship wit the royal family. He would quietly roam the halls and look into every room at night, occasionally sneaking out of the Palace as a guard if he was feeling truly brave and adventurous that day. Shining trusted him. Well, more like tolerated. He knew that the young Changeling wouldn’t harm him or his family, least of all his daughter which he adored and doted on like her mother, so he wasn’t too worried about that. He also knew that Thorax wouldn’t ever betray that trust. No, it was how he clammed up whenever he was asked about the Changeling Hive and how it operated that made Shining doubt. Thorax had shared some details, like how Changelings communicated and sensed each other telepathically, as well as some minor infiltration techniques here and there, but to Shining, the former captain of Celestia’s Solar Guard, it could hardly compare to learning about weak points in the Hive, or how many soldiers Chrysalis had, or where her spies were.

Still, he supposed that Thorax, in his own way, was trying his best just as much as Shining was. It wasn’t fair to condemn the poor Changeling, after the banishment and scorn he had faced from what amounted to his only family. That, and Twilight had taught Shining a lot about the magic of friendship. She was wise beyond her years, and if she and Spike could see that Thorax could be trusted as a close friend and confidant, then Shining would give him the benefit of the doubt. For now.

His thoughts were interrupted when Sunburst let out a sharp gasp and tumbled off of his bench and onto the crystalline road. Shining caught him before his head could hit the ground and then set him upright. Before Shining could ask what happened, Sunburst blurted out, “I-I’ve got something! A ping! It’s coming from the north.”

Sensing something had happened, both Thorax and Flash wandered closer, listening to Sunburst’s outburst. “How far north?” Thorax asked quietly, shivering in the cold.

“Either close to the shield limits, or outside it,” Sunburst replied, rubbing the base of his horn again. “Gah, the details are blurry, and I’m not proficient with this spell. Scanning a dozen times in succession does a number on--ah, what was I saying? Oh right, I saw a farm of some kind.”

“Not many sir,” Flash replied. “Just three: Stir Fry’s pepper farm, Jonagold’s apple orchard, and Crop Duster’s corn plantation. Jonagold’s out on some rodeo though with a few of her cousins from Clan Apple.”

“So unless she’s got a squatter, it’s likely not her,” Shining surmised. “Sunburst, can you tell if the ping is from either of the other two?”

“Sorry, I’m spent...” Sunburst said, flopping onto his haunches. “Those scans took a lot out of me. I’ll need some time to rest. The other Unicorns might be able to triangulate its position, though.”

Shining nodded to Flash, who nodded back and stepped aside, calling the other patrols on his Comm-Gem. Meanwhile, Shining turned towards Thorax and asked, “Are you picking up anything?”

Thorax was staring to the north, eyes unblinking. He seemed to be listening intently and staring at some crates piled up in an alleyway, although what had caught his attention Shining couldn’t tell. It clearly wasn’t him, however.

Thorax jumped and jerked his head towards Shining. “Hm? Oh! Ummm...no. Still not picking up any Changelings...”

Shining sighed, and waited until Flash returned before speaking. “Right, so here’s the plan: once the other patrols get here, we’ll have the Unicorns to pinpoint the source of the transfer spell. Once we have that, we move in and take the culprit by surprise, and hopefully this will be done in a couple hours so we can all go to bed.”

Flash nodded. “I told the other patrols the news. One team had picked up the same signal, but it was faint, so they’re all heading our way now. Should be here within the next few minutes.”

“So all we gotta do is wait,” Shining finished. “Get ready guys, we’re almost there.”

Thorax sat down on the ground and blew warm air onto his hooves as he waited. The air around him seemed to be getting colder by the minute, and it was clear to him now that he should’ve grabbed a scarf. He had been feeling uneasy and uncomfortable about the whole situation, from the sapping of the Heart’s power to the faltering of the shield, but there was something more that had been nagging at his mind for the past couple hours.

He had seen the yellow eyes again, this time peeking behind some nearby crates. In fact, he had seen them several times since they had started patrolling the streets, and sometimes instead of yellow they were red. But each time he had tried to look directly at them, they had vanished into shadow, and each time that happened, his mind seemed to blank for a moment.

Sometimes he would also hear words echoing in his mind, not like Changelings, but like something else. He thought it was his own thoughts at first, but as the night went on, he knew beyond a doubt that someone or something was trying to send him a message.

Thorax closed his eyes and once more breathed onto his hooves, trying to put the thoughts of icy creatures stalking him out of his mind, but the feeling remained. Somewhere in the back of his mind a Voice lurked, whispering...

And then, almost out of nowhere, something else joined the jumbled mess of thoughts in his mind. Something frighteningly familiar.

Thorax’s eyes shot open, wide and bright though nopony else seemed to notice. His breathing hitched and he felt the sweat under his parka grow cold. He could swear that he heard buzzing and hissing behind him, but when his head whirled around to check, there was only Shining and Sunburst speaking together in hushed tones. When they noticed him staring at them with wide eyes, they sent him questioning looks.

Thorax shuddered involuntarily, now feeling as if ants were crawling around in his brain as the ferocious feeling of hunger grew worse. It can’t be... he panicked. How did they find me? I covered every track I made! It’s impossible that Chrysalis tracked me down. I cut myself off from the Hive.

Thorax hissed, startling the two Unicorns as they began to approach him out of concern. The Voice had returned, just as unwelcome as the feeling. But this time it wasn’t alone. His mind became fuzzy again, and suddenly a headache assaulted him. As he clutched at his head with his hooves, a new voice joined his thoughts.

Thorax let out a gasp and collapsed onto the ground. Shining and Sunburst rushed forward to catch him with Flash hot on their heels, but he couldn’t feel them as they held him upright. He could only sense the new voice. Who...?

“Get out...of my head...!” Thorax murmured under his breath. His disguise failed as he forced all his willpower into maintaining his mental defences. He couldn’t be discovered. Not here. Not now! “I will never return to the Hive!”

Thorax slapped his face and screamed into his hooves. Sunburst, despite his fatigue, hurriedly began to cast a simple nerve calming spell, but Shining beat him to it by whispering an incantation and then pressing a hoof into Thorax’s chest. Tendrils of Unicorn magic flowed from Shining’s horn and down towards Thorax, and the Changeling suddenly inhaled sharply, warmth filling his body.

With a sigh, Thorax collapsed onto the ground once more, this time breathing normally and falling into a trance-like state. The voices had left him, and his defences had prevailed. He was once more hidden from the Hivemind, but he knew now that they’d be looking for him, and that scared him more than anything.

“Thorax?” Shining called out to him, lightly nudging his side with a hoof. “You okay buddy? What’s going on?”

Thorax winced and sat up, rubbing his left temple with a hoof and groaning. “Ugh...w-what...?”

Thorax looked up at him, then at Shining and Sunburst, and he cringed, realizing how bad he looked. “No...no I’m not okay. I think there are Changelings nearby.”

At this the group fell silent, and Flash leaned in closer. “How many?” he demanded.

“I don’t...I don’t...I don’t know! Please!” Thorax pleaded, his panicked breathing returning as he curled up and covered his face again. “I won’t go back, I won’t, I won’t!”

“Hey,” Sunburst put a hoof on his shoulder. “I-it’s okay, see? It’s just us. Just take some deep breaths now, okay?”

As Sunburst continued to calm Thorax down, Shining forcibly pulled Flash off to the side like a parent would a foal and whispered angrily, “What the hell was that?”

“Sir, if he’s right and we’ve got Changelings in the Empire, then it not only poses a risk to the entire city, but to this operation and the Heart as well,” Flash retorted, nudging his head towards Thorax. “He’s a wellspring of knowledge that he refuses to give to us, and if he won’t give it up, he’s a liability. You know this, I know this, and he knows this. He’s done his job and alerted us, now he needs to leave.”

Shining snorted. “Would you throw away a good soldier so easily, just like Chrysalis threw him away? He isn’t a liability, nor is he a resource to be exploited. He’s a friend, one that Spike and my sister trust implicitly, and one who just had a panic attack. Just...give him a chance, will you?”

Flash sighed. “Shining, we’ve known each other since basic training. You know that I’m not some hotshot looking for a fight. I’m sorry for my outburst, but as captain of the guard in the Empire, it’s my duty to put the lives of those I command and protect over the well-being of one Changeling. Regardless, you’re my Prince, and I will follow your orders, but I wouldn’t advise keeping Thorax with us while we’re on this operation. It could be dangerous, not just for him, but also for us.”

Shining nodded. “Your objection and advice are noted. I wasn’t planning on keeping him here against his will anyway.” He glanced over at Thorax, who had calmed down once more and was sitting on his haunches. “Hey Thor,” he called out. “You good?”

Thorax nodded and took several deep breaths before standing up again. “I’m...fine. I don’t know where they are, or how many there are, all I know is that there are Changelings nearby somewhere. It could be five, it could be five hundred, I just don’t know.”

Shining walked over to him and put a hoof on his shoulder. “That’s okay, you did you best, and you got the warning out. We can take it from here. Why don’t you head back to the Palace for some rest?”

Thorax shook his head. “No, you’ll need me in case Changelings are the ones doing the siphoning. I’m your best bet at stopping them if that’s the case.”

“Are you sure?” Shining asked, taking careful note of Thorax’s wince when he said those words. “You sound a little disturbed.”

“I am not ‘disturbed’...” Thorax growled. “I can handle it, just let me help. Please.”

Shining studied Thorax’s expression. He recognized the fear in his eyes: the fear of abandonment, of being cast out. It seemed as if he had guessed right, and he did not want Thorax to relive that trauma again. He nodded once, releasing his hoof from Thorax’s shoulder. The relief on the young Changeling’s face was palpable and incalculable. Shining had little doubt that Thorax would remember his decision and be grateful towards him forever.

Without another word, the group sat down together and continued to wait for the remaining patrols to arrive. A few minutes later, all five patrols reached them, and Shining gave them all a brief rundown of the plan, then he and the other Unicorns sans Sunburst stepped into a circle and lit their horns up with magic. A few muttered spells later, a swirl of energy encircled their horns and connected them together, and they all winced from the sudden increase in power.

There was a buzzing in the air around them as their magical energies linked together, and each Unicorn’s head seemed to pivot towards the north, as if sensing something. Fiery sparks suddenly jumped from each of their horns’ bases, and they all cried out from the pain. One Unicorn stumbled onto the road, followed shortly by another, though their magic remained strong. A third Unicorn suddenly stood rigid and frozen in place for a moment before falling down, his magic supply cutting off like a flashlight that had drained its batteries. Sunburst ran and pulled him out of the circle, looking up at Shining with a worried expression.

A few moments later, the remaining Unicorns and Shining all cut off the supply of magic to their horns and stepped back, sweat pooling down their faces as if they had just finished a three-kilometer run. Shining helped one of the two downed Unicorns to their feet and then spoke in hushed tones to the others before stepping away to allow the Unicorns to recuperate.

Shining wiped the sweat off his brow and looked back at the remainder of the platoon. “That...was tougher than expected. As far as I know, we managed to pinpoint the exact location of the spell transfer, but there was something else. Something tried to interfere with the scan. The extra power I provided was able to boost the other Unicorns and help them get through, but it was a rough time. Whatever’s over there is strong. Way stronger than a normal wizard.”

“Crop Duster’s place, no question. I’d know those corn fields anywhere,” Shining responded, rubbing his horn. “Ow...”

One of the Crystal Praetorians spat on the ground. “Of course it’s coming from them. Damn tribalists...”

“It’s not coming from them specifically, just their place,” Shining reminded him. “They can’t cast magic like this, not unless they have a spellcasting focus, scroll, or wand, which are all strictly regulated in this region and outright banned from Crop Duster’s place.”

“Well, it can’t be a Unicorn, then,” the Praetorian countered. “Tribalists like them wouldn’t let a Unicorn, Pegasi, Thestral, or any other kind of Pony near their farm unless it was Princess Celestia herself, or maybe Princess Cadance.”

“Correct, which means that whoever it is we’re dealing with, it’s something we’ve never faced before,” Flash agreed.

“It doesn’t matter who or what it is,” Shining declared. “Crop’s getting a visit from us tonight, and he will like it. Platoon, form up!”

The assembled force once more reformed their ranks and stood at attention, awaiting the command to move. Shining held up a hoof and waved it forward twice before trotting down the road towards the farm, with the Praetorians following close behind. Thorax and Sunburst brought up the rear, allowing Sunburst to take a break from spellcasting and Thorax a chance to think.

If there were Changelings waiting for them at Crop Duster’s plantation, Thorax didn’t want to be the one to see them first. If he wanted to, he could leave right now, and only Sunburst would notice. Not like the Unicorn would care, he’d probably even understand and do the same if he didn’t have a serious stake in the success of the mission. Thorax didn’t have such things holding him to the mission but his own desire to prove himself to not be a coward.

Then again, if it was something else haunting the farm, such as whatever was haunting him...

Thorax shivered and lowered his head. No, it wouldn’t do to dwell on such thoughts. The sometimes yellow, sometimes red eyes that had been following them couldn’t be the same thing that they were hunting. No being had the power to be in two or more places at once unless they were an Alicorn. Not even Chrysalis could do that. And the eyes were never there whenever he looked. It was all in his head.

“It’s all in my head...” he recited to himself quietly. Saying it aloud almost made him feel better, but it didn’t.

For forty minutes the platoon moved in silence, stealthily making their way out of the city until they reached the very edge of the shield. There they stopped to examine the immediate area outside. From this vantage point they could see the outskirts of the farm, seemingly normal and quiet on this stormy night. But there was an odd purplish glow past the fields, coming from the direction of the house.

It was also strikingly frigid, even more than before. The storm seemed to be getting worse, and when Sunburst did a quick examination of the shield’s integrity, he noted that it had lost another fifteen percent of its power, which was causing the storm to leak even more into the city. Already the outer edges had buildups of snow and ice. They were rapidly running out of time.

No matter how strong the storm was, however, there was no choice but to move forward. With a swift flick of his horn, Shining made a small opening in the shield big enough for each Pony to get outside one at a time. Thorax was the last to leave and the one who shook the most. Shining could only feel pity, but it was too late to turn back now.

Aside from the blizzard around them, there was little sound as the platoon made their way towards the Crop Family estate. The corn fields rustled in the wind, sounding eerily like soft static in the air, but once they had reached the house itself, the rustling seemed to fade entirely to silence. Even the whistling wind seemed to disappear, and the air grew warmer.

Fifty feet from the house, the blizzard stopped altogether, and there was a perfect circle of dry ground around it. From each window emanated that same purple glow they had seen before, and the wooden walls creaked and groaned slightly on their own. But the strangest thing were all the crystals. They spiralled out of the ground like helices, half black and half purple, gleaming in the moonlight and casting long, imposing shadows upon the intruders.

There was no doubt about it now --- the storm was being held back from powerful magic, and the Ponies had just entered its center. The only thing each of them could hear was their own rapid heartbeats.

But for one member of the platoon, he could ear something else. Not around him, but inside him. Laughter. Unclean, hideous, dark laughter, sounding like a legion of one.

Thorax gulped and stared at one of the windows of the house, jumping when he saw the yellow eyes again. Only this time they didn’t vanish. Instead, they narrowed at them. At him.

The platoon was being watched, and they were not welcome in the lair of the beast.

A Silent Night in the North

by GTthe4th

The Mirror of Tomorrow