The weak illumination of hornlight reflected eerily off of the uneven walls of the crystal tunnels, barely lighting the way forward. Led by the guard ahead of them, Cadence carried Flurry through the passages in silence. Flurry herself clung tightly onto her, eyes still dripping tears into her mother’s coat.
They turned a corner, and the cramped tunnel opened up into a spacious cavern, pinpricks of light streaming in from holes in the ceiling. A rough staircase wrapped around the cavern walls, leading upwards. “The exit should be this way.” The guard said, tilting his head towards the stairs. He took a step towards them.
Then, the ceiling shattered into a million pieces.
Both Cadence and the guard reacted instinctively, throwing up shields to block the raining crystal shards, which bounced off harmlessly. Flurry cringed, squeezing her eyes shut and pressing herself down into her mother’s back, flinching at the sounds of the shards impacting the magical barrier around her.
“Quicky, Your Highness!” The guard yelled, raising his spear and pointing it at the newly formed opening.
“IT IS POINTLESS TO FLEE. THE LIGHT OF HARMONY SEES ALL.”
A distorted, yet frighteningly familiar voice echoed throughout the cavern, as its owner slowly descended through the entrance it had created. It was wreathed in purple fire, with six magnificent lavender wings spread wide. The core of its body was hard to look at, as if it was made of magic itself, the only solid parts being a long spiral horn and a pair of burning magenta eyes. Cadence gasped, her breath caught in her throat at the sight.
“CADENCE OF THE CRYSTAL EMPIRE.” The burning figure’s voice sounded like a chorus in harmony, many voices speaking in a unified, otherworldly choir. “YOUR KINGDOM IS JUDGED WITH OBSTRUCTING HARMONY. THE SENTENCE IS OBLITERATION.”
The guard raised his spear towards the figure. “Your High-”
The creature’s eyes sharply turned to lock onto the guard, glowing with magical power. In the blink of an eye, a tendril of magic lashed out and swatted him away, sending him flying into the wall of the far end of the cavern. “ALL WHO STAND AGAINST HARMONY SHALL BE WIPED CLEAN.”
“Twilight…” Cadence shook, taking a step back. “How… this wasn’t supposed to…” Flurry squeezed her eyes shut even tighter, trying to block out the world around her.
“BE NOT AFRAID, CHILD OF HARMONY. ONCE THE KINGDOM OF THE UNCLEAN IS PURGED, ALL SHALL BE AS ONE IN HARMONY.” The figure’s many voices said as one, attempting to mimic kindness. “SURRENDER HER UNTO US, AND YOUR JUDGEMENT SHALL BE SWIFT.”
“Twilight, please…” Cadence backed up against the wall of the cavern, looking up at the figure with tears in her eyes. “Just stop this…”
“WE ARE SHE NO LONGER. WE HAVE BECOME SERAPH, ARBITER OF HARMONY. THROUGH US, THE AGE OF HARMONY SHALL LAST FOREVERMORE.” More tendrils extended from the aura around Seraph’s body, reaching out and snatching Flurry from Cadence’s back.
Flurry screamed, reaching out with her front hooves. “MOMMY!”
“NO!” Cadence’s horn erupted, the blue glow of her magic surrounding Flurry and holding her suspended in mid-air. “Let go of my daughter!”
“IT IS POINTLESS TO RESIST THE WILL OF HARMONY.” Seraph declared, forming more tendrils to wrap around Flurry’s body.
“I won’t-” Cadence gritted her teeth. “-let you take her!” Her horn’s intensity increased even further, the faint shape of a heart appearing at its tip. Her body began to glow blue, motes of light floating off of her. Flurry’s vision was filled with the light blue aura of her mother’s magic as it surrounded her body. She stretched her leg out further towards Cadence, who gave her a sad smile.
Everything went blue, and then white.
Flurry dropped to the ground, landing face first in soft, cold snow. She scrambled to her hooves, looking around, but all she saw were fields of snow and ice, a mountain in the far distance.
“Mooooommmy!” She called out, voice partly drowned out by the chilling wind. “Where are you?!”
‘...Mommy?”