Cadance stumbled as the snow gave out from under her and slid down to the ground below. She vainly hoofed the smooth wooden roof until her hoof caught on its ridge. Her breathing was uneven and cold as she tried to calm herself down. Never, in all her years of ruling the Crystal Empire had Cadance ever laid eye upon such a creature.
The figure leaned on the protective sphere, causing it to make a loud, low pitched buzzing as it strained to keep itself intact. It peeked over the roof of the house where Cadance hung, flashing a toothy smile at her stuggles.
With a voice like a spreading disease, the figure spoke again. "What's the matter... Princess? Was it the fear of knowing you failed that sent you tumbling down? Or maybe... it was the idea that you can't defeat me. That would have been quite the astute observation... if only you'd known sooner."
Cadance looked away from the creature's immense shadow, trying to scrub the image of Sam's face out from her head. The voice tittered a raspy laugh that oozed hatred as well as tar.
"Oh... don't tell me you're just scared of my face. Such ignorance, fretting over such childish semantics...
Cadance felt the wind rush by her as the creature dashed around the cabin. It stopped behind her, though she didn't dare to look. She could hear everyone else below her shouting and running around as the creature moved.
The voice whispered, though it was as loud and clear as a bullhorn. "I am much more than an unsavory complexion. You'll figure that out soon enough, though. Besides, what good is showing my face to you if I don't show you what I'm really capable of?"
Cadance flapped her wings wearily, but she was running out of energy. Sam slammed his palm against the barrier again, causing the entire bubble to wobble and malform as Cadance tried with all her might to keep the spell running.
"you know, I know about you... and your husband. How convenient that Shining Armor just happens to be the brother of my favorite pawn, eh?"
Cadance struggled to regain her footing as she rolled herself back onto the roof. "Is that another thing you tricked Twilight into telling you?"
Sam snickered, emitting a sound that was more akin to a woodchipper than anything a normal pony would be able to make. "No, if that may surprise you. You were all much more complacent then I could have ever prayed you'd be..." Sam turned his massive head away from Cadance, and though appearing not to have any eyes, he stared at Spike. "Especially you... little dragon. So many restless nights spent listening to my scrying, and all the while you said nothing, hoping the storm would pass and your friend would return to you..."
"So that sleeptalking was you just messing up Twilight's head?" Rainbow nearly bolted out of the bubble, aiming straight for Sam's head. She was stopped by Gerret just seconds before she made contact with the bubble's border. She kicked and pushed against him, her eyes still glued to Sam.
"Of course not, impudent one. Your friend's status is much more important to me than whatever bile sloshes through her brain, but her overactive mind is good for one thing...
Sam leaned his full weight against the bubble, causing it to cave in around his form. Panic ran amok amongst Cadance's allies, and all the while Sam continued his slithering dialogue. "You see, spending fifteen thousand years without a single glimpse of the outside can leave one feeling... ignorant of the goings on of the modern world. Scrying her head allowed me first row seats into the inner machinations of your culture. A lifetime's worth of experiences, lessons and unspoken rules all collected in just a couple nights. Very convenient."
"And I doubt you told Twilight any of this," Cadance stood tall, boosted by her increasing hatred for the titanic beast.
"Perhaps I did. It doesn't matter either way, She'd still listen to me...
A small slit began to form on the crown of Sam's head. Like a zipper, it slowly grew until Sam's entire face, from the top of his scalp to nearly the end of his snout, was scored by a single thin, black canyon. "Twilight's mind is nothing but wet clay to me now, free to be molded and warped to my liking. I say it won't take me more than a month before every last one of her memories is erased from her vile little mind.
The slit began to peel open. Thin strands of sickly black fluid oozed out from within, though Cadance could see a faint trace of color within. She watched in disgust and terror as Sam gently placed his hands upon the bubble, his blank, emotionless face somehow managing to stare into her soul.
"I will take great pleasure in watching her forget your existence. It is a shame though, I did hope to have two princesses under my command...
Slowly, the slit continued to widen. The falling streams of oil were now nothing more than light trickles as a yellow globe turned and shifted from underneath the veil of black blood. "But your people have caused me too much pain already. Keeping you as a pet would only serve to torture me, the temptation to slice you to ribbons would be far... far too enticing.
With a single slow blink. A monstrous yellow eye emerged from the top of Sammakott's head. It flicked back and forth in its socket, examining the small morsels on the ground below it, then focused on the weakened princess. "But don't fret, Princess. It would be wasteful to kill you now. After all, I've far too much pent up aggression to simply kill you: fifteen thousand years worth of aggression to be exact."
Cadance tried to turn her body, to move her hooves, to do anything, but she was stuck in place. Her eyes could barely focus on the chaos around her, they were entranced on the glowing yellow spotlight before her. She could feel tears sliding down her face, but she didn't feel sad or afraid. She felt empty, as if her whole life had been meaningless up to this one moment. It felt as if her soul had been missing a chunk all her life, and she finally found her missing piece.
Cadance hadn't noticed the barrier melt away like molten steel at Sam's gaze, nor did she hear the screams and shouts of her companions. All she could hear was Sammakott's slimy voice as his massive claw reached out for her.
"When I'm done with you, even death won't be enough to free you..."