//------------------------------// // The Crystal City of the Damned // Story: Flurry Heart is Evil! // by UnknownError //------------------------------// Princess Cadance spent the rest of the day on the couch with her hoof wrapped in gauze, idly pursuing some useless tax reforms. She met with Shining Armor and feigned interest in the discussion about Yakyakistan’s border. She pretended nothing was wrong, aside from subtly watching Flurry Heart’s movements. The immediate snag was that apparently Flurry Heart rarely left her room, preferring to spend ‘Defeat of Sombra Day’ sequestered away with her grimoires and foul magic. Her macaroni and cheese dinner was delivered by Shining Armor with a jest. It wasn’t unusual behavior for Flurry’s days off, so Cadance had no evidence to rally the Heart Guard. Cadance grit her teeth at the thought of giving her corrupted daughter more time to prepare foul rituals, but confronting her alone was madness. Shining Armor was already suspect. Cadance laid awake that night, refusing to be the big spoon and making the excuse of her bandaged hoof. Shining looked troubled, but accepted the excuse and snored away. All night, Cadance waited for the creak of the door and dark hoofsteps in the hallway. Or the blow of the flugelhorn signaling Sombra’s return with a corrupted Flurry by his side. Nothing happened, and she lost her beauty sleep. Before anypony else was up the next morning, Cadance retreated to the kitchen and chugged more of Luna’s coffee. She used one of the guest bathrooms to freshen up and curl her mane and tail. By the time Shining joined her for breakfast, Cadance looked as prim and proper as ever with a beaming smile. Shining squinted at his wife, rubbing his blue beard with a hoof. “You look a little pale, honey. Did you get enough sleep last night?” “Plenty!” Cadance lied through her teeth with a chipper chirp. “Thorax had some stuff to tell me yesterday,” Shining began vaguely. He sat on the opposite side of the table. Traitor. Cadance didn’t break her smile, but tilted her head in confusion. Mentally, she ran through a list of spells to stun her husband. “He was really worried about you,” Shining remarked. Since the chefs were back in the kitchen, the table was set with proper crystalberry pancakes this morning. Shining poured a sickening amount of maple syrup on them with a flourish of his horn. Cadance bit off a chunk of granola in response. “And?” she promoted her husband. “Nothing,” Shining shrugged a hoof. “Thorax just said you seemed really stressed out.” He gave his wife a tired smile. “I’m getting pretty tired of dealing with Sombra as well. If you need a few days off, I understand. You were up all night rallying the ponies, and yesterday was a long day.” A plot to usurp the throne. Cadance shook her head, dismissing the idea. If Flurry suggested it, maybe, but Shining’s love for her could overcome anything. “It’s my job, Shining. I love it, and I love you.” “I love you,” Shining repeated happily and took a large bite of pancake. Cadance basked in the warmth of true love. Perhaps Shining wasn't compromised. A short, dark-cloaked figure appeared in the doorway to the dining room. “It is time,” a squeaky voice hissed. Sharp teeth gleamed under the shadowed hood and leathery bat wings extended from the sides of the cloak. The hood was slightly tented by a horn. Cadance braced both her forelegs on the table and stood up. She whipped her gaze from an unconcerned Shining Armor to the figure in the doorway. “No,” she gasped in a strangled voice. “Is it already Saturday?” Shining asked the figure with a smile. “Yesh,” the voice lisped, then stomped a hoof in agitation. The wings flopped awkwardly. “Yes,” it repeated at a normal volume. “Flurry…” Cadance couldn’t stop the tears. “Not Flurry,” the voice giggled. “I am Darkheart, Disciple of the Nightmare!” “No!” Cadance screamed and lunged across the room with flapping wings. Her hooves kicked over several of the glasses and plates as she cleared the table. The figure reared up to meet the challenge, but Cadance bowled her over. She grabbed the cloak with both forelegs and shook the figure. “Stop!” the voice warbled. “Give me back my daughter!” Cadance wailed. “You’re ruining the costume!” the voice replied. The shaking knocked the hood back, revealing Flurry Heart with a combed back mane and askew glasses. Cadance paused, momentarily stunned that her daughter actually put in effort in combing her mane. Cadance resumed shaking her. “Release my daughter, Darkheart! Your reign of tyranny ends before it begins!” “Woah, honey, too into it!” Shining exclaimed behind her. “Darkheart doesn’t know those spellsh!” Flurry cried. The carboard bat wings clacked on the floor awkwardly, strapped to her own wings with string. Shining and Flurry managed to pull Cadance away. Cadance switched targets to her husband. “Look at her! Our daughter has fallen to evil!” She throttled him with her forelegs. Shining’s muzzle began to turn purple. “Woah!” Flurry sat up. She adjusted her glasses with her magic and pointed at her mother’s hoof. “Are you okay?” Cadance stomped her bandaged hoof down and suppressed a wince. “Don’t try to change the subject! Release my daughter!” Shining coughed and staggered back. Flurry blinked. “Mom, itsh my costume.” “What costume?” Cadance asked with a sneer. “Nightmare Night is months away!” She smiled, victorious in her logic. “For Ogres & Oubliettes,” Flurry replied bluntly. She fretted with the bat wings for a moment, checking for damage. Cadance inspected them, noticing they were hoof-painted cardboard and rather cheap. The cloak was also stitched rather poorly, and the dark ruby broach on it was clearly a painted chunk of quartz. “Nice costume,” Shining coughed. “Going to the park?” “Yeah,” Flurry nodded. “Don’t act like this is normal!” Cadance turned back to her husband. “Look at her!” “Hey!” Flurry pouted. “I worked really hard on this!” “And it looks lovely,” Shining complimented his daughter. He gave Cadance a severe glare. “Flurry makes her own costumes and puts a lot of time and effort into them.” Cadance paused, caught between two hostile looks. “Why?” she asked to buy time. “Because it’s fun,” Flurry pouted with crossed forelegs. “It’s the finale. I ushually put it on at the park.” “Oh, is the campaign over?” Shining asked in surprise. “We’re fighting the Sun Witch today,” Flurry answered. “It’s supposed to rain later.” Flurry groaned. “I know, but we can only meet twice a month!” “You going to be able to beat her in time?” Flurry nodded rapidly. “We got a plan. I figured it out.” “That’s my filly,” Shining ruffled her mane. “Ick!” Flurry flailed her hooves. “Dad, stop! You’re ruining Darkheart’s look!” Cadance tried to catch the eyes of the chef and wait staff that were resetting the table. Help me, she pleaded in her mind. One of the servants picked up a knocked over cup with her teeth, pausing to shoot Cadance a glare. I’m surrounded. Her stomach sank. “Cadance?” Shining asked. Cadance snapped her head back to Shining and gave him a brittle smile. “I overreacted!” she chirped on reflex. “Yes,” Shining nodded warily. “Remember, we talked about this.” “We did,” Cadance nodded back. She rapidly flicked her eyes towards Flurry. Shining took a deep breath and pushed it out. He turned to Flurry and frowned at her. “Flurry Heart,” he said in a commanding tone. “You will answer me honestly.” Flurry stopped wrestling with her cloak. Her ears wilted. “Yes.” Shining raised an eyebrow. “Sir,” Flurry amended. “Are you possessed by King Sombra?” Shining asked bluntly. Cadance froze and lit her horn with a defensive spell. Flurry blinked. “W-what?” “Answer the question, young filly.” Flurry looked between her parents. “No?” she replied, confused. “Have you been corrupted by dark forces?” “No!” Flurry insisted. “Is thish about puberty or something?” she lisped. "I already know about that!" Shining’s ears folded back. “N-no,” he stammered. “Your mother rushed to your room and accidentally broke your mini because of Sombra’s horn. She was worried that he got to you.” “Oh,” Flurry realized. “It was icky, but I’m okay.” “Of course she’d say that!” Cadance accused. “You think Luna just told Celestia, ‘I am feeling a little Nightmareish tonight?’ I’ve seen Flurry's room.” “You’ve been in my room!?” Flurry gasped and flushed in embarrassment. “Mom!” “I’ve seen your fell tomes and grimoires!” Cadance continued to her daughter. “Sweet Celestia,” Shining muttered. “I had this exact same conversation with Celestia when I started dating you. Honey, O&O does not promote dark magic.” “Look at her!” Cadance jabbed a hoof at Flurry. “Our daughter! She’s taken another name, just like Nightmare Moon!” Shining closed his eyes and huffed. “Flurry, is Darkheart a real pony?” “No,” Flurry replied dubiously. She pulled a sheet of paper from an inner pocket in her robe. “She’s a level nineteen necromancer. A bat pony sworn to Nightmare Moon.” Cadance gasped and reared away from the floating paper. Darkheart was scrawled at the top, with a confusing table and ciphered letters and numbers below it. Shining accepted the paper with a hoof. “Why do you always play Lawful Evil?” Shining sighed. “What’s wrong with a Paladin?” “Boring,” Flurry scoffed. “I played a Paladin.” “And you’re boring.” “Says the filly playing 5th Edition.” “Get with the times. Luna did.” Shining clutched a hoof to his heart and wheezed. “And that’s enough for this old stallion. Grab some crystalberry pancakes and have fun.” He floated the sheet back over to his daughter, who tucked it back into her robe. Flurry flipped the hood back up and beamed. Her braces glinted in the light. “Thanksh!” She trotted over to the table and rolled a pancake up like a burrito, shoveling it into the depths of the hood and munching noisily. “She admitted to being evil,” Cadance whispered and turned her twitching eyes to Shining. “You’re just too far gone to realize it.” “Honey,” Shining said patiently, “that was a character sheet. I know you’ve seen one of those before. Hay, I’ve shown you my character sheets.” Cadance hummed noncommittally; she was an expert at feigning interest. Shining had tried to explain tabletop roleplaying when they were first dating. The unicorn had showed off a vast amount of dice and several sheets of cursed statistics. Cadance feigned listening for an hour, then found other ways to use the table with her preferred method of roleplay. I should’ve paid more attention, Cadance cursed her previous self. She’d be able to make an argument. Flurry’s appearance seemed to fill the servants with glee instead of dread. One chef smiled at her and packed a small box of pancakes. Flurry stuffed it under her cloak and thanked her politely. “How can all of you be so blind?” Cadance choked out, leering at the servants. “She can’t have gotten to all of you.” They all stared at her blankly, then resumed cleaning the table. “Honey, Flurry is fine,” Shining said, exasperated. “She’s dresses up for all her campaigns. For the audience.” “What campaigns?” Cadance asked desperately. “She’s already gone to war!?” “Ogres & Oubliettes!” Shining shouted. Some of the kitchen staff stopped to stare. “It’s not real and it doesn’t promote dark magic!” Shining pressed a hoof to his head. “This is just like Celestia; she said the exact same stuff when I asked you out. Twilight gave Celestia a very thorough presentation about O&O when she was ten.” Shining looked to the side. “I need to write her and see if she still has all the charts and tables. She proved conclusively that the spells don’t work and there is no correlation between dark magic use and O&O.” Cadance staggered back, bumping her flank against the table. “But the horn,” she gasped. “The horn…” “The horn is still on the pedestal, glowing menacingly,” Shining explained. “The smoke!” Cadance tried desperately. “The smoke stopped!” “Did you forget about the month where it whispered ‘Make Us Whole’ to the guards on horn watch?” Shining asked with a frown. “We’re keeping a severed limb on display. It does weird things.” “Our daughter doesn’t dress like that,” Cadance insisted. “She has her awful hoodies.” Shining looked his wife in the eye. “Cadance, our daughter has been dressing up as Darkheart for months.” Cadance whinnied, denying the truth. She teleported away in a snap, falling against the wall of a hallway and hyperventilating. Was this just the last act? Has Sombra been corrupting her for months, for years, and I’ve only just noticed? “Mom?” Flurry asked from behind. Cadance screamed and collapsed against the wall, spinning around on the smooth floor. She raised both forelegs and shielded her muzzle from the hooded pony. “No, please! I love you!” Flurry stepped back and raised both sets of wings. Her cardboard wings clacked and a string came loose. “Mom!” Cadance slowly lowered her hooves. “Flurry? Have you come back to us?” Her own purple eyes were watery and red. With dawning horror, the alicorn realized she was alone in the hallway with her daughter. “W-what are you doing here?” “Going to the park,” Flurry said from the depths of her hood. She pointed at the door at the end of the hallway. “This way is quicker than the front entrance.” “O-of course,” Cadance nodded shakily. “D-don’t let me get in your way, Darkheart. Spare my life.” Flurry rolled her eyes at her mother. “My costume’s not that good,” she grumbled. “Stop trying to make me feel better. I know it’s junky.” “I assure you,” Cadance promised. “I am quite terrified.” “Darkheart’s not totally evil,” Flurry snorted. "Like, she helps foals 'cause she grew up an orphan." Cadance was silent. Did Nightmare Moon refer to herself in the third person? Flurry/Darkheart scuffed a hoof on the floor and pulled her hood back. She blinked behind her glasses, staring down owlishly with bright blue eyes at her trembling mother. “Itsh the last session of this campaign,” Flurry explained. “Maybe an epilogue next month.” A warning. How very lawful for evil. “That’s great,” Cadance lied. “Do…” Flurry/Darkheart trailed off. “Do you wanna come to the park?” “What?” Cadance paused her trembling. “Would you like to come watch?” Flurry repeated. She pursed her lips in a hopeful smile. “I…” Cadance hesitated. It’s a trap. The invitation is meant to make you look crazy. She’ll pretend like nothing is wrong. “I’m very busy today with taxes.” “Oh.” Flurry’s ears pinned back. “Yeah, sure.” “Good luck with your…campaign,” Cadance offered. “Sure,” Flurry said absently. She stalked down the hallway and pulled her hood back up. Cadance waited until her daughter turned the corner, then teleported back to her room. Her daughter’s invitation had sparked an idea. Cadance quickly retrieved her hot pink rain boots and stuffed her hooves into them, then flourished a dark pink raincoat wrapped it around herself. Her wings were hidden under the coat. I will go to the park and watch my daughter. She'll just never notice I was ever there. Mi Amore Cadenza was actually quite experienced in stalking. Some couples were blind to their own issues and refused her help. It required a deft, subtle hoof. Cadance slipped on her dazzled sunglasses and flipped the hood up. She’ll never see me. At the park, Cadance ran into two problems. Firstly, there was already a massive crowd that she had to shove her way through in disguise. Secondly, her disguise was awful. “Hey, Princess Cadance!” an off-duty guard laughed. He was wearing a cheap plastic helmet. “Need an escort?” “I am not Cadance,” she replied with a nasal voice. “I am…the Rainmaker.” “Oh,” the guard nodded. “From the first campaign. That’s a deep cut. Her raincoat was blue, though.” Cadance shoved her way past and further into the crowd. She stepped over and around some of the smaller colts and fillies. The crowd seemed to be a mix of tourists and crystal ponies of all ages. A few families had set up picnic tables further back. Half the crowd was dressed up like it was Nightmare Night, except in nonsensical costumes. Several wore wizard hats and cloaks, even earth ponies. One filly was wearing a cheap suit of cardboard armor, painted with snowflakes and brandishing a foam sword. Some older mares were also fully dressed in faux-leather armor. One was dressed in fur. Cadance spotted several dozen Heart Guards spread out through the crowd. Most were wearing costumes as well. For a moment, her heart was seized by hope. Is this a sting operation? Did Shining listen? She needed to get closer. The little courtyard that the crowd was gathered around was bracketed by several thorny, thick shrubs for a degree of privacy. The ponies in the crowd were too distracted with their conversations about 'numbers' and 'classes' to notice Cadance shoving herself into a shrub. She felt the thorns tear into her raincoat and prick her fur. She disappeared completely, forced to crawl on her belly to stay out of sight. Cadance squinted behind her glasses, safely out of sight. Flurry/Darkheart sat waiting, speaking with a worried look to Fizzlepop and Flash. Cadance pumped a hoof in victory, ignoring how the brambles tore through the sleeve of her raincoat. They got her! It was a trap, just for her! Shining, you handsome stallion. She tried to wriggle free, only for the thorns to dig into her raincoat and catch on her wings. Cadance sighed and wriggled forward. She opened her mouth to shout to Flash and Fizzlepop, but her breath caught in her throat. Flash wasn’t wearing his guard uniform. He was dressed in cheap aluminum armor, painted to look gold. The sword under his right wing was clearly wooden, but the pommel was carved like a claw. His helmet was the most intricate part of his outfit, fashioned to look like a roaring griffon. Fizzlepop Berrytwist was worse. The former commander of the Storm King was dressed in actual leather armor and sporting an eyepatch across her scarred eye. She frowned thoughtfully and nodded along with Flurry/Darkheart. They weren’t arresting her. They were working with her. Cadance was paralyzed in horror. They were joined by two more ponies, a colt and filly from Flurry’s classes. Cadance vaguely recognized the colt; his name was Snowberry. He wore a Mexicolt poncho with a small guitar slung around his back. The filly was the only one dressed sensibly, with a pretty pink dress. Darkheart gave them both a crushing hug and chattered excitedly with all four of them. She shared her leftover pancakes while they waited. Cadance cried quietly in the shrub. Soon enough, there was a loud thunderclap and a swirl of shadow descended into the courtyard. Cadance stared in terror, waiting for the shrieks of the flugelhorns to echo through the city. Instead, the crowd cheered. The five ponies in the courtyard turned to face the black mist. “Are you ready?” a bombastic voice echoed from the swirling darkness. A mare's voice. “Yes!” the crowd whinnied. No! Cadance screamed in her mind. “Good!” Luna strode through the mist, dispelling it with her wings. Retirement had clearly been good for the dark blue alicorn. She strutted forward, clad in a sleek blue cloak with shooting stars. The stars whipped across the material, moving when she moved. She flashed the crowd a wide smile. “Adventurers, welcome to Critical Hit!” Luna stomped her forelegs and a table flashed into existence in the courtyard. A shimmering projection appeared in the sky above the table, showing a topside view of the table to the gathered crowd. The crowd lost their minds, cheering and screaming. Six chairs flashed into being, one of which was a large stone throne at the end of the table. Luna draped herself onto it, then set up a surprisingly flimsy cardboard half-shield on the table before her. “I am your Dungeon Master, Luna of the Night.” Her voice was amplified by some spell from the projection. “Have a seat, Adventurers.” “I am Darkheart,” Flurry announced and sat down first. “The Necromancer for the Nightmare.” She left her hood down. Cadance realized Luna didn’t even react. They’re in league. She kept very still in the shrub. “I am Gordon the Griffon,” Flash said next. “The Paladin for Boreas.” “I am Tempest,” Fizzlepop said with a snarl. “The Assassin.” A few stallions swooned in the audience. “I am Sombrero!” Snowberry said cheerfully. “The Bard!” The dull white crystal pony strummed his tiny guitar poorly. Lastly, the crystal filly sat down. “I am Steel Hoof,” she squeaked. “The Barbarian.” Luna pressed her front hooves together and stared at the five ponies before her. “We begin at the end,” she intoned. “It has been a long, difficult journey, fraught with perils and danger. Strange friendships have been forged, for convenience if nothing else.” She gave Flash and Flurry a look. They sat on opposite sides of the table and scowled at each other. “You have reached your goal,” Luna continued. “You have climbed the Perilous Peaks to the Forgotten Temple. The Sun Witch stands before you, the source of misery for all the land. She hoards the light, casting the land in darkness and shadow. Should you fail today, life will end.” Luna gave Flurry a wink. “Not even the powers of the Nightmare can bring back the world.” Flurry set a bag down on the table from inside her cloak. It jingled. The others did the same. A shimmering figure appeared on the center of the table. A large white alicorn clad in orange armor reared up, frozen in a fanged snarl. The crowd gasped. Cadance squinted at the table, realizing it was a map of some old fortress. Five little figures stood at the entrance, facing the taller statue. A minotaur, a griffon, and three ponies faced the alicorn. “Bow before me!” Luna said in a shrill voice. “You stand before a god!” Cadance blinked, unused to Luna’s vocal range. “Never!” Flash swore with gravitas. “I am sworn to Boreas!” “A false god, griffon!” Luna chortled. “I command the light!” “You command nothing,” Flurry sneered. “You are nothing to the Nightmare.” “Steel Hoof will break you,” the filly ground out in a disturbingly deep voice. “And I will redeem our family name!” Snowberry shouted. “Sombra was a fool to listen to you!” “You are all foals!” Luna spat. “You have no chance!” “Never killed a god before,” Fizzlepop chuckled with menace. “I activate my Ring of Invisibility,” she said in her normal tone. Which was still fairly menacing. Luna leaned back on her throne. “Roll for initiative,” she declared. Floating dice made of star-metal snapped into existence above her swaying mane. The five ponies emptied their little bags and set their dice to the side, shuffling between several sheets of papers. The crowd waited with baited breath. Cadance stared forward, transfixed. She never paid much attention to how Shining played. Two hours later, Cadance reached several conclusions. Evil was incredibly boring. The gathered ponies took forever to do anything on their table, rolling various sided dice and announcing the number to the gathered crowd. They also shouted out several random phrases, apparently to mark movements and attacks. The little filly once placed her hooves on the table, saying “I would like to rage” in the calmest possible tone of voice. The crowd went wild at that. Cadance didn’t risk casting spells from the shrub, but she needed to pee very badly by the three-hour mark. The ponies at the table took a break around that time, and a delivery mare flew in with Pizza Palace for the group. They ate together happily, with no scowls or snarls or barked orders. Cadance did notice that Snowberry sat next to Flurry during the break, a little closer than just friends. Flurry didn’t seem to pick up on the hint. Cadance sighed. Even corrupted, she’s oblivious. I thought evil was supposed to be sexy. Fizzlepop was clearly using the game to live out some revenge fantasy as Tempest Shadow. She played aggressively and liked announcing backstabs. Cadance thought she changed her ways, but it was clearly an act. Snowberry pretended to be the ‘good’ brother of Sombra, dedicated to restoring the family name. Cadance suppressed a snort. Sombra didn’t have any family; evil wasn’t capable of love. Snowberry was clearly desperate to find some good in his former ruler. Flash played a griffon named Gordon; he seemed quite bombastic and happy. It troubled Cadance. The pegasus never indicated any problems with body dysmorphia, but she resolved to ask him about it once the current issues with Flurry were resolved. The crystal filly stayed in character as Steel Hoof the minotaur. The others treated her like she always did this. Cadance decided to let that issue stay buried. Lastly, there was Flurry. She licked her braces, baring her teeth and asking if she had any cheese stuck in the grooves. She giggle-snorted and flapped her cardboard wings at jokes. She cleaned her glasses and shuffled through several sheets of paper. She still lisped certain words and flushed with embarrassment. Everypony else was too polite to say anything. Everypony acted like she was normal, like it was perfectly fine to dress in a dark cloak and call yourself another name. Mi Amore Cadenza almost snorted and tugged on her raincoat. It was hopelessly tangled in the thorns after several hours, and her legs were asleep. At the very least, her hoof wasn’t itchy anymore. Cadance had learned enough about the dark ritual to know that higher numbers were apparently good, and lower numbers were bad. Unless Luna rolled, playing as the Sun Witch. Whenever the Sun Witch rolled a high number, the crowd hissed in fear. “The Sun Witch casts Dimensional Tear,” Luna announced. “Beams of unfiltered fire pour through the chamber-” “Counterspell,” Snowberry announced and strummed his guitar. “You are out of range,” Luna commented with a frown. “No,” Flurry corrected. “Thatsh why I grabbed him with my shadow tentacles.” Luna squinted at the board and examined the floating poncho wearing figure, suspended by a spell below the floating alicorn statue. She worried with her lower lip. Cadance recognized the gesture. It meant Luna was suppressing a smirk. “You are in range,” Luna admitted, “but the tentacles cause damage regardless. Roll a Wisdom saving throw to see if you can concentrate enough to cast the spell.” Snowberry rolled a die with both forehooves. “Sixteen.” “You succeed,” Luna proclaimed. “Sombrero ignores the slime and wisps of darkness to cast the spell, closing the rifts before they could emit their deadly rays.” The crowd stomped happily and muttered to themselves. Luna glowered at Flurry. “The Sun Witch glares at you, Darkheart.” “I stick my tongue out,” Flurry answered. She demonstrated the gesture. “Such insolence!” Luna gasped in her shrill voice. “The Nightmare cannot save you!” The dice rolling dragged on for another hour. If this was a dark ritual, it was clearly meant to drive the audience insane. Cadance felt her sanity slipping away by the minute. She began intentionally jabbing herself with thorns to stay awake. Finally, Tempest the Assassin leapt from a high tower with Steel Hoof and preformed a combo attack, earning a critical hit on the Sun Witch. Cadance didn’t know what any of that meant, but the crowd cheered loudly. “Your withering touch has weakened the Sun Witch’s resistance,” Luna said to Flurry. The alicorn had also put on a small pair of trendy reading glasses, adding up numbers on a piece of paper. “Combined with Gordon’s blessing, her armor finally shatters and the axe crunches into her chest. Tempest’s daggers find their mark and land in her wing joints.” The crystal filly smiled ferally. Cadance shuddered. “Steel Hoof and the Sun Witch tumble to the ground,” Luna moved the figures around the board. “The impact shatters the floor. Steel Hoof, roll 2d8 fall damage.” The filly grumbled, but dutifully rolled her dice. “Twelve,” she shrugged. “Steel Hoof lives.” “My Boots of Featherfall mitigate fall damage,” Fizzlepop added. “Indeed,” Luna nodded. “You land perfectly fine. The Sun Witch struggles to stand up, cuts oozing liquid sunlight as her form begins to collapse. All of you saw the landing.” “We rush there,” Flurry answered. The figures moved to surround the taller statue on the table. “Insolent foals!” Luna screamed in a broken, shrill voice. “I cannot be bested by the likes of you!” “Gordon raises his sword,” Flash said. “If she’s still prone, I have advantage. Twenty-eight to hit.” Luna hummed and glanced at her paper. “How doth thou wish to end this?” The crowd laughed in delight. Cadance was very confused. Flurry slammed her hooves on the table. “I cast Soul Trap with my staff,” she interrupted. The crowd went deathly quiet. “That’s not what we agreed,” Flash said slowly. “The Sun Witch is to be banished back to her dimension.” “No,” Flurry shook her head. “She can come back.” “This is not a discussion,” Luna said bluntly. “Darkheart, the Sun Witch is an alicorn-tier soul. To steal her soul is a battle of will. Should you fail, she will possess you and you must be struck down.” Cadance perked up and leaned forward, ignoring how the thorns tangled her mane. “Not that I have a problem with that, Necromancer,” Flash admitted with bravado. “Steel Hoof is confused,” the filly admitted in a deep voice. “Do we kill Sun Pony or not?” “Tempest readies her daggers towards Darkheart,” Fizzlepop shrugged. “I’ll make it quick.” “Darkheart, no!” Snowberry insisted. “It is my duty as a Dishciple of the Nightmare,” Flurry lisped. “I cast Soul Trap.” Luna nodded gravely. She looked through several sheets of paper before continuing. “The Sun Witch feels the tug on her soul as your magic wraps around her. Her eyes burn with hatred, boring into your very being. ‘You dare!?’ she screams in your mind. You feel her hooves clawing at your throat, even though she lays motionless on the broken stone.” Luna narrowed her eyes. “Thirty,” she announced. The crowd started screaming. “She’ll never make that!” “That’s impossible!” “She can do it!” “She has to roll-” “Be silent!” Luna slammed a hoof on her stone throne. Thunder boomed across the park. The projection shimmered to focus on Flurry sitting at the table. “Roll with your hooves, not your horn,” Luna requested politely. Flurry picked up a twenty-sided crystal die, then set it back down. She pawed through her little bag, pulling out another die and holding it delicately between her hooves. Flurry passed it to Luna first. Luna lowered her glasses and her horn glowed as she squinted at the pink and purple die. She passed it back with a smile. “Good luck, Darkheart.” Flurry nodded and carefully held the little die between her hooves. She stood up at the table; her wings clacked for balance when she reared up onto her hind legs, holding the little crystal above her head. Flurry Heart looked around at the gathered crowd for a moment, scanning over the ponies. She passed over the shrubs. Flurry’s ears wilted into her mane, but she quickly recovered and her eyes hardened. Flurry took a deep breath and rolled it onto the table, looking over at Luna instead of the tumbling little crystal. The projection stayed on their expressions, hiding the roll from the audience. Flash, Fizzlepop, Snowberry, and the filly politely looked away. Flurry looked down first. She raised her forelegs back up in triumph and shrieked. “Yesh!” she lisped. “Aw, yesh!” Luna looked down and frowned in disbelief. The projection shimmered and showed a twenty-sided die with the ‘20’ sticking up. The crowd inhaled and whinnied in unison, stomping their hooves into the ground. Cadance's ears pressed against her head from the deafening cheers. Flurry began to dance around the table on her hind legs, flailing her forelegs randomly. Her cloak whipped about and one cardboard wing came loose. “Natural Twenty!” Flurry screamed and pumped her forelegs. Cadance watched, mortified; her dancing was actually worse than Twilight’s, with no rhyme or rhythm. Flurry pointed at the board. “That. Soul. Is. Mine.” She used the royal voice, causing a slight screech of feedback from the sound amplifying spells. Flurry blushed in embarrassment. Cadance watched as Flash and Fizzlepop clapped politely. Snowberry smiled beamingly at Flurry with the crystal filly. Luna rolled her eyes and chuckled. They’re all working together. Cadance shuddered and replayed the conversation with Shining. “Our daughter has been dressing up as Darkheart for months.” Everypony knew and kept it from me. Cadance scowled at Luna from the safety of the shrub. It was clear that she had tutored Flurry in the dark arts. There is always two, a master and an apprentice. Cadance had read that somewhere, and it made sense. Luna would be watched too closely to ever rise as Nightmare Moon again, even in retirement. Cadance had accidentally stumbled into a vast conspiracy. Even the guards were in on it. Nopony in the Empire can be trusted with this. It was up to her to stop Darkheart. The cheering died down once Flurry returned to the table with a smug metal smile. “Well,” Luna began, “with that—” She was cut off by a rumble of thunder. Luna blinked and looked to the sky. “Fie,” she swore archaically. Cadance struggled to look up in the shrub, and her mane became hopelessly tangled in the thorns. “It appears we must pick up next month with the consequences of Darkheart’s successful spell,” Luna said in her normal voice, amplified for the audience. The crowd groaned in disappointment, but stomped in applause after a moment. The ponies at the table quickly stood before the chairs flashed out of existence, scooping up their character sheets and dice. Flurry stuffed her things into her cloak and pulled it tight. Snowberry did the same with his poncho. The crowd began to shuffle away, exiting the park amidst loud chatter. Cadance stayed still for fear of attracting attention. A gaggle of colts and fillies from Flurry’s school stormed the courtyard, most dressed in cheap costumes. “That was awesome!” a filly cheered. She was dressed like a purple wizard. “So cool,” a colt agreed. He was dressed like a pirate with a tricorn hat. Fizzlepop flipped up her eyepatch and stood beside Flash. “You going to Princess Burger, Princess?” she asked Flurry. “Yeah,” Flurry nodded. “We need to get going,” Flash nodded. “Your dad covered for us.” “And your armor is going to melt in the rain,” Fizzlepop teased the pegasus. “Well,” Flash huffed, “excuse me for not wearing real leather, pyscho.” “It’s accurate to her character.” “And you just happened to have that?” Fizzlepop glowered. “Do you really want to know the answer to that question?” Flash considered it. “No, not really.” “Smart choice.” A drop of water landed on Cadance’s muzzle. She struggled and the shrub shook from the motion. She froze when Flurry glanced over at it. Luna stomped a hoof and the table vanished with a snap, drawing Flurry’s attention away. She regarded the crowd of children with a panicked look. “Fly. Fly, you foals! Your costumes are not water resistant!” Flash and Fizzlepop saluted Luna before galloping away together. Flurry summoned a large golden dome above her head. “Gather ‘round!” She flapped her wings, struggling to stay aloft with the cardboard bat wings. The colts and fillies, around twenty of them, smushed together underneath it with Snowberry and the filly. “Thank you, Luna!” Flurry chirped. “You’re a great Dungeon Master.” The herd under her shouted thanks as well. A master and an apprentice. Luna blushed. “You are too kind. Your adventuring party is quite excellent, young Flurry. A bold plan.” She gave Flurry a wry look. “And yet, you had plans of your own, Darkheart.” Flurry giggle-snorted again. “Until next time,” Luna vowed, vanishing back into a swirl of shadow. Just like Sombra. Cadance closed her eyes. It made too much sense. Another drop of water landed on her muzzle. Perhaps it was a tear. “Follow me to Princesh Burger!” Flurry proclaimed with a lisp. She flapped away slowly and awkwardly, giving her classmates time to shuffle below her shield and stay out of the rain. Thunder clapped above Cadance and the rain began to come down hard. She had to wait until the park was completely clear before extracting herself from the shrub. The pink alicorn emerged with a shredded raincoat and muddy boots. She sniffled, not from the cold, but from a broken heart. But she knew where Flurry was headed. Cadance slowly trudged after her wayward daughter and her dark acolytes.