//------------------------------//
// Fleur de Knot : Part 3 
// Story: Cadence Unbridled (Sections 1 & 2) 
// by Flikaline 
//------------------------------//


Fleur de Knot : Part 3


Cadence was running. The wind was roaring past her.

‘Keep running, filly, keep running!’ a piteous voice called on the wind. 

Cadence turned her head to see the spirit of a mare floating next to her. It was True Star. Cadence gasped. She had to keep going, she had to keep running. 

‘There’s no point running, Princess!’ came the cruel tone of Raven Mocker on the wind, ‘there’s no point trying to resist. I will have you, you will be mine!’

‘No!’ Cadence yelled, ‘Never!’ She struggled to increase her speed.

‘You can’t run from me!’ Raven Mocker continued, ‘You can’t hide! I always get what I want, and I want you! You will be my queen, you will give me what I want!’

Cadence suddenly felt herself being pulled back by an unbridled force. She turned her head back to see twenty eight other spirits of female ponies, all looking gloomy, or sad, or scared, or shocked, or in mid scream. They all slowly disappeared, one at a time.

‘Don’t give in . . !’ went True Star’s voice, faint, weak, and in the distance, just before she disappeared too. 

The pony spirits were replaced by a black hole which was pulling her in. Cadence tried to push against the force. She couldn’t. She was pulled into the black hole. She was screaming, falling. All she could hear was Raven Mocker laughing evilly at her, and, when she looked up, she could see his small, yellow eyes looking down at her.

**

Cadence opened her eyes and looked up. There was Raven Mocker right in front of her! Cadence screamed.

‘Cadence! It’s okay!’ came Shining Armor’s voice. The illusion of Raven Mocker melted away.

‘Shining Armor?’ murmured Cadence shakily. Shining Armor looked worried.

‘Are you okay, Cadence?’ Shining Armor asked anxiously, ‘I’ve been shaking you, but you wouldn’t wake up. You must have been having a dreadful nightmare!’ Cadence felt so happy, so relieved to see him.

‘Shining Armor,’ Cadence exclaimed, ‘you’re here!’ She hugged him tightly. ‘I was so scared!’ Shining Armor put his forelegs around her.

‘I’m here now, Cadence, I’m here.’ Shining Armor told her soothingly.

‘None of us are going to let that creep lay a hoof on you, Cadence!’ said Fleur de Lis. Joe and Steamer nodded. ‘We’re all here for you!’

*

The mysterious filly had disappeared, but had given instructions on the quickest way to get out after she had shown them where Cadence was hidden. The group were now hurrying down the corridors in a diamond format, with Cadence at the center, in order to keep her protected. 

They were just a few corridors away from the entrance when they turned a corner and found themselves face to face with Raven Mocker, Arachne and Lamia. The three colts and Fleur de Lis instinctively moved closer to Cadence. Shining Armor glared ferociously at Raven Mocker.

‘Get out of the way!’ Fleur de Lis yelled. The three mutated creatures laughed. The five ponies charged at once, catching the creatures off guard. They ran on as fast as they could until their reached a fork.

‘Which one is it?’ Joe asked urgently.

‘I don’t know,’ Steamer responded, ‘I don’t remember now!’

‘She said left . . .’ said Fleur de Lis, ‘no, wait, that was the last turning . . .’

‘We need to take one!’ Joe cried, ‘quickly!’

‘But one of those will lead us off in completely the wrong direction!’ Shining Armor exclaimed. Cadence swallowed hard and took a deep breath.

‘Check them both,’ Cadence said hurriedly, ‘I’ll distract them.’

‘Cadence, no!’ exclaimed a horrified Shining Armor.

‘It’s the only way,’ Cadence replied quickly, ‘if we dither here, we’ll all get caught, if we go the wrong way and can’t come back we’re more or less caught or will be caught eventually, and I’m the only pony who could distract them!’ 

Cadence had hurried off before anypony could argue.

‘Hurry up and check those two tunnels!’ Shining Armor told the other three, ‘I’m following her.’

*

In many ways, Cadence really wished she hadn’t been so brave. Those three creatures were right on her tail. She increased her speed. She zigzagged across the corridor, attempting to make it harder for them to catch her. Sweat was running down her face, it was hard to see, she could barely breathe. Would she ever make it back to the entrance? 

Not far now, not far now . . . Soon the others would be able to help her.

‘You’re not escaping this time, Princess!’ Raven Mocker sneered. He’s too fast, Cadence thought, feeling terrified, he’s going to catch me. Maybe the others were in hearing range.

‘Help!’ Cadence shouted as loudly as she could. 

Raven Mocker gave a cruel laugh. Cadence knew that even if he couldn’t get near enough to grab her, he’d catch her anyway because she’d soon collapse from exhaustion. Cadence was almost at the fork when her hooves failed her.

‘No!’ Cadence murmured, feeling one of Raven Mocker’s hooves on her back, making sure she stayed where she was. Raven Mocker gave a triumphant smirk. Despite her exhaustion, Cadence managed to glare at him.

‘Still stubborn, are you, sweetheart?’ Raven Mocker snickered, ‘let’s see if a little torture won’t change that . . .’  

Out of no-where it seemed, Shining Armor launched himself at Raven Mocker, Arachne and Lamia getting knocked back in the process.

‘Run, Cadence!’ Shining Armor shouted.

‘Oh, Shining Armor,’ responded Cadence rather hopelessly, ‘I can’t even get up.’

‘I’ll have to carry you then,’ Shining Armor replied.

‘You’re not carrying her anywhere!’ Raven Mocker snarled.

‘Oh yes I am!’ Shining Armor retorted savagely, kicking Raven Mocker hard against a wall. Shining Armor quickly put Cadence on his back and galloped off. Meeting the other three at the fork, then hurried through the entrance. As they ran, they looked up to see black creatures in the sky.

‘They’re trying to catch us!’ exclaimed Steamer.

‘And there are loads of them!’ added Joe.

‘We need to hide somewhere!’ Shining Armor told them.

‘We’ll hide behind the waterfall!’ said Fleur de Lis. 

They waited behind Neighagra Falls in silence. The swarm soon gave up searching for them. They all let out sighs of relief.

‘You were incredibly brave, Cadence,’ Fleur de Lis commented.

*

‘Oh, no!’ exclaimed Cadence once they had arrived back in Canterlot, ‘Auntie Tia’s going to kill me!’

‘Cadence!’ came the cross tone of Princess Celestia, who was walking over, from across the lawn, ‘Where have you been! I precisely told you not to leave Canterlot! You had me worried sick!’

‘Don’t be too harsh on her, Princess Celestia,’ Fleur de Lis said, ‘she’s been through a lot today, and it was my fault really. If I hadn’t been captured, Cadence wouldn’t have come looking for me and stepped into a trap.’

‘Captured! Into a trap!’ Celestia asked, ‘what happened?’

After they had explained what happened, Celestia felt both worried and guilty. She had hoped that by keeping Cadence in Canterlot, she would be safe, but if the note was able to reach her, so was other danger. She wondered if she should tell Cadence the information she had been hiding from her but decided it wasn’t the best time. Celestia had another concern too; these creatures they had described sounded a lot like a group of creatures that had contributed to Pulchra’s death.

‘You two haven’t forgotten about that dinner of yours, have you?’ Fleur de Lis asked with a smile. Shining Armor and Cadence’s faces blushed slightly.

‘Is that okay with you, Auntie Tia?’ Cadence asked. Celestia gave a smile and nodded.  Cadence smiled at Shining Armor, gazing into his eyes. Shining Armor smiled back at Cadence, gazing into her eyes. 

‘Shall we?’ Shining Armor said. Cadence nodded, before leaning on his shoulder and gazing up at him. ‘So where would you like to go for this wonderful dinner?’ he asked. Cadence smiled again.

‘I think you’re wonderful, Shining Armor,’ Cadence replied.