3
Cadenza's wings strained and quivered as she forced herself through the air, gliding on the strong sea breeze as much as she was flying. The second half of the Flashtone Amulet hanging around her neck felt like a noose.
'It's as if all his malice and hatred imprinted themselves on it,' Cadenza reflected grimly.
She let out another ragged breath as she forced herself to continue her flight, her wings beating against her coat as she moved. A tidal wave might have been averted but their battle had thrown the already temperamental Southern Seas weather into further disarray.
'At least there weren't any ships nearby,' Cadenza thought, with some relief, as she eyed the chopping waves crashing against one another.
The alicorn princess could feel the evening sun dipping in the sky, its orange glow coloring all she saw and warming her bruised and injured back. Cadenza strained her blurring vision ahead of her, 'surely I can't be that far away,' she thought desperately.
That was when a brown line appeared in her vision. Pushing herself Cadenza flared her wings, straining them against their exhaustion and damage as she picked up speed. Coming into sight, was Roam: Its golden, sandy beaches sparkled in the evening light as Cadenza pushed herself harder.
Cadenza spread her wings and beat them against the air, forcing herself higher into the air, it wouldn't do for her subjects to see her in such a state: Bloodied, bruised, her regalia and mane mangled beyond all recognition. Instead, Cadenza pressed her flight close against the cliff-side where her Summer Palace rose up and looked over the ocean.
'Home at last,' Cadenza thought, a brief glance at the city calming her soul as all seemed well and peaceful in the city below, boats were docked and the streets were bustling.
As she glided over the white stone walls, Cadenza came to a lurching halt in one of her courtyards. Her muscles screamed out in protest as she put her weight down upon them. So Cadenza simply stood, frozen for a moment, as she silently caught her breath. She took in the scene of freshly cut grass, and tried to stabilize herself against the sudden feeling of vertigo and pain that rocked through her body
Princess Cadenza sharply rose from her exhausted stance, her eyes focusing on every detail, 'Something’s wrong, where are my guards or the staff, somepony should have...'
"No," she whispered. Cadenza turned right and galloped towards the bodies of two of her guards that lay against the floor, their weapons not even drawn. Stumbling down the sun bleached steps, Cadenza took in the forms of the crumpled earth pony and pegasus guards. Gently running her muzzle across their heads, she used what little magic she had left to cast a diagnostic spell.
"Unharmed," she let out a sigh before muttering, "A sleeping draught?" she wondered curiously. Whatever was in their systems, it was both a toxin and magical ‘and if nopony has noticed these two’, Cadenza reflected taking in the silence of her home. ‘Then, that means whoever is responsible must have taken my entire palace!
Cadenza looked down at the Flashstone Amulet. Her mother had told her, ever so rarely, never to court such dangerous powers, never to use them, 'But what sort of choice do I have?' Cadenza lamented. 'Maybe I can just use it as a threat, or to make a prison or even to con-' her thoughts were interrupted by a violent crash echoing down the hallways.
'I can't abandon my little ponies,' she looked down at the vile trinket and grimaced, 'no matter the risk to myself,' she determined.
Wincing slightly as the pounding in her head grew stronger, Cadenza shook her head and surged down the stone hallways. Her ears twitched at every sound as she moved, her eyes peeled wide despite the gashes surrounding them. Through all her pain Cadenza knew she could not let herself be taken by surprise, no matter how weary she felt.
Cadenza burst into her throne room only to see that the great double doors that served as the primary entrance were hanging open and unguarded. Her wings rose in fear and agitation, twitching ever so slightly because of the hairline cracks running across her bones. Vision blurring, lungs heaving, Cadenza took in her throne room: the drapes hanging from the walls, the evening sun still shining in through the high windows, even her throne remained untouched, but sprawled out across the floor were more sleeping ponies.
That was when Cadenza spotted another door, it sat at the far right end of her throne room and had once been bolted shut. Now those bolts sat in melted puddles and the door was nothing but cinders, 'They're going for the vault!'
Cadenza focused on the presence of the amulet, 'I can call some of its power if I need to, mother protect me,' she thought with a dawning sense of horror running through her mind, this wasn't just some lackey of Squirk’s. The magic she felt hovering in the air, the only being who could and would release Squirk upon the world, it could only be Corona... her aunt.
Shaking her head, Cadenza forced those terrifying memories from her mind. She was a grown mare and a princess in her own right, if her aunt was here, then she would defend Cavallia with her life, as was her duty.
'Mother said she might still be weak after her last encounter with the Elements of Harmony. if I surprise her, maybe I can capture her here,' Cadenza considered, moving slowly towards the right side of the throne room. 'I'll hug the wall. And the second I see her, I’ll take the amulet and let loose a binding spell,' she decided coolly.
Cadenza forced her agonizing breaths down to silence, her beaten chest heaving silently as her tension only increased the soreness.
As Cadenza silently pressed herself against the wall and slid across the throne room, a blinding, agonizing, light flashed in her mind, burning her senses. She didn't even have the time to do more than turn her head before a red-tinted gold beam of magic struck against her her barrel and slammed her against the wall with a violent thud.
Everything was black in her mind, pain was shooting throughout her body as the stone wall cracked against her. She fell to the ground with a thud, dust and pebbles surrounding her as she clung to consciousness.
"It was you!" she spat out in agony. Forcing her blurring eyes open, Cadenza looked upon Corona, the Tyrant Sun, the alicorn stood near the entrance of her throne room. One half of the Flashtone Amulet hanging around her swan like neck as her distant and stone-faced gaze fell over Cadenza's injured form.
Before she could summon the magic to stop her, Celestia’s golden aura encircled Cadenza's half to the amulet, and wrenched it from her neck with a rough tug. The amulet floated over to the older alicorn who appraised it with a critical eye.
Cadenza watched in mounting horror as Corona levitated the two pieces of the Flashstone amulet together. Red lighting danced between them as she struggled to pull herself to her hooves, begging the mare to stop, “Please, don't! He'll-.”
"Don't speak," she instructed harshly, her words sounded like iron in Cadenza's ringing ears. With a mighty flash, the two halves became whole. Corona wreathed a golden thread through the amulet and slipped it around her neck, the red tainting her golden eyes.
Corona snorted distastefully, “With only half this amulet it’s no wonder he could not mold anything more complicated than such simple spells of destruction. It shall be of far greater use in my possession,” Corona intoned deeply as she looked down upon the confused mare beneath her.
"Yes, I released Squirk and removed your guards and communications from play. Do not fear, they are unharmed and shall recover soon enough,” she explained grimly, casting her gaze over the fallen ponies.
“You... the amulet-!” she started.
“Is safe,” Corona replied cooly, gazing down upon the mare dispassionately. “Squirk awakened without the aid of the amulet. The curse is broken. Not only that, but the seal around him has been changed, thanks to your own magic. The Flashstone Amulet can be whole again without awakening the abomination.” Corona said.
Cadenza could only gape at the mare before her, at the sight of ‘that thing’ being whole after all she’d done that day.
Corona seemed unaware of her concerns as she continued to speak, “An illusion has kept your citizenry from noticing that anything is amiss, they believe you well and victories, which in a sense... You are," Corona assured her imperiously. Cadenza could just make out the golden hoof cups striking against the floor as Corona approached her.
“You should be proud, they now revel in the streets at your success,” Corona explained.
"The door... a trap?" she breathed out, trying to bring her legs back under her so she could at least face her aunt standing and not on the ground like an infant. 'It was all a trap... now Corona has the amulet, and she has me,' Cadenza thought. Images of her mother, her adoptive family, and her past husbands and wife flashing through her mind. Images of thousands of her beloved little ponies looking up at her for protection filled her memory, and gave her strength.
"Yes, it was a good strategy to try and surprise me like that. But I have had this stone in my possession for hours now, and you are exhausted," Corona explained simply. There was no arrogance here, she was merely stating facts.
The Princess of Love ignored those facts and brought her knees up to her barrel, her wings flared and her horn glowed. She let out an almost rabid snort as she began forcing herself to stand, glaring at the solar alicorn, only for Corona's right hoof to press down on her back. With a single push, Cadenza was forced back to the floor, a pained gasp escaping her lips.
Cadenza could feel Corona's body heat as the elder alicorn leaned over her, and the mare’s breath brushed against her ear as she spoke, "You performed admirably today, but a s strong as you are little one, you are too young to face me yet. That much has been made clear this day. But do not know fear for I will not end one of my own family, and in time you shall see that all of this had to come to pass."
The warmth disappeared, and Cadenza could hear her aunt’s armored hooves striking against the stone floor as she made to leave, "Aunt Celestia!” she cried desperately, her voice hoarse. She forced herself to her hooves, panting and straining under her own weight, wings sagging against her weary form as she stumbled toward her aunt.
Corona, Celestia, stood frozen for just a moment before speaking, "...You can still rise. I am impressed, my niece." she intoned seriously.
"Auntie, please listen to me. I'm begging you, you don't have to do this... any of it. You... you need to stop," she intoned desperately. Limping towards her aunt as she spoke, the light billowed in from the setting sun, casting her aunt in shadows as she waited for her niece’s approach. Her white coat and lightly glowing horn and eyes stood out against the darkness.
"You are young and innocent; raised in ignorance. You have no understanding of what I must do," she snorted.
"Auntie, I can feel it. In your mind, your soul, and your body." Celestia straightened and cast a wary glance at her approaching niece. "Deep inside you, beneath all that fire and rage and fear I can feel it. Your love," she whimpered desperately. Cadenza was only a few feet from her aunt as she strained to look the mare in the eyes, the gold was fading again, ever so slightly.
"I can feel how much you love your sister, your subjects, even me," she whispered, "but there's something wrong! It's been tainted by something deep inside you. You have to listen to me! I know that love, that obsession, I've seen it in others and even had it directed towards me... it ruins you, and it will lead you to burning everything you love until there's nothing left! Can't you see that?" she cried desperately.
"I shall not entertain this nonsense any longer," Celestia snapped, but her voice was quiet and she still refused to move.
Cadenza stumbled, only to find herself steadied by Celestia's muzzle at her side. She shivered from the contact only for the elder alicorn to pull away, looking affronted at her own behaviour.
"Please... let me help you," she begged, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.
Scowling, Corona spoke back, "I do not need your help, I know what must be done here child. Do not think to lecture me, you understand nothing!"
"I understand everything!" Cadenza screamed, lurching forward she pressed her head up against her aunt’s chest. She felt the warmth emanating from Celestia, even through her cold adamantine armor, 'ba-boom, ba-boom, ba-boom!' her heart thumped far too rapidly.
Forcing her eyes skyward, Cadenza saw the look of shock upon the solar princess's face as she arched her neck to meet her niece’s gaze. "I understand everything, I can see into your heart," Cadenza crashed her hooves against her aunt’s armored chest, the metal hoof cups met the Celestial steel with an unholy clang. Leaning against the older mare’s chest, "I can feel it, everything: love enough to dwarf the sun, and so much fear… So much pain," she wept.
"I know no pain." Celestia ground out, trying to pull away as the gold began returning to her eyes.
"You may be able to lie to your sister, your servants, and even yourself. But not to me! I can see everything. How broken you are, how tired and alone… You know you're defeated, that you can't win, but you just keep fighting!" she bit out as the darkness surrounded her vision, her voice quivering. "Can you even do anything else?" she implored fiercely.
A metal clad hoof pressed itself firmly against her back and Cadenza felt herself slowly pushed to the floor. Her legs sliding out from under her as she met the cold tiles, rapid breaths leaving her as she fell ever closer to the darkness.
Celestia leaned down, her horn glowing as she looked over her weary niece; magenta eyes taking in the crumpled alicorn's form. She began to hum, magic surrounding the younger mare as she strengthened the young princess’s waning reserves.
"Rest now, child,” she implored quietly, gently nuzzling the younger mares neck, counting her breaths as she did so. Celestia closed her eyes and Cadenza's body was consumed in light and vanished, appearing in the medical ward next to the enchanted medical staff.
Then she rose, falling back into her regal posture. Squaring her taught shoulders Celestia took in a deep breath, accentuating her barreled chest as her eyes closed. A single breath in, a single breath out, she stood there like that as seconds fell into minutes. Her spell upon the castle’s staff now breaking under her will.
Yet, she did not move. She stood in the Throne Room where she had so easily conquered her foe and gained all that she desired. Celestia stood, her face still lowered her eyes staring at the floor, focusing on nothing at all.
"Freeze, Corona!" a guard cried pointlessly.
Celestia opened her eyes, they shone blazing gold. She spread her wings and surged through an open window and into the sky, escaping the guard’s sight within moments and disappearing amongst the clouds.
Her mystical prize was pressed tightly against her chest, so close to where her niece had rested her head.
'Soon, it is all going to be over soon.'