//------------------------------//
// Episode V: Scherzo 
// Story: The Rhythm Of The Dance 
// by BlackRoseRaven 
//------------------------------//

Episode V: Scherzo
~BlackRoseRaven

They limped into the waystation almost a full two days behind schedule: Cadence was honestly surprised that the wrecked train had made it at all, really. Archon was quick to assemble everyone – civilians included – into neat, ordered lines, and then lead them out into the snow-covered, enormous building for 'processing.'
They all checked in at the front desk, while Archon's soldiers secured the station. Archon was on edge for some reason... it made Cadence nervous. She didn't sense anything herself, and Shining Armor seemed too exhausted to notice more than what was immediately in front of him – and even then, she had to gently nudge him into signing these silly papers at the desk – but after their trip she had begun to respect Archon a little more. Plus, you know. It was a lot harder to hate him or call him paranoid when they had been attacked and all, just like he'd been worried about.
After Archon himself checked the logs and took a head count to make sure they hadn't picked up anyone extra, he organized them into formation again, his soldiers protecting the civilians, and Shining and Cadence at the head of the column beside him, after ensuring they were both outfitted in full regalia and polished enough to look presentable. Shining Armor was less-than-thrilled, but Cadence only tried to respect the General's decision and his... particularities.
The station was only a short distance outside of the Crystal Kingdom, in the blowing, snowy tundra that both snared and safeguarded the gorgeous little empire. But they were able to follow a heated path through a short cement tunnel right to a set of guarded gates leading in through the evanescent barrier that shielded the little nation.
Cadence shivered a bit as they approached, and Shining Armor looked over at her worriedly: she tried to smile when she caught his eyes, studying him silently for a few awkward moments and not entirely... knowing what else to do, what to say... not even sure what she thought of this stallion beside her. Her throat felt dry and her eyes felt watery and her head was heavy and... and... “I'm fine, Shine. It just feels... funny, being here again. I didn't feel this way the last time we were here...”
“Land is just land, unless you call it home.” Archon said moodily without looking over his shoulder. It was cryptic and strange coming from the General... and yet at the same time, Cadence understood exactly what he meant by it.
Shining Armor only frowned a little, then he shook his head quickly before reassuring: “Look, no matter what happens, we're here and we're going to make it through this, one way or another. We have each other and you've been saying this whole time that all the answers are here.”
“Answers are never in a place, son. You either know them or you don't.” Archon grumbled, and Shining Armor grimaced a bit... but didn't say anything. And the General didn't bother continuing either, turning his attention ahead to the soldiers guarding the doors and saluting them sharply as he said briskly: “General Archon of Equestria, requesting entrance to the Crystal Kingdom. I have my written orders from Princess Celestia as well as a full list of our supplies and the identities of everyone traveling with us.”
“Uh...” One of the guards looked blank, while the other shifted lamely, but Archon only looked coolly from one to the other, as if he expected these earth ponies who weren't even dressed up in fancy armor to be as capable and professional as the soldiers he trained back home.
After a few seconds of them squirming, Cadence sighed tiredly before she stepped forwards, giving Archon a flat look before she smiled at the soldiers and said calmly: “We're here on business. Please let us through, and we'll talk to the regent at the castle.”
Both guards nodded quickly, smiling in relief, and Archon gave Cadence an ill look before he said moodily: “You are not in command of this operation, Princess Cadence. Our authority lies on equal ground. Don't forget that.”
“Exactly, General. Our authority is equal.” Cadence replied evenly, and Shining Armor stared at her with disbelief as Archon scowled moodily. “But I have more experience dealing with the Crystal Kingdom than you do. I won't interfere with your operations, but you should leave diplomacy to me.”
Shining Armor grabbed at his face, looking horrified, but Cadence and Archon only continued to look at each other calmly before the General nodded with a grunt. “Very well. We present ourselves to the regent, and we'll make our plans from there. We also have a private matter to discuss.”
“After we talk to the regent and we get everything else in order, General. You have your soldiers, and I have duties of my own.” Cadence replied, with only a little bit of stiffness in her voice. And Archon gave her another look before he simply grunted in agreement, eyes flicking back ahead as the doors were pushed open in front of them.
They both gazed into a glowing, radiant light that ebbed and flowed, filling the doorway beyond, and Archon spared her one last look before he nodded briefly and turned his eyes back ahead, calling clearly: “Fall in line and march!”
He led the way forwards, and Cadence sighed and shook her head, following after him: Shining was only able to fall in next to her because of his training and his familiarity with the mare, still gaping at her as he asked disbelievingly: “Are you really Cadence?”
Cadence smiled faintly at this, her eyes flicking towards him as they passed through the blinding light, the mare shivering in spite of the warmth that radiated through her body. She'd never felt that before when stepping into this gorgeous place... and Cadence closed her eyes tightly, taking a slow breath as she tried to just focus on taking one step after the other.
Was she really Cadence... if only Shining knew what a good question that was, she thought, as her eyes flickered open and she looked silently back and forth. All around her was beauty, with a blurry horizon of warm energy that made a manufactured blue sky, through which it was impossible to see the dreary gray and the endless squalls beyond. And only a short distance away were the edges of the gorgeous houses and pretty dwellings that belonged to the Crystal Ponies...
They were already passing an enormous crop of tomatoes, as a matter of fact, where fruits were growing to double, even triple their normal size thanks to the warm energies that inundated this fertile soil, that filled the world with nutrients and life and lent such strength to the entire kingdom.
One of the Crystal Ponies straightened from this patch, covered in red stains from picking tomatoes all day, and he smiled at them... and then Cadence flinched as memories overlapped for a moment and she instead saw a snarling beast of a pony, splattered with blood and standing in a field sown with ashes, eyes glowing with rage and hate-
And then it was just a pony again, continuing to wave happily at the column as they passed by, and Cadence shivered violently as she looked ahead down the pleasant cobblestone path they were following. She could feel her husband looking at her uneasily, but the mare only shook her head briefly before she murmured: “It's... it's nothing. Just... the memories again. And I feel so...”
Her body quaked, and Cadence gritted her teeth as she looked back and forth, breath almost catching in her throat, her eyes flicking around as if she was walking into a trap, not coming... home. But maybe that was precisely why she was so terrified... she was home, and for the first time in her life, she really... she knew that she was home.
What Archon had said made all the sense in the world to her mind: all the times in the past she'd been here, and well... it had just been land to her, and she had just seen these ponies as... well, ponies. Just like the citizens of Equestria...
But now she knew this place: she looked at the tower in the distance, and it overlapped with the mighty, glorious castle of old in her memories, dusted with snow but so happy, so warm and beautiful, so enchanting... and then she only saw that tower again, that desolate and lonely tower that stooped like an old stallion over these countless little huts and homes of these ponies.
The ponies, too, now she looked at them and she didn't just see ponies anymore. Ponies who laughed and smiled and were pleasant and good and the descendants of a tyrannized people. Now, though, she saw the truth: Sombra had become a tyrant in order to save them. Sombra had broken their ancestors, because their ancestors had been barbarians and murderers. He had killed and routed his own people to save these thankless ponies who now called him an abomination, and had conveniently lost all their memories of their own ancestors' sins...
Cadence gritted her teeth, and then she glanced to the side as Shining said hesitantly: “Hey, calm down, okay? I know this is hard for you, but I'm right here by your side, alright? You can do this.”
The rose-hued mare nodded a few times, gritting her teeth and shivering a little before she muttered: “I... I hope you're right. And I know you... I appreciate you being there, but it's just... hard.”
“Stop crying about it and look it in the face. Open your eyes and stop acting like a little filly looking for her parents so she can hide behind them. Face the world.” growled Archon, and Shining Armor gritted his teeth, glaring at the General's back.
Cadence looked uneasily over at Archon, shifting uncomfortably... but now that she wasn't just looking at him as some... some giant, tyrannical military dictator, now that she actually saw him as a pony, she found it a lot harder to be frustrated by his advice. Sure, a little surprised, a little insulted, a little indignant even at how rough and blunt he was, but... all the same...
She took a slow breath and looked forwards, even as Shining Armor reassured: “Look, I'm sure that uh... General Archon here means well. He's just a little... look, Cadence, you're already the strongest mare I know. Even stronger than my little sister, and you know how stubborn she is. You don't have to push yourself.”
The winged unicorn glanced over at Shining Armor for a moment, then she smiled faintly and shook her head briefly before raising her head again, forcing herself to gaze around at her surroundings, to face what was causing her so much fear as she murmured: “No. No, I'm... I'm okay, Shine.”
The ivory unicorn looked at her almost uncomfortably for a moment before his gaze flicked up to Archon, and Cadence felt a strange... almost-hurt coming from him. But then the Captain of the Guard simply smiled before returning his eyes to her, saying finally: “Okay. If that's what you want and uh... well... kind of funny to see you two getting along so well...”
“I guess we got to know each other a lot better on the train, while you were... busy.” Cadence smiled briefly over at Shining Armor, who grimaced a bit at these memories, before the pink mare suddenly gave a small laugh and said softly: “Even though it looks like you still found all the time you needed to take care of your mane.”
“Hey, priorities, right?” Shining replied after a moment with his own brief smile, and he looked both relieved and... maybe just a little bit uncomfortable. A funny combination, but it made a weird sort  of sense: the fact she was still somewhat sane probably made him all the more nervous that she was actually trying to work with Archon.
She smiled over at him, and then he slipped towards her, learning down and whispering in her ear: “But hey, honestly, don't let him get under your skin, okay? We're here to put a stop to your nightmares, first and foremost. Let's get you fixed up and let Archon worry about himself, you know he's just here to set things on fire anyway.”
Cadence glanced over at Shining Armor and felt... well... odd. In the past, she would have probably grumbled some kind of agreement with him. Now, she thought she saw what Archon meant about Shining being kind of... well... a wimp. “He's here to help, Shine. And anyway, why don't you, you know... actually try talking to him?”
“Because there's no way that could go horribly, horribly wrong.” Shining Armor remarked dryly, leaning back a bit and giving her a pointed look, and then he sighed a little when she looked almost imploringly back at him before the ivory unicorn ground his teeth together, then he finally cleared his throat and looked ahead, saying uncomfortably: “So uh... General Archon sir, uh... nice weather we've been having, huh?”
Archon ignored the stallion completely, and Cadence sighed tiredly and dropped her head before she muttered: “Well. Maybe we should just wait until we get to the castle to discuss this.”
Shining Armor grumbled an agreement, and Archon only kept his eyes sternly ahead, refusing to acknowledge either of them. Cadence scowled a little between the stallions, but their bickering at least helped her get her mind off everything else... and well, Archon's advice seemed to actually be helping, too. Forcing herself to look ahead, to take in the world around herself, and see it instead of flinching away...
As they walked into the great city-state that was the Crystal Kingdom, she looked back and forth and saw the world in the present. It made the hold of her memories weaken even as more surged back, even as they struggled to drag her into that pit of both glory and agony that was her past... but the past couldn't hurt her, and she wasn't going to be magically swept away by it, either. She wasn't going to let the bad memories rule her, and she wasn't going to lose herself in the good memories for that matter, either.
She walked through the present, gazing over the houses, the ponies... and those acidic feelings that had curled up from the pit of her stomach began to settle, as did the tremendous joy, the terrible sorrow, and the deep, gnawing anxiety that had shaken her body and mind. It made it easier to focus on what they had to do right now: not her wild hopes for the future, but the simple, little things that had to come first.
Not that it made her all that much less fidgety, but... she could at least acknowledge that this little adventure in the Crystal Kingdom probably wasn't going to be like the rest of the trip had been. It would start with a docile walk to meet the regent, a few pleasantries and probably a form or two, and then they would end up doing research and trying to find... well...
Cadence frowned at this, looking down and wondering uncomfortably... well... what the hell was she looking for, exactly? The short answer was her father, but it was a hell of a lot more complicated than that... even if Sombra was known to lurk in the ice fields, it wasn't like she could just go out there and look for him, for more reasons than she had hairs on her head.
The longer, more-coherent answer was that she couldn't just go looking blindly for Sombra: she needed to figure out a way to... to get through to him, or to safely restrain him. She hated thinking like that, like she was going to trap and cage him like an animal, but... well... that was kind of what she was going to have to do, wasn't it?
It was hard to stomach. For a whole lot of reasons, it just played hell on her mind. Cadence shivered and closed her eyes, and memories flooded back that belonged to her and that had belonged to her father, as her horn thrummed faintly with strange energies...
“Cadence? We're almost there.” Shining said gently, interrupting her thoughts, and the rose-hued mare blinked and looked up in surprise before she smiled awkwardly over at her husband, who smiled hesitantly back before he gestured awkwardly ahead.
Cadence looked up... and laughed despite herself as she realized they were already crossing the expansive square towards the base of the castle-tower. It stood on four large supports and stretched high into the sky, polished and enchanting and so fantastic in its design...
And yet it was nothing compared to what it had once been, Cadence thought longingly, drawing her eyes slowly down this immense structure. How many ponies, she wondered, had realized that the tower's true purpose now wasn't as a ruling seat, but instead it was a massive amplifier...
Her eyes drew down, and Cadence smiled a little as she saw the source of this nation's prosperity and fortune, thrumming quietly in its plain glass housing on top of its little pedestal. The Crystal Heart: it was precisely what it sounded like, a heart-shaped artifact shaped out of the rarest of crystal and charged with powerful magic... and Cadence thought that only she was privy to the real origin of that beautiful thing.
Her horn sparked faintly as she looked at it, and she shivered a little: that old, ancient magic was calling to her. Oh, sure, she had always felt that strange similarity, that kinship with it, but it was only now that she was coming to understand the depth of her connection to it, and what exactly that meant.
There were ponies gathered around the pedestal, basking in its beauty and warmth: a few of them looked almost hypnotized by the thrumming gemstone, while others were lazing, placid and peaceful. It was hard to imagine that these silly, almost-vapid ponies were the descendants of a brutal, sociopathic clan of barbarians... but there were the little tells here and there, too, visible even through the sparkling of their manes, the gemstone-gleam of their coats. Things like their large, sharp hooves meant for crushing, or the toughness of their hides, or their larger, crueler teeth...
Cadence shook herself quickly as Archon stopped in front of the pedestal, scowling a little as he drew his eyes from the piled-up offerings at the bottom of the stand before studying the glass case moodily. His horn glowed for a moment, and the crowd of ponies all reared back in surprise as a lick of flames flared along the case, several lethargic gazes turning towards him before the stallion asked sharply: “Why isn't this under better protection? There's no magic, no security, not even a lock!”
“Why would it need protection?” asked one of the Crystal Ponies with an honest, child-like curiosity. “The Crystal Heart is what keeps our whole nation running. Who would ever try and steal it? They'd put everyone at risk.”
Archon glared at the pony who'd spoken, then he glanced over his shoulder and said brusquely: “We should speak to the regent immediately about this. Furthermore, this is one of your responsibilities, Cadence. I expect you to ensure this is protected.”
Shining Armor scowled a bit, but Cadence only sighed and shook her head slowly. “Actually, General, this is something both of us are going to have to deal with, as I think you know well enough yourself. Although...”
She bit her lip, and Archon frowned, and asked moodily: “Well? Out with it, Princess Cadence, I don't play word games or particularly enjoy fishing.”
Cadence gave General Archon a dry look, and then she shook her head before saying finally: “Let's discuss it upstairs. Besides, you're right. We should go and see the regent and get him to at least put the wards back in place.”
Archon nodded after a moment, then he briefly stepped away to look over his soldiers and the uncomfortable lines of civilians, studying them before he said briskly: “All civilians are free to go. Soldiers, set up a guard around the Crystal Heart and wait here for further instructions.”
With that, the General turned and gestured sharply towards the open set of double doors leading into the foot of the fortress. He started ahead, and Shining frowned a little before he quickly slid over to Cadence as they followed in the old unicorn's wake, saying quietly: “You know, I'm sure we can put this off if you want... and we can always just slip away, too.”
“No, that wouldn't be right, Shine. Besides, Archon's right.” Cadence replied, and then she gave a brief smile and added: “You could try and speak up if you really think he should do something different, though.”
Shining Armor laughed dryly at this, then he mumbled: “Right, and end up peeling potatoes or just being railed on about what a spoiled little princeling I am. Besides, you're better at that stuff, and... you know. Not his soldier.”
“Neither are you.” Archon said irritably from the head of the line, and Shining Armor blushed and clamped his mouth shut before the General added sourly: “Like I've said before. If you have a problem with me, say it to my face, Captain Armor. Stop hiding behind your wife.”
“No problem sir! Yes, sir!” Shining Armor said hurriedly, and Cadence sighed, smiling a little despite herself... but at the same time seeing... well, probably a little of what Archon saw. Sure, it was still kind of cute in its own hangdog way, but at the same time...
Cadence shook her head briefly and returned her attention to the task at hoof. In only a few minutes, they were making their way towards the throne room: but before Archon could reach the doors, the regent was already waddling out, the chubby pony looking delighted to see them as he called warmly: “Princess Cadenza! Prince Armor! And of course, High General Archon, what an honor it is to see you all here!”
General Archon only grunted as he came to a halt, saluting calmly before he glanced over his shoulder as his horn glowed. Several scrolls were yanked free from his small carry-bag, floating quickly over to the chubby regent, the earth pony stumbling to a stop and awkwardly catching these in his forelimbs as he fell back on his rump.
Archon didn't seem to notice or care, though, saying brusquely: “These are from Princess Celestia. My orders and my authorization, as well as notes regarding Princess Cadence and the reason for her presence here. I'm sure that you've already been briefed on this, however.”
The regent smiled: a friendly, open expression that made him look even rounder. Cadence, in spite of everything, couldn't help but look at his rather rotund blue body and his little sprawl of green mane that sat like a starfish on his head, and thought wryly that Blueberry really was a perfect name for him. “Yes, General, I'm very certain that's all in good order. We really don't have to discuss this now, though, I know you must want rest after your long journey-”
“We're far behind schedule. This all needs to be taken care of now.” General Archon said irritably, and then he glanced over his shoulder briefly before returning his eyes to Regent Blueberry, saying shortly: “Princess Cadence agrees with me. Prince Shining Armor's opinion is not necessary.”
“Uh.” Blueberry looked awkwardly over at Shining Armor, then he smiled lamely when Archon narrowed his eyes slightly, the regent saying uncomfortably: “Well, General Archon, uh... Princess Cadence and Prince Armor are both very familiar already with the way things work here. Perhaps they can be excused for now while we discuss the rules and laws of the kingdom, and where I'm going to have your soldiers stationed. Would that, perhaps, be acceptable?”
“Shine, could you get our luggage and bring it up to our usual room? I'm sure Blueberry has our suite prepared for us.” Cadence smiled over at the regent, who nodded and looked relieved. “I'll stay here and uh... deal with things. How does that sound?”
Shining Armor shifted uncomfortably on his hooves, but then he gave a brief nod before mumbling: “Just... don't have too much fun with your new friend, Cadence.”
Cadence gave Shining a mild look, but he only dropped his head a bit as he walked away, looking oddly dejected. The rose-hued mare shifted uncomfortably, biting her cheek, but then Archon said moodily: “Perhaps now we'll have fewer distractions. Or complaints, for that matter.”
“You're as bad as Shining is, you know. You're both like little colts.” Cadence grumbled, giving him a flat look. Archon scowled at this, but the pink winged unicorn didn't give him a chance to reply as she instead turned her attention to Blueberry, asking: “Can we please move into the throne room to talk about this?”
“Oh, uh, of course.” Blueberry said awkwardly, and then he smiled lamely when Cadence gently lifted the scrolls out of his forelegs with telekinesis, hurriedly turning around and running through the ajar doors to the throne room. The unicorn and winged unicorn followed, the mare doing her best to resist the urge to continue to glare at Archon as he looked around disdainfully at the interior of the castle.
“No defenses whatsoever. Nor even any attempts to fortify.” he muttered, then scowled a little as they entered the throne room, where the regent was carefully pushing a small table in front of the throne for them. “Where are your guards?”
“What guards? This is quite literally the happiest place on the planet, General Archon! We have little to fear from dissidents inside the kingdom... I'm not sure we even have dissidents anymore inside the kingdom!” Blueberry laughed and smiled invitingly... then wilted under Archon's baleful gaze. “Just a little joke, I... I assure you I'm well aware that not everything is... going well.”
“Then why aren't you taking recent events seriously?” Archon all-but-interrogated, striding quickly forwards to the other side of the table before he slammed his hoof down on top of it, and the regent yelped and cowered quickly away behind the furnishing. “Is this what I have to expect from the entirety of the Crystal Kingdom?”
“Archon, stop. They're not...” Cadence hesitated and she approached, then she shook her head briefly before saying finally: “Look, just explain your plans to him and please try and bear in mind that the Crystal Kingdom is used to being protected from almost any kind of outside interference. They're like...”
“They're like a nursery school in here, and I've been assigned to protect the toddlers and their toy.” Archon muttered, looking disgusted before he took a slow breath... and Cadence was just relieved when he nodded briefly. The regent probably didn't see it or feel it, but Cadence could: Archon was trying to be patient, even if she had no doubt he'd be frustrated again before long.
But he was trying. And she knew that somewhere in there was a pony who had good intentions for them all, he just... was a little rough around the edges. So for now, she turned her eyes back to Blueberry... then sighed a little when she saw he was all-but-hiding. “It's okay, honestly. We're just here to talk about the best possible way we can... make everyone safe, okay?”
Archon grumbled noncommittally, but the regent looked a bit mollified by this, brushing at himself before he gestured awkwardly at the throne, asking finally: “Would you care to take a seat here, Princess Cadence? It's yours by right, after all.”
“No... thank you, but no.” Princess Cadence gave a small smile, shaking her head briefly even as she felt a strange thrum run through her body. Yes, she supposed that this throne really was rightfully hers... but that really wasn't a path she wanted her mind to go down right now. “You sit, regent. I'm not here to take back over as a ruler. I... after my business here is done, I plan to...”
Cadence shifted, then shook her head and turned, picking up two chairs sitting at the side of the hall with telekinesis and pulling them maybe a little too fast over to the table. She winced and awkwardly caught one against her body as Archon simply flicked his horn to stop the other, but the General didn't comment as he sat down. “Let's get down to business.”
Cadence smiled lamely and dropped in her own seat as the regent nodded, awkwardly clambering into the throne and clearing his throat. He looked down at the table, hooves in his lap... and then simply looked dumbly from Cadence to Archon, the General glowering before asking acidly: “Can you tell me about your military force, and the security precautions currently in place, or should I just go find those numbers myself?”
“Oh, uh, sorry, General sir. You're... you're just as focused as the stories say.” Blueberry said awkwardly, shrinking back in the throne as he gave a weak smile before he cleared his throat and hurriedly added: “Not that it's a bad thing! I just.. .thought we might take a moment to...”
Archon was already scowling again, so Blueberry ducked his head, turning his attention quickly away as he twiddled his hooves and then mumbled towards his lap: “We don't have a large scale military... there's no need for it. We have portable warding and shielding crystals that can be set up anywhere needed and a small militia composed mostly of volunteers. But we're really not fighters, you understand: our defenses here are almost absolute...”
“Almost. There's always a flaw.” Archon said moodily, and then he scowled and looked over at Cadence. “Is there really no major military presence here?”
“The Royal Guard provided security when I ruled, and helped train and establish the militia... which I'm guessing hasn't exactly flourished since we left.” Cadence stopped, then asked suddenly: “Wait, what about the knights, and jousting, and the war games?”
“Well, that only happens once a year, at the fair. We don't really have any real knights, you know.” Blueberry said awkwardly, shrugging a bit and giving a lame smile over at Cadence. “Just foal's stories. A lot of our history is mixed with folklore, you know, and some would say our legends are even more important to us than what really happened. We'd all like to just forget about Sombra, after all.”
Cadence twitched a bit: Blueberry didn't notice it, but she felt Archon's sharp eyes flick towards her immediately. She forced herself to smile and nod, hurrying to change the subject as she said quickly: “They say that if we forget the past, though, we're doomed to repeat it... and not the good parts. I know in the past we've let our guard down before regarding certain things, and we can't let that happen again, can we? So I'd really appreciate it if you could at least put up the wards around the Crystal Heart again... and I'm sure General Archon would be extremely interested in seeing the mobile wards put into use.”
Blueberry looked thoughtful at this, and then he smiled a little before nodding, saying hesitantly: “Not to put my hoof where it doesn't belong, but... our engineers have been working on some new crafts and artifacts that I think you'll be very impressed with. Maybe you'd both like to take a look at them?”
“What I'd like to see first are those wards set up around the Crystal Heart. Once I've ascertained their usefulness for myself we can move on to other things.” Archon said moodily, and the regent dropped his head awkwardly.
There was an uncomfortable silence for a few moments, and then Archon turned his eyes towards Cadence, asking calmly: “What are your plans, Princess Cadence? What precisely are your reasons for coming here... apart from ensuring the safety of the Crystal Heart, that is.”
“I...” Cadence shifted uncomfortably, biting the inside of her cheek for a moment before she took a slow breath and turned her eyes towards the regent. “Blueberry, I need your help. I'm afraid that King Sombra and his minions might attempt to attack here. Any threat to the Crystal Heart is likely only a diversion.”
“Then we should lock down the Crystal Heart before preparing a squadron of unicorns.” Archon said distastefully, glancing over at Cadence and ignoring the horrified-looking regent. “My officers have already been briefed on how to deal with him, as an energy lifeform.”
“He's not an energy lifeform, and he's not 'living shadow,' either. I'm not sure what he is anymore...” Cadence looked down for a moment, then shook her head quickly before muttering: “And either way, it doesn't matter. You can't kill Sombra, and... driving him off would be...”
Cadence bit her tongue, and Blueberry shook his head wildly, saying worriedly: “B-But... but wait! What do you mean, King Sombra might be trying to attack? That's impossible, though, there's... there's no way that he can get through that shield...”
“The Brokenhearted can pass through it, though...” Cadence muttered, frowning at the ground, and when both ponies looked at her, she cleared her throat and said hurriedly: “Brokenhearted is... what we've decided to call those ponies that Sombra infects. Didn't uh... didn't you hear about that in your briefing, Archon?”
Archon only gave her an unamused look, making it clear she wasn't fooling him... although Blueberry nodded a few times at this before he shifted nervously, looking uncomfortably back and forth. “And these Brokenhearted... they can pass through the barrier? But how is that possible?”
“Because some wounds don't heal.” Cadence murmured, and then she shivered a little and rubbed slowly at her face. How could she explain to these two she'd seen it all, in memories that weren't her own? How could she explain the purpose of the Crystal Heart had been to wipe out the disease and darkness that caused the Brokenhearted, but if the corruption had already taken hold in a pony...
She shook her head shortly, then sighed softly before saying hesitantly: “Think of them as... as very sick. A pony's body can shield their disease from even our most powerful healing magic, especially if we're only treating the symptoms as we see them.”
Blueberry shifted uneasily again at this, and then he bit his lip before saying worriedly: “Maybe... maybe I should go and see about those wards immediately, then. We don't want any sick people getting near the Crystal Heart.”
Cadence sighed a little at this too-literal interpretation of her words... and then she glanced to the side in surprise as Archon said in a surprisingly-even voice: “You should attend to that right now, regent. And perhaps you could show my soldiers to their quarters while you're at it. I'll only be a moment longer with Cadence and then I'll come down to see what's going on myself.”
The pink mare fidgeted uncomfortably, but Blueberry looked relieved at this chance to slip away, nodding hurriedly before he turned quickly away. The two watched as he stumbled through the doors, and then Archon scowled before looking over at Cadence and saying irritably: “Out with it.”
“Stop bossing me around, Archon, please. This is... personal.” Cadence said quietly, shaking her head and closing her eyes.
“I don't care. I'm not here for your 'feelings,' or your 'emotions,' Cadence. I'm here to get a job done and I need to know what the hell is going on.” Archon replied icily, and he didn't flinch even when Cadence slammed a hoof against the table and glared at him furiously. “Throw a tantrum if you want. I still need an answer.”
“Fine, you want an answer? We need to catch Sombra, but we can't kill him. Both because I'm not sure if he can be killed, and because I want him hurt as little as possible! I don't care about the Crystal Heart, or these ponies, or you and your endless goddamn mission to save Equestria!” Cadence snapped, standing up and glaring angrily at the General as he only looked coolly back. “Sombra is more important to me than any of those things, do you understand me?”
“You give me one good reason why I should put my soldiers' lives at risk to try and capture a monster like Sombra alive, Princess.” General Archon said calmly, unfettered by her anger. “Get yourself in check.”
“No, I won't 'get myself in check,' not until you start acting less like a machine and more like a pony!” Cadence gritted her teeth, slamming her hooves against the tabletop again and trembling for a moment before she looked across at Archon and said angrily: “And because Sombra is my father. Are you happy now? Sombra is my father, and I have to save him and... and if you hurt him, Archon, I swear to the Horses of Heaven I'll... I'll hurt you.”
Archon looked across at Cadence, and Cadence breathed hard as she glared back at him, before the stallion finally closed his eyes and gave a quiet sigh, lowering his head and muttering: “I'm too old for this.”
There was silence for a few moments, and then Archon looked up and said distastefully: “This is a bad idea. You coming here was a bad idea. You're too close to this and you can't be counted on to make the right decisions. You'll spare him when you should strike. And you'll strike others when they should be spared.”
“He's all I have.” Cadence replied, and her voice trembled with pain for a moment before she gritted her teeth as anger burst back up, leaning forwards over the table and snapping: “And I'm the only pony here who can save Sombra, or stop him for good! Like it or not, you need me, Archon. But I don't need you.”
“Yes, you do. I'm the only voice of reason in your entire life. I am the only person who is not going to indulge or coddle you. I am the only person you can count on to actually tell you if something is wrong or you're being an idiot, instead of making namby-pamby reassurances and platitudes.” Archon retorted, and then he climbed to his hooves and strode around the table, standing face-to-face with the mare.
Cadence glared at him, and he looked unflinchingly back before he said quietly: “And this is an idiotic idea. He is not all you have. You have a husband, a people, and responsibilities. You have friends and have been crowned as a Princess of Equestria. You don't get to just sacrifice all of that because you're convinced that King Sombra is your father.”
Cadence dropped her eyes, trembling a bit before she bit her lip, hating how easily he overrode her. Then she took a slow breath and drew her eyes calmly up, saying softly: “What I do with my life is my decision. Not yours. Not the kingdom's. Not Celestia's. Not Shining's. It's my life. And he's my father. I'll take care of it myself if I have to, Archon, and we won't put any of your soldiers or these citizens in danger. Just stay out of my way. That's all I ask.”
“No. Part of my mission here is to protect you, even from yourself.” Archon grimaced, then he sighed tiredly as Cadence set herself and glared at him. “I'm not going to fight you, filly. But we're going to have to do this together. And you're going to have to understand something: even if we capture Sombra, we cannot hold him for an extended period of time. He's too dangerous. We'll have no choice but to kill him. Do you understand?”
Cadence gritted her teeth... and then she cursed under her breath before saying quietly: “Fine. I'll catch him. I'll fix him. You just stay away from him.”
“No. You don't seem to get it, Cadence. You're not alone in this, and you don't get to be alone in this.” Archon retorted, shaking his head with a scowl. “Don't act like a child. And don't treat me like some kind of thug, either. I might not be fond of this idea, but if you live up to your end, I'll live up to mine. Understood?”
The two looked at each other for a few moments, and then Cadence finally nodded grudgingly and dropped her head, muttering: “Fine. You made your point, Archon. Happy?”
“Never. Where's your husband? We should talk to him about our plans.” Archon said moodily, and Cadence gave a short laugh and shook her head slowly, making the General frown.
“No, nothing, just... I just realized I haven't spoken to him about... any of this, really. He doesn't know Sombra is...” Cadence bit her lip, looking down silently. “He doesn't know a lot of things. And I... I don't really...”
“He has to know. I'm not here to play marriage counselor, but he has to know what's going on. We can't afford dissension in our ranks right now.” Archon said irritably, and Cadence gave him a sour, irritated look. “You can glare at me all you like, but that makes what I'm saying no less true.”
Cadence grumbled under her breath, and then she sighed a little before dropping her head forwards and nodding a little, murmuring: “Fine. I'll talk to him tonight. For now, I'd appreciate coming up with a plan, okay?”
Archon looked at her moodily, and then he grunted and nodded after a moment before muttering: “Very well. Then we find Shining Armor and he can decide if he wants to handle this as a prince or a soldier.”
Cadence scowled a little, but decided not to say anything for now: Shining Armor could fight his own battle against Archon for once. Although now that she was thinking about him, she couldn't help but wonder where exactly he had wandered off to...

Shining Armor watched with interest as several engineers worked quickly around the Crystal Heart, setting up several large, heavy rings inscribed with all manner of runes and infused with power channeled by the large gemstones inset throughout them. They thrummed slowly away, and the ivory unicorn smiled slightly before he glanced over at Regent Blueberry, asking curiously: “So these things really work?”
“Yes, sir! They respond to what we call a keystone, you see. Only by holding out the keystone and using a special, secret password can you turn the machines on or off.” said Blueberry warmly, and then he winked before leaning over and whispering loudly: “To turn them on you say 'generate.' To turn them off you say 'degenerate.' You might even be able to do it without a keystone, since you're a unicorn and all! Although I'd be rather careful, it may sting a little to pull in all that magical energy.”
“Uh. That's a great use of that word.” Shining said awkwardly after a moment, and then he cleared his throat before asking quickly: “So you mentioned that you had other defensive devices, right? Maybe I could take a look at them before you show them to General Archon and Cadence.”
“Oh, certainly, sir!” Blueberry smiled and nodded firmly before he gestured at the engineers, saying quickly: “Excuse me, is Pinwheel on duty, do any of you know?”
One of the engineers opened his mouth to reply... and then a glass sphere struck him and exploded into a net of energy that knocked him sprawling backwards with a yelp, paralyzed by the magic that twined around him. He rolled helplessly back and forth as the other engineers stared in shock, but then a second glass orb flew down and shattered against one of the remaining ponies, snaring him as well in a net of energy.
The last engineer bolted as Archon's officers shouted orders to the other soldiers, and Shining Armor swore as he looked up as Blueberry squealed and ducked behind him. Then the Captain of the Guard cursed and set himself as his eyes locked on the sight of Miss Take standing on top of a large carriage parked just outside the shadowed base of the tower, smiling warmly down at him. “Hello, darling! So good to see you here!”
“What the hell are you doing?” Shining Armor shouted, half-disbelieving, half... hurt. But he wasn't surprised, at the same time. Somehow, part of him had expected Miss Take to pull some stunt like this: she wasn't exactly the kind of pony to sit happily on the sidelines, after all.
“Why, I'm just showing you what these neat little toys do, that's all.” Miss Take said innocently, and then she glanced to the side as a unicorn soldier launched a fireball at her. But fearlessly, she only winked and titled her head towards it, and the green gemstone on her forehead flared with emerald light before the fireball simply vanished. “Uh-uh-uh. Naughty, naughty, trying a sneak attack like that.”
Miss Take tut-tutted, then grabbed something hanging off her side before she slung it cheerfully forwards. Shining Armor immediately began to lean towards her, his horn glowing... but then he yelped as Blueberry tackled him to the ground and hurriedly grabbed his horn, making the stallion wince. “Hey! What are you-”
The large, octagonal device bounced once against the ground before a surge of energy shot out of it, and Shining Armor was knocked rolling painfully backwards, Blueberry yelping as he was launched off the stallion's back with him. And yet, he was lucky compared to the other unicorns nearby: they were not only blasted off their hooves by the surge of anti-magic, but the magic energy each soldier had been channeling was violently disrupted in a surge of electricity and raw, explosive force.
Shining Armor groaned as he slowly picked himself up, grimacing and glaring at the octagonal device as it popped, sizzled, and danced for a few moments, then finally fell silent. The stallion swore under his breath at this, grinding his teeth together before Miss Take asked innocently: “So what do you think, darling? Versatile enough for you? My, it certainly knocked the heads off those soldiers: it's really too bad they're trained to prepare spells beforehoof.”
“An antimagic surge... I doubt that's what that little toy was originally designed to do, though.” Shining muttered, rubbing slowly at his horn: it was painful, but thanks to Blueberry interrupting his concentration, he hadn't been actively channeling magic when it had gone off. If he had... “You almost killed them! Hell, for all we know-”
“Oh stop that, they're perfectly fine. Besides, sweetie, you're the one who's going to be in hot water when Cadence finds out that you paid a soldier to lug all your luggage up to the room for you.” Miss Take said disapprovingly, clicking her tongue and shaking her head slowly. “Bad, bad colt. You're only as good as your word, you know.”
“I... that's not important, what are you doing here?” Shining Armor hated that he actually blushed a bit at her reprimand, but he refused to let himself get distracted... and dammit, sure, she had helped them on the train, but if Cadence came down and saw her now... or worse, Archon... “Look, surrender and lay down-”
“My sweet head? Or do you want me to lay down my whole body for you?” asked Miss Take kindly, and the stallion stuttered to a halt before she smiled slightly and added pleasantly: “Oh, and excuse me, sir? I know you're there behind me. But if you or any other soldiers attempt to jump on top of me, I'm going to have to take extreme measures. I'm not that kind of girl, after all.”
“All soldiers, withdraw immediately!” Shining Armor snapped... and then he gritted his teeth when only a few of Archon's troops did so. “Did you hear me? Withdraw!”
An officer scowled over at Shining Armor, then said curtly: “We are well aware of your relationship with this subject. It would be in everyone's best interests if you would withdraw for now, Shining Armor, and let us handle this. You are not the officer in charge of this mission.”
Shining Armor mouthed wordlessly for a moment, and then a Pegasus made the foolish mistake of lunging at Miss Take's back: without hesitation, the mare immediately kicked both rear hooves back into the Pegasus' face, knocking him flying before she easily stopped a second soldier that lunged at her by catching his head in one hoof, smiling at him as he looked at her with shock before she slammed him face-first into the top off the carriage with a crunch.
Then she chuckled quietly before easily tossing his limp body away, the mare straightening and saying pleasantly: “There are only five more of you ready to attack me. Two broadside, one head-on, one from behind... one inventive darling thinks he can hit me from above. That's very cute, sweetie, but it's nothing out of the standard rulebook. And like I mentioned, I don't like when other ponies try and get on top... at least, not without an invitation.”
She winked over at Shining Armor, who twitched and scowled horribly at her before the mare said almost teasingly: “Oh, don't look so sour, sweetie! Alright, alright, I'll tell you why I'm here: you remember our little incident on the train, yes? Of course you do, you wanted to use the hoofcuffs on me! Well, the long and short of it is that our mutual friend Pain has decided that it would be very helpful if I would go ahead and snatch that nasty old Crystal Heart up like I was saying I would.”
“I... what?” Shining Armor stepped forwards, his eyes widening before he glared over at one of the officers, snapping: “I'm not your superior officer, but the Crystal Heart needs to be protected! Get those engineers on their hooves and get those shields running, now!”
Archon's soldiers shifted uneasily on their hooves, and then Shining Armor said curtly: “None of you can hold her off. I can. Do it.”
“Darling, I'm trying to help you. Can't you see that?” Miss Take wheedled, and Shining Armor ground his teeth together in frustration and anger. But she only smiled tenderly in response, shaking her head slowly and saying softly: “Please. You don't belong here, with these silly colts playing soldier. And I promise I'll give the Crystal Heart right back after we're done dealing with You Know Who. But the big bad boogey can't come in and play while the nightlight's on... and I know it's important to you both that you deal with this nasty thing, one way or another. So let me help, huh? Let me be the 'bad guy' and do what you can't.”
“For one thing, none of us have decided what we're going to do yet about that. For another, Miss Take, I don't think Cadence exactly wants your help. And last, but not least, if you remove the Crystal Heart you'll put everyone in the Crystal Kingdom at risk, and I can't let that happen!” Shining Armor said sharply, and then he gave a grim smile as he looked back and forth, seeing with relief that at least the other soldiers were listening to him now... but then again, with so many of Archon's troops unconscious, and Miss Take completely unharmed and still with plenty of toys left on the belt around her body...
“You really are wholeheartedly determined to just be absolutely no fun at all, aren't you?” clucked Miss Take, and then she gave a long, drawn-out sigh before nodding once and saying kindly: “Well, you know what they say, my darling. When you love someone, sometimes you have to hurt them for their own good. So remember, sweetie. This is all for your own good.”
Shining Armor only set himself, rolling his shoulders beneath his heavy purple armor before he took a slow breath, saying wryly: “So I guess this means the honeymoon's over already, huh? And Cadence was actually trying to like you.”
Miss Take only winked at this, replying in a kind voice: “Flattery will take you plenty of places with me, darling, but I think you'll have to do a little better than that if you really want us both in your bed at the same time. Diamonds, maybe.”
The stallion stared at her, then he began to open his mouth... and realized almost too late she had just done that stupid trick that always made him let down his stupid guard a moment before she slung one of those glowing crystalline orbs at him.
Shining Armor flicked his horn up at almost the last moment, and the sphere was deflected into the stone ceiling above, shattering in a useless hail of sparks against the tower's base. Miss Take had already launched herself towards him, but this time the ivory unicorn was ready, refusing to let himself be baited or lose focus again.
He lunged to meet her, and she smiled almost playfully as she caught one of his forelegs: she began to slide past him, yanking his limb painfully with her, but Shining quickly backpedaled, moving with her as he slipped his foreleg down to catch her around the waist.
Then he grunted and hauled forwards, slamming the mare down onto her back and lunging to pin her by the shoulders, gritting his teeth as he dropped a knee onto her stomach to stop her from attempting to kick him off. She squirmed beneath him for a moment, then looked up at him thoughtfully, her whole body relaxing as she said mildly: “My oh my. Where'd you find the time to practice, honey? You're doing a whole lot better than usual.”
“I'm not playing a game this time, Miss Take. You're a criminal. You apparently made a deal with a very dangerous pony. And one way or another I'm going to make sure you're out of my life for good.” Shining Armor said grimly, glaring down at her, but Miss Take only smiled tenderly in response.
She leaned up as best she could while still keeping her body surrendered beneath him, the mare saying softly: “Now, darling. Don't hide your feelings... but there's no need to be so upset, so betrayed. It's nothing personal, just a quick job that I promise will benefit us all... I wouldn't ever do anything to hurt you, darling. I don't want to get rid of Cadence, you know... I want you to come to me honestly.”
“There is no us!” Shining snapped, stomping a hoof savagely down beside her head and leaning down to glare into her eyes... her so-calm, so-gentle, so-enchanting eyes... “You're under arrest, Miss Take, for-”
“Let's not list everything I've been accused of, darling, it'll take just far too long.” Miss Take said kindly, and then she winked at him as he gritted his teeth. “Tell you what, sweetie. You and I will play a little game. And if you can hold on until Cadence arrives, then I'll stop trying to steal the Crystal Heart. And we both know she's coming, sweetie. She always interrupts our fun.”
Shining Armor began to open his mouth, and then the green gemstone on Miss Take's forehead flashed brightly, antimagic and emerald light making his head spin as he reared back with a curse. And before he could do anything, both of the mare's hooves kicked viciously upwards and caught him under the muzzle, knocking him flopping onto his back as Miss Take neatly sprung backwards to land on her hooves.
He gasped in pain, then rolled quickly up and winced, rubbing at the underside of his jaw. Miss Take was only smiling at him, though, studying him with interest before she said pleasantly: “So would you like to play, Shining Armor?”
Shining grimaced a bit at this, and then he rose his head and said quietly: “This has to end, Miss Take. One way or another, this... this sick 'game' has to come to an end. And I only see one way that it can. So this is your last warning. Surrender peacefully.”
But Miss Take only smiled softly, the Pegasus raising her head and saying gently: “When you close your eyes and try to hide from everything that's right in front of you, then of course you can only see one way out, Shining Armor. But if you'd just look around, darling...you'd see there's a thousand other doors that will open if you'd just be willing to close one.”
Shining Armor cursed under his breath... then suddenly snapped his horn forwards, blasting Miss Take backwards with telekinesis. She grimaced as she caught herself on all four hooves, skidding violently before the gemstone on her forehead gleamed brightly, but Shining gritted his teeth and created a curtain of energy in front of himself.
The gemstone flashed, cracking the barrier, but enough of the toxic energy was sponged up to save Shining from the effects of both the antimagic and her deadly charm. The stallion immediately charged forwards, gritting his teeth as he shoved the dissolving barrier in front of him, and Miss Take's eyes widened in surprise before she simply grinned and leapt upwards, flapping her wings once to neatly flip over the stallion before he could plow into her.
Shining skidded to a halt, then he spun around as he manipulated the rotting magic even as he felt it melting away into nothing but raw energy, twisting the wall around to smash Miss Take with it like it was a giant flyswatter. The Pegasus cursed in pain and staggered, but that was unfortunately the extent of the damage he managed to do, as the remains of the magic wall dissolved.
Shining attempted to tackle her... and Miss Take caught him easily around the neck, flipping him over her body and slamming him savagely down onto his back before she swung a hoof down at his face. The stallion was barely able to yank his head to the side with a wince before he swung his head up, lashing out with his horn-
He was shocked when he heard Miss Take cry out in pain, his eyes widening as he rolled over onto his stomach and stared. The Pegasus was trembling, a hoof over her cheek, her eyes shielded as she clutched at her features, and Shining... didn't know what to say. Couldn't process what had just happened, as he slowly stood up before saying awkwardly: “I... I didn't mean to...”
Miss Take whimpered and turned away, and Shining winced and strode towards her before he even realized what he was doing, as the Pegasus whispered: “You d-didn't mean to what? Hurt me, Shining? Or just c-cut my face...”
“This... just... this has to stop. These twisted games, your... I don't even know what you're doing, Miss Take. Trying to get my attention? Trying to convince me you're better for me than Cadence? How do you expect to do that with stuff like this?” Shining asked quietly, leaning towards her and hating that... he actually felt concerned about her. That didn't make any sense, though, he didn't... they had been fighting, why should he feel bad about doing... what he had to...
“It got you talking to me now, didn't it?” mumbled Miss Take, and Shining gave her a mild look... not that she was able to see, covering her face and turned away as she was. “You're so proud, so convinced that you're doing the right thing, you won't say a word to me otherwise...”
“Because you always try and say or do things to get me in trouble with Cadence. Or anyone else around, for that matter.” Shining said gently, not even knowing why he was trying to be nice, and then he cleared his throat before saying abruptly: “Let me... let me see.”
“No.” Miss Take said sulkily, and Shining Armor smiled despite himself: she sounded a lot like when Cadence was grumpy. Except when Cadence was grumpy he was more afraid of being hit, and somehow Miss Take seemed more... well... no, no, don't go down that road, Shining. Just. Make sure it's not serious and then take her in.
“Come on. Look, I don't know much about healing magic but every soldier gets taught the basics. I can mend the worst of the damage, at least.” Shining said awkwardly, and then he continued gently: “And afterwards, why don't you and I go up into the castle, and we'll have a little chat with General Archon and Cadence, okay?”
The mare grumbled under her breath, and then Shining carefully reached up and took her by the face, gently guiding her to look at him as he brushed her hooves away... before he stared blankly at the fact she was completely unblemished, saying dumbly: “Hey. Wait.”
Miss Take slammed a headbutt directly into his face, knocking him staggering backwards with a gargle before she smashed a vicious hook across his jaw, knocking him backwards in a stunned sprawl as she said icily: “If you want to be nasty, Shining, I can be far more cruel than you. Now, it's one thing to try and play seriously. It's quite another to attempt to stab a mare in the face, Shining Armor. That is what is known as 'impolite.'”
Shining gurgled dumbly on the ground, and then he shook his head quickly before gritting his teeth and rolling to his hooves, glaring at her furiously before he snapped: “What in the name of hell is wrong with you? Are you crazy?”
Miss Take's eyes blazed at this, and then she shouted back: “Am I crazy? You're the one continuing to chase a love that never was! But fine, Shining Armor, I would much prefer to be a 'crazy stalker' as you so often call me, than a coward like you who uses his handsomeness and his charm to wriggle his way through each and every miserable day of his life!”
“Wriggle?” Shining stared at her dumbly, and then he glared at her, snapping; “And I am not a coward! You think you know just about everything about me and Cadence but-”
Miss Take grabbed a glass sphere in either hoof hanging from her belt, flinging them sharply at the stallion, but he cursed and quickly created a barrier in front of himself, reflecting them both back at her. Miss Take neatly slid out of the way of one of the spheres and caught the other, however, gritting her teeth before she flapped her wings to launch herself high into the air.
Shining followed her movements, keeping the barrier raised in front of himself as he narrowed his eyes: she raced along the underside of the tower, streaking over his head and flinging the glass sphere in one hoof straight down at him, but the stallion easily tilted the magic barrier he'd created overtop his body, deflecting the sphere harmlessly away.
Miss Take dropped behind him and lunged forwards, but Shining quickly flicked his horn to almost toss the magical barrier behind him, the mare slamming into this before she bared her teeth and flapped her wings sharply, boosting herself into a sprint up the wall of energy. Shining cursed and hurriedly yanked the barrier into roof position again, however, and Miss Take snorted as she ran off the other side of it and leapt out into thin air, gracefully spinning and flipping her body to land neatly on her hooves, once more facing the stallion.
He dropped the magic wall between them, the two glaring at each other before the gemstone on Miss Take's forehead began to glow eerily. Shining Armor set himself, his eyes narrowing and his body flexing, focusing his energy.
They were still only for a few moments before Miss Take suddenly launched herself forwards, but Shining Armor forced himself not to react right away, gritting his teeth until his eyes caught the sudden gleam of the gemstone.
He launched the magic barrier at her like a sledgehammer as Miss Take snapped her head down, unleashing a concentrated blast of toxic emerald miasma: the two opposing forces collided as both the Pegasus and the unicorn flung themselves backwards, gritting their teeth and wincing away as there was a tremendous, crackling explosion of green light and raw magical force.
Miss Take was the first to react, leaping upwards and shooting fearlessly through the hurricane of energy and antimagic, and Shining Armor swore as he looked up and saw her diving towards him: for a moment, he thought he caught a glimpse of something twisted, something almost macabre that was hidden beneath Miss Take's beautiful visage... and then she smashed into him, and the two rolled backwards before Shining kicked her off and spun up to his hooves with a curse.
She landed agilely on her hooves, refusing to let up the attack as she bolted at him again, but Shining leapt up to his own and caught her when she flung herself at him. Maybe he couldn't keep up to the agility of this mare, but he did have one advantage over Miss Take: raw strength.
He half-turned and slung her down hard, and Miss Take corkscrewed violently through the air before she spread her wings and flapped them firmly, launching herself out of the spiral and landing on her hooves with her teeth bared. She ran at Shining Armor again as he set himself... and then his eyes widened as she suddenly leapt backwards and yanked one of the larger, discus-shaped devices off the belt around her waist, flinging it at him.
It zipped through the air with a sound like a scream, and Shining Armor hurriedly ducked under it... only for the disc to spin around and promptly boomerang back into his head, knocking him staggering with a curse. He swore under his breath as the disc shot away before spinning back towards him, the stallion ducking under the sharp dive... and right into Miss Take's hoof, cursing and staggering backwards before her hooves pummeled viciously across his features, knocking him stumbling back and forth as the disc continued to violently dive at him again and again.
He snapped his horn forwards, but his telekinetic blast was overwhelmed by a burst of antimagic from Miss Take's gemstone: all the same, Shining was knocked reeling with enough force to get him out from beneath the flurry of strikes. And even as his mind thundered with pain and confusion, Shining slashed his horn back and forth, warding off a lunge from Miss Take before he half-turned and smashed the discus out of the air, the weapon bouncing against the ground with a bleat before he stomped savagely down on it.
Miss Take gritted her teeth and dropped her head, studying him sharply as Shining Armor staggered backwards to a ready position, taking a slow breath as he steadied himself and looked across at her coldly. The two glared at each other for a few moments, and then Miss Take bared her sharp teeth before she leapt forwards, swinging her hooves out in a vicious flurry as she searched for an opening.
But Shining Armor only kept his head low and anchored himself on the spot, blocking her vicious volley of strikes as he breathed slowly in and out, forcing himself to be patient, to wait for his chance. He couldn't afford to make a mistake: this time, if he really wanted to win, if he really wanted to put an end to this once and for all, he had to make Miss Take make her namesake.
And she finally did, slamming both front hooves down against his forelimb in a gesture that was more raw anger than anything else, giving a curse of frustration... and Shining immediately seized her by one leg and yanked her forwards over his body as he slammed his other hoof into her gut.
Miss Take gargled, her eyes bulging before Shining Armor gritted his teeth and struck her again, then again, the half-Changeling gasping weakly for breath before she slumped dazedly half-over him, her eyes slipping closed, her whole body shaking from the impacts.
Shining Armor looked down, biting his lip and feeling strangely... guilty. He looked back and forth, then sighed before almost gently tossing her forwards, sending her thudding quietly down on her back before he muttered: “You brought that on yourself, you know.”
He looked down at her silently, then shifted uncomfortably, leaning down to study her almost serene features. She barely stirred, and he sighed a little before frowning as she tried to whisper something, the stallion hesitating only a moment before leaning down and tilting his head as he asked quietly: “What? I can't hear you...”
“You shouldn't pull your punches.” she murmured into his ear, and Shining frowned a little before gargling when her hind legs snapped up in a scissors around his throat, before the mare sharply rolled and slammed him viciously down on his side, the stallion cursing and clawing at her hind legs uselessly as she smiled down at him vindictively.
He glared back at her as best he could while fighting back unconsciousness, twitching and shifting uselessly back and forth before he finally gasped out: “You should stop... faking being hurt...”
“Just a little test, darling. Besides, you really did hurt me... that first punch was a doozy.” The mare meditatively rubbed at her stomach, giving him a thoughtful look before she smiled slightly and reached down to gently flick his nose. “But don't worry, darling. I don't blame you. We both got a little hot under the collar, that's all.”
Shining glared up at her before his horn began to glow, but Miss Take only reached out and absently flicked it, making him wince as his magic was disrupted. “Now stop that. I'm still honestly curious, sweetie... however did you improve so fast? Usually you're all... messy.”
The stallion glared up at her... and then he suddenly hauled himself to his hooves, the mare's eyes widening as he seized her by the hips and hefted her with him before he dropped forwards and yanked her down at the same time, slamming her back-first into the ground. She cried out in pain before Shining tackled her, dropping his foreleg against her throat and using his larger body and weight to pin her in place.
She gasped for breath, eyes wide with shock as he pinned her, the stallion shouting down into her face: “You're threatening everything I've worked for! Goddammit, I don't love you! I love Cadence, and I... she's my everything, all my honor, all my everything is tied to her now and-”
Miss Take slammed an elbow into the side of Shining's neck, and his whole body arched, his eyes bulging with shock before she grabbed him by the face and rolled over, slamming him down on his back and straddling him as she glared down at the stallion. They looked at each other for a few moments, and then Miss Take said quietly: “You never struck me as a coward, darling. So just what is it that keeps you with Cadence, then? Guilt, fear, shame? I have no trouble believing you do care about Cadence, don't ever think I doubt that, because I don't: what I doubt is the depth of your devotion. What I doubt is that you love her any more than as a very dear friend.”
“And what do you know about friends?” Shining growled, glaring up at her... but his determination was undermined slightly when he flinched as Miss Take leaned down towards him.
She studied him calmly, and then smiled softly before pecking his nose gently, saying softly: “It's precisely because I haven't been surrounded by friends and loved ones all my life, Shining Armor, that I know the value of them, and I know my feelings. How well do you know yourself? You've always been safe and secure and insulated, snug as a bug in a rug. You've never had to really think about things, have you? It's always all just fell in place. Your family was always there for you; you need a career? Well, you always did excel with the Little Guard, so Royal Guard it was. And hey, that takes care of friends and companions too! Marefriend? Well, Twilight's foalsitter is quite pretty, isn't she? And you're a rather handsome, on-his-way-up young stud.”
Shining glared at her, even as he shifted uneasily, his teeth grinding together as Miss Take said softly: “We're programmed, my love, to think that our relationships will last forever. It's that old herd instinct... you are what you are, they are what they are. To have things any other way seems silly, doesn't it? And yet, love wanes... we fight against it, but it does. True love will endure the sands of time, will grow stronger for it, but...”
She clicked her tongue quietly, smiling softly down at the stallion. “Some others are simply not meant to be. Not when they're based on  a flare of hormones at the right place and time. And you two are already growing apart...”
“I love her.” Shining Armor whispered, and then he cursed under his breath before reaching up and shoving the mare off. She stumbled away, but smiled at him calmly all the same even as he shouted: “I wouldn't have married her if I didn't, if I wasn't sure that-”
“You can't even be sure of your own wedding day, considering how Queen Chrysalis interfered. How do you know she didn't have anything to do with your sudden marriage to Cadence as well?” asked Miss Take with a slight smile, reaching up and tapping her nose knowingly. The stallion stared at her, then gritted his teeth... but a tremble ran through him.
He wanted to shout and lash out and be angry. He wanted to... to tell her she was wrong, to call her names, to stomp his hooves. He wanted to shove her away... but at the same time, he understood that he didn't... he didn't have any coherent arguments. He just kept saying over and over again that he loved Cadence, and that was that, stubbornly, stupidly...
But did he? Did he honestly, really, truly? Miss Take's words reverberated in his mind, and she... she was the only pony he'd ever met who could make him so mad, and yet at the same time he couldn't bear the thought of hurting her. Even when they fought seriously, every time he thought he'd actually injured her, he found himself...
No, it was her... it was that damned Changeling influence, that was all. He had to push past it, he had to be strong. He had spent years with Cadence... all those years couldn't go to waste! He couldn't abandon or betray her, he couldn't run away from everything he had because of this exotic, erotic little mare who had nothing but a weird obsession with him...
“You don't love me. You're just... trying to screw with my head, like Chrysalis. You're a Changeling: all you're interested in is what you can get out of this yourself.” Shining Armor said after a moment, looking up and gritting his teeth.
Miss Take looked at him for a moment, and then she looked away and sighed softly, murmuring: “That's the most hurtful thing you've ever said to me, Shining Armor. Hurtful and foalish. And yet I will still forgive you for it, my darling, because I know you're confused and scared right now... I only wish you'd handle this with more grace.”
“Just... just surrender, and be quiet.” Shining Armor said roughly after a moment, shaking his head shortly, closing his eyes as he took a few slow breaths before he rose his head and said sharply: “This is your final warning. Surrender immediately or I will use force. No more games.”
Miss Take smiled faintly at this, looking at him sadly before she said gently: “Very well. No more games, my darling. If you're so determined to make this mistake, I'll let you make it. But don't expect me to pull any punches either.”
Miss Take calmly reached back and undid the belt holding the glass and crystalline baubles on, before her eyes flicked to the side as the forcefield around the Crystal Heart finally burst into life. Shining Armor twitched, then laughed briefly: he had actually forgotten entirely about that. All his focus had been on Miss Take... on... no. No. Stop it. Get her out of your life. For... Cadence.
The Pegasus easily tossed the belt aside before she spread her wings, raising her head slightly and saying softly: “Alright, Captain Armor. If you take me down, I'll go quietly. You'll never see me again. How does that sound to you?”
“Like everything I want.” Shining Armor said coldly... but his voice quavered just a little before he gritted his teeth and ran straight at the mare.
The Pegasus looked at him almost sadly before she leapt up into the air and stomped both rear hooves viciously down, looking to end the confrontation immediately: Shining Armor, however, suddenly snapped his head back, narrowly avoiding her hooves before he slashed his horn forwards just as she began to kick upwards.
A telekinetic hammer slammed into Miss Take's stomach and launched her across the battleground with a gasp, the mare's eyes bulging before Shining Armor gritted his teeth and charged towards her, creating a dome-shaped barrier in front of himself as he ran. The Pegasus' eyes widened as she landed, her wings spreading even as the green gemstone on her head glowed brightly.
An emerald flash smashed into the barrier, but the antimagic wasn't powerful enough to eat through the shield completely: enough of the dome-shaped shield was left that Shining was able to ram it into Miss Take like a battering ram, knocking her backwards-
Miss Take's front hooves slammed into what remained of the barrier, bracing herself with her rear hooves against the ground. She skidded violently, sending up dust before she managed to lock herself in place, Shining Armor's eyes widening in shock as he staggered to a stop, unable to push forwards against the surprising strength of the Pegasus.
She glared angrily down at him, then flapped her wings hard and launched herself over the dissolving dome, shooting around the shield and slamming a hoof into his side. He staggered as the shield vanished, then made himself spin towards her as he slashed his horn down-
She caught his horn against the flat of one hoof before another slammed across his face, knocking him staggering to the side before a second hoof rammed up into his throat, knocking him backwards as he gagged loudly. He tried to lunge at her, but the Pegasus moved with sinuous speed, dropping onto her back and kicking both rear hooves up into his stomach to knock him flopping overtop her.
He crashed down on his face and swore as he rolled around, beginning to leap to her hooves as he faced her again... and without losing a beat, Miss Take rolled backwards and then shoved herself up on her front hooves as she kicked both rear legs sharply out. The impact of the kick knocked Shining Armor's head back in a great spray of crimson, the stallion howling in agony as he stumbled away from her before Miss Take looked coldly over her shoulder, saying quietly: “I don't want to hurt you, darling. But unlike you, I can compartmentalize. I was an assassin for the hive for a long time... I had to learn to lock away my silly feelings with all the ponies the Queen made me hurt. Otherwise, I would have gone mad.”
Shining gasped as he staggered to a halt, glaring at her furiously through his bloody muzzle as Miss Take slowly turned around, and then the unicorn leapt forwards: but fearlessly, the half-Changeling only dropped to a ready position as the stone on her forehead flashed, stunning the stallion and knocking him off-course before she leapt forwards and caught him around the neck, wings flapping to haul him up into the air with her before both her hind legs kicked viciously into his stomach.
He gargled as he was knocked higher into the air before Miss Take slammed into him like a cannonball, the surprisingly-strong Pegasus ramming him into the ceiling above before she gracefully kicked both rear hooves into his armored stomach, holding him in place against the bottom of the tower as she smashed hoof after hoof into his bloodied features as her wings flapped powerfully.
She was strong, fast, agile, and more ruthless than he had imagined, as he was batted back and forth like a toy, his blood splattering down over her features before she seized his face and slammed her head into his jaw. Shining Armor howled in agony, but then gritted his teeth, using the pain and anger to focus through the beating he was taking.
He brought both elbows up and slammed them into either side of Miss Take's neck, the mare gasping before Shining Armor slammed a hoof into her face. Her head wrenched backwards, and then he seized her by the throat as they began to fall, yanking her down with him and the two going into a crazed spiral before Miss Take managed to roll a moment before they hit the ground.
Shining Armor smashed down on his back, and Miss Take bounced painfully free of his grip as he was left in a sprawl over now-cracked stone, panting roughly. But all the same, he gritted his teeth and rolled over, slowly picking himself up as Miss Take laughed weakly, then dragged herself to her own hooves, whispering: “I just can't seem to knock you down, can I?”
“You've knocked me down plenty. I just always get back up.” muttered the stallion, and then he spat to the side before grimacing a bit as the Pegasus flapped her wings... but one moved a little jerkily. “Looks like you sprained something.”
“More like tore something... still, darling, don't get overconfident.” Miss Take said quietly, looking across at him coldly. “I've been nice to you so far. Don't make me get angry.”
Shining gave a wry grin at this, the two setting themselves... and then they both looked up in surprise as a voice said coldly: “I hired you to do a job for me. Not to waste your time with this idiot. Is this what I'm paying you for, Miss Take?”
There was another Pegasus now standing nearby, and at first, Shining didn't recognize her. But then his eyes widened in shock as Miss Take said quietly: “I'm permitted to spend my free time however I desire, Pain. You wanted the Crystal Heart by evening. You will have it by evening, dear.”
Pain: the Pegasus that had been in charge of the attack on the train. But she looked nothing like the mare Shining Armor remembered: she was wearing a simple cloak over a body that had become gray and dead-looking, shifting bruises flexing and rolling beneath her pallid coat. Her eyes were dark sockets, with glittering black malice glaring out of each, half-covered by the stringy black mane falling over her face. A smoky miasma seemed to leak from her wings, adding to the vileness that radiated from her body.
Pain glared at them, and Shining Armor set himself and turned his eyes towards her as he felt Miss Take shift subtly as well. The Brokenhearted's eyes flicked back and forth, and then she bared her teeth, flaring suddenly with anger as she hissed: “Wait. I see now. This isn't just a game... you have feelings for this piece of trash!”
“My feelings for him are irrelevant. I know my job. I am a professional.” Miss Take said calmly before she looked back and forth, adding distastefully: “Shining, darling, do tell your soldiers not to break formation or do anything heroic now. Pain is not as nearly as pleasant as I am.”
“They're here for the Crystal Heart! Stay close to that forcefield, don't let either of them near it!” Shining Armor said sharply, and then he grimaced and added curtly: “Any moment now, Cadence and General Archon are going to arrive, Pain, and-”
“Shut up.” Pain said coldly, not even sparing him a look as she continued to glare directly at Miss Take. Miss Take simply looked calmly back, refusing to drop her gaze before Pain said softly: “I hired you because I thought you would get the job done efficiently. You have done excellent work in the past for our guild, and I found you... entertaining... on the train. You told me this would benefit us all: removing the Crystal Heart would invite Sombra into the Crystal Kingdom, Cadence would destroy him, and I could then destroy her.
“Instead, I find you here, playing a game with a pony you...” Pain snarled in disgust, spitting to the side, her whole body shaking with rage for a moment. “Love. How pathetic. How absolutely disgusting. This is a betrayal.”
“Darling, get over yourself.” Miss Take said kindly, and Pain stared at her before the Pegasus smiled pleasantly, leaning forwards and saying softly: “I understand that you have a certain... thing when it comes to emotions, dear. Because of what you've become, such positive feelings are anathema to you, aren't they? Well, my darling, just because I'm happy and you're not, it gives you no right to try and take my happiness away from me. I'll get your job done, sweetie. I promise.”
“I don't care about your promises. And furthermore...” Pain looked coldly up at the sound of hooves running through the square, and Shining Armor felt both relieved and strangely guilty as General Archon and Cadence both appeared. “You've wasted your chance. No. You're fired.”
Miss Take frowned slightly at this, sitting back and looking perturbed as Cadence skidded to a halt beside Shining Armor, looking quickly over him before she glared over at Pain and Miss Take. General Archon, meanwhile, stopped in front of his troops before sharply flicking his horn, and circles of flame burst into life around the two Pegasi, the old stallion saying coldly: “You are both under arrest. So much as twitch without approval and I'll incinerate you.”
Miss Take chuckled quietly at this before the gemstone on her forehead gleamed distinctly, and a moment later there was a bright emerald flash that reduced the flames around her to nothing but embers, the mare smiling kindly over at the General as she said politely: “I fear there's a small misunderstanding here, darling. Yes, perhaps I was a little hard on Shining Armor, but seeing as I was just 'let go' from my current employment... I suppose that means I'm on your side. At least for now.”
General Archon narrowed his eyes, and Cadence frowned before she looked sharply at Shining Armor, who shifted uneasily, looking away and clearly not wanting to be part of the conversation. But before anyone could say anything, a laugh came from the other cage of fire before Pain slowly, calmly strode through the intense flames.
Her cloak burst alight immediately, the cloth rapidly burning down into strands and charred rags that spilled free from her scar-covered body. Her black mane smoldered and sparkled with embers, but her teeth were drawn back in a ruthless grin, her bruised, rubbery body unharmed as she said softly: “You'll have to do much better than that, ponies...”
General Archon narrowed his eyes, and Cadence cursed and trembled before she stepped forwards, snapping: “Leave her to me! Your magic can't hurt her, she's Brokenhearted!”
“I don't care what you call me. It doesn't matter... nothing matters, except your death, and Sombra's.” Pain narrowed her eyes dangerously before she looked over at Miss Take, saying coldly: “And hers. I will not stand a traitor, much less a happy traitor. The only thing you deserve is fear and pain... that's all we all deserve. That's all I will give the world.”
Cadence shivered as General Archon said coldly: “I will not allow you to fight this enemy alone, you are a Princess of-”
“Oh, darling, shush now. She's never alone.” Miss Take smiled kindly as she stepped forwards, keeping her eyes sharply on Pain. “But dear, I'm not sure we can actually kill her, even if the two of us put aside our differences and work together...”
“No... you'll never kill me... you'll never end my pain...” Pain seemed to lose focus for a moment, looking to the side and frowning strangely, and then she bared her teeth and slowly looked back towards the two ponies. “Yes. I'll kill you with my own hooves here and now, while I have the chance. I'll kill all of you. That's the only way to end my pain. By giving it to the entire world...”
Cadence set herself... then twitched when her tiara fell askew before she quickly flicked her head to the side, launching the diadem away. General Archon stayed back, but she felt his determination to fight all the same, and she felt Shining Armor... hesitating, confused, letting his goddamn emotions cloud his goddamn judgment-
“Shining! Stay back and shield Archon!” snapped Cadence, and the stallion looked at her with dumb surprise before he nodded hurriedly and fell back by the General... and did she really feel hesitance from him? Like he didn't want to get close to Archon because of how much of a jerk Archon was, could he not just put his stupid childish feelings aside for-
“Darling!” shouted Miss Take, and Cadence looked up too late before a hoof slammed into her face, knocking her crashing backwards with a gasp. She rolled quickly, though, then cursed and flapped her wings hard, using them to balance and using her forelegs to block and deflect Pain's vicious, lunging strikes at her.
She was locking onto the emotions of the ponies around her, and she didn't even know why her magic was reacting so strongly. She felt General Archon, and it was like he had two minds: one was judging her sharply and fiercely, and the other seemed to feel every blow she took along with her. One mind was all logic and cold calculation: the other mind was empathy and burning passion.
She felt Miss Take: conflicted and suffering, and yet somehow all the purer for it. She wanted the best for them all, but she knew that to give to one, was to take from another. She cheered for her... and she cried for her. She loved Shining Armor, but hurt all the same over what she had to do.
Pain slammed forwards into a grapple, and Cadence met her, the two glaring at each other furiously as they pushed against each other, using every bit of strength and leverage they could dredge up. And Cadence felt her horn glowing as she locked onto Pain's emotions without thinking, without even wanting to...
And yes, Pain... she was pain. That's all there was anymore, pain and a great terrible emptiness, where the little sanity she had was caught in a maelstrom of hatred. For all her discipline, all her strength, all her professed goals, she was bouncing erratically from one thought to the next, consumed by the darkness inside her, left... Brokenhearted. This was what it meant to be Brokenhearted: to be taken over by hate and emptiness and madness, to lose who you once were, to suffer forever, trying to inflict your pain on others, to take away their happiness because you had survived so much only to understand that you would never be free of the suffering, the suffering, the endless eternal suffering...
Pain suddenly twisted her body and brought both rear hooves up in a vicious shoveling kick into her stomach, and Cadence was knocked crashing backwards... and into the magic barrier that Shining Armor had created, the mare wincing as she bounced off it with a thunk before gritting her teeth and leaping up, using it to propel herself forwards as her horn glowed brightly. And Pain looked up at her, with anger and hate... and beneath it all, with sorrow and a silent plea for the peace that only death would give her.
Pain leapt up to meet her, but Cadence twisted her body in midair and smashed a kick into the side of Pain's head, knocking her back to the ground. She landed heavily, and Miss Take leapt forwards, smashing into the Brokenhearted with a fierce headbutt before the emerald gemstone on her forehead flashed brightly, stunning the corrupted Pegasus.
Cadence took the advantage to fly in and slam a punch into the back of Pain's head, driving her face-first down into the ground. She hit with enough force to kill a normal pony: Pain, however, only rolled forwards and swung one rear leg down in an axe kick that caught the surprised Miss Take in the face, knocking her staggering with a gasp before Pain flung herself up from the ground and tackled Miss Take backwards, slamming her bonelessly down into the hard cement before beginning to slam her hooves down in a vicious volley of concentrated, precise strikes.
The winged unicorn's eyes widened in shock, recognizing what was about to happen before she flung herself into a full-out tackle, smashing Pain off the half-Changeling even as Miss Take coughed blood and clutched at her chest, trembling violently as she rolled over with a broken gasp. But Pain moved with almost impossible speed and grace, half-rolling to fling Cadence off before the Brokenhearted caught herself on two hooves and threw herself forwards to land on Miss Take's back, seizing the half-Changeling by the mane and slamming her face cruelly down into the ground once, twice, thrice-
A jet of flames hammered into Pain's face and knocked her staggering with a curse, and then Cadence leapt forwards, gritting her teeth and slamming an elbow into the base of one of Pain's wings, cracking the bone before she seized the mare around the waist and half-spun, flinging her sharply away. Then the winged unicorn quickly backpedaled to drop beside Miss Take as Archon snapped his horn out, a wall of flames erupting in front of them and cutting off Pain.. although Cadence knew that at most, it would only buy them a few seconds.
She quickly grasped Miss Take's shoulder: no matter what she felt about the half-Changeling, right now she was an ally and someone Cadence was going to need the help of. “Can you breathe?”
“She tried to kill me. And she came rather close, at that.” Miss Take whispered, then she coughed more blood before rasping: “My... my ribs... I think...”
Cadence's horn glowed, and Miss Take whimpered as a pink glow surrounded her body. But as warm energies rushed through her, she felt the worst of the damage healing... although her ribs would still be brittle. “I can't do much better than this... I... Shining! Protect Miss Take with your magic!”
“Are you crazy?” Shining asked incredulously, and Cadence gritted her teeth and glared back through the large barrier he had already created. “I just mean-”
“If Pain gets her hooves on her again, she'll break her ribs loose again and then drive them into her heart, and there's no magic that can heal that!” snapped Cadence, and Shining winced before the winged unicorn swore and looked uneasily forwards through the roaring flames... where was Pain? Why wasn't she trying to attack them again?
And then Cadence heard it: a wild shout, before it was silenced, and the mare's eyes widened in horror before she spun around and saw that Pain had circled around the barrier wall and had already killed two of the officers. Another leapt at her as the rest hurried to drop into defensive positions, but Pain caught the soldier that tried to attack and briskly snapped his neck, tossing him aside without sparing the corpse so much as a glance.
Then she cursed as a wall of flames burst up in front of her, glaring fearlessly into the fire... before her eyes widened in shock as the flames twisted themselves into three large, distinct tentacles that snapped downwards and attempted to seize around her, the Brokenhearted snarling and yanking back against the bonds of flame twining around her body.
Archon poured more energy into the magic, pitiless as the flames began to burn white hot, beginning to melt through Pain's rubbery hide like it was made of plastic as he forced the tendrils of hellfire to drag her to the ground. Her mane and tail burst into flames as she struggled uselessly, and Shining Armor gaped in shock before he winced when Archon growled: “Move the barrier. Protect your soldiers, protect the princess!”
Shining Armor grimaced as he did so, twisting the wall of energy around to shield the soldiers behind the near-impervious magic wall, shouting: “Cadence! Miss Take! Get in here, and-”
And then Archon's eyes widened before Pain roared and yanked herself backwards, the Brokenhearted tearing free of the coils of flame and staggering away with her teeth grit. Her body smoked and smoldered, the seared trenches in her flesh flexing... and then a black miasma filled up the wounds before they rapidly healed, sealing shut and leaving dark, charcoal-colored scars behind.
Pain breathed slowly, then flexed her body and rose her head, saying coldly: “I cannot die. Not until I have killed everyone who hurts me... not until my unhappiness spreads through this entire kingdom. Not until everyone suffers, as I have suffered. Not until my pain infects you all.”
“We either burn her away to nothing, or we stop her from moving.” Archon said coldly, and then he glanced at Shining Armor and snapped: “Why haven't you protected those mares yet? Armor them, drain the barrier's durability if you have to! And you, Pegasi, low-line formation now!”
The soldiers immediately obeyed their commander's order, while Shining Armor hesitated only a moment before flicking his horn, grimacing as he felt the barrier in front of them weakening even as incandescent energy twisted around Miss Take's body, layering her in a magical shell.
Miss Take smiled briefly over her shoulder, then she shook herself out as Cadence quickly put herself between Pain and the thinned barrier, ignoring Archon's shout to withdraw. Instead, the pink mare glared at the Brokenhearted even as a tremble ran through her body, her horn sparking as she felt herself keying to the madness, the hate, the emptiness of the Brokenhearted again...
“You should stop this.” Cadence said quietly, not even knowing where the words were coming from, why she was trying to speak to this... broken, vile thing in front of her. “You should stop, Pain, and think. Remember your training. Remember who you are. Remember that this is pointless: you want Sombra, don't you? If you kill us all, who will destroy Sombra for you? Sombra is the evil that slipped into your broken heart and transformed you into this... think about it. He can make that emptiness inside you worse. Or he could make you whole again.”
Pain frowned at this, head tilting, eyes locking on Cadence as if she was struggling to make sense of her words. And Cadence shivered as she read into the Brokenhearted's emotions, felt that confusion, felt a moment of turmoil where her old self nearly pushed up through the maelstrom of emptiness that she had become...
And then Pain closed her eyes, laughing quietly before she whispered: “Your tricks won't sway me, Princess Cadence. A fair attempt, but I know what I must do. All here will die. All here will know my pain.”
“Death isn't pain. Death is release.” Cadence replied softly, shaking her head briefly and raising her head slowly. “It's living that's difficult, Pain. You should know that by now.”
There was silence for a few moments, and then Pain gave a thin smile before she gestured slowly to the corpses of the soldiers she'd killed. “No. They're trapped inside those lifeless shells. Their spirits will writhe in torment until the pain and hate consume them, and they will rise up anew, like me. My touch brings a special kind of death, Cadence. Just wait and see.”
“I feel sorry for you. You've lost yourself so completely...” Cadence shook her head slowly, then she winced as her horn sparked faintly, feeling a strange ache spreading down through her veins, lighting up her wings with a painful, prickling heat. Her proximity, this connection she had formed to the Brokenhearted... it was letting her stall Pain and get a sense of what she was going to do next, but it was having the strangest effect on her...
She shivered a bit, and then glanced to the side in surprise as Miss Take stepped up beside her, armored by Shining's magic. Considering the beating she'd taken between Shining and Pain, the winged unicorn was amazed she was on her hooves... and even more amazed when Miss Take said quietly: “Let's take her together, darling. I know we can't kill her, but I've never really been fond of killing, anyway... nor am I kind enough to wish a quick death to her.”
“I... I know a little about the Brokenhearted. I'll keep her busy. You hit her where it hurts.” Cadence replied  in a low voice, and Miss Take smiled slightly, tipping her a wink to show she understood. And admittedly, the winged unicorn couldn't help but feel a little bit of wry amusement at the fact that Miss Take had understood her plan faster than Shining Armor likely would have. “Be careful, though. She's not playing around. If she gets her hooves on you she'll go for a killing blow.”
“I won't be silly enough to let my guard down again, darling. I know we're playing for keepsies now.” Miss Take replied eloquently, and the two mares set themselves as Pain only studied them intently.
“You're a traitor. Honor means nothing to you, does it?” Pain asked almost gently, her eyes locked with a grim fascination on Miss Take. “You switched sides so easily. Just like how you helped them on the train, when it's our organization that funds your operations.”
“Many organizations fund me, darling. You could call me a public corporation, providing services to the needy.” Miss Take smiled kindly, bowing her head politely before she added almost pleasantly: “But if it's any consolation, I think from now on I'll avoid making deals with bloodthirsty assassins. You've all been rather bad for my health.”
Pain snarled at this, then leapt suddenly forwards, her emotions changing so fast, so erratically, it barely gave Cadence a moment's notice. The winged unicorn leapt immediately for the Brokenhearted, but the Pegasus only swung a hoof sharply out, striking her in the face without even bothering to look at her and knocking the rose-hued mare sprawling.
Miss Take only smiled as Pain dove at her... then the gemstone on her forehead flashed brightly, disorienting her attacker. It was only for a bare moment, but it was long enough that Miss Take was able to leap forwards and slam a hoof up into her throat, knocking her backwards with a gargle before the half-Changeling pounced on her and snagged the assassin around the neck.
They shoved against each other as they both flapped their wings and spiraled up into the air, grappling violently as Pain snarled and Miss Take smiled coldly. And Cadence grimaced a bit, wondering if Miss Take had actually listened to her at all before her eyes widened as the two veered suddenly back towards them. Miss Take had furled her wings shut, and was riding Pain almost like a board, the Brokenhearted forced upside-down as she flapped her wings wildly to try and stay airborne.
Cadence saw her chance, as Pain tried to seize Miss Take by the forelegs, distracted completely by the half-Changeling: the winged unicorn leapt up as Miss Take kicked off the Pegasus, Pain left defenseless for that one crucial moment before Cadence slammed a hoof straight down into her face, spiking her like a volleyball and sending her rocketing headfirst into the stone floor. Pain bounced once with a sickening crunch... but landed on her hooves, staggering drunkenly but still somehow conscious even with part of her head crushed in and her eyes glaring with hatred through the blood now masking her features.
Cadence landed in front of her, shivering at the sight of Pain's skull rapidly healing... but she felt something else, too. Her horn sparked, and before she even realized what she was doing, she smiled across at the Brokenhearted before saying calmly: “It looks like your name really does suit you, since you're the only one feeling it.”
Pain's eyes blazed, and then she began to lunge, Cadence dropping herself at the ready... before, to her surprise, the winged unicorn felt a complete shift in Pain's psyche. The Brokenhearted staggered to a stop, staring blankly for a moment before her eyes narrowed dangerously, and then she said softly: “You won't provoke me that easily.”
The winged unicorn responded to this by snapping her horn forwards and blasting Pain with a bolt of pink energy, the Brokenhearted skidding backwards before her eyes bulged in shock as she grabbed at her face. Tears welled up in one of her eyes as she looked at the ground for a moment... then suddenly snarled in fury, head snapping up as Cadence felt her emotions writhing wildly, like Cadence had just stabbed a knife through all that hate and darkness and insanity and struck some feeling, some emotion, into the struggling heart of the corrupted Pegasus.
The Brokenhearted roared at her in rage and fury, a tinge of humiliation brightening her cheeks: just like Thesis, there was no better provocation that lighting a fire in those old emotions, driving her into a frenzy. But this time, Cadence wasn't a small foal, unable to defend herself, and this wasn't some mighty, perfect warrior across from her... even if she had no doubt that Pain was a very real threat to her and everyone here.
Pain dove at her, fast and vicious, and Cadence could feel the need to kill, maim, destroy in every movement of the Pegasus: yet at the same time, some of her discipline had been lost in her frenzied madness, making it easier for the pink mare to predict every punch, every grab, every attempt to flank or push her.
Her hooves moved in a blur, blocking each and every strike at her before she grimaced as Pain seized her foreleg, yanking it outwards as she swung the other up: in response, Cadence blocked the hook and twisted Pain's forelimb savagely as she flicked her other foreleg sharply out, knocking Pain's limb wide and forcing her to bend awkwardly to one side, following the movement of her limb.
Cadence slammed a hoof into Pain's chest, but the Brokenhearted was quick to recover, rolling quickly backwards to tear free of the lock on her wrist before she spread her wings. Before she could launch herself at Cadence, however, the winged unicorn snapped her horn out and smashed Pain backwards with another ray of pink energy, and Pain almost fell over as she grabbed at herself, snarling in anger and trembling as her emotions went wild again.
Then Cadence swept out her horn, releasing bubbles of bright pink energy: a childish, silly magic. But Pain leapt sharply away from these, looking back and forth almost desperately before her eyes locked on the belt of baubles Miss Take had left behind, the Brokenhearted lunging sharply for these-
The belt burst into flames a moment before Pain could reach it, and several of the glassy artifacts exploded with sizzles of energy, driving Pain backwards as she covered her face with her forelimbs at the flash. And then she gasped in shock as one of the bubbles whizzed down and slammed into her back, exploding with a pop of light and leaving a bright, glowing bruise where it had struck.
Pain staggered back and forth, then gritted her teeth even as Cadence felt her emotions surging out of control: some semblance of who the Pegasus had once been was trying desperately to surface, and the wild array of emotions was sending fear and horror through the Brokenhearted. Only now, Cadence was starting to understand why, too: that sudden warmth, that emotion, brought with it a surge of not just consciousness but conscience, making Pain question everything she was doing, washing away the madness and replacing it with the terror of what she was becoming.
“N-No!” Pain bared her teeth, struggling against it... before gasping in agony when Miss Take slammed both rear hooves into that bright spot on her back, sending her sprawling forwards. And Pain flinched as she was filled with real, physical pain for a moment, even as the bright bruise vanished: but to a creature that had previously been numb to the agony, it was like a shock of cold water, stopping her in her tracks.
Cadence flicked her horn, gritting her teeth and launching another bubble at Pain, but the Brokenhearted leapt upwards and flapped her wings hard, flipping over the sphere before it could strike and shooting straight at Cadence with a snarl. The winged unicorn immediately lashed her horn out, making the pink sphere bolt after her as she brought the other up in front of her like a talisman, and Pain's eyes widened before she skidded to a halt, scrabbling at the floor like a wild animal faced with flame.
Pain leapt to the side, hitting the ground and rolling sharply before hissing when the ground beneath her burst suddenly into flames, staggering and then leaping up to flap her wings hard and extinguish the fire. She looked furiously up at Archon before snarling when Miss Take slammed down into her back, driving her down... but Pain barely touched back down on the ground before she kicked off, a pink bubble splattering uselessly into the floor of the square beneath her before the Brokenhearted swept a hoof up, seizing the surprised half-Changeling above her before she flung her viciously forwards.
Miss Take slammed into the barrier, then cried out in agony when Pain crashed into her back with enough force to crack the magic wall, Shining Armor cursing and gritting his teeth before Pain seized Miss Take around the neck. But before she could twist, Cadence sent the last bubble shooting into the side of Pain's face, the Brokenhearted howling in fury and pain and fear as she grabbed at her face with one hoof and lost her grip on the half-Changeling.
Miss Take gritted her teeth and slammed one hoof into Pain's face, knocking her head back before the assassin snarled when the half-Changeling seized into her mane. The assassin brought her free hoof back as the other grabbed Miss Take's wrist, while Miss Take braced her back against the barrier and brought up both rear hooves.
She kicked viciously out just as Pain slammed her hoof forwards: they struck each other at almost the same time, Miss Take's head snapping back with a scream of agony as her green gemstone cracked, Pain gasping as the half-Changeling kicked her hard enough to send them flying in opposite directions, the magic wall behind her shattering with the violence of the attack. And even as Shining Armor stumbled, he watched in horror as Miss Take flew limply backwards, the gemstone exploding in a burst of green flame and sulfur-reeking smoke, her body twisting slowly through the air as emerald lightning shocked over her body and dissolved the magical armor that had been protecting her...
And as she flew backwards, she changed, her body almost seeming to melt as she fell with her mane smoking, her eyes wide and helpless, every muscle in her body refusing to react before she hit the ground and bounced limply. Shining stared at her, not looking up as he heard Pain snarling, and Cadence yelling and charging; he didn't look up even as Archon shoved past him and roared an order to the Pegasi still in the air; he had eyes only for Miss Take, as she whimpered brokenly on the ground, bleeding slowly from a deep gouge in her skull as more crimson liquid spilled from her mouth and ears.
Miss Take looked up at him, stared at him with her gorgeous eyes, through mottled-pink features, over which black, almost scabrous skin grew like webbing. Insectile, broken wings flittered weakly as appendages that looked almost melted twitched against the ground... and then, in a sudden burst, she threw herself backwards and covered her face with one foreleg, turning her face away and shrieking: “Don't look at me! D-Don't look at me, no!”
Shining Armor stared down at this wretched, twisted creature, mouthing slowly, drawing his eyes over the fibrous texture of her body, the unnatural jigs and jags of her anatomy that came from the coupling of a Pegasus and a Changeling. He forgot about everything else as he stepped cautiously towards her, shaking his head weakly as he looked at this pathetic, crying, craven thing...
Pain lunged towards the defenseless unicorn, grinning coldly... and then she swore furiously as the line of Pegasus soldiers all flapped their wings as one, sending out a powerful gust that knocked her spinning off course. And before she could catch herself, a blast of pink energy hammered into her spine, ripping up along her back and making her scream before she spun around and dropped with a vicious hammer of one hoof down toward Cadence.
The winged unicorn blocked her with both forelegs, grimacing at the force of impact before she stepped forwards and drove an elbow into Pain's face. The Brokenhearted's head snapped back, but then she lunged suddenly and simply bit savagely into Cadence's foreleg, and the pink mare cried out in shock and revulsion, eyes widening before Pain tore backwards and ripped a deep wound through her forelimb in a splatter of blood.
Cadence staggered, and Pain slammed her head into Cadence's face before leaping forwards and tackling her onto her back, hooves slamming into her throat and shoving her down, pinning her and crushing her neck beneath their strength. Shouts filled the air as Cadence's head swam, her horn sparking violently as her wings spasmed and she felt a wild array of emotions, the world above her becoming nothing but a blur as all the fight left her body...
Soldiers lunged at Pain from all sides, Archon roaring orders, but Pain kept one hoof on Cadence's neck as she swept the other out, seizing the first Pegasus to attack her by the face and slamming him down into the ground: then both rear legs scissored backwards, catching another Royal Guard that lunged at her between them before briskly twisting to the side and snapping his neck.
She rolled her whole body with the movement, flinging the corpse into another Guard before he could attack, and at the same time she stepped off Cadence, giving the rose-hued mare a moment to breathe before Pain swept her up and pulled her back against her body, smiling coldly as she put her in a chokehold that almost cradled her back against her chest. The soldiers froze, and Archon snarled in fury before he leaned forwards and said coldly: “If you kill her, you don't escape here alive.”
“Death doesn't scare me, unicorn. Your promise only makes it more tempting to kill her.” Pain said softly, and then she smiled coldly, saying quietly: “No, this is my promise. I'm going to kill her slowly in front of all of you. And I will not be kind: I will take my time, making it hurt, killing her mind before I kill her body. I will leave her a braindead, empty husk before I tear out her beating heart. Unless one of you kills her first... or you, General Archon. Will you serve your country, serve your crown, serve your precious pride by killing your Princess and your enemy? Your fire might be powerful enough to consume me if I give you an opening... but you'll burn her as well.”
General Archon bared his teeth, and Cadence trembled before she tried to slam an elbow backwards... but Pain simply caught her limb, then twisted it savagely up behind her back before yanking it hard to the side, and Cadence arched her back and screamed in agony as she felt it dislocate.
Cadence slumped back against the Brokenhearted, and then she gargled as the foreleg tightened around her neck, starting to choke her again as Pain said coldly: “You only have a few seconds to make your decision. Show me your dedication; I will show you suffering in return.”
The General cursed under his breath, then looked over his shoulder... but Shining Armor was only looking mutely towards them, standing over the shivering, broken heap of Miss Take. The Royal Guard were staring with horror, and Pain was smiling coldly... all her wounds gone, a determined, persistent madness in her eyes. There were only a few vague scars left after all that fighting, through which she had never tired, never lost her strength...
Cadence gasped weakly, and her wings shivered again as they thrummed painfully, her horn sparking as she felt something terrible and awful rising up through her. She felt ice and darkness, and there were screams, as gold was tarnished by dark red blood... it didn't make sense. None of it made any sense as her eyes clenched shut and she whimpered.
Pain looked down at her coldly, then squeezed her tighter before scowling in disgust as her horn sparked violently, the Pegasus twisting her foreleg to make Cadence gasp. “Your magic won't help you now, Cadence. Do anything foolish, and I'll use you as bait for Sombra.”
“I don't know what's happening...” whispered Cadence, staring sightlessly up towards the sky: as she felt her life draining away, something else was awakening inside her. But she thought she'd discovered her past? She thought she'd known who she was, what the hell was this feeling coming over her, where did these flashes of impossible life come from...
Pain looked at her with disgust, then twisted her foreleg again... and Cadence screamed in agony before General Archon snarled: “That's enough! Release her now or... I will do what has to be done to protect Equestria!”
“Do it.” Pain said with gentle finality... and then she smiled calmly before slowly twisting Cadence's dislocated limb again, the winged unicorn crying out in agony as her wings flapped uselessly, bucking back and forth as she tried helplessly to free herself from the iron grip of the Brokenhearted, her horn sparking again as, unseen, the Crystal Heart reverberated violently beneath the shield of energy protecting it...
There was a bright flash as Cadence's eyes glowed with light, her jaw falling open as she felt a magic like she'd never felt surge through her body, awakened by a force she didn't understand... and then Pain simply seized her around the neck and jerked to the side, snapping it with a single twist. Cadence went limp, even as her horn continued to spark weakly, the pink mare gurgling brokenly as General Archon stumbled forwards and shouted in disbelief, his cold shell falling away as he stared with horror.
Shining Armor almost fell forwards, trembling hard, and Miss Take looked up from behind her hooves with a whimper, all eyes staring at Pain as the Pegasus smiled coldly... then simply hugged the limp body of the Princess back against her, closing her eyes and saying mockingly: “How does it feel to be so impotent, so weak? To be helpless? To be unable to change your fate, or that of those you care about? Share in my suffering, share in my pain, and-”
General Archon snapped his horn up with a roar, and the ground shattered beneath Cadence's corpse and Pain with the power of the conflagration that flared violently up, Archon's eyes blazing with hate and fury as he shouted, raw with rage: “I will not let her death be in vain! I'll burn you away to nothing but ash and dust I'll scatter to the wind! I'll avenge Cadence here and-”
A black shape burst up through the hellish flames, and Archon looked up in horror as it floated near the ceiling, calmly hovering in spite of the flames still burning over her body. Her flesh was still literally boiling in places, but in others, burnt and blackened body was already regenerating: it still looked seared and scarred, but Pain was smiling almost pleasantly, saying softly: “How quaint.”
General Archon breathed hard, staring up at her with shock, and the immense pyre began to die down beneath the Brokenhearted as Pain shook her head slowly. She began to lean down... and then she frowned as a tremble ran through the world, the mare looking down with disbelief as the flames beneath her turned pure white.
The ivory fire danced and flared, swirling and twisting slowly and beautifully as it lost all heat and smoke, strange, glowing embers of light floating up out of it as Pain flinched back in surprise... and then a shape streaked up from the ivory mess and smashed into Pain, driving her up into the ceiling with enough force to crack it before a hoof smashed across her face. She was knocked hurtling backwards with a gargle a moment before a blast of pink light shocked across her body, and Pain screamed in agony before the white shape shot forwards and smashed into her again, driving the Brokenhearted backwards and leaving horrific ivory cracks where it struck, which throbbed with divine, radiant light.
Pain half-fell backwards, her eyes wide with terror as she stared at Cadence, who was glaring back at her as white energy crackled over her body. Her wings flapped powerfully, keeping her easily aloft as her eyes glowed with eerie radiance: she was beautiful and terrible, wrapped in a powerful magic like none of those present had ever witnessed.
Pain shook her head in disbelief, and then Cadence flapped her wings hard as her horn sparked, and bolts of white energy streaked from her wings, the ivory darts twisting around and burying themselves into Pain's hide. The Brokenhearted howled as she was driven backwards, kicking wildly at the air as she hurriedly swept the thorns free from her body, and then the winged unicorn snapped her horn out again and blasted Pain backwards with another ray of pink light.
The Brokenhearted cried out, her body steaming, her eyes wide with horror before she suddenly spun around and bolted in terror, flapping her wings as hard as she could to get away. Cadence only glared after her... then trembled violently before she slowly let herself drop to the ground, landing in the white flames and gasping quietly before she clenched her eyes shut as the ivory fire faded slowly out, and the glow receded from around her body.
She trembled hard, her horn sparking painfully, her wings fluttering weakly... but they were steaming silently, and whatever had happened to her had drained all the color from them, leaving them white as snow. Her horn, her mane, her tail... they had all also turned ivory, although she wasn't aware of any of that. Everything was just blurs and confusion as she staggered slowly around... and all she knew was... “Daddy... is this what I need to save you?”
And the soldiers only stared at her, and Shining Armor looked wordlessly at his wife as Miss Take rose her head uneasily, trembling violently. Only General Archon had the strength to stride forwards, looking over the mare disbelievingly before he cursed under his breath and snapped at his soldiers: “Stop standing around like idiots and get a medic! Secure the area, track that Pegasus! You know your jobs, now do it, colts!”
Cadence looked weakly up at General Archon, then she laughed faintly and reached up to slowly rub at her neck, whispering: “It's okay... Pain... she's gone already. I scared her... I... I don't know what happened. Something happened, right?”
“Yes, something happened, Princess.” General Archon said quietly, quickly checking her over before he frowned and reached up to uneasily touch her head gently by her horn, and Cadence groaned in pain. “You're feverish. Signs of magic overexertion... not that that's any surprise. And...”
General Archon scowled over his shoulder at Shining Armor, and then he shouted: “Get over here now, Captain Armor! Furthermore, I want this area protected by a large-scale forcefield, and considering what just happened if I hear any backtalk from you about how you 'can't,' I will-”
“Leave him alone, General. I have a headache and your yelling is hurting.” Cadence mumbled. She wasn't sure that she was entirely making sense, but the whole world was blurry and swimming around her, and she felt nauseated and agonized and... she kept touching her neck. She felt... had she... she had really...
Shining Armor looked uneasily at Cadence, biting his lip, staring at her and feeling a strange... he didn't know what. How many times had he almost seen Cadence die now? How many times had she thrown herself into harm's way, while he played the supporting role? And just what was his wife, his Cadence, starting to become?
This all was starting to feel like a mistake. He couldn't even keep track of his own emotions, much less what was going on with everyone else. Every time he thought he was doing the right thing, he ended up contributing to precisely the wrong thing. And he couldn't... he just couldn't...
The stallion shifted uncomfortably, and then he sighed before turning towards Miss Take, who was trying to cover her face with one foreleg even as she looked up at him, trembling. Shining softened at this, and then he carefully reached down and gently pulled her limb away before he said softly: “Come on. You don't have to do that. Can you stand?”
Miss Take hesitated, and then she nodded before slowly struggling up to her hooves. Shining quickly leaned down, helping her before he looked almost guiltily up at Cadence, but his wife only smiled faintly at them before striding uncertainly forwards, walking past Archon as she whispered: “Don't hurt her. I'll come to you.”
“Princess, rest. Shining Armor, I already gave you an order. This place needs to be protected.” Archon said sharply, looking icily over at the stallion as he slowly came closer, with Miss Take leaning against him and her face buried in his mane, the mare trembling and – for the first time that Shining had ever seen – vulnerable. “Put her down. She's a criminal.”
“She helped us.” Shining Armor almost snapped in return, shaking his head quickly. “And she needs help, too. She's bleeding pretty badly still and... I... I mean...”
He looked uncomfortably over at Cadence, but the whitened mare only gave him a faint smile before she shook her head slowly, murmuring: “She fought well. And I... I still don't know what happened, Shine. I mean, I thought that... but I couldn't have... and I'm not...”
Cadence silently reached up and touched her own chest, and then Miss Take whispered, from where she was safely hidden behind Shining's mane: “There's an old legend among the Changelings that if you fill yourself with enough love... then nothing can destroy you. Perhaps if there are Brokenhearted... there must be the strong-hearted as well. But I fear I'm in no fit state to debate the topic, darling... I just... I'm very glad you're okay. She must not have...”
“My magic wasn't meant to kill you, only Pain. The Changeling is right, Pain must only have stunned you, and my magic bypassed you harmlessly or...” Archon looked strangely nervous, shaking his head shortly before he muttered: “It doesn't matter either way. You're alive. You're not well, but we'll get you stable. We'll discuss all of this tonight... after Shining Armor raises the barrier.”
“I... fine, General Archon. I can at least put up a ward. When the other unicorns wake up they can assist me in shielding the tower.” Shining Armor said finally, nodding briefly as he looked uncomfortably between the ponies.
General Archon nodded, but even Shining Armor could see through his cold facade, could see the unease with which he studied Cadence. And Cadence was trembling and scared and yet... Shining was a little scared of her, too, with what she had done. And what other secrets could she be hiding from him? She had whispered for her 'Daddy' but who was that, who could need saving, unless...
No, Shining couldn't imagine that. That was impossible. And yet he'd also thought that it was impossible that he'd ever consider... no, he wasn't going down that road either. Yet all the same he looked uncertainly at the meek and beaten Miss Take at his side, biting his lip as his stomach twisted again, wishing that everything would just fall into place again like it always had in the old days, and more afraid than he wanted to admit of what the future held for him... for all of them.
He looked up at Cadence, and Cadence looked back at him before she smiled as reassuringly to him as she could, even through the haze starting to take over her mind. Her horn sparked once before she looked slowly towards the Crystal Heart, half-hidden behind the thrumming forcefield protecting it. Her eyes locked on this last relic of her father's noble rule, and she felt her horn spark as the heart gleamed brightly, and her mind filled with a thousand secrets for one bright moment... but then faded away to a darkness that gently swept away all her pain and fears and questions, leaving her in the silent embrace of one last memory, that burned like a candle in the dark, and kept her safe and close in the trusted grip of the father who meant everything to her.