//------------------------------//
// III: Eye 
// Story: Perhaps the Most Convincing Case in Favor of the Solar Empire 
// by WingsOnTheBus 
//------------------------------//

	The night lifted slowly. Nopony who wasn’t paying attention would notice anything was off--after all, they hadn’t at the reception, when all this madness had started. Twilight couldn’t help but wonder if Cadence having payed attention would do any good, anyway.
Spike seemed relieved by the sunrise, but as the group stopped in a grassy clearing to make the first dents in the oats, Cadence was more fraught with anxiety than ever. Frustration built inside Twilight--was whatever Cadence had come here to protect her from really more important than her friends’ knowledge of where she was or what was happening? Nothing terrible had occurred yet, and if it was going to (and if she was honest with herself, Zecora’s determination had convinced her well enough of that), didn’t they deserve a rescue mission, too?
At Cadence’s insistence, the party packed their bags and again began the westward push through the trees. It was cool and humid, almost like nighttime all over again. In occasional tight squeezes, the brambles and stickers caught in Twilight’s coat. 
The silence between the two ponies, the dragon, and the forest was agonizing. Twilight kept expecting to hear the roar of some untold horror--after all, this was Everfree--but aside from the occasional birdsong or faint rustling, all was quiet. She knew she would have to ask about her friends soon, to make sure they wouldn’t be left behind in Ponyville to face whatever was coming. But how to go about it…? After all, Cadence had avoided the subject before…
“Umm, Princess Cadence?” The question was Spike’s.
“Yes?”
“Are we ever gonna turn back? I mean, nothing’s happened yet--what are we running from? Shouldn’t the other ponies come, too, if it’s so dangerous? Are they being moved away somewhere else?”
“No.” The princess ducked gracefully under a low-hanging branch. “But trust me--they’re safe. Much safer than Twilight would be if she were to remain where she was.” What was that supposed to mean? “And we can’t bring everypony--unfortunately. The--well, that would be suspicious.” Spike took a different tack.
“What about Shining Armor? Where’s he?” 
Cadence stopped. Her ears straightened. A shudder passed through her body, down to the ragged tip of her tail. Within a few seconds, she continued walking as if nothing had been asked. After a while, however, she was forced to turn her face to slip through a tight spot, and Twilight saw that it was drenched with tears. Apparently Spike had noticed too; his green eyes turned to look up at Twilight in horror. She inhaled.
“Cadence? Where is Shining Armor?”
“Trust me, Twilight. Spike.” Her voice broke. “He’s safe. Far safer than any of us. Far luckier. I’m crying for...for myself.”
This time, Twilight couldn’t forget how cold she was inside. Keeping close to Spike as a means of comfort for both of them, she stayed quiet, defeated, head down through the blur of the day, until Celestia slipped the sun below the horizon again and they found a place to settle down to sleep.