The Rhythm Of The Dance

by BlackRoseRaven

Episode IV: Nocturne

Episode IV: Nocturne
~BlackRoseRaven

The train limped down the tracks, swaying weakly from side-to-side as the engine huffed and puffed. It was an utter mess of mangled and mauled metal that had been hammered and fused together mostly by brute force: Archon hadn't wasted any time in reattaching and securing all the cars once they had caught up to them, sparing only a few moments to rant at Shining Armor like this was all his fault before he'd dragged the unicorn off to some dismal menial task.

Cadence was sulking a little in her seat, lopsided tiara on her head, looking grumpily out the window as she rested a hoof under her chin. Shining was... she didn't know where he was. And it wasn't that she didn't care, but... well... okay, actually, she kind of didn't right now. No, scratch that. She did care. She cared that he wasn't around right now because he was being the opposite of helpful lately.

Shining Armor was great, sure. Youngest Captain ever. Prince of Equestria. Everyone looked up and saw him as Mr. Awesmazing. She loved him and adored him and respected him... but she also knew him, inside and out. Everyone idolized him as the idyllic proud stallion, but all they saw was him from a distance. They didn't have to live with the kooky idiot.

But she loved him for his kookiness, his weird hygiene obsession, his love affair with his mane, his need to have all the books on the shelf in alphabetical order, the way that for all his brainpower he would stare vapidly out a window of a moving vehicle, as if hypnotized. She really did. She didn't want a stallion who would do all the work for her, who would basically take over living life for them both, who would overshadow her in every way.

She didn't want him to be perfect, or even better than he already was. She understood they were going to clash at times, but... why the hell of all times was she getting so frustrated with him now, and he had insisted on just making it worse? Why was it that when they argued, it was always at the worst possible times?

Cadence grumbled and dropped her head across her forelegs... and then she sighed tiredly and slowly looked up, ignoring the bangs in her eyes as a soldier approached and saluted her before asking crisply: “Do you need anything, ma'am?”

“No. Not unless you have a time machine. Or a big rock to hit a big unicorn on his big stupid head.” Cadence mumbled, and then she suddenly looked up and asked crankily: “Why is it that we mares are supposed to be invincible? A few, oh, 'it's going to be okays,' and what, we're just supposed to be fine? Put all our faith in big dumb stallions and suddenly be all hugs and kisses so we can... can kiss away their boo-boos and they can hide behind us while puffing out their chests to each other like... birds or... or... something, and... they're going to fix us, like we're broken? Because oh, look, I'm not acting the way you think I'm supposed to so obviously something about me needs to be fixed and I can't just be sad because I'm really really really stressed right now and you're not helping!”

The guard was now staring at her, slowly leaning backwards, and Cadence slowly turned beet red as she reached up and covered her mouth before awkwardly holding up a hoof and saying lamely: “I'd like an apple cider, please.”

“Yes ma'am!” The soldier spun on one hoof and hurried away down the aisle, and Cadence dropped her head to the table with a loud thunk and a tired sigh. Well, she was really doing a great job of getting over herself. Probably making a great impression on everyone here, too.

Still, she felt... cranky. Unhappy. And it didn't help that Shining kept talking about 'mistakes' and he happened to have a crazy stalker named Miss Take who was apparently his favorite mistake because he kept bringing her up and oh Horses of Heaven she wasn't really this jealous, was she?

Cadence rose her head... then scowled as her tiara fell off, mumbling under her breath before she swatted it grumpily across the table. No, this was... perfectly understandable. Her worries were justified. Miss Take was a slinky creepy evil Changeling stalker, and one of those had already stolen Shining Armor away from her. So this all clearly made sense: for all she knew, after all, the Guild had been tipped off by Miss Take who was using some creepy quadruple-agent ploy to try and get them to trust her when really... I'm doing it again. What's wrong with me?

Cadence reached up and rubbed slowly at her temples: was she really letting all the stress get to her this much? Why was she being this way? She'd never felt so cranky and so jealous before in all her life, and she knew that she was being unfair to Shining and... even to Miss Take. Loathe as she was to admit it, the half-Changeling had really helped them out of a mess.

The winged unicorn sighed quietly... then glanced up and gave a small smile when the soldier hesitantly returned with an apple cider, putting it down on the table like she might lunge at him. But she only nodded politely before clearing her throat and asking: “Where's Shining Armor? I haven't seen him for a few hours now.”

“Helping keep the train moving, ma'am. General Archon's orders, ma'am.” replied the soldier crisply, and Cadence nodded a few times as she sat up before the soldier added, calm as ever but eyes hinting at more than a bit of nervousness: “General Archon will be arriving within ten minutes to speak with you, ma'am.”

“Oh. Thank you.” Cadence mumbled, and then she sighed a little and picked up her cup of cider, sipping at it and looking uneasily back and forth through the mostly-empty car: there were a few passengers, but they were relegated to the furthest seats, scrunched uncomfortably together and trying to avoid staring too much at the silent wall of officers filling the seats in front of them. “I thought he'd already been... debriefed, however.”

“Standard procedure, ma'am. All parties involved must corroborate, ma'am, pending internal investigation.” replied the solider, and then he saluted sharply before turning and quickly striding away, and Cadence reflected that was a hell of a way to end a conversation as she sipped grumpily at her glass of cider, then sighed and absently touched her own neck.

Her eyes closed, and she focused her magic: she wasn't preparing any spell in particular, but rather just calling up her energies to see what would happen... and she was only a little surprised when after a few moments, her whole body began to ache, like every muscle was strained, every nerve stretched and tender.

Cadence slumped back a bit in her seat as she let the magic die out from around her horn, closing her eyes and breathing slowly as she mumbled to herself and the pain gradually receded. But really, she was lucky: after her fight with Pain, she should have been much worse off. Not to mention how many times she'd been punched, kicked, hit, set on fire, shot with magic, stabbed...

But Archon had a few good medics on his squadron, and she had always healed fast, always been ready for another fight, another struggle, another day. Something she thought was carried over from her old life... but she didn't even know what that meant anymore. There were so many memories and emotions crowding over each other in her mind and dancing through these big black shadows that were hiding secrets she... she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to remember anymore...

Cadence shivered a bit, then she forced her thoughts away, sipping at her cider again and just doing her best to relax. If she relaxed, she could probably make herself get over how stupid she was being about Shine, since he really did want what he thought was best for her and really was trying hard to avoid Miss Take and... stop thinking, Cadence. You're going in circles now. Why can't there ever be someone around to beat up when I need it?

“Princess Cadence.” rumbled a gruff voice, and Cadence blinked before looking awkwardly over at General Archon, who glowered at her moodily... even if the bow of his head was honestly respectful. If not for her, then at least for her crown, she thought: if Archon was anything, it was patriotic. “May I?”

“Yes, of course.” Cadence sat up, focusing on her mental mantra of dignity, poise, grace... dignity, poise, grace. “What did you wish to speak to me about?”

“What happened here, your ladyship. Your husband has not been particularly... forthcoming... in spite of the fact that it is my duty to protect both yourself and him. No matter what my personal feelings towards either of you may be.” Archon said calmly, measuring her with his eyes... and what bothered Cadence most about that look was the fact that he really seemed to be trying to keep himself as impartial as possible. “In order to protect you, however, I need to know what happened here. I need to know what threats we are facing. Not just the codswallop your husband feeds me.”

“We're...” Cadence bit her lip, looking at Archon and realizing... she had never really ever gotten to know the General. Every time she'd asked Celestia why she kept him as part of her war council, she'd always heard the same answer: Archon was old-fashioned, but a strong leader and a good pony. She'd always heard that... but she'd never really listened, had she?

And then, of course, she'd go home to Shining and ask him what he thought of the old war horse, and Shining would make some wry comment about Archon being a pyromaniac and they'd laugh but... well...

“Archon, all I know about you is that you like to have things a certain way and... your talent is incendiary magic.” Cadence said carefully, bowing her head politely, and Archon only scowled slightly at her before she asked finally: “Can you tell me more about yourself? I'd feel more comfortable around you if I knew more about you. I'm very sure Shining would as well.”

The General scowled at this, but after a few moments, he finally sighed and nodded, muttering: “Very well, Princess Cadence. We're already behind schedule and moving slowly... I suppose I can afford the time on the condition that you promise to work with me more openly in the future.”

“I promise.” Cadence nodded quickly, smiling to the General, who gave a grumble but nodded grouchily back. They looked at each other for a few moments, and then the mare asked on impulse the first question that came to mind: “Who's the most important person in your life?”

Archon only glowered at her moodily, and Cadence shifted awkwardly, clearing her throat and asking herself what the hell was wrong with her, and why she had gone and asked that of all questions. Of course, she didn't know anything about Archon's personal life, and she found it kind of hard to imagine that he hadn't just kind of been born from some ancient forge like a golem or a fire elemental or something, and-

Her half-frazzled thoughts were cut off as Archon said moodily: “My grandson.”

Cadence stared with surprise at Archon, who only scowled back at her before the winged unicorn asked disbelievingly: “You have... a grandson?”

“Yes. I do.” Archon said shortly, and then he asked distastefully: “Now, what happened here? Shining Armor claims that he fought off the Phoenix Guild's forces by himself. Considering the fact I find it difficult to believe he could fight his way out of a wet paper bag, I have reason to believe he's trying to protect someone.”

“Hey, Shining could fight his way out of a dry paper bag, as a matter of fact.” Cadence replied sharply... and then she blushed a bit and slapped her own forehead as Archon gave her a dour look. “Sorry. I'm... I'm very tired, General Archon. And the truth is... well...”

Cadence bit her tongue: sure, part of her was greatly annoyed that it looked like Shining was trying to take all the credit, but she understood what he was trying to protect her... and apparently Miss Take, as well. But her real quandary was in how much she should trust Archon... and whether or not she should throw Miss Take under the carriage.

It would be easy, after all: the earth ponies were clearly mercenaries, she could claim that they had been Miss Take's gang, and the Phoenix Guild had attacked with revenge in mind and it had all turned into some horrible free-for-all where she, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, had hidden herself all princessly away while Shining Armor defended her from all attackers. It didn't entirely make sense, especially when you considered how badly beaten she still looked, but the moment she mentioned Miss Take, Archon was sure to lock on to that and nothing else.

Cadence shifted a little... and then, finally, she looked up at Archon. He looked back at her, studying her... until finally, Cadence sighed in resignation and said finally: “It was me. Shining kept the train under control and defended the passengers and I fought the Phoenix Guild on top of the train. There was... something wrong with them. They were brokenhearted, even though... I don't entirely know what that means.”

Archon looked at her measuringly for a few moments, and Cadence looked silently back before the General reached over and calmly picked up her diadem from the edge of the table. He brushed it off with one hoof, then held it out to her, meeting her eyes and saying quietly: “You are a Princess of Equestria. Even if you do not want to be, that is your duty. You are not a soldier.”

Cadence's eyes widened in surprise... then narrowed in anger as she reached out and swiped the tiara away, looking down at it for a moment before she rose her head and said evenly: “The job of the throne is to protect her people. These ponies are my people. And I protected them. So I was just doing my job, Archon. Because I'm not a soldier. I'm a warrior. I'm a...”

Cadence frowned, reaching up and touching her forehead as her vision swam, and her wings shivered before she mumbled in confusion: “Swan?”

“I don't think you're a bird, Princess Cadence, even if I see the resemblance. Pretty at a distance, foul-tempered when approached.” Archon said moodily, and Cadence glared at him even as that strange feeling of lightheadedness continued to rollick over her. But there was a bit of surprise, too: she hadn't really expected Archon to... well... believe her. Or to take it so well.

She looked at him awkwardly, and he looked back before the old General leaned forward and said irritably: “Do you think I'm blind, or do you just think I'm stupid? I'm fully aware of what happened after Shining Armor was kidnapped. I'm also aware that many of your wounds are due to counterpoints and reversals: the depth of the cuts, the stretching and the gouges. You must be sloppy. You are a Princess, not a soldier.”

Cadence slowly ground her teeth together, and then she leaned forwards and said almost challengingly: “So are you saying that you could have fought off the entire Phoenix Guild, Archon? That you're a better fighter than I am?”

Archon looked at her for a few moments... and then he gave a thin little smile that made Cadence wince a bit. It simply didn't look... natural... on his face, and the winged unicorn shifted uncomfortably before Archon said calmly: “I am.”

She stared at him, and he looked back at her before leaning forwards and saying quietly: “A battle is not won through strength alone. You require experience, knowledge of the field, wisdom. A willingness to do whatever is necessary to achieve victory but a passion for what you're fighting for and the understanding that your job is not just to win, but to save every life you can along the way. You and Shining think I'm a monster. You think I'm a bastard. You think I don't care about my soldiers. But I'm only one of those things, Princess Cadence.”

Cadence shrank back a bit in her seat, flushing deeply before she dropped her head and mumbled awkwardly: “I'm... I'm sorry.”

“I don't care. Tell me what happened here. You didn't kill all these ponies yourself. Who helped you?” Archon asked coldly, and the mare bit her lip and shifted uncomfortably before the General snapped: “Well?”

The two looked at each other, and then Cadence shifted before saying finally: “We had help from another Pegasus who had snuck on the train. She... ran away afterwards. She was a criminal. She was afraid of being caught by... you.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then, to her surprise, Archon simply nodded and looked away. Cadence studied him, thought about the words that he had spoken... and then she frowned and reached up to rub at her forehead slowly, feeling a strange... a pulling in her mind. Those words... they were so much like words she'd heard before...

Archon was looking at her, frowning darkly and measuring her with his eyes again. Cadence looked back at him, studying the grizzled old stallion before she bit her lip and asked quietly: “You mentioned your grandson. What about... other family?”

“Back to this game?” Archon asked acerbically, and Cadence simply shrugged a bit, sitting up and looking over at him, feeling a strange... a need to know more about this stallion she felt she may have done much worse than underestimate over the years she had spent as a Princess. She wanted to remedy that, she wanted to establish some kind of... of contact, find some even ground, understand just how much of him really was crazy fire-bringer and how much was...

“I don't have any other family. My wife died years ago and so did my children.” Archon said coldly, and then he questioned bluntly: “Do you usually try and protect criminals? Do you care about Equestria's laws or only your own sovereignty?”

“I'm sorry.” Cadence shifted uncomfortably, then looked up and replied evenly: “And if I could sell this particular pony down the river, I would. But I can't. I owe... this pony. We fought side-by-side. We protected each other and my husband. And what I care about, Archon, is finding out about my past and protecting my people. I will protect my people over protecting my country and its silly rules.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Cadence asked after a moment: “What kind of hobbies do you have?”

“I collect military antiquities.” Archon replied moodily, and then he asked contemptibly: “What is this nonsense about finding your past? Your past is on public record.”

“No, it's not.” Cadence said softly, shaking her head and giving a brief smile. “My past has... has to do with one of Equestria's most dangerous enemies. And that's all I want to tell you on that subject for now, Archon.”

She stopped, then shook her head slowly before asking quietly: “Why do you train your soldiers the way you do? We know so much more about motivation and psychology now than we did fifty years ago. We know better approaches than turning them into machines now.”

Archon gave a dry laugh at this, and then he rose his head and said quietly: “Because even if everything changes, it all stays the same, too. They don't need pats on the ass and their self-esteem boosted. They don't need to be coddled and reassured. They need to be shaped into one powerful, cohesive unit. They need to be taught loyalty and discipline. They need to be given the tools to survive.”

“Do you really do that, Archon? Or do you just turn them into your stormtroopers?” Cadence asked as she rose her head, but there was more than a hint of honest interest in her voice, not just condescension.

The General studied her silently, measuring her with his eyes... and then he finally leaned forwards and said calmly: “My best soldiers always keep a shred of their individuality. My goal isn't to stomp that out of them, whether you believe that or not. But what I teach them is to value their mission, their comrades, and their training above all else. I can't make them not afraid when they charge into battle: all I can do is give them something to cling to even when all hell breaks loose. I do what works best to keep my soldiers alive. I care about the welfare of each and every single one of them, I know their names, their commendations, their failings by heart. But I will not waste my time with hugs and compliments. Those things won't help them survive on the battlefield.

“If I'm going to protect you, I need to understand what we are up against. I understand you want privacy, but that's too bad, because you aren't simply endangering yourself. You're endangering everyone here by not being open with me.” Archon said distastefully, gesturing quickly with one hoof at the train around them. “I need to know who our allies are. I need to know who this enemy is. I need to know what we're doing here, now that I've come to understand much of this nonsense about Miss Take pursuing the Crystal Heart is only a pretense.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then Cadence sighed softly as she rubbed quietly at her forehead, murmuring: “Can you please just... wait until we reach the Crystal Kingdom, at least? I... I'll tell you, Archon. But I want to talk about it privately.”

“So long as by 'privately' you mean without your husband in attendance as well.” Archon said moodily, and Cadence looked tiredly up at the grizzled old unicorn.

“Why don't you like him?” she asked finally, shaking her head briefly, and Archon gave one of his thin little smiles, which made her shift uncomfortably backwards.

“I like him, Cadence. And that is precisely the problem. Your husband is very likable, charming, very nice.” Archon leaned forwards, saying quietly: “And that is a weakness. He charms other people into going along with him instead of reasoning with them. He won't do things that would jeopardize his precious reputation. He's afraid of becoming 'like me' and talks behind my back with the other Captains. I don't care how much or how little they like me. I do care that your little gelding doesn't have the testicular fortitude to do more than wheedle and hide behind your skirts. I don't give a crowbait's flank if he developed a shielding spell that can protect an entire city or about his physical tenacity. I care about what he does with that strength. And so far, I am not impressed.”

Cadence stared at Archon, who brushed at himself moodily before he slipped out of his seat, then said briskly: “Now, if you'll excuse me, I have an inspection to do. When we reach the Crystal Kingdom, I will escort you myself to the castle and we will speak there. For now, you look as if you could use some rest, Princess Cadence.”

“Just... Cadence. Although I guess you're right.” Cadence murmured, rubbing slowly at her forehead and grimacing a bit as she felt that uneasy lightheadedness again. But it only lasted a moment this time as she forced herself to focus on the here and now, looking across at Archon and saying finally: “I'm... sorry.”

Archon only looked at her in his stoic way, ignoring her words so completely that Cadence was left wondering if she'd actually spoken, or that apology was just in her own mind. Then the unicorn turned and stepped into the aisle, gesturing at her and almost ordering: “I will escort you to a cabin where you can sleep. A guard will be posted outside. Shining Armor will be allowed to join you once he has completed his duties.”

“Thank you, General Archon. I appreciate it.” Cadence said finally, and Archon nodded with a grunt, saluting her sharply before turning on his heel. His movements were crisp, perfect, practiced... and Cadence sighed a little as she slipped out of her seat and mumbled: “It wouldn't kill you to relax a little, though.”

Archon didn't reply as he led her into the next car, although Cadence paused in the narrow gap between sections to take a quick look at the land around them. It was gray and ugly and rolling by too slowly for her liking, but it at least felt much colder... and since they would have to head across icy tundra to reach the prosperous, magically-insulated little piece of paradise, that was actually a good sign. Or that's what she tried to tell herself, anyway.

Then Archon hammered against the side of the doorframe to get her attention, and Cadence grimaced before hurrying into the next car. The narrow hall was lined with doors leading into private sleeping cabins... and Cadence couldn't help but wonder moodily how many ponies they had likely cut off from these thanks to the guards' behavior.

She hesitated, then looked over at Archon, saying awkwardly: “We can't just take one of these. Crown or not.”

“I had them all reserved before the train departed. They're a security hazard otherwise.” Archon replied moodily, and Cadence looked at him disbelievingly before the General said sourly: “You may think me paranoid and cruel, Princess Cadence, but I also was the only pony who tried to take any precautions against an enemy attack. Which is precisely what happened.”

“Yeah, and...” Cadence bit her tongue to stop herself from saying something particularly rude to Archon about his leadership qualities, and instead she cleared her throat before saying in an only-slightly cranky voice: “I'll just accept this room with grace. Thank you. I should get some rest.”

Archon nodded, then he pushed the door open for her and allowed her to slip inside the cabin. It was a plain little thing that had clearly been strip-searched by Archon's troops already, with just a single sheet and pillow on a little cot... but when Cadence flopped down in it, it felt more welcoming to her than the enormous bed she and Shining had back at home.

She sighed in relief as she curled up, closing her eyes and giving a faint smile to herself. Then she sighed tiredly as she heard the door click loudly, opening a single eye and looking moodily out at it before Archon said calmly through the wood: “I put an alarm on the lock. Please notify the guard if you require anything to avoid setting it off.”

Cadence didn't reply, only grumbling and rolling over... but her eyes felt heavy, and her head was swimming again as memories tickled through her brain, made her feel... funny. She shifted back and forth in the cot, then sighed a little as she started to think of Shining Armor, closing her eyes...

And when she next opened her eyes, she frowned in surprise as she sat up in her bed, looking blearily back and forth. Shining Armor... she didn't think she knew any soldiers by that name, and she knew almost all of her father's warriors and champions.

The young mare smiled a little to herself, little more than a filly: she felt... a strange sense of movement, a rumbling for a moment, but then that soon faded away and she figured it was all some nonsense from a silly dream. No, she was here, safe at home in the peaceful Crystal Kingdom ruled by her father, King Serenite.

Cadence threw off her blankets and leapt out of bed, smiling as she hurried over to her large dresser and swept her simple dress off the top of it. She hated all the fancy royal raiments: sure, they looked really pretty and she understood why she had to wear them every now and then, but they were so heavy and bulky and frilly. She didn't want to be frilly. She wanted to grow up to be just like her Daddy: strong and wise, but humble and generous. A good pony.

She stuffed herself into the simple dark cloth, then ran to the door and leapt out, spreading her wings and grinning as she flew down the spiraling stairs. She didn't turn fast enough to keep up with the sharp curve of the wall, but Cadence only laughed as she twisted her body and kicked off the bricks, launching herself sharply onwards before grinning and hitting the wall again in a sprint.

She bolted down the stairway along the wall, following a path that had already been worn into the stone by the hooves of the young mare: near the bottom, she accidentally knocked one of her attendants sprawling, and Cadence blushed as she jumped off the wall, skidding around in a circle but backpedaling out of the door as she called quickly: “Sorry, Ferron! I'm up! Going to see Daddy!”

“Cadenza!” howled Ferron as he picked himself, but Cadence spun around and bolted down the corridor, weaving back and forth through the guards and servants that populated the happy castle and grinning to herself, even as Ferron tried uselessly to stagger after her, the unicorn flailing a scroll with telekinesis. “Cadenza, come back here, we have to go over your lesson plan for today!”

But Cadence only hurried onwards, skidding around a corner and then leaping past two unicorn guards in silver armor, who both only traded amused looks. Everyone in the castle knew about Cadence's morning habits by now, after all: sleep in, then rush off to see her father, then grudgingly go about her lessons... assuming that she didn't manage to wheedle out of them or run away on some silly adventure, that was.

Cadence bolted into the throne room, and her father glanced up from a booklet of papers even as several of his attendants all stared with something like horror at the young mare as she launched herself straight at the king. But with implacable calm and the ease of many mornings of practice, King Serenite only shifted the booklet to one hoof and caught Cadence in his other foreleg, grunting only a little as she impacted with his chest.

“Good morning!” Cadence said brightly, and the almost-glowing white unicorn smiled down at her with amusement.

“Good morning, Cadenza.” he said gently, and he calmly let her slip down to stand in front him, Cadence smiling warmly as Serenite gazed back at her with fatherly affection. “You know, you aren't quite a filly anymore, my daughter. One of these days, you'll jump on me and break this fragile old stallion.”

Cadence only smiled and glanced back at her flank, wiggling it as she replied warmly: “No, Father, you're still the strongest stallion in the kingdom, and I'm not nearly as fat as some of the mares that throw themselves at you.”

Serenite sighed, and one of his assistants covered his mouth to try and hide his giggles as Cadence looked mischievously back at her father. “Mi amore, please. You know that I try and make time for all of my subjects, even the ones-”

“Who have trouble fitting in the throne room.” Cadence said blandly, and Serenite dropped his face in a hoof as one of his attendants giggled harder and the others glared, before the rosy-pink teen looked back and forth and said innocently: “I mean, fitting in time to come see you, of course.”

“Cadenza.” Serenite said mildly, and Cadence sat on her haunches and smiled up at him as the king looked at her, then chuckled and shook his head slowly. “You're not going to be able to get away with this forever, you know.”

Cadence only smiled, and King Serenite looked at her for a few moments before he held the notebook out towards one of his attendants, saying kindly: “Please see that the Historians are able to see the changes I've made, then bring their assessment back to me for review. Thank you.”

“Yes sir!” the attendant saluted: he was a unicorn, like most of the others in the castle. There were a few Pegasi too, of course, and even one or two slave hoofs... although her father didn't really like that name for them. He said it was as degrading as calling them 'barbarians,' if not more so: it wasn't their fault they were the way they were. Usually, he just called them the 'Crystal Ponies,' for the natural talent so many of them seemed to have with working with the earth, and how strong they were.

Well, her father said they were strong, anyway. Cadence still felt uneasy around even the 'civilized' ones, and she was the first to admit she didn't understand why her father praised them so much or had even given so many of them second chances. They were savages, after all: the tribes of barbarians that lived outside of their kingdom in the cold and snow and tundra regularly raided their borders, pillaged, raped, acted more like monsters than they did ponies. And they never hesitated to abandon their own kind, either... something that disgusted Cadence for reasons she couldn't entirely explain. It just felt... wrong to her.

Then she glanced up as her father asked her gently: “Cadenza, do you think that today you could come with me for a special lesson? There's something I want to show you, and want your help with.”

Cadence smiled warmly and nodded firmly, feeling a thrum of pride in her chest. “Of course, Daddy! I'd love to!”

King Serenite smiled at her kindly, then he glanced up as Ferron staggered into the chambers with a wheeze, the elderly unicorn glaring at Cadence before he looked up dumbly as the king said calmly: “Ferron, I've already spoken to my daughter about what's expected of her today. Don't worry, tomorrow I'll be sure to return her to your capable hooves.”

“Oh, that's... quite alright, sire. You are the king and she is your daughter and... I have no desire whatsoever to get between a father and his daughter.” Ferron said hurriedly, bowing quickly to the two and doing his best to hide his very-visible relief. “Uh... if you'll excuse me then, your majesty...”

“Of course.” King Serenite gestured politely at the old unicorn, who bowed again before turning and hurrying out of the throne room, followed shortly after by the rest of his attendants. It left Serenite and his daughter alone in the oval-shaped chamber, and Cadence smiled up at the stallion she adored as Serenite looked back at her kindly. “Before we go, mi amore, I'd like to give you a short quiz.”

Cadence groaned and threw her head back, but then she nodded a few times and looked respectfully up at her father, mumbling: “Okay, Daddy. If you insist.”

“I do.” King Serenite was smiling slightly at his daughter, however, who was still so childish... but so warmhearted and so good, in spite of the doubts and the confusions and the worries he knew she was having as she grew up, entered this difficult phase of leaving behind her foalhood and becoming an adult. “First, I have a riddle for you, Cadenza.”

Cadence nodded, becoming more serious as she rose her head, and there was silence for a moment before King Serenite asked gently: “I can be given freely, but never taken by force. I can heal wounds, but leave the strongest stallion vulnerable. I give life meaning, but I can also steal away meaning from everything else. What am I?”

The rose-colored young mare lowered her head in thought, chewing on her lip for a few moments before she looked up and said softly: “Love.”

“That is correct, Cadenza, mi amore.” King Serenite said gently, giving a soft smile. “Love. Love is something we must cherish, love is something we must extend to all things, love has the power to conquer the world... but like all things, love can be abused. I love you, Cadenza. You are the most important thing in the world to me. I would do anything to make you happy. And I strive to be a better stallion for your sake even more than my own, even more than that of the people I serve and protect... but I fear sometimes too, Cadenza. I do not know what I would not do for you. I do not know what I would do if someone hurt you. I do not dare to dream of what would happen if I lost you, daughter. You're all I truly have.”

“But Father, you have an entire kingdom... and as much as I love you, too, as proud as I am to be your daughter...” Cadence smiled faintly, raising her head and looking honestly up at the king. “I'm only one pony, too. Sometimes we... have to do what's in the best interests of everyone else... not the one person we love. You taught me that, too.”

“I taught you that because I want you to be a stronger, better pony than I am. I want you to recognize that sometimes we must give up something important to us, to protect the rights and lives and innocence of many.” King Serenite slipped out of his throne, then he tightly embraced his daughter, who gladly pushed herself against him and returned the hug fiercely. “Because I'm not sure that I can honestly say I would be able to.”

Cadence only laughed a little at this, and then she murmured quietly: “I don't want to be better than you are, Daddy. I'd be happy if I could be half the pony you are.”

“You should aim higher than that, Cadenza. If you want to honor me, then strive to be better than me. The new generation should always be stronger than the last.” King Serenite said gently, reaching up and stroking his daughter's face tenderly before he shook his head slowly, then stepped back and said softly: “And now, another question for you, my daughter.”

Cadence nodded, stepping back and looking up at him intently, and her father measured her for a few moments with his gaze before he asked gently: “A family of ponies are caught inside a burning building. You can save them, but one pony will be trapped inside. The father is a blacksmith, the mother a seamstress, one child is an apprentice and the other only a babe. Who do you leave behind?”

“Why is someone stuck inside? Why can't I save them?” Cadence asked, and King Serenite sighed... but there was an amused warmth in his eyes all the same.

“That's just part of the puzzle, mi amore. Maybe someone has to stay behind to hold up a pillar, or hold the gates open.”

“Well, I'd use magic to reinforce the pillar or I'd just tear the gates down.” Cadence replied proudly, and King Serenite chuckled quietly at this and shook his head slowly. “Then I could save everyone.”

“Daughter, you know what the point of this puzzle is.” King Serenite said gently, and Cadence sighed before the king asked again: “Who do you leave behind?”

“None of them.” Cadence replied, looking up at her father with a smile, and he tilted his head before she said softly: “I let them all escape and stay behind myself. I know enough defensive magic to protect myself even if the building collapses on me. I have the best chance of survival... and it would be wrong to rush in to save them, and then abandon one pony because it was too hard, because my life was put at risk. My life was at risk the moment I stepped in to save them.”

King Serenite looked down thoughtfully for a few moments, and then he leaned down and asked her quietly: “Would you trade your life for an entire family's?”

Cadence nodded, and the king smiled before he asked gently: “Would you trade your life for a group of prisoners? For a group of barbarians? For a single child's?”

Cadence frowned at this, then she bit her lip and shifted uncomfortably back and forth before she looked up and answered honestly: “I don't know.”

“You're honest. I appreciate you being honest. Can you tell me what makes the decision so hard?” King Serenite asked, tilting his head curiously.

The young mare shifted back and forth, and then she said finally: “I don't think I can. It's too hard, too... big. There's too many questions, too much to consider. And the hardest is the child: what if he grew up to be a great leader, a great king? But what if he didn't grow up to be anyone at all? But, but on top of that, does that mean I should just walk past everyone who's being hurt just because...”

She bit her lip, looking uncomfortable, unable to find the right words as she felt a strange shift in her mind... but then her father reached up and gently squeezed her shoulder, saying softly: “It's alright. I pray you will never have to make this decision, Cadenza, because you're right: there is no right answer, without knowledge. But remember this: all life is sacred. Your life, and theirs.”

“So I should always try to save everyone... even the people who don't deserve it?” Cadence asked hesitantly, and King Serenite chuckled quietly.

“I believe the people who seem like they don't deserve it... are often the most deserving of all.” King Serenite replied gently, and then he smiled before striding past her, saying easily over his shoulder: “Come with me, mi amore. Let me show you something.”

Cadence smiled warmly and trotted quickly up to her father's side, raising her head proudly as she fell in step with him. She couldn't help but bask in the attention they both received from the castle's inhabitants: not fear, but respect and adoration and such warmth. Cadence couldn't imagine a better feeling than this: it was like all of the castle was their family, everyone was a friend, and everyone could trust and reach out to one-another.

They made their way down to one of the lower levels together, and Cadence frowned as she looked curiously around: this wasn't the prison, but rather a special ward where the barbarians who came to them were taught about civilization and society. She had mixed feelings about this place: she admired what the king was trying to do, but these 'Crystal Ponies' made her so damned nervous...

They approached the heavy armored doors at the end of the ward, and King Serenite knocked twice on these to announce his presence before his horn glowed. The doors lit up with the same pale radiance before they creaked and slowly pulled apart... and Cadence shivered a bit and stepped backwards as she saw what was waiting in the room beyond.

Guards in heavy armor were keeping a watchful eye over the two barbarians sitting grouchily together near the middle of the brightly colored room, while a unicorn with a clipboard spoke soothingly to the two ponies that Cadence recognized all too well.

Left and Right... and even though they had been washed and were heavily restrained, Cadence could barely suppress a shiver of fear at the sight of the twins. But King Serenite walked forwards, and the mare kept in the shadow of her father: she was afraid, but trusted in the stallion above all else, and was honestly reassured when he said gently: “They won't hurt you. I want you to see something.”

Cadence nodded hesitantly, and then she looked uneasy forwards again, studying the two: they had been throughly washed, although she thought they both still stank like raw meat, and they had cloth booties over their hooves and thick muzzles keeping them from biting. Straps went between their left and right legs, making it more difficult for them to move... although Cadence shivered a little as she remembered when she had been younger, a stupid filly who had snuck down to the dungeons to get a glimpse of the big scary barbarians that had been captured during a raid and...

She shook her head quickly, then looked up as the unicorn with the clipboard approached. A court mage, Cadence guessed from the sight of her robes. She bowed her head politely, and the mage bowed back to her and the king, saying respectfully: “Your lordship. I have good news and bad news and... well... some other news for you.”

King Serenite nodded, then he smiled a little as he looked over at Left and Right and studying them. They were seated at a table and actually attempting to shove around some of the blocks that had been left out for them... “They seem to be participating.”

“Yes, but I'm not sure if they just want their restraints off or if they really are trying to learn, though... with how they act, I can't even judge their intelligence. It doesn't help all these ideas are so... revolutionary, so strange...” The unicorn shook her head, laughing and blushing a bit. “Not that I'm not honored to have been chosen, sir, for this job... I... I just don't know how I'm supposed to... fix them.”

“Neither do I. But it's something I want us to work on together: in the past, we've been successful with educating the Crystal Ponies, after all. They're not animals, they're not any less than we are, if they're just given the chance to grow and develop like we have.” King Serenite said softly, gesturing towards the barbarians as they both looked darkly up at the table.

There was such anger, such hatred in their eyes, and Cadence shivered at it... and yet somehow, her father only smiled at them with pity, shaking his head slowly and saying softly: “But these two... they're strange. I don't want to imagine what must have made them this way... they seem to hate everything and everyone except for each other.”

“I never have either.” the mage said softly, shaking her head and looking at them before she bit her lip, then said hesitantly: “I'm not sure we can fix them this way, sire... I have... I try my hardest to remember your words, even though the barbarians have done so many awful things to us, and I honestly admire how you've given Crystal Ponies jobs, helped them become a part of our society... but these two...”

“No one is beyond help. No one is beyond being healed... I believe that with all my heart.” King Serenite said gently but firmly, and both the mage and Cadence looked up at him before the stallion gave a small smile and turned his eyes towards the twins. “Besides. They've demonstrated the ability to adapt and learn. They're very dangerous, but they do respond to us, they do interact in their fumbling way... I think we just need to reach out to them in the right way.”

The mage hesitantly nodded as Cadence looked up at her father, then she asked quietly: “But what about the ponies they've hurt, even killed? They won't come back even if we fix them.”

“No, they won't.” King Serenite said softly, turning to look at his daughter before he said gently: “And these two will have to atone for the wrongs they have done, in time. But we cannot rush to vengeance: we have to be patient, mi amore, and seek justice. We have to make them understand what they have done before we can punish them.”

Cadence nodded slowly, shifting a bit before she looked at the twins, studying them silently before she murmured: “Because we don't punish them solely to make ourselves feel better. We do it to try and make things right... not just to help ourselves, but to teach them that what they did was wrong.”

“Idealism, perhaps. But this entire kingdom is founded on idealism.” Serenite chuckled quietly, shaking his head slowly before he turned his eyes towards the twins, saying softly: “An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind, Cadence. Blood feuds leave only lonely orphans and easy targets for the real evils of the world to sweep in and steal what rightfully belonged to them.”

Cadence looked up at her father quietly, and he gazed back down before turning his eyes towards the twins, saying softly: “We'll find a way to get through to them. Although you may be right, Tessa. Maybe we can't fix them the same way we fixed the others... maybe there's something else wrong with them. Maybe it's not their minds that are broken...”

King Serenite lowered his head in thought, looking meditative before he nodded slowly to himself and murmured: “They don't seem to be able to feel the same way we do, or to understand emotions. Perhaps that's it: it's their hearts that are broken.”

The mage frowned at this, while Cadence's eyes widened slightly as she looked at the twins, then up at her father, asking with amazement tainted by fear: “Is that kind of thing really possible? What kind of magic would do that?”

“I don't know if it would require magic at all, Cadenza.” the king said softly, studying the twins before he gave a brief smile, glancing over at his daughter tenderly even as he explained in almost solemn tones: “We already discussed what love can do to a pony, did we not? And you know the effect that strong emotions alone can have on even the plainest, most-ordinary objects. You know about ghosts formed from rage, and sorrow, and longing; you know what low demons are, created from the power of our primal drives.”

“Brokenhearted... my lordship, it makes sense!” Tessa said suddenly, looking over at the king and nodding firmly as she smiled warmly. “We know that emotions factor into every element of our lives... we've seen brokenheartedness before, how it drains the life and emotions out of ponies! But because of our society's structure, only a few ponies are ever left completely without some kind of safety net, without anyone there to catch them, without some kind of option to turn to...

“But the barbarians don't help each other. They form war bands out of necessity but seem to take great pleasure in not just outdoing each other, but in seeing their own allies hurt. And from what we know of their society, they're like animals, with only the biggest and meanest ruling and taking whatever he or she wants.” continued Tessa, shaking her head quickly, but her eyes were bright with the excitement of the new landscape of ideas she had stumbled upon. “Imagine, these two giants in a society like that with something their own kind would doubtlessly not just mock them for but try and use against them. Imagine if they did have some emotional capacity once, and that was abused, leaving them heartbroken and hurt... driving them deeper and deeper into becoming...”

“Into becoming what we see in front of us. Brokenhearted.” finished the king, and then he smiled over at Tessa, saying softly: “Your talent has always been for puzzles. Thank you for helping me figure this one out, Tessa... and now, maybe, we can find a way to fix them. If we can fix them, Tessa, we'll be able to help ponies everywhere suffering from this kind of pain: we can develop techniques that will benefit not just the Crystal Ponies, but the unicorns and Pegasi as well.”

Cadence shifted uneasily, and then she shivered a little as the twins looked at each other before one began to chuckle quietly. Then the other started to laugh as well, his amusement punctuating his brother's, and the pink mare closed her eyes tightly as she stepped to the side to press against her father, not knowing why they bothered her so much, not knowing why something about... everything felt so wrong...

But her father comforted her. Just him being there comforted her: when he wrapped a foreleg around her and hugged her gently, she felt like she was protected from the entire world, and his kiss to her forehead was like a soothing balm upon her very soul. So when he murmured to her that everything was going to be okay, she believed his words...

Cadence was barely aware of the passage of hours and days: the whole castle was in a hubbub now, with mages and clerics hurrying to help with the research on the barbarian twins, and nobles and soldiers and other inhabitants of their beautiful kingdom all eagerly talking about the possible discovery the king had made. Many ponies thought King Serenite was eccentric and naïve, and more than a few thought his current venture was insane: why should they work so hard to help barbarians and monsters, after all?

But no one ever doubted his ability to rule, or his strength: for all the years he had ruled, their nation had been prosperous, and it was under his rule that they had made contact with the slowly-growing nation of Equestria to the south and established an alliance with them. Once, before Cadence had been born, the princesses of that nation had even visited the Crystal Kingdom and they had paid tribute to each other... and some rumors still swirled that Cadence was actually the blood daughter of one of the sisters and King Serenite.

Cadence didn't know if that was true or not: all she knew was what her father had told her, that she had fallen on a star, that she was an answered prayer. Part of her couldn't help but hope that she really was the king's daughter... but at the same time, part of her honestly hoped that she really had been adopted. To imagine that she had fallen right into her father's life as an answered prayer... to think that he could be so good, so kind, so generous to her even if she wasn't his own flesh and blood... it helped her believe in the world. It helped her believe that family and friends really were so much more than just people you were born with, the blood connections you had.

She needed that. She needed to be able to believe in that. And she couldn't imagine a better father than the king was. And she hoped that his nurturing, his compassion, his love would all be enough to make her a better pony.

Even if she was being raised and groomed as a princess, she wasn't really all that sure she was princess material, after all. Even if her talent was a strange form of magic and manipulating positive energy, she had another set of natural skills that didn't quite mesh with everything she was expected to be. Her body simply knew how to move in any given situation... especially when it came to fighting.

But what always worried her most was the fact that... she enjoyed fighting. It was a challenge, it was a thrill, it was... bad, wasn't it? She had always been taught that fighting wasn't something you did unless absolutely necessary, after all. And she honestly believed she should use her powers to protect and defend... but her father taught her that force was a weapon of last resort. That killing, outside of very rare circumstances, was wrong.

The rose-hued mare opened her eyes and gazed up at the ceiling of her room. Here she was, laying in bed, feeling funny. Like only minutes ago she had been snuggled up in her father's embrace, but now suddenly she was here. Like it hadn't been weeks that had passed, but mere seconds; like they weren't in the middle of some great journey but rather... they were on the edge of some deep dark pit...

She shook her head quickly, then sat up and brushed at herself absently before giving a brief smile. She wasn't in a dress, but simple leather armor: she had just finished a training session, although she still felt oddly... well, energetic. Which was strange, since she trained under the strongest champions of the realm, and they had long ago stopped underestimating how much the young mare could handle, in spite of her age.

So usually she was left exhausted. Today, though, she barely felt as if she had trained at all: then again, she still felt oddly like she had just skipped a few weeks of life. Maybe that had something to do with it... but either way, Cadence only shook her head briefly before deciding to take it as a blessing, as she hopped out of bed. She could use this time to go and see her father, after all, maybe catch him before he had to start any serious work for the day... or maybe she could even help.

Cadence headed quickly to the door and bounced through it to run down the stairs, trying to throw off the weird sense of gloom and doom that was pervading her senses. Even as part of her wanted to smile at the thought of seeing her father, some other part of her felt like it had already glimpsed the future, and knew that there was some great evil on the horizon... but that was ridiculous, wasn't it? They were trying to help ponies. The Crystal Kingdom was prosperous and they had long ago learned how to defend themselves against the incursions from the barbarians. There were no major threats to their kingdom, from inside or out... were there?

Cadence shook her head quickly as she stepped into the castle corridors, navigating quickly towards her father's throne room. But halfway there, her attention was drawn towards one of the meeting halls as she heard several distinct voices float out of the ajar door.

There was a guard, but Cadence only gave him a quick smile before she slipped up to the opening, peering through with interest. She heard her father's voice, and she managed to catch a glimpse of him... and then she furrowed her brow as she realized the large white object she could just see the edge of was... another creature. It looked almost like...

Cadence's mind filled with icy images and floating, blood-speckled feathers, and she shivered and stumbled backwards, falling on her rump. Cold sweat ran down her face as she reached up and touched her own pale features, and the guard stepped forwards with concern, trying to ask her a question... but Cadence only shook her head quickly before asking almost desperately: “Who is in there? Who is my father talking to?”

“I'm... not sure, Lady Cadenza. Someone he met on one of his walks... a dragon. He's visited occasionally...” the guard said slowly, tilting his head as he looked down at the young mare worriedly. “Should I escort you back to your room? Do you need a healer?”

“No, I... I'm fine. I don't know what came over me, but I'm fine now, thank you...” Cadence murmured uneasily, reaching up and scrubbing at her face slowly before she took a slow breath. And she was... she really was perfectly fine. She was thinking straight again and that weird moment of lightheadedness had passed and she was perfectly fine again. It must have just been a delayed reaction from her training, all her... exercise, or something...

Cadence shook her head, then leaned back into the doorway... before squeaking when the door was yanked all the way open, and she found a large, dark metallic blue pony glaring down at her. Her eyes widened as she looked up at him and saw he wasn't either unicorn or Pegasus... but he didn't seem anything like the barbarians, either. No, his ivory eyes were too cold, and he was too well-groomed, from his short, brush-cut silver mane to his docked tail.

“We have a visitor.” he announced icily, looking over his shoulder at the table, and her father looked up as the stranger turned around, a calm and charming and cunning smile on his features.

He drew Cadence's eyes: not because of his size, even though he towered over them. Not because he was a dragon, with ivory scales and tall, gleaming black horns and cruel amber eyes. Not because of his strange, perfect white suit that covered his bipedal body, or because of the silver rings on his fingers or the crystalline choker at his neck, in the shape of a howling wolf's head. None of these things compared to the sense of malevolence she felt from him, from the evils she knew he would commit without hesitation...

But how did she know that? Why did she look at him and see ice and evil and terror, while her Father smiled and gestured politely to the dragon, saying kindly: “This is my daughter, Lord Valthrudnir. Her name is Cadenza. Cadenza, mi amore, come over here by me, and say hello to Lord Valthrudnir.”

“Yes, Father.” Somehow, Cadence's voice came out much brighter than she felt, as she quickly stepped past the glaring stallion guarding the door and hurried to her father's side. He reached out and gently touched her face as he looked down at her with hidden concern, and she kissed his wrist in both apology and reassurance that she was okay before the young mare cleared her throat and turned towards their guest. “Greetings, Lord Valthrudnir. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“So you're the daughter that King Serenite talks so much about...” Valthrudnir smiled, but his amber eyes narrowed strangely as he studied her, the ivory dragon looking at her with an odd intentness before he suddenly sat back and tented his fingers together, asking pleasantly: “You're wearing a rather... quaint set of armor. And your father mentioned training; strange that physical combat seems to be among a princess' expected duties.”

“My daughter has her eccentricities. But I am proud that she is learning to defend herself and defend others. Her training has made her strong in mind and spirit as much as body.” King Serenite replied, and Cadence thought there was the slightest edge to his voice before the old stallion turned his eyes down to her, smiling at her and saying gently: “She grows stronger every day, Lord Valthrudnir. And wiser, too. I'm fortunate to have a child such as her, born to me on a winter's night almost fifteen years ago now.”

“I'm sure she does.” Valthrudnir looked down at the silver rings on his fingers, seeming to lose interest before his eyes flicked to the side, the dragon gesturing absently at the glaring, ivory-eyed pony. “This is Thesis. He serves as the Commander of my military forces. As you can see, he's from what you refer to as the 'barbarian' tribes, although yours are clearly of greater ignorance than the clan that he represents.”

Cadence turned a small smile towards Thesis, but Thesis only looked distastefully back before the mare hesitated, then asked before she could stop herself: “Where's his cutie mark?”

“Such a banal thing is of little concern to a specimen such as Thesis. He does not have the need to wear his predetermined talent upon his posterior like...” Valthrudnir halted and cleared his throat, then gave a thin smile as Cadence leaned uneasily back and King Serenite frowned ever so slightly at the dragon. “Pardon me. What I mean to say is that a... 'cutie mark...' is neither an important nor necessary part of his structure. A patterned picture does not determine what his abilities are or are not.”

“You could say that my father forgot to give me mine.” Thesis said with the faintest hint of bitterness, and Valthrudnir's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly as they flicked with irritation towards the pony. “Or maybe my purpose is so ingrained on my genetic structure that I will never forget precisely what I was made for...”

“You'll excuse him. Thesis, always trying so hard to impress others with words he doesn't entirely understand.” Valthrudnir said patronizingly, glaring over at the pony, who kept his head low... but there was a baleful fire in his eyes, what looked like both hate... and... some pleading desire, some kind of longing ache to be acknowledged, Cadence thought. In spite of all his differences from the barbarians, he still looked... almost as brokenhearted as the savage twins were.

King Serenite only bowed his head politely, saying softly: “Well, let me assure you, you are both free to speak as you desire, Lord Valthrudnir. I recognize that you and your guardian are both from a society you have described to be as a utopia... where order rules, and everyone works together in peace and harmony. I will be the first to admit I don't always understand what you're saying, but... I do believe you have great plans, and a great mind.”

Valthrudnir looked pleased with this, lacing his fingers together, and Cadence looked up uncertainly at the dragon. He seemed so easily taken in by the flattery... but somehow even that felt almost hostile to her, like the dragon knew he was better than all of them and they existed solely for his personal amusement.

She shivered a bit... but her father seemed willing all the same to give this dragon the benefit of the doubt, and Cadence didn't know why she... she hated him so much already. She had thought she'd hated the barbarians who razed their fields, she thought she'd hated the savages that killed and raped and stole from them and crowed and paraded proudly around with their ill-gotten gains outside of the Crystal Kingdom's territory... she'd always believed she hated Right and Left, more than anything in the world. But that had never been true hate: she'd never felt anything like this before...

“Perhaps we should pursue a more... physical method of testing the strength of our factions.” Valthrudnir said thoughtfully, and then he calmly gestured to Thesis, saying pleasantly: “Serenite, your daughter seems eager to prove herself. Why not give her a chance to display her skills in a short sparring session with Thesis?”

King Serenite frowned slightly as he straightened a bit, and Cadence looked uncertainly across at the cold stallion standing across the room. She studied him uneasily, drawing her eyes over his size, his powerful musculature, his handsome face... and she realized just how synthetic and plastic he looked. He was so perfect that he had all the texture of something chiseled from stone: the only thing about him that seemed alive was that bitterness, that awful suffering in his eyes...

“I don't know if that would be appropriate, Lord Valthrudnir... my daughter is strong, but I don't think either her or myself would claim her to be a champion of my military.” the old stallion said slowly, his eyes drawing towards Thesis. “She's still a young mare. Not a war-hardened veteran like your champion.”

“Thesis will restrain himself. You could almost say he's... incomplete at this stage of his life.” Valthrudnir said calmly, gesturing at the metallic-blue pony, who dropped his head as his body trembled with anger... and shame, Cadence thought. “Besides, this will only be a demonstration. Thesis will not badly injure your daughter. She can attack, and he will defend himself only as necessary.”

There was silence for a few moments, and the king looked uneasily at his daughter. But Cadence only swallowed thickly before looking up, saying in as even a voice as she could manage: “It would be my pleasure to fight your champion, Lord Valthrudnir. And Thesis... I hope that we can learn something from each other.”

“Very well.” Thesis said contemptibly, stepping forwards and rolling his head on his shoulders, and then his icy white eyes locked on Cadence as he said coldly: “Use your full strength. But even with your magic, I don't expect much of a challenge.”

“Thesis, don't degrade yourself to the level of barbarianism your fellows apparently revel in, in this realm.” Valthrudnir's voice was half-mocking, half-entertained before he leaned forwards, his eyes narrowing slightly as they returned to Cadence, measuring her as his gaze darkened slightly. “Whenever you're ready.”

“If you feel ready for this, mi amore, I won't stop you.” King Serenite said softly, but he reached up and squeezed his daughter's shoulder gently, smiling at her and adding quietly: “I am already proud of you, though. You don't need to do this if you don't want to.”

Cadence smiled briefly, looking up into her father's eyes before she said quietly: “I know, Daddy. But I feel it's important to... show you what I've learned.”

She trembled a bit as she stepped away from her father, looking back and forth as Thesis strode into the middle of the open area between the table and the closed door. There was more than enough space for them to put on a demonstration here: the meeting hall was long and wide, with a lot of empty area around the center table meant so that other people could gather in and listen in on or even participate in the sessions.

Thesis looked at her coldly: he was large and stoic, not even seeming to breathe as he stood at the ready. And Cadence gritted her teeth, knowing what she had to do as she bowed to her opponent and murmured: “I'm going to do my very best, Commander Thesis. I understand that you may hurt me. I will not resent you defending yourself in whatever way you feel is necessary.”

The stallion only looked at her coldly... and then he almost vanished as he ran forwards, and Cadence barely had the time to raise her head before she was on her back, a hoof crushing down on her throat and pinning her in place, looming over her like a mountain as he said icily: “The best way to defend yourself from an opponent is to preemptively attack and destroy them. Don't patronize me.”

Cadence tried to gasp for breath as her front hooves weakly attempted to pry Thesis' away, but he only kept her pinned, his expression cold and contemptible before he looked up over his shoulder when Valthrudnir said derisively: “Thesis, please. Show a modicum of restraint.”

Thesis began to open his mouth... and Cadence gritted her teeth as she summoned up all the magic she could, a ray of pink light blasting upwards and slashing across Thesis' face. The stallion was sent reeling back with a shout of surprise, and Cadence flapped her wings hard to launch herself out from beneath him before she rolled sharply to a crouch, gritting her teeth as Thesis caught himself and bared his teeth... then giggled.

The stallion's eyes bulged before he reached up and covered his mouth, looking shocked, and Cadence leapt forwards, shooting straight at his face. Immediately, the stallion snarled and leaned forwards, moving faster than Cadence could react and slamming a punch into her midsection that sent her rocketing backwards to bounce off a chair and knock the table ajar.

Thesis giggled at her as she fell to the floor, the winged unicorn barely catching herself... and then the stallion bared his teeth and shook his head violently, cursing under his breath and grasping at his head as Valthrudnir remarked distastefully: “How pathetic. Are you really so weak-minded that even that filly's magic can maul your plebian brain?”

“She's... accelerated endorphins, serotonin, melatonin... it's only a temporary flare of biochemical...” Thesis shook his head sharply, flushing slightly and looking humiliated before he glared when Cadence rushed towards him.

Her horn began to glow, but Thesis leapt out and slapped it viciously, causing a flare of agony through Cadence's skull and whiffing out her magic before he dropped an elbow cruelly onto the bridge of her muzzle, knocking her head to the side and sending her spilling over; before she could hit the ground, however, he caught her by the side of the neck and jerked her in the other direction, flinging her viciously down into the floor before raising a hoof-

Cadence launched herself forwards as hard as she could, swinging her horn wildly out, and the stallion cursed as she cut into his ankle. He reared back, raising both front hooves high before slamming them down, but all he managed to hit was the ground when Cadence rolled herself lithely backwards and snapped her horn out.

A blast of pink light washed over Thesis and blinded him as a torrent of emotions ripped through his mind, the stallion roaring and covering his face with his front hooves as he arched his back. It left him vulnerable and humiliated as he wrestled to control almost-alien feelings, and Cadence immediately leapt forwards and slammed a hoof into his stomach.

It was like hitting rock, but the young mare gritted her teeth as she leaned forwards into punch after punch into Thesis' stomach, the stallion cursing and flinching before he looked down in shock at the young mare pounding fearlessly away at him. Then his ivory eyes flashed with fury and hate before he rose his front hooves high and slammed both down into the young mare.

Cadence was crushed into the floor with a broken whimper, and Thesis seized her by the shoulders before flinging her onto her back, crushing her down and pinning her as he glared furiously down at her. “Do you really think you can hurt me?”

Cadence coughed once, then looked back up at Thesis fearlessly, their faces only inches apart before she asked through the haze of pain filling her body: “Why does love scare you so much?”

“Love doesn't exist. Our emotions are nothing but chemicals in our minds, signals produced by reactions in the gray matter of our neurons.” Thesis said coldly, straightening slightly as he kept her pinned, his eyes filled with contempt and coldness... and such a strange, foalish fear. “We are nothing but chemicals, our actions the consequences of instinct and physics.”

The winged unicorn gave a faint smile up at him, and then she said quietly, honestly: “I feel sorry for you. And if this is what you have to become to earn his approval... is it really worth it?”

Thesis' eyes widened, and then he snarled in fury before raising a hoof high, and Cadence trembled before the hoof swung down... but it was stopped, caught by another stallion. And Cadence looked up with a tremble as King Serenite said gently: “That's enough now.”

Thesis only glared furiously at the king, then he slapped his hoof aside. Their eyes met: Thesis, nothing but anger and pain beneath his icy, mechanical facade, and her father, so calm, so gentle, so... pitying the pony across from him.

Then Cadence felt it, more than she saw or heard it: a subtle change in the air, a masked order as Valthrudnir shifted, and Thesis suddenly shifted all his weight into one sharp punch. But Serenite leaned backwards out of the way, narrowly evading the strike before he flicked his horn forwards.

There was a bright flash, and Thesis was blinded for a moment as Cadence winced and felt a whirl of vertigo... and a moment later, she was half-sprawled backwards in a floating bubble of energy, and her father was standing beside her, still as calm as ever as he said softly: “Lord Valthrudnir. If you wouldn't mind, I believe the sparring match has ended.”

“Yes, Thesis, there's no need to continue making such an idiot out of yourself.” Valthrudnir said almost pleasantly, but Cadence saw such malice in his eyes, saw the way he seemed... amused, if anything, at what was going on. And she heard another hidden order in his words, too, as Thesis gritted his teeth and she swore she saw a split-second of hesitation before he leapt forwards.

King Serenite only flicked his horn, a flash of white light blinding Thesis before the warrior pony was hammered backwards by telekinesis, knocking him skidding across the room as Serenite calmly stepped forwards and said quietly: “This is not the way to resolve our differences. Lord Valthrudnir, please, I ask you again. Call off your soldier.”

“I would, King Serenite, but you see, you've challenged Thesis by your own actions. Oh, certainly, there's a primal romantic notion to defending your daughter's pride, but all the same you did intervene unnecessarily in a duel with preset rules we had all agreed to.” Valthrudnir replied equably, gesturing easily with one hand as he sat back calmly. “We all must reap the consequences of our actions, Serenite. A reaction for every action: that is what my society is built upon.”

Thesis smiled coldly, and Serenite sighed softly as he shook his head slowly before the old stallion said quietly: “Thesis, then, I ask you to stop this. I have no interest in laying blame: the past is already past and we, together, can work our way towards a much better future. But I also will not hesitate to defend myself against you.”

“Good.” Thesis said coldly, and then he leapt forwards, swinging a hoof out. But Serenite was fast, smoothly moving out of the way of the punch before shifting only slightly to dodge the next strike.

Thesis was accurate and moved rapidly, never leaving himself vulnerable, turning every missed punch into a vicious swipe or elbow... and yet Serenite only continued to look calm as he shifted back and forth, never letting an attack more than brush him. In fact, he almost seemed disappointed: not with Thesis, but with the fact that Valthrudnir was only sitting back and watching with a cold smile.

The unicorn kept his calm and most of his focus on Thesis, who, on the other hoof, seemed like he was starting to lose his patience. Every missed attack seemed to be adding to his frustrations as he glared furiously at his opponent, becoming more vicious and trying to move in closer, hooves almost clawing at Serenite... but still, the old king shifted easily away, moving in a slow circle to stop Thesis from cornering him.

Finally, Thesis snarled and lunged into a lightning-fast strike of one hoof, but Serenite deflected this with one foreleg as his horn glowed brightly, the same distinct light shining around his limb and insulating it. Thesis growled at this, but Serenite smoothly leapt backwards... and Cadence's eyes widened as she realized that her father had done more than just block the attack.

There was a thin rope of golden light now attached to Thesis' foreleg, leading to the band of energy around Serenite's own. Thesis barely seemed to register this, however, leaping towards Serenite and trying to slam a punch into him... and only noticing the golden string when the old stallion expertly twined it around Thesis' foreleg even as he smoothly dodged his attack.

Thesis cursed, then turned and yanked viciously on the string, trying to pull Serenite in close: but instead, the rope lengthened, and Thesis had a moment to look surprised before the king slipped forwards and calmly whirled the golden thread around the pony's neck.

Then he pulled tight, and Thesis cursed and yanked his head backwards as the golden rope cinched tight around his neck. Serenite's eyes widened as the dark-coated pony dragged himself backwards, the old king surprised by the younger stallion's strength before Thesis suddenly reversed his momentum and threw himself at Serenite.

The older pony grimaced as he backpedaled, the golden string connecting the two stallions whirling back and forth as Thesis stomped and swung savagely out at Serenite, even as the king smoothly slid his way out of the path of the warrior's rampage.

Cadence leaned forwards, shocked at how viciously Thesis fought, how quickly her father moved: every attack Thesis made linked to another strike, every missed punch became a sidestep or a stomp that took him closer to her father. And yet King Serenite moved with the grace of a dancer, avoiding even the most vicious of attacks and deflecting the few strikes he couldn't get out of the way of, while at the same time further entangling Thesis in the golden rope.

And Thesis was growing frustrated again... and again, there was the tinge of humiliation in his cheeks as Valthrudnir watched with contempt and a cruel, pedantic amusement. Thesis seemed almost supernaturally aware of the dragon even as he slung himself at Serenite again and again, and in spite of the stallion's violence and his cold savagery in his movements, Cadence felt pity for him: with every moment that passed, he looked more and more like a pony striving to impress an uncaring idol...

Thesis made a desperate lunge: not because he was hurt, not because he realized how of the magical rope had been twined around his body, not because he thought he was losing, but because he hadn't managed to leave more than a few bruises over Serenite's forelegs and shoulder. But without hesitation, without fear, without even anger, Serenite flicked his horn calmly and blasted Thesis backwards, the warrior flailing his limbs helplessly as Serenite spun the golden rope almost lazily to loop the magical strand around both rear legs.

Thesis crashed down on his back, cursing, all four limbs sticking almost comically up in the air... and without hesitation, Serenite leapt straight over Thesis, who winced and covered his face defensively. But Serenite landed smoothly above the pony without making contact, instead whirling the rope around so a loose length locked around Thesis' forelegs before he sharply pulled.

And Thesis gargled in shock as his rump and rear legs were hauled into the air, his eyes widening. He attempted to struggle, but far too late: Serenite had already gotten another loop of rope around his ankles and yanked on the magical tether from another direction, jerking his forelimbs straight so all four of his hooves were touching. And with a few short twirls of the rope, Thesis was left hogtied on his back, struggling uselessly against the magical string binding his legs together.

He snarled, attempting to pull his limbs apart... and then choked loudly as the golden rope around his neck went taut. But the moment he stopped struggling, it loosened... and Thesis trembled before cursing as he fell on his side, glaring furiously up at Serenite.

But the king only looked calmly down at him, the end of the magical rope now secured to the floor instead of his own foreleg. The old stallion shook his head slowly, then said softly: “You can free yourself from this at any time, Thesis. All you have to do is relax. I have no desire to harm you, and I bear you no ill will.”

“No! This isn't over!” Thesis shouted, and he yanked against the magical restraints... but completely in vain, only managing to uselessly jerk his limbs around and choke himself again. All the same, he fought on in spite of how clearly useless it was, betraying something animal and pitiable beneath that cold and perfect scientific shell.

King Serenite looked down at Thesis for a few moments, then his eyes flicked up towards Valthrudnir, who was smiling coldly, his fingers laced together over the table. The two looked at each other evenly for a few moments, and then the dragon sat back, saying calmly: “Well, congratulations, King Serenite. What a marvelous showing of your superiority over an inferior specimen such as Thesis. Even if your magic is... unrefined.”

Valthrudnir rose a hand, and with a snap of his fingers, the golden rope around Thesis shattered into motes that faded quickly from sight, and Serenite staggered backwards with a wince as magical recoil sparked along his horn. Immediately, Thesis rolled up to his hooves with a snarl, but then he froze in place as the dragon added dismissively: “Enough. You've already worn on our host's patience, Thesis. There's no need to provoke him any further with your childishness.”

Thesis dropped his head, muttering to himself, and Cadence shivered a little even as King Serenite said calmly: “It was no provocation, Lord Valthrudnir. But perhaps it would be best if we ended our discussion here for the moment. We've already come to several important agreements, after all, and I know you have more important matters to attend to than my kingdom's border disputes.”

“King Serenite, believe me when I say that I am very interested in your kingdom and its disputes, however major or minor.” Valthrudnir said pleasantly, and there was something... almost predatory about his words, before his eyes flicked towards Cadence, the dragon asking after a moment: “As a gesture of goodwill, shall I heal your daughter?”

“I appreciate it, but Cadenza is none the worse for wear. I'm afraid I did in fact allow my fatherly instincts to take over. I can see now that Thesis did in fact have control of the situation.” Serenite replied tactfully, and Valthrudnir only looked slightly irked as Thesis looked away with disgust that masked maybe the faintest hint of shame.

Cadence's body ached, but she did her best to nod in agreement as the safe bubble of magic she was in gently released her. She forced herself to stand tall, bowing her head politely and murmuring: “Thank you. I learned a lot. It was a... an honor to meet you, Lord Valthrudnir, Commander Thesis.”

“Yes... I will return tomorrow and we will continue our negotiations, King Serenite. Your kingdom can benefit greatly from the gifts I have to give.” Valthrudnir said finally, apparently dismissing whatever was bothering him as he stood up. And Cadence shivered as she looked up at the towering dragon: he was so... enormous, and he cast such a long, deep, awful shadow...

She felt his amber eyes settle on her for a moment, studying her with a strange intentness before he shook his head moodily and turned, gesturing sharply at Thesis. Thesis dropped his own head, then turned to follow the dragon, giving only one final, resentful look over his shoulder.

Cadence didn't know why, but she hesitated only a moment before bolting after the two, her father watching with surprise as his daughter ran past and then stuck her head out the doorway, watching as the two walked away. Dragon and large stallion strode through the halls of the castle as if they owned the entire kingdom, parting the crowds and scaring ponies into silence with their presence alone, but neither seemed to even be aware of the people around them as Valthrudnir remarked contemptibly: “I expect more from my Replicants, Thesis. Even one as incomplete as yourself.”

Thesis didn't reply, but Cadence could feel his humiliation from here... and the winged unicorn winced before ducking back into the doorway as Valthrudnir looked over his shoulder. She froze, breathing hard, terrified for some reason that he had seen her, like she expected the dragon to come back... but after a few moments, she slowly craned her head out into the hall and sighed in relief as she saw that he was gone.

Then she almost jumped out of her skin when her father gently touched her back, turning around before groaning in pain and hugging herself as the king caught her in his forelegs, then pulled her close, whispering in her ear: “Cadenza, mi amore, it's alright now...”

“I... who were they? Why were you dealing with such... such monsters?” Cadence asked worriedly, trembling and shaking her head quickly, and her father chuckled quietly before he drew back, smiling faintly down at her as his horn glowed. And Cadence winced a bit, but then relaxed slowly as she felt a comforting warmth spreading through her body, the pink mare dropping her head and breathing quietly as she felt her aches and injuries healing little by little.

“They are different from us, Cadenza... but we must give them the benefit of the doubt, all the same.” replied King Serenite gently, and then he reached up and squeezed his daughter's shoulders gently, saying softly: “The society that Lord Valthrudnir comes from has incredibly-advanced technology, including golem workers and machines that purify air and water, and protect vast swathes of land. And Lord Valthrudnir himself, as you have seen, has immense magical power.”

“I... I don't trust him. I don't know why, but I don't trust him, and Thesis...” Cadenza shivered, shaking her head and whispering: “He only seemed like a real pony when he was sad. My heart hurt when I looked at him, when I heard him talk... Daddy, can we really trust a nation where they don't believe in love?”

King Serenite chuckled quietly at this, replying gently: “And we must seem just as strange to them, Cadenza. I'd like for you to try and give them a chance... would it make you feel better if you sat in with me during our conferences? I can have your training moved to the mornings... and perhaps we can call this part of your lessons for now. It's very important that you learn diplomacy, mi amore.”

Cadence gave a small laugh, looking down for a moment before she shivered and shook her head quickly, murmuring: “You also told me to trust my instincts, and... I just... I just get an awful feeling from that dragon. He's not good, Daddy...”

“A sad truth, Cadenza, is that there is no universal good.” King Serenite said softly, squeezing into her shoulders before he explained: “Think of this. A homeless pony steals an apple, just to keep himself alive. The shop owner demands he's caught, as is his right: a guard captures the pony and throws him in the dungeon, as our laws demand. But if he hadn't stolen that apple, he would have starved to death.”

The young mare shifted slowly, and Serenite smiled a little, saying quietly: “But no one in this scenario is doing bad, either. The shopkeeper has a right to his earnings, so he can keep a roof over his head. The guard has to do his job to maintain order, he cannot pick and choose on his own whims. These things only seem evil because they have come down on an unlucky pony.”

“One apple isn't going to feed a pony, though... any more than it's going to keep a roof over someone's head.” Cadence mumbled, and King Serenite chuckled as he reached up to ruffle her mane gently with one hoof.

“Perhaps they are enchanted apples. You know what I'm getting at, Cadenza. Lord Valthrudnir and Thesis frighten you... they frighten me, too. And I believe they are from a society that is likely much stricter, much harsher than our own. But they are also offering us assistance.” Serenite said softly. “I want to protect my people. I want to protect you, mi amore. They are not our enemy. They are simply... different from us.”

Cadence didn't know if that was true or not, but she nodded uneasily before biting her lip, then looking up and whispering: “But Daddy if... if even once, they do something that makes you think they're bad... promise me you'll never let them into our kingdom again. Okay?”

King Serenite looked down at his daughter silently for a few moments, and then he sighed softly and nodded slowly, murmuring: “If they bother you that much, Cadence... very well. You have my word. I promise...”

King Serenite closed his eyes... and Cadence shivered as she closed her own eyes tightly before she felt a whirl of vertigo through her system, and she looked up disbelievingly as her eyes opened, realizing days had passed, and her hooves were now grasping her father's shoulder tightly as he leaned over her, tears running down his cheeks, terrible black veins running through his body... “I promise...”

Cadence shut her eyes tightly, shaking her head violently, whimpering as tears ran down her face before she opened them again... and she and her father were in her room, and she could smell smoke and poison, and there was an overturned platter beside her, and... and...

Her father was looking down at her, his eyes, his emotions, shining out of Sombra's features. He boiled with darkness, his regal cloak stained with blood and ashes, his horn curved and thrumming with poisonous energies as he grasped tightly into her shoulders and whispered: “I promise I will always be here for you, mi amore Cadenza... I will never, ever let him take you away from me...”

Serenite breathed hard in and out, straightening... and Cadence's eyes rolled in her head before she slumped against him as she felt her breathing slowing, her eyes closing... and yet she was aware. Horribly, terribly aware of what was going on... of what had happened. Of how Valthrudnir had tricked them, had given his promises, had built that mechanical wonderland beneath the castle... had promised them the tools to protect themselves from the barbarians, even to help teach them, bring them into their society... how it had all been deception...

She remembered, in blurred images, Valthrudnir and her father toasting their success, this great machine that had been built... she remembered her father drinking from his cup, and then... screaming. How the poison had spread through him... but not to kill him, oh no. Valthrudnir wasn't that kind. He had done far, far worse to him...

And now, Valthrudnir was waiting for them. He had played his cruel games with them, corrupted, twisted her father for no reason she could understand into something... awful, and evil. Someone who she still loved, loved with all her heart and soul, but who scared her... who could no longer rule his kingdom, who couldn't control himself, who was being driven to doing worse and worse things until this final test by the dragon, this climactic moment...

Cadence's eyes fluttered, and her father hugged her close against his chest. He held her as tears ran down his face, rocking her slowly in his forelegs, cradling her like the child she still was as he whispered to her: “Sogni d'oro, mi amore. I cannot save myself, but I can still save you... and that is right. That is good. Don't cry, Cadenza... uno chi fa il letto deve trovarsi in esso.”

Cadence slumped against him, and Serenite bit his lip, trembling... before he snarled suddenly, eyes opening, head raising as he slowly stood.

And as he rose to his hooves, the world whirled around him: Cadence was now in a glass coffin in front of him, and he stood not in her tower, but in a field that had been burned and poisoned. Behind him, four soldiers shivered, cowering in fear of the enormous dragon that had corrupted their king and kingdom as Valthrudnir only smiled mockingly.

With a single gesture, the lid of the coffin opened, and Cadence's limp body floated into the air. She was pale and still, and eerily beautiful in her flowing dress as she rotated slowly on the spot...

And then Valthrudnir simply dropped his hand, and Cadence fell as well, her head whacking the edge of the coffin with a sickening crack as she sprawled over the edge of the casket. The king leaned forwards with a furious roar at this, dark lightning cracking around his body and his champion flinching away in terror, but Valthrudnir only gave another entertained smile.

Slowly, the dragon rose a hand... then he simply clenched his fist, and in the distance leagues behind them, the tower that had once housed Cadence's room exploded in a tremendous blast of dust and stone. The king looked over his shoulder in disbelief as his soldiers all quailed, and then he growled low in his throat as the ruins of the tower crumbled visibly away. And even from here, he could hear the screams of his people suffering... but the pain he felt was very, very distant, his heart suffocated by a darkness that delighted and slavered over the destruction...

“Remember your place. But very good, Serenite. I am satisfied. And you will be pleased to know that I will be leaving shortly... I have other, more pressing projects to attend to than these silly games with you.” Valthrudnir said dismissively, and the king growled up at the dragon as his eyes flashed with hatred. “Enough. You should be thanking me, plebian, for how generous I've been in sharing such a precious resource as I have with you. And in a few more days, what little mind you have left will be gone forever: you'll be nothing but a guard dog for a small-scale manufacturing plant. As your kind rightfully is.”

The king roared and leapt forwards, his entire body glowing with power as his horn glowed with evil magic... and then he gargled, caught and left helpless in a telekinetic vise as Valthrudnir only clenched one hand, the dragon smiling coldly. “Or perhaps you've already lost what little mind you once had.”

His fingers flexed, and the king vomited black blood as his ribs cracked and his legs were crushed and bent into unnatural positions by the raw psychic pressure. Then Valthrudnir laughed before easily flicking his wrist, and the king was flung bonelessly backwards into his quailing champions, knocking them sprawling like bowling pins. “But I've wasted enough of my valuable time on a pathetic little philistine like you, Serenite. Try and think of it as... a unique chance to understand those savages you were so obsessed with saving... as if you were ever any less of a philistine than they were with your walls of stone and childish mind.”

With that, Valthrudnir turned, and after only a few steps he simply vanished, as if he had never been there at all. And the king gritted his teeth before he almost flung himself to his hooves, staggering over to the glass coffin and gently grasping Cadence, carefully slipping her back into the coffin and hissing quietly at the sight of the small streak of blood along one side of the casket.

He was careful, tender, as he moved her back into position inside the coffin, while his champions nervously picked themselves up. They looked uneasily around at the torpid fields, at the grisly ridges of black stone towers that had torn their way out of the once-smooth soil their kingdom had been blessed with...

“Guards.” the king whispered, and all four champions immediately returned their attention to him as he breathed hard, then slowly set the lid back on the glass coffin. He stroked silently over it, then trembled for a moment, fighting back that awful, animal evil that was trying to take him over, that writhed and danced and cavorted inside him, that wanted to hurt, to kill, to claim everyone... even his own beloved child...

But slowly, he rose his head high, regaining his old dignity for a moment: and as he turned towards his champions, they took strength in their king, raising their heads high as he said quietly: “Take Cadenza far away from here. There is a carriage waiting for you only a few yards from here... take it, take her, and bury her somewhere no one will ever find her. Then go as far and wide and fast as you can from this cursed kingdom, and never tell anyone of what you have done.”

The four looked uneasily at each other... but one-by-one, they saluted their king. And their king smiled at them faintly before he bowed his head low to them, whispering: “Leave quickly. I would bless you, but... my magic is no longer fit for giving blessings. All I can promise is that... I will try and save as many lives as I can before... before it is too late.”

“We wish you strength, King Serenite.” was all any of the champions could think to say, echoed by his compatriots. And then, with that, they each gripped a handle of the coffin, and soon, they were gone.

The king sat by himself for the longest time... until he looked slowly up to see Valthrudnir standing over him, the dragon frowning darkly down at the unicorn. But the unicorn looked fearlessly back before the dragon said softly: “I have been going over it in my mind... and something wasn't quite right. She was dead... but perhaps you've made a foolish error of judgment, Serenite, and ensured her death is not quite permanent. I shall give you one chance to rectify this mistake by bringing me to wherever you have hidden her body, or I will be forced to... persuade you.”

But the king only laughed bitterly, shaking his head slowly as he whispered: “You're too late. She is long gone by now, hidden in a place I'll never find her... where you'll never find her.”

“You underestimate my power.” Valthrudnir said wit what was almost disappointment, and then he calmly lowered one finger to point at the king as the corrupted stallion looked coldly up at the dragon. “It is only because of a whim that you are still alive and talking. It is only because I do not want to waste the effort or energy that I have not already found and destroyed your precious little filly.”

The king laughed harshly again, and then he shook his head in disgust and replied contemptibly: “No. You can't find her without my help, and you know that. Just like you know that you have no way left to compel me... hurt me, torture me, I'd welcome it. And you said yourself... you are not kind enough to kill me.”

Valthrudnir studied the pony moodily for a few moments... and then he suddenly gave a thin smile, saying softly: “Very well, Serenite. Have your little victory; I'd rather watch your ego crumble slowly than crush it all at once. The thought of you crawling to me, begging to tell me where your precious little child is for just one more taste of power... that delights me far more than a simple, quick execution ever would.”

“No... she's my lucky star. She always has been.” whispered the king as he lowered his head, trembling and shaking his head violently. “I chased the throne when I was young... I wanted to be worthy. I thought strength would make me worthy... so like a dog, I did my father's bidding, I marshaled his soldiers, I dragged my family around this nation, killing the barbarians like pigs...

“And the barbarians caught us unaware one night, and they killed my entire family. My siblings, my parents, my wife... left me alone, because we had been so intent on destroying the last few dregs of a war-band we had chased them into their own territory without thinking!” The king snarled, looking furiously up, but Valthrudnir only looked bored as he calmly examined his own claws. “Occhio per occhio, dente per dente... it makes the whole world blind and toothless! No, ogni medaglia ha il suo rovescio, Lord Valthrudnir... these are lessons not even you can make me forget!”

The dragon slowly leaned down, looking with distaste at the king before he said softly: “You're boring me. Stop quoting your inanities at me and accept that no matter how special you think you are, you are nothing but a mess of flesh and chemicals, a puppet that I have twisted into something bordering on useful from your previous pathetic state.”

There was silence for a few moments, and then the king shook his head slowly and gave a bitter smile, whispering: “No. There is more to me than you understand... and more to her, too. My daughter was a gift from Heaven... she fell on a lucky star, and she has always carried that fortune with her. And that same luck will carry her far away, where neither you nor I can hurt her.”

“What?” Valthrudnir frowned, then his eyes suddenly widened before he snarled and seized the king by the throat, hauling him up to eye level as he snapped: “What are you talking about? What do you mean, a 'lucky star?'”

The king snarled... then suddenly grinned, whispering: “She was my daughter. She brought hope, happiness back to me after so many years... alone, defending my kingdom from the barbarians, every day wondering if I was doing right-”

“I am not interested in your life story, Serenite! Did your daughter fall from the sky?” Valthrudnir snarled, shaking the stallion violently before his eyes flashed, and the king howled as lightning crackled and ripped over his body, becoming almost-tangible whips that snapped and tore long gouges through the king's flesh. “Tell me or I will flay you alive!”

“Then do it! She's gone!” the king roared in response, clutching uselessly at the dragon's wrists... and then he gasped as he was flung cruelly to the ground, before his eyes widened as he looked up as Valthrudnir rose a hand...

And then the dragon suddenly relaxed, taking a slow breath before he smoothed the wrinkles out of his suit, then smiled thinly as he said softly: “No. This kingdom is mine now, and even if your daughter returns... you will kill her yourself. And far be it from me to deny you that pleasure...” Valthrudnir halted, then he absently touched his side as he said distastefully: “No, I have no further time to waste here. I'll let the contamination spreading through you infect the rest of the ignorant masses you rule and turn this entire kingdom into a tumor. Wasting my time on a single discarded toy is pointless.”

Valthrudnir turned, and the king couldn't help but bare his teeth in what was almost a sneer as he felt the pain fading from his body, watching the dragon start to walk away before he croaked: “It sounds like you're having a hard time reassuring yourself, oh mighty Lord Valthrudnir.”

The dragon halted... then he gave a cold smile over his shoulder, replying softly: “If any other insect from this place spoke to me like that, Serenite, I would have them vivisected. But with you, I consider rudeness a sign of progress. So congratulations, King Serenite. I'm happy to see you're already falling into your new role.”

Valthrudnir laughed as he walked away, and the king trembled on the ground before he clenched his eyes shut, whispering: “N-No... I am not Serenite... I am...”

He closed his eyes, and picked himself slowly up... and as he did so, the world around him whirled and changed. Slowly, the king sat back as dark energies rumbled over his body and toxic miasma leaked from his eyes, until he was resting back in a mighty and terrible throne, with two shivering unicorn guards on either side, and his massive hall filled with collared and chained barbarians, all of them snarling and whispering to each other, but none of them able to disobey their new master thanks to the magical restraints.

“King Sombra.” A unicorn mage approached, and the king looked coldly down at this stallion as he dropped to a kneel, murmuring: “As you have commanded, we've...” He swallowed thickly. “We've driven as many unicorns and Pegasi out of the kingdom as possible. Your... servants... have imprisoned many of the rest. There are only a few ponies left that are not in service to the crown.”

“Good.” Sombra said softly, although his heart ached. It hurt, so badly, to do this... but he knew he had no other choice. And no one could be privy to what he knew... that would be his punishment, and his insurance that none of Valthrudnir's lackeys would be able to stop him. “Where are Sinister and Dexter?”

“They're... feeding.” The mage swallowed thickly, then he asked worriedly: “Should... should I bring them to you, my lord?”

“Oh no. They're right where I need them now.” Sombra smiled thinly, then he ordered coldly: “Choose three prisoners at random and lock them in with my children. Whatever remains shall be put on display for all to see what the price of treason is.”

“Y-Y-Yes, King Sombra.” the unicorn said weakly, and then he staggered around in a circle and hurried away.

Sombra chuckled quietly... but he closed his eyes and prayed for strength, even as that evil, that awful poison rippling through his veins almost purred with the act of power. The... the small act of power, compared to what he could do if he so desired... he could have so much more, if only he asked...

But he wouldn't. No, no, he wouldn't. He would sacrifice enough to sate the darkness while he worked out his plan, slowly, carefully... but he knew, sooner rather than later, there would need to be a purge. He'd saved as many lives as he could, using the cruelty of this darkness that had taken him over to drive all the unicorns out of his kingdom... and, damned as he already was, he had sent his soldiers out to capture all the barbarians they could and kill the rest. That way, at least, he could ensure that his people were as safe as possible while they tried to cross the tundra...

And these slave hoofs... what he had once called the Crystal Ponies... they had a chance to survive. They were a hardy people, sometimes able to ignore his orders even under magical duress, and more importantly apparently immune to the infection that was already spreading into the unicorns. There were few who were showing visible signs yet, but the king could see it taking root in them all the same: it was in the faint glow in their eyes, the darkening of their coats, the way their magic was changing and they were becoming... crueler, colder. It was like they were becoming... like him.

Only those who spent extended amounts of time in his presence were changing, at least. And only one so far had... transformed, for lack of a better word. Become something more like him, but without retaining any of his mind, just lashing out with malign magic at everything around him until Sombra had destroyed him. And destroying him had been so easy, felt so good, and afterwards he had been so tempted to... to...

Sombra shoved these thoughts violently away, breathing slowly before he looked calmly to his left. Several slave hoof mares whimpered and winced away from him, cowering in terror: they formed a personal little harem for him, so to speak. More important than that to the king, they were around him almost every hour of every day, and these Crystal Ponies hadn't even shown the slightest hint of being infected by his malign powers.

There were only two barbarians in all the kingdom that had been infected with his power... the twins that he'd taken to calling Sinister and Dexter. But he thought, because they had been brokenhearted, the darkness had been able to creep into them through another way... they had likely welcomed the poisons in. Which meant that if Sombra wanted to somehow save his kingdom, he had to find a way to stop the hopelessness, the despair, the suffering of his people from becoming so great they too became brokenhearted... and became infected by this malignant darkness burning through his body.

He had to do it himself. And it hurt so much to focus through the greedy, hungry animal-self trying to take him over, but as long as he kept his mind, remembered who he was... focused on his daughter... he was able to call up his old magic. But with every spell he cast, it felt like a bit more of his spirit and self were draining away, replaced by the growing evil...

But all the same, he forced himself to work. He used Valthrudnir's terrible machinery and the dark powers he had developed to shape the container: he used the memories of his daughter and all the broken shards of his former self to fill it with light. He created a Crystal Heart to spread love, and hope, and light to all who felt its radiance... but knew that it alone wouldn't be enough. When he'd shone its light over a single pony, that pony's spirit had been fortified, their very body had become as radiant as the gemstone that had blessed them... but the moment that light was removed, the pony had become nothing more than a chained barbarian again, and worse, one who was now longing for the light that had been taken away.

So he hid it away, out of sight, where no one would be able to find it and steal this last piece of hope... and he finished what he had started long ago, killing the last of the unicorns and the Pegasi that had stayed behind. There were very few: many had fled, and he only hoped they escaped to safety. It left him with a kingdom of chained and manacled and magically-controlled barbarians he still called the Crystal Ponies... and now, they really were Crystal Ponies, weren't they?

Sombra laughed bitterly at this as he stood atop his castle, looking silently down over his industrious army of slaves. They had torn down most his castle, and instead, all the pieces were being used to build up this single mighty tower. They didn't know what they were working on... but the entire structure would become an amplifier. One that would irradiate the entire kingdom with the powers of the Crystal Heart... and would destroy the twisted darkness that had spread through his nation.

The ground reeked of corruption, villages were nothing but warped and burnt husks, a permanent pall of malign energy lingered in the air. Almost-alive black gemstone had overgrown everything, as if in mocking tribute to him... the root of all this. He bared his fangs, trembling... and then he stepped forwards, leaning over the balcony and roaring: “Faster! Work harder, slave hoofs! Work harder, or the only food you'll receive tonight is your own dead foals!”

He dropped back into a sitting position, breathing hard and trembling as he reached up and touched his mouth. Then he clenched his eyes shut and spat to the side before whispering: “Just maintain control...”

Sombra trembled, dropping his face in his hooves before he licked his sharp teeth nervously, then turned his eyes up towards the sky... and even as Sombra seemed to freeze in place, the sun rolled slowly through the red sky, followed by the bleak moon, and again and again the cycle repeated. And it repeated until Sombra stood, one moody twilight, and approached the banister to lean forwards and gaze silently down over his mockery of a kingdom.

The barbarians had forgotten by now that they had once been fearsome savages: now they were just beaten and terrified prisoners who longed for freedom. There were no unicorns or Pegasi left: they had all been slaughtered or driven out. His once-beautiful nation was nothing but a wasteland... and all he felt was hunger, and anger, and hatred, and... despair...

He couldn't even remember his old name... now there were only a few flecks of whoever he had once been left. All he longed for was death: death would put an end to his pain, would maybe give him the smallest bit of redemption he hoped for... and death was close now. His mighty tower was complete, and it would serve as both a shining beacon and his gravestone... and he could only hope that Valthrudnir's machinations, deep, deep beneath this fortress of solitude, would never be found...

Sombra smiled faintly, then began to turn to get the key to ending his misery... and then everything went wrong. A voice called to him, and he whirled around to stare up in disbelief at the sight of... “No! No, no, no! Stay back!”

“We have come to free these ponies from your oppression!” shouted the larger of the two... a beautiful ivory mare. They were both winged unicorn that he knew from some vague memory... but Sombra snarled in fury at the fact that they had chosen now of all times to interrupt him, barely hearing the mare as she snapped: “They are your people, not your slaves, and-”

“Sinister! Dexter!” roared Sombra, and his horn glowed brightly before terrible black portals ripped into being on either side of the ponies, and then the vicious monsters that the twins had become tore through the holes in reality, eagerly leaping at the mares. Broken hooves clawed out and fang-filled maws gaped as they collided with the two ponies, driving them backwards.

The king heard a scream. He heard Sinister and Dexter laughing away. But he also knew that no matter what had happened he didn't have much time: he doubted that even with the element of surprise, even with their claws and teeth and near-indestructibility, Sinister and Dexter would delay the two mares for long.

He turned and bolted, heading for his throne room, but he underestimated the white mare: a fireball shot past him and exploded with enough force to launch him back out onto the balcony. Then one of the mares cast a barrier, leaving him trapped out here... and the king snarled in desperation as he turned slowly around.

The younger one was bleeding and looked scared out of her mind: the older one was looming high in the air, burning with fury, her eyes glowing with anger. And Sinister and Dexter were nowhere in sight: Sombra had expected them to at least drag the mares a few yards closer to the ground, but instead they had been flung away like flies...

“I will not stand for this, Sombra!” the ivory mare snapped, gesturing violently at her sister as Luna shivered and touched her flayed shoulder. “We will give you one last chance to surrender, or we will be forced to-”

“Kill her, brother!” roared a voice, and even Sombra was shocked when one of the twins raced by, climbing the wall of the tower with freakish speed before flinging himself straight at the ivory mare.

“Brother, kill her!” howled another voice from below... and Sombra looked down in shock to see the other sibling pinned helplessly on a broken outcrop of black crystal, limbs flailing uselessly at the air even as he grinned eagerly up at his twin.

The ivory mare only snapped her horn viciously to the side, smashing the brokenhearted barbarian out of the air with a squeal before she snarled, even as her sibling hid behind her: “Your demons don't scare us, you monster!”

“Monster? Monster! You have no idea what a monster I am!” Sombra shouted furiously, and then he snapped his horn out with a snarl, letting that hate, that vile darkness rip up out of him and blasting both winged unicorns backwards in a torrent of black flame and lightning.

He turned around, and a dark ray of energy tore from his horn, beginning to slowly burn away the barrier blocking his exit... before he screamed in agony as a ray of golden light pierced into his back, his flesh bubbling like wax and his body smoldering as he glared furiously over his shoulder.

The white unicorn was pinning him with her magic... and worse, he could feel it having a horrific effect on his corrupted body. He could feel his whole body starting to crack like glass, and the king snarled in desperation as he tried to pull away... but he couldn't. It was too much, it burned too painfully... and... and...

And it wasn't so bad, was it? As he gasped, caught here beneath the rage of the ivory mare, at least... at least he was still dying. And maybe one of them would find the Crystal Heart, and understand what it was... after all, he'd left all kinds of stories about it. The barbarians had become so terrified of him they couldn't remember their own cruel beginnings, much less tell fact from fiction...

“You're killing him!” shouted the other mare, and Sombra laughed brokenly as he wished with all his heart he could reassure this little one that was all he wanted...

“I can't stop, I... we have to stop him!” the other mare retorted, and Sombra smiled faintly even as he felt his body melting like wax and cracking like porcelain, feeling the darkness inside him starting to burn away... “We'll keep him alive as a spirit!”

Sombra's eyes flashed, and he looked up in horror even as the other mare tried to protest: “I can't abuse my powers like that, I can't-”

“If I stop, he kills us! If we turn him to a wraith, we all live and he can be punished!” shouted the ivory mare, and Sombra wailed and shook his head violently as the darkness inside him suddenly roared and boiled with eagerness. “We'll imprison him where he can't hurt anyone while we decide what to do with him!”

“N-No! No!” was all he could manage out, though, unable to reason with them, unable to warn them... and then he howled in agony as he felt another darker magic hammer into his body. And even as his physical form shattered like dark, corroded glass, his black spirit was wrenched free, all that hate, all that evil, all that malice ripping out of the restraints of his physical mind and body and taking on its own horrific life as shadow...

Blurs. Movement. The smell of meat and the sound of screaming. Flesh. Flesh. Delicious. Then pain! Bright light, and... chimes? Flashes of gold, and suddenly Sombra was aware again as he was being driven down, down, down into the cold ice outside of his own wretched kingdom...

He gasped in pain: he didn't know what had brought him back to his senses, but something had allowed his sane mind to rise to the surface, even as he sank down into the snow and ice and cold, even as he felt the glacier beginning to seal around him, and he understood what the sisters meant to do...

He couldn't see him, but he could taste blood. He couldn't feel them... had he killed one of them? Was this their last act of desperation? Why had they been foolish enough to rip all that darkness out of his body, give him life? His physical body had been the only anchor containing this malignancy, this infection! Now they had freed that, and who knew how much dark, evil power he had...

His eyes flashed... but Sombra swallowed back his madness before he turned his eyes in the direction of his once-beautiful kingdom. No, no, Valthrudnir could still return and find the Crystal Heart, or his terrible machines could rise up out of the catacombs... but the amplifier, if only he could tune in to the amplifier, even if just for a second...

His horn glowed, and Sombra stretched desperately out with his magic even as he felt a powerful energy starting to insulate the ice around him, turning it into a prison that, once sealed, would stop him from calling up even the simplest of his powers, would freeze his spirit solid and leave him trapped in his own mind...

And then he touched it; and, with no other choice, knowing no other alternative, he poured all the energy he could into one final spell, sacrificing all the remaining strength he had, forcing his darkness to obey and answer this last wish of his old, lost self...

The ice slammed shut around him just as there was a powerful flash... and the two mares that had flown into this kingdom with only good intentions stared back and forth in shock as they were suddenly left in nothing but an empty white terrain.

The entire Crystal Kingdom had vanished: now, there was nothing but an endless tract of snow and rock, for as far as the eye could see. It hadn't simply been made invisible: it had been brought outside of reality, hidden away in the ether, in a place where time flowed strangely and the Crystal Ponies were left to dazedly throw off their chains. But the ether did strange things to their minds, making them forget who they were: all they knew came from the scattered books in the repositories, the instinct that they were all one tribe, and the knowledge that they had nowhere else to go.

The Crystal Kingdom was an island, floating in an impossible sea of colors and lack-thereof, protected by an eternal, whirling blizzard around its borders. There was no way to know how long this banishment would last: the strange surreality of the ether meant that the spell could take mere hours or many years before it wore itself out and sent the nation tumbling back into reality.

The same was true for the magic binding Sombra inside his icy tomb, which tottered between the outskirts of the Crystal Kingdom and the edge of the ether. He was unable to move, unable to even breathe, trapped inside his own mind as the darkness and hatred raged through him...

Then, slowly, Sombra looked up: not physically, but inside the black and empty room of his mind, he picked himself off the darkness-stained floor to whisper: “I feel you.”

Silently, Cadence slowly dropped to her hooves in front of him, looking at him and trembling, tears running down her cheeks. She didn't know if it was the past or present, as she and her father looked at each other, and Sombra smiled faintly as he slowly stood up... but he didn't move towards her. He shifted instead, looking away... and then he closed his eyes and whispered: “I'm sorry, mi amore. I've failed you, Cadenza.”

Cadence trembled... then she leapt forwards, hugging him fiercely around the neck and burying her face against him, and Sombra reared back in shock... then silently slipped his forelegs around her, hugging her close and closing his eyes, keeping her held tight and safe as she whispered in a trembling voice: “You didn't Daddy... D-D-Daddy, I'm so... I'm so sorry... I should have made you listen, I should have s-saved y-y-you...”

“No, no, shush... shush... you did save me. You did. You saved me from despair... you gave me the strength to help... the few I could.” Sombra whispered, stroking her face tenderly as he leaned back before he gave a trembling smile, their eyes locking as he asked gently: “Do you remember how you got your nickname?”

Cadence laughed weakly, then she whispered: “You were trying to teach me Istallian when I was just a filly and... I couldn't conjugate amore mio properly. And when I asked you what it meant, you... you said...”

“It means, 'my love.' You asked me if you would always be 'my amore,' and I said that yes, you would always be mi amore.” Sombra said softly, and Cadence laughed faintly as the two looked at each other, before the stallion closed his eyes and whispered: “I had a nation. I was a father, and a king. I had a proud people. And I had you, my darling. But when I lost you... I lost everything.”

“I'm... I'm still here. Please, Daddy... I'm still here. I'm not afraid of you... I can save you. I can fix you.” Cadence whispered, and Sombra gave a faint smile as he shook his head slowly.

“No, darling. You can't heal me.” he said with gentle finality, reaching up to stroke her face slowly. “But you will save me, my daughter, mi amore. You can save me from what I've become... and you can save yourself.”

Cadence trembled and shook her head weakly, but Sombra reached up, tenderly taking her face between his hooves as he said softly: “Don't cry, mi amore. I would gladly give my life to protect yours... and selfishly, so I can finally be at peace. What I'm asking you to do is unfair, but... this darkness in me desires to destroy or possess you. And I won't allow either to happen. I can't. You're important, Cadenza, special; not because you fell from the sky, not because you are a princess, or because of your skills. You may be special to the world for all those reasons, but to me, you are most special because you are my daughter.”

Cadence laughed faintly, and then she looked up and asked weakly: “And you're my father. The stallion who raised me, who taught me, who made me feel like I belonged... who made it so it didn't matter if I was abandoned or I really did fall here on a star, because I had him, and he was always there for me. Because I knew I was loved, and I wasn't alone...”

She stopped, then dropped her head against him, trembling a bit, and Sombra looked at her silently before he said softly: “I will always love you, Cadence. But the darkness that has taken me over hates you. It will use this link between us to find you and kill you. What I'm asking you, I know no father should ever have to ask their child. But I have to ask it all the same, because just as you've glimpsed my life, I've seen yours... your friends, your family, your husband. All things to live for. I only have you, Cadence, and my life puts yours in jeopardy.”

The rose-hued mare shook her head weakly, trembling... and then Sombra frowned and pulled her protectively close as he leaned up past her. And Cadence trembled as she looked over her shoulder, seeing how the walls of the room had distorted and were slowly starting to melt, as an awful, hideous phantasm pushed its way into the room... “You have to go.”

“I won't leave you!” Cadence shouted, burying her face into her father, hugging him fiercely as she threw herself against him-

A clatter shook her body, and Cadence's eyes opened in shock as she looked back and forth, breathing hard and trembling before she looked slowly down and stared at the sight of her tear-stained pillow in her forelegs. She breathed slowly in and out, then shook herself violently before she reached up and touched her horn.

She cursed in shock: it was hot, glowing with magic... she didn't even know she had. Hesitantly, she poked cautiously at her horn again... but the strange energy was fading from it, and the winged unicorn shivered a bit before she whispered: “What's going on? How did I... why is this happening? Those memories and... how did I see my father's memories too, and...”

Cadence sat slowly up, breathing hard as she dropped back against the wall before she scrubbed slowly at her face. The wood paneling felt cool against her back, and the chilly air was like a balm against her flushed features... but the cold air did little to soothe her frantic, confused mind, her eyes darting back and forth, her whole body trembling as she did her best to understand what she had experienced.

Parts of it were already slipping away, but other things were gaining new clarity in her mind... and even though she'd been convinced that discovering her past would somehow fix everything, would make it all make sense... now she only had more questions, even as she realized that she had never been chasing her past to begin with.

She was chasing the most important person in her life. And Cadence laughed weakly as she thought of this and looked silently upwards, thinking of Shining Armor, thinking of Twilight Sparkle, thinking of Equestria and Luna and Celestia, who had raised her like sisters...

And now, towering above them all, she saw the shape of her father. And there was no more fear, no more hate, no more loathing. There was only pain in her heart for what he had become, terror at the thought that she might not be able to save his life... but determination as well, to do everything in her power to free her father from the dark powers that had corrupted him.

No matter what the cost.

Author's Note:

The next month is going to be a bit crazy for me, so I'm going to focus on getting this story done instead of working on anything else. I'll post a journal about it later, but for the people reading this story it means it should be finished a lot faster, instead of taking long jumps between updates. In a few days I'll start posting a new story, Zecora's Pinata: after that's up, I'll try and post a chapter to this every few days until it's complete. Thanks for reading.

Comments

[Shirohige]

Holy shit, this is featured!

[ezy goin]

Congratulations on a spot in the featured box. It's about time people started to realize what good writing is.

This chapter held several surprises for me. One of them being that the 'dragon' mentioned in the first chapter- when this was just a single chapter story -who gave power to and corrupted King Serenite was Valthrudnir. Second was this:

My daughter was a gift from Heaven... she fell on a lucky star, and she has always carried that fortune with her. And that same luck will carry her far away, where neither you nor I can hurt her.”
“What?” Valthrudnir frowned, then his eyes suddenly widened before he snarled and seized the king by the throat, hauling him up to eye level as he snapped: “What are you talking about? What do you mean, a 'lucky star?'”
The king snarled... then suddenly grinned, whispering: “She was my daughter. She brought hope, happiness back to me after so many years... alone, defending my kingdom from the barbarians, every day wondering if I was doing right-”
“I am not interested in your life story, Serenite! Did your daughter fall from the sky?”

I doubt you'd believe how wide my eyes went at these revelations. The identity of the mastermind behind everything, and the heavy hint to where Cadenza came from, and in turn the implications that they bring forth.

“Daughter, you know what the point of this puzzle is.” King Serenite said gently, and Cadence sighed before the king asked again: “Who do you leave behind?”
“None of them.” Cadence replied, looking up at her father with a smile, and he tilted his head before she said softly: “I let them all escape and stay behind myself. I know enough defensive magic to protect myself even if the building collapses on me. I have the best chance of survival... and it would be wrong to rush in to save them, and then abandon one pony because it was too hard, because my life was put at risk.

It seems as though King Serenite/Sombra really took what his daughter said to heart.
I love the light you're shining on Sombra here. He may have been turned into a monster, but he held on just enough to lay the groundwork needed to save his kingdom.

Right now there's a few questions at the forefront of my mind.
-Will we find out who Cadenza is?
I don't see how these ponies would be able to unless Valthrudnir returned. Which, depending on if this is connected to the '99 Worlds Saga' may or may not be possible.
-I sort of just covered this one... but, will Valthrudnir or Thesis return? I suppose only time can tell.
-Is Serenite completely gone now, or is there some of him left somewhere in Sombra?

Edit: I just read some comments here, and I realized that someone noticed the connection to your '99 Worlds Saga' right away...
I'm not sure how that makes me feel.

[BlackRoseRaven]

3835302

Thank you. I. Really have no idea why or how, but hey. I'm glad people are liking this one.
From the start, the idea was sort of... she's one of THOSE ponies. But I never meant to really build on that. As the story's developed, though, since this one is supposed to just be kind of... you know, no-stress writing where I just go with what comes to me, it's gotten more heavily involved in that universe.
Also I really wanted to write about a younger Thesis. And someone beating a young Thesis at his own game. Even though whenever I think about Thesis I get sad.
I never kind of thought I'd expand too much on Sombra, either, but I'm glad I did now and that this story's developed past it's initial "I want to write something ideas plz" start. There's only a few chapters to go, but even though I'm trying not to get super-into-things, this story's giving me a chance to expand a little on things I was only able to give glimpses of in the big universe story.
Your questions will all be answered in time, though, that I can promise. And no worries. I was actually surprised myself that a few people caught the reference. I originally was going to leave it so this story was 'maybe-connected,' although now it's clearly graduated to 'definitely-connected,' yes.

[Lelouch Vi Britania]

I figured cadence was going to be some sort of amnesiac ancient warrior, wasn't expecting valthrudnir to show up and clear up that picture, and a younger but still insecure thesis as well.

[hellcatte]

“You underestimate my power.”

Okay darthrudnir.