Cadence Unbridled (Sections 1 & 2)

by Flikaline

Crystal Fires : Part 3

Crystal Fires : Part 3

They ran. Ran as fast as their hooves could carry them.

‘We’re doomed!’ Glory wailed, ‘we are so doomed!’

‘We get the idea, Glory!’ Sundance muttered while gasping for breath.

‘What are we going to do?’ Cadence asked, unable to keep the fear out of her voice.

‘I don’t know,’ Sundance replied, a little croakily.

‘We’re going to protect you, Princess,’ Sparkler said firmly, ‘don’t worry.’

‘Yes, no need to worry!’ Glory stammered through a nervous laugh.

‘Yes, no need to worry at all, Crystal Princess . . .’ came King Sombra’s malicious tone from a short distance behind them.

‘How the hoof did he know!’ Glory yelled.

‘Just keep running!’ Sundance responded nervously, through gritted teeth.

‘Shut up, Sombra!’ Cadence shouted back.

The three mares looked at each other in alarm.

‘Don’t be so brave, Cadence,’ Sparkler whispered to her in a very anxious tone.

‘Hurry!’ Sundance yelled, ‘he’s almost on top of us!’

Cadence turned her head to see what looked like a large amount of black shadowy smoke which was filling the whole area that was behind them. Among this, was a pair of evil eyes. She stared. It was difficult not to scream. Cadence forced herself to look away.

‘This way!’ Sundance shouted, ‘Hurry!’

With a large amount of effort, Sparkler, Glory and Cadence increased their speed and tore round the corner.

They were going too fast and crashed into Sundance, who had stopped due to the large hole in the ground that was in front of her, which, now, all four of them tumbled into. They hit the ground with a heavy thump.

The first thing they became aware of was the sound of King Sombra’s laughter. Then, suddenly, the light from above was gone, as if the hole had never been there.

‘Uh, Sundance?’ said Sparkler, in a shaky tone.

‘Yes,’ Sundance answered anxiously.

‘I think,’ Sparkler responded, evidently frightened, ‘I think we may have fallen into a trap.’

‘Glory, quick,’ Sundance said rapidly, ‘light up your horn. If this is a trap, we need to find an escape route as fast as possible.’

They could barely see anything and there were only two things they could hear: the sound of their own hearts beating, and King Sombra’s laughter echoing around them. Cadence could feel the bodies of the three mares closing in around her protectively.

By the light of her horn, Glory busily looked around for an exit, her horn aglow in a shade of lilac. She let out a scream and almost fell backwards. The other two mares gasped, knowing very well what Glory knew. Cadence just stood there, too scared to make a sound.

He was there. They were sure of it. They could see his eyes coming into view, glowing against the dark. Something purple and smoke like was coming from his eyes, causing some areas of their surroundings to light up slightly. Sombra resumed his unicorn form with some difficulty, and smiled at the cowering ponies.

‘Sundance, do something!’ Glory muttered through gritted, terrified teeth.

‘What am I supposed to do!’ Sundance retorted through her shaking.

‘Surrendering that filly who told me to shut up a short time ago would be a good idea!’ King Sombra growled.

‘No!’ Sparkler yelled angrily.

‘You can’t have her!’ Glory snapped, surprised that she had been able to say it.

‘We won’t let you near her!’ Sundance shouted.

‘You will leave our princess alone!’ Sparkler snarled.

‘I have no intention of leaving her alone,’ Sombra sneered, coming right up to Sparkler, whose lip quivered slightly, and grinned nastily at Cadence through a small gap between the mares, ‘why would I?’

Sparkler almost managed to glare at him. Glory wore a slightly fidgety frown which kept trying to change her expression to how she really felt. Sundance’s expression was somewhere in between that of Sparkler and Glory, but, at least, unlike Glory, she could maintain it.

‘So,’ Sombra continued in a mean tone, ‘who wants their manacles fitted first?’

Cadence and the three mares backed away with wide, frightened eyes.

‘Or, perhaps, you would prefer to hoof her over after all . . .’

‘You’d do the same thing whatever we did!’ Sundance said fiercely, ‘what difference would it make anyway!’

‘The difference is how much I decide to punish you for being disobedient,’ Sombra hissed, a slightly sadistic smile on his face, ‘how about the scold’s bridle? Or perhaps,’ he jeered through a growl, leering at Glory, who flattened herself against a wall, ‘the rack would be more appropriate . . .’

‘How dare you!’ Cadence exclaimed, ‘How dare you treat them like that!’

Sundance, Sparkler and Glory (who was clutching Sundance) stared. Sombra looked almost amused.

‘You have no right to treat them like that!’ Cadence raged, ‘Like property! Like dirt! Like garbage!’

‘As if they aren’t,’ Sombra snorted, ‘at any rate, they soon will be.’

‘The only pony who is dirt or garbage,’ Cadence snapped, ‘is you!’

‘I haven’t even started on you yet, Princess!’ Sombra snarled, ‘I thought a few dunks under water and some sleep deprivation might tame you, but it seems I’ll have to take much stronger measures!’ Cadence glared at him. ‘I would be better behaved if I were you, or would you rather join them on the rack?’ he added nastily, eyeing the three petrified mares.

‘There’s an exit,’ Sundance whispered to Sparkler and Glory.

Sundance had taken advantage of the fact that Cadence was, unintentionally, distracting Sombra from them. Sundance had only just returned before he had turned to look at them.

‘Leave them alone!’ Cadence shouted.

‘I will make it worse for them if you don’t do as I say!’ Sombra roared.

‘I won’t let you hurt them!’ Cadence snarled, ‘and I won’t let you anywhere near the others either! I never will! You can’t make me!’

‘Others?’ Sombra muttered to himself, ‘There are others! Of course there are others. Of course . . .’

‘Princess!’ Sundance called urgently. Cadence turned her head. ‘We’ve got an escape route!’

‘Hurry!’ Sparkler yelled.

Glory was too nervous to even do her usual panic routine. Cadence dashed in their direction.

‘What!’ Sombra growled, before letting out a furious roar that could be heard from quite some distance away.

‘Is he following us?’ Glory squealed.

‘Of course he is!’ Sparkler whimpered, while turning her head to see how far Cadence was behind them. It was only a small distance.

‘We’re quite close to the entrance!’ Sundance exclaimed happily, ‘Come on! Not much further!’

The four of them increased their pace as best they could. They were so frightened and exhausted but they forced themselves onward. The three of them rushed out of the mines and into the quite icy plains. Sundance and Glory beamed at each other and embraced affectionately. Sparkler looked so shocked, so worried, and so scared.

‘It’s alright, Sparkler!’ said Sundance cheerfully.

‘There’s nothing to worry or panic about!’ Glory added, ‘Well, at least not at this second.’

‘Oh yes there is!’ came Sparkler’s terrified, and, in some ways, almost tearful tone, ‘How have you not noticed!’

Sundance and Glory looked at each other blankly.

‘How have you not noticed,’ Sparkler continued, her eyes pricking with tears, ‘that Princess Cadence isn’t here! She should have come out by now! Isn’t it obvious what’s happened to her! She was too far behind us! He was too fast! Our poor princess is all alone and in Sombra’s hooves!’