When the sensation struck, it did so in a way that was anything but subtle. It sent something not unlike a chill down Cadance’s horn, although she wouldn’t have referred to the feeling as ‘cold,’ especially considering horns couldn’t feel such things. Whatever it was, it sent her stomach on a roller coaster ride and left a vicious claw wrapped about her heart.

She reacted instantly. As her eyes scanned the room for sources, her horn ignited to do the same thing in the Crystal City.

Luna’s image in the mirror shifted to concern. “Cadance? What is wrong?”

“I don’t know.” Cadance turned in place, taking in the entire room with peering eyes. Despite her scrutiny, she was reasonably certain the source had nothing to do with this room. “I felt something. Some kind of magic, I think, but not like anything I’ve ever detected before. It—”

She looked back to the mirror. Luna was gone. The mirror had turned to a pure black, not even showing her reflection.

Cadance grimaced, alarm and suspicion manifesting a brooding anger. Anger was not how she usually responded to mysteries of this nature, but those claws still clutched at her heart and her stomach hadn’t stopped that slight roiling. She might not have felt this kind of magic before, but as the Princess of Love, Cadance often had physical reactions to emotions and intentions. This reaction in particular was not unfamiliar to her.

This was how her body responded to hatred.

Her first instinct was to check on the Crystal Heart, and so Cadance closed her eyes and focused on its presence. Tapping into the priceless relic immediately rewarded her with a sense of wrongness. The Heart was reacting to something, pushing its magic outward as if… Her eyes snapped open in comprehension, and she immediately set off at a gallop for the door.

She got two steps in before the butterflies in her stomach transformed into a ball of squirming snakes. A hoof rose to cover her mouth as something foul tried to escape her throat, and then she dropped to the floor with a moan.

A moan she couldn’t hear.

Though she tried to get her bearings and stand, the nausea overwhelmed her with even the slightest motion. Cadance had never felt such a terrible, overwhelming aura of hatred as this. Even King Sombra’s unwitting assault on her empathy hadn’t affected her so horribly. She could do little more than curl into a ball and clutch her barrel, taking slow breaths in hopes of calming her insides.

The intense emotions were nothing short of profound. As Cadance fought to recover physically, she thought on the potential mind that could conjure such feelings. It could only be a severely broken one, if not one of indescribable evil. Whatever it was, the Crystal Heart had been trying to repel it. This only unnerved Cadance more, for she certainly didn’t feel protected.

Gradually, the sickness died down. Not because she’d managed to control her reaction, but because the fury that had caused it from the beginning was fading. It never completely left, but it eventually became small enough that she managed to get to her wobbling legs.

Geeet ouuut…

Cadance’s ears perked to the sound. It was like a billion bees buzzing, but without the natural quality insects produced. This was continuous, unmoving in tone or pitch. It grated on her mind like a horn on a chalkboard.

Caaadaaannnnnccce….

She turned about swiftly, expecting to see Luna in the mirror once more. The voice did sound like her, but there was a scratchy, hollow quality to it. It suggested an image of barbed wire shoved down a throat.

The mirror remained black.

Nnnnnooot sssssaaafffffe… Ruuunnnnn…

“Luna?” She stepped up to the mirror, head low and eyes narrowed. “Is that you?”

The black of the mirror seemed strange, more akin to a deep hole where things unmentionable dwelled. Cadance kept back, half-fearing something might reach out to grab her.

Iiit iiisssss wwwwwaaatchiiinnnnnggg…

Cadance ignited her horn. Trying to get an emotional reading on that hideous voice proved difficult, yet there was a faint trace of something. Too faint; she couldn’t identify it. “Who are you? If you’re Luna, show yourself.”

Specks of blue were the first sign of movement. Cadance’s wings grew taut and her breath drained from her lungs as, slowly, an abomination gained form before her eyes. It started with the dots, blue orbs that floated into the black as if gradually being sucked inside. Then, an outline appeared around the edge of the mirror. As if she were looking through a camera that was zooming out, the outline shrank, resolving itself into something resembling the head and shoulders of an alicorn.

But instead of the face, there was only the black hole, a gaping maw of emptiness that continued to feed off the blue head of the pony that was reflected back at her. The alicorn’s mane had gone pale, with only the lightest hints of blue remaining. It waved about as if the pony were submerged in water, wild and untamed.

Gooooo…. Pllllleeeaaaassssse…

Cadance backed away, her heart hammering at the otherworldly image before her. “W-what are you?”

Nnnooo tiiiimmmmme…

A resounding bang shook the floor beneath Cadance’s hooves. She whipped around to the far wall just in time to see a crack form in it from a second impact.

Prrroooteeect the Cryyyssssstaaalll Heaaaarrrrt…

Another bang, more cracks. Cadance stepped back, head whipping from the wall to the ghastly image and back. “W-what is… Why…”

Rrrruuuunnnn…

Another bang. More cracks.

Rrrruuuunnnn…

Another bang. Something punched through the wall, raining down crystal masonry in dangerous shards. A scaled black claw large enough to be able to hold her entire body grasped at Cadance, but couldn’t quite reach. A shackle wrapped around the gargantuan wrist, connecting to a thick chain disappearing somewhere behind the wall.

Rrruuuu—

The voice was drowned out by an earth-shaking roar.

Cadance ran.

She burst through the doors and into a long hallway that curved about the castle’s exterior. She considered leaping out of one of the great windows, but nixed the idea upon recalling that the Crystal Heart was in the Heart of the Kingdom, and she’d have a harder time reaching it from the outside. This in mind, she flew towards the nearest stairwell, her wings barely grazing the walls. She turned her head back, but nothing followed her. Whatever that monster had been, it either gave up or had lost interest.

That didn’t set her mind at ease. As she landed to run up the stairs, her brain swirled with dreadful ideas. A monster was in the castle, something big enough to rival a fully grown dragon, and with the strength to break through hardened crystal. There would need to be an evacuation, if her guards weren’t already seeing to it.

And that voice. It sounded like Luna, and yet it didn’t. Could something have happened in Canterlot? The presumably real Luna had sounded anxious. Cadance shook her head to clear it. Her first priority was to ensure the safety of the Crystal Heart. She’d try to re-establish contact with Canterlot afterwards.

Cadance reached the top of the stairs, only to pause in the middle of another hallway. For the first time, she noticed how quiet things were. She looked about; there wasn’t a pony in sight.

“Hello?”

Nothing.

Worry gripped her as she thought on the implications of the quiet. She closed her eyes and concentrated, trying to ignore the sick feeling that lingered in her gut. It didn’t take long to find some emotional sources in the castle, and she shut off her detection spell in an instant; the emotions coming at her had been foul. Panic, alarm, anger, fear. Far too much negativity for her to stomach at one time.

She needed answers. Even if she reached the Crystal Heart, it would do her no good if she didn’t have an understanding of what was happening.

Focusing her magic once more, Cadance cast a weaker version of the spell. She found two nearby emotional sources and promptly made for the nearest one. Isolation, loneliness, confusion and bitterness. The sensations brought a grimace to her lips.

It was while following the trail of emotion that she noticed the faded colors of the world around her. A glance at her hoof confirmed that she too was covered in the ashen white overlay, though a moment’s pause to run her other hoof over it left no streaks. This troubled Cadance even more; had the entire castle been beset by some enchantment? Why wasn’t the Crystal Heart countering it? More importantly, just what was it doing? Surely the spell consisted of more than making everything appear covered in chalk.

It abruptly dawned upon Cadance that something was missing: her husband. Shining Armor had been following her, and had only fallen behind because he lacked wings. Even so, he should have crossed paths with her up by now. Her eyes flicked from door to door as she tried not to think that something terrible had happened to him.

Shining was stronger than the average pony. He could take care of himself. She was a princess, and she had her duties; though she hated herself for doing it, she took the worrisome knot that was her husband and added it to the growing, squirming mass inside her gut.

Thoughts of her husband somewhat effectively shoved aside, she paused before one of the hallway’s many doors. Through it she could sense the emotional presence of somepony. It had to be just one; that sense of remoteness surely wouldn’t come from a group. Having no time to deal in pleasantries, she used her magic to push at the door… which didn’t budge. Cadance blinked, pushed a little harder. Nothing.

A strangely familiar voice called out. “Who’s there?”

Cadance peered at the door upon hearing the threatening tone. “It is your princess. Why is this door blocked?”

The instant she said the word ‘princess,’ sounds of things being thrown violently aside reached her ears. She watched in mild confusion as an assortment of bangs, thumps and crashes echoed through the halls. At last, the door opened a crack, and a lone, blue eye appeared. It spotted her, widened, then moved back. The door flung open, and Cadance gasped at the sight of one of her guards: Flash Sentry.

But not the Flash Sentry she recognized. His mane had gone wild, great tears were in his dulled and dinted armor, and his spear was stained with what she hoped wasn’t blood. But the worst things about his haggard visage had to be how his left wing was little more than a scarred nub, and the eye on the same side was missing entirely, leaving a gaping hole.

“Princess?” He stepped forward, and despite herself, Cadance moved back. “Is that really you?”

It took Cadance a few seconds to form words. “Flash… W-what happened to you?”

“You don’t know.” It came out as a statement of fact. Flash’s eyes darted about the hall, then over her. “How long have you been in The Pale?”

“The Pale?” Cadance glanced at the walls, once brilliant and shining, now dull and ashen. Yes, that seemed an appropriate name for this… whatever it was. “Not long. But you didn’t answer my question.”

He swallowed, that lone wide eye dropping to her hooves. He sucked in a few slow, heavy breaths. “Then it’s finally time. I… I feel like I’ve been waiting an eternity for this. It’s just like Chrysalis said.”

Whatever worries and suspicions Cadance had paled in comparison to her reaction upon hearing that name. Her wings shot open and her body entered a combative stance before she’d even had a chance to think on it. “Chrysalis? She’s here?”

His answer was a dazed, “We’re all here.”

Cadance glanced about the hallway, but still they were alone. “What’s going on, Flash? Where is everypony? Do you know anything about that monster that’s in the palace?”

He blinked, then gave her an uncertain frown. “A monster in the Pale? The only thing that could be is—” As if a fire had been lit under his hooves, Flash leapt into the hall, brandishing his spear at the air. He turned one direction, then another, always with his weapon at the ready and his lone wing spread wide. “If you just got here, then it won’t get us. Still, we have to be cautious. I need to get you to the Crystal Heart immediately.”

“I won’t argue that,” Cadance replied, following his lead as he began marching. “But will you please tell me what’s going on?”

Flash kept his head on a swivel, his hard eye scouring the hallway as if he anticipated an attack at any second. “How much do you know?”

Cadance pursed her lips; he was being oddly commanding towards his princess. It wasn’t anything like the Flash Sentry she knew. Granted, he’d lost a wing and an eye, so clearly he had a reason to be terse. Cadance was not one to care for all the bowing and obligatory titles and niceties like her aunts, but his behavior was far different from what even she’d come to expect.

Keeping on her guard – so to speak – she said, “Nothing. One minute I was talking to Princess Luna, the next there’s a dragon-sized fist smashing through the wall and the world’s gone colorblind.”

He nodded, looking over his shoulder at the hallway behind them. “I feel like I’ve been in here for years. Might have. We’re in the Pale right now – at least, that’s what Chrysalis calls it. It’s a stagnant world where nothing happens. Eventually it’ll shift to the Veil – again, not my nomenclature – and we’ll be fighting for our lives.”

“Chrysalis.” Cadance all but spat the name. “What does she have to do with all of this?”

Flash gained a contemplative frown. “I think she’s trying to help.”

“Help? That witch?”

Flash paused. He heaved a long sigh before turning to her, his expression as hard and stoic as she’d ever seen. He peered at her, not in respect to a superior, but as an experienced commander about to give an order to an underling. Despite her stature and authority, Cadance found herself backing up a step.

He spoke with all the authority of a general. “I don’t know what’s going on, not all of it. The facts are muddled, and at this point I have no idea what’s reality and what’s fantasy. For all I can tell, you might be an illusion. But Chrysalis told me you were going to show up, and here you are. I know what you’re going to do next – what you have to do next – and my role in making it happen. If it doesn’t, things are going to get a lot worse.”

Cadance’s eyes narrowed. Her jaw went rigid. “And Chrysalis told you this?”

His voice didn’t waver. “No. I’ve already lived it, and unlike half the things I’ve seen, I know that was no illusion. I saw what’s coming, Princess, and I’m not going to try to stop it. I’m ready for this.”

He turned away and moved on at a trot. “In fact, I’ve been looking forward to it.”

She stared at the back of his head, trying to make sense of his words. “Why aren’t you—” Her words stopped, though she kept talking.

Cadance had no time to ponder the meaning of the silence that now engulfed her ears, for no sooner had the world gone silent than Flash spun about to mouth a single word to her: run. Before she could try to press him, he was galloping down the hall at full speed. She followed. What else could she do?

Then the sickness struck again.

This wasn’t like last time, however. When the world had gone pale, Cadance had merely been knocked off her hooves by the revolting reaction of her body. This time?

It hurt.

She might have cried out. She couldn’t tell. She collapsed, sliding across the smooth crystal floor and curling into a ball. It felt like hot knives had been injected into her stomach, and the sensation brought tears to her eyes. Even as she trembled and fought back a sob, she could sense the sheer negativity coursing through the air. Every foul emotion she could think of, and maybe a few she didn’t recognize, assaulted her mind, and for once Cadance wished she could turn her sixth sense off.

The world, blurry through her tears, rapidly darkened. The crystal walls were losing their luster, and Cadance’s heart was slowing. Anger pounded at her skull, fear screamed for her attention, depression dulled her focus. They kept coming, and she wanted to scream for her inability to stop it.

Shining Armor. She wanted Shining so badly. Where was he? She needed him!

A shadow passed over her. She forced her trembling leg away from her barrel and rubbed the tears from her eyes. When her vision cleared, she saw Flash standing over her. His gaze was up, scanning the area around them, and his spear stood at the ready. She tried to call for his help, but he didn’t seem to notice her agony.

But… the pain was dying down. Gradually, the quiet ‘phased out.’ The sounds of her whimpering came to her ears like the faintest whispers. As her body recovered, audibility increased, until at last she sensed that the wave of vile emotions had passed.

Slowly, her legs buckling, she climbed to her hooves. “W-what was that?”

Flash turned to her, his solid expression unchanged. “We’re in the Veil now. What happened to you?”

“Emotion,” she replied with a shiver. “Powerful, consuming, burning emotion. I’ve never felt anything even remotely like it. Whatever is causing this, it’s… it’s…”

“Evil.” Flash snapped the word, already walking past her. “More evil than any of us know. We need to move quickly; staying still is a death sentence.”

They moved at a trot, heading for the next set of stairs. Cadance’s insides continued to roil, but at least the sensations were tolerable now. She kept thinking of the vile feelings that had momentarily taken her over. What if something like that happened while she was under attack? She needed more information. What would Celestia or Luna have done in this situation?

“You seem to know a lot about… things,” she said, watching Flash carefully. Only now, with the pale haze gone, did she notice the grey in his coat and mane. The way his stump of a wing twitched sent a chill down her spine, and she had to make a concerted effort not to stare at it. Now that she took the time to observe, however, she noticed that he was leaner, more muscular than normal, and his coat had thinned.

“How long has this been going on, Flash?” And why did he look like he’d aged a decade or two?

His reply came in a hushed tone. “I don’t know. Maybe forever.”

Cadance grimaced and reached for him. “We don’t have time for your cryptic answers! If you’re going to—”

Flash whipped around, pressed the shaft of his spear to her chest, and shoved. Cadance had been gifted with alicorn strength upon her ascension, but his was still enough to knock her back a few steps. She gasped, igniting her horn to ward off the next attack, but Flash leapt away—

Just in time for a long, grey paw to slash through the air where she’d been. Cadance yelped and retreated even further as the paw slapped the ground, three unnaturally long claws scratching at the dull crystal floor. She followed it to the wrist, the incredibly long arm, past the elbow, and into the opened door she’d not noticed.

The sound that came from that opening was something between a growl and a gurgle, raising Cadance’s hackles. She watched in quiet horror as a head similar to a diamond dog’s emerged, but bald and thin as if emaciated. Tiny, beady eyes rolled towards her on a face lacking any features other than a gaping, thin-toothed mouth that took up nearly all the front of its head. A second claw emerged, stretching out into the hallway to grasp at her.

And all of these potentially fear-inducing elements paled to the fact that Cadance could feel absolutely no emotion from the thing. Instead, it radiated an animalistic desire, a desperate urge of one of life’s most basic requirements: the need to feed.

Flash let out a battle cry that made her cover her ears, his spear driving deep into the monster’s shoulder. The sound it made in response was akin to gagging, its long, toothpick-like arms flailing. The one on the floor seemed to be locked in place by the spear’s position.

“Princess! This way, hurry!”

Cadance obeyed, leaping over the claw on the floor and hurtling past Flash. She sent a small bolt of energy over her shoulder to strike at the monster’s other arm just before it could rip her guard apart with its free claw. He took the opportunity to jerk his weapon free and follow after her.

“They’re slow,” he shouted. “Just run a little and we’ll lose him easy!”

She had no intention of stopping.

They darted up the next set of stairs, bounding two to three steps at a time. Cadance glanced back and confirmed that the thing hadn’t followed them. “W-what was that?”

“Don’t know.” Flash began to slow down, and though Cadance didn’t want to, she forced her legs to a canter. “I started calling them ‘Hunger’ ‘cause they look famished, but I couldn’t say if they have a real name.”

Cadance kept looking back, half expecting the thing to lurch up the stairwell. “But how did it get inside the Crystal Palace?”

“We’re not in the Crystal Palace.”

“What? What do you—” Cadance looked around and came to an abrupt stop. The walls were no longer crystalline, but now held rotting wooden paneling. The floor was a moldy, ugly carpet, the color of which had been lost to decay and age. Magelights flickered feebly overhead, giving the hallway a gloomy, overshadowed appearance.

She blinked. “Oh.”

Flash walked on, as if the change in setting was entirely normal. “We’ve been moved. It happens a lot in the Veil and the Pale.”

Cadance shook her head, then slapped her cheeks. “I’m dreaming. I’m dreaming and this is a nightmare. Any second now Aunt Luna will show up and help me get out of this maze.”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

Cadance’s scowl returned. Her horn lit up as she followed at a distance. Bitterness, isolation, anger. “And you aren’t Flash Sentry. The Flash I know is respectful; you’re just vengeful. You might have saved my life back there, but you’re nothing like him.”

He didn’t so much as look back. “Well excuse me, Princess.”

She paused, horn shining even more brightly as she leveled a glare at the back of his head. “You don’t understand. You’ve mentioned Chrysalis twice now, you’re leading me to Celestia knows where, and you’re a something of a jerk. You are not Flash Sentry.” She lowered her head to a combative stance, wings opening wide. “Who are you?”

He turned to her with a scowl of his own. “What, you think I’m a changeling or something?”

“The possibility occurred to me.”

He took a step closer, his brow furrowing and his eye like ice. “Then let me explain something to you. I have spent Goddess-knows how long wandering through this bucking hellhole. I try to save ponies, but they keep dying and turning into monsters that want to rip my head off and eat my guts. I’ve been lost for so long I don’t remember what it’s like to have a direction. I have sacrificed my body and my soul trying to fix this mess, and what have I gotten for it?”

He snorted and turned away from her. “I think I went mad a few times. No, I know I did. But then some pony or griffon or whatever shows up and gives me hope that things can turn around, which it never does. I even tried to kill myself a few times, but for some stupid bucking reason I keep resisting the urge! Like I actually have anything to live for anymore.”

Cadance hesitated. For all her suspicion, her sixth sense caught something new from the stallion: weariness. A powerful, debilitating weariness.

He sighed, then turned back to her. “Then, one day, Queen Chrysalis shows up out of nowhere. She tells me that someday Princess Cadance would come knocking. I had no idea she meant that literally.” He took a step closer, gazing up into Cadance’s eyes. “She said that I would know peace when I brought you to the Crystal Heart.”

Cadance stared back, filled with one part concern and another part horror. She could sense his weariness, hope and longing. He believed every word of what he’d said. This played havoc with her heart, because if she could detect such things so vividly, it meant that they were most certainly honest.

“I’m sorry if the eternity of living in this hell has turned me into a jerk,” he said, and for once there was a softness in his tone. He reached up to feel at his cheek, just below the empty eye socket. The image made her shiver. “If you’d been through the crap that I have, you’d believe a changeling queen’s promise for peace too.”

After heaving a long, careful breath, Cadance asked, “How could you have been here so long when I only just got here?”

He bowed his head. His shoulders shook. “I don’t know. Time is broken here. Or… something. Nothing makes sense in this world.” When he looked up, tears were building in his eye. “Princess. My princess. I tried to be a good soldier. When the darkness first hit, I searched all over for you. I tried to find your husband, but… but couldn’t.”

A cold talon squeezed Cadance’s heart. She leaned a little closer, lip trembling as she asked, “You don’t know what happened to Shining? If he survived this?”

He swallowed audibly, bowed his head once more and shook it. He reached a trembling hoof forward to touch hers. “I thought you had died. I thought I’d lost everything. I tried so hard. Please, I know you hate Chrysalis, and you just got here and nothing makes sense. I’m probably older than you at this point. I… I just want to… to restore my honor and be your guard. One more time.”

Cadance stared at where his hoof touched her leg, then into his eye. All the logic in her brain told her that this was a ruse.

But her natural empathy, that sixth sense that she’d come to rely on all her life, told her otherwise. This was the Flash she recognized, the one that had always done his job to the best of his ability. The one that took to every task with calm professionalism and met every request with the utmost respect. His loyalty had been laid bare to her so many times in the past that now, even with his lone eye, missing wing and older body, she could see it again as if a book had been laid open before her.

But that wasn’t the only thing within the pages of his mind. Beneath his loyalty lay a blanket of sorrow. Layer upon layer of misery, coating every motion and thought, rooted deep into his soul so as to be a permanent fixture. Cadance had seen many a depressed and lost pony in her time, but this…

Tears welled in her eyes. “Oh, Flash, what happened to you in this place?”

He looked away, sucking down a long breath. “I lived.”

They were only two words, but they held so much weight.

Flash shook his head and turned back to her with a small smile. “Please, Princess, don’t cry for me. Now that you’re here, I can finally know a little happiness. You really can’t know how wonderful it is to see your youthful face once more.” He tugged gently on her leg before picking up his spear and walking away. “Come, we mustn’t wait around too long.”

Cadance wanted to object. She wanted to hug the poor stallion and let him tell her all his woes, to reward his everlasting service. Instead, she squashed such thoughts beneath the weight of her responsibilities. She was still thoroughly confused as to her surroundings, had no idea what was going on, and possessed no way to know if her husband was safe. She had a kingdom to protect, and the Crystal Heart was her best bet for that goal. She could pick out the facts and settle her conscience afterwards.

But first, she needed to know where she was.

“Flash, what did you mean earlier when you said we’d been ‘moved?’ ”

He shrugged. “Couldn’t say. All I know is that doors rarely lead where they’re supposed to, and you never know where the next corner will take you. I think I’ve been all over Equestria by now, but sometimes it feels like I never left the Crystal Palace.”

So, not just temporal displacement, but spacial as well? Beneath the continuous squirming of Cadance’s stomach from this strange world’s overbearing negativity, Cadance gained an added layer of nervousness. How were they supposed to get to the Crystal Heart under these circumstances? What would Celestia do at a time like this? Or Luna.

Or Twilight. Yes, Twilight. Twilight would face the situation logically. Cadance needed to do the same.

That started with the obvious. “Okay, Flash, how do you know we’re going the right way?”

“Blind faith.”

So much for logic. Lips pursed, Cadance shook her head. “That’s not the most reassuring answer.”

“Hmm.” Flash’s gaze turned thoughtful. He turned to a door just like all the others. “I’m no expert on temporal mechanics, but I know a time loop when I’ve been caught in one. We’ll get to the Crystal Heart, Princess, don’t you worry about that.”

He shoved the door, and the two found themselves on a catwalk. Cadance slowed, her eyes taking in the rusted metal walls and darkness underhoof. Was it some kind of factory?

She came to a pause, gritting her teeth as a fresh wave of nausea struck. “Flash,” she hissed.

He paused to look back, then looked into the darkness. They both stood perfectly still, Cadance holding her breath lest she give her position away. Something shifted in the shadows, and strange, moist sounds reached them from below. Cadance glanced back at the door they’d come through, only to find it had been filled in by a brick wall while she’d been distracted. She cursed under her breath; this world got crazier and crazier by the minute.

Perhaps she could break through with her magic? She went over the idea in her head, but dismissed it; she had no idea if whatever was below them could reach them in the first place, or its speed. For all she knew, it might be able to snatch up Flash before he could get to the door.

Flash raised a hoof to his lips and gestured with a nod along the catwalk. Cadance nodded in turn, and the two of them crouched low to crawl over the darkness. Cadance wondered if she shouldn’t try flying, but decided it was too risky. With her bright coloration, it would take the blind not to see her, and that still left the one-winged Flash vulnerable.

It abruptly dawned upon her how foalish this must have looked. Here she was, a mighty alicorn princess, and what was she doing? Crawling. She could almost hear Luna laughing at her. Had the Princess of the Night been there, she would have probably gone into the room horn blazing. And why not? With all the power in an alicorn’s horn, what was one monster?

But Cadance wasn’t like her adopted aunt. She had no combat experience to speak of. Indeed, the thought of fighting frightened her a little, especially against a foe she didn’t know. She defended her decision further by theorizing that she would need her magic for when she reached the Crystal Heart; surely it would require some kind of assistance from her to properly deal with the strange enchantment set upon the world, otherwise it would have done the job already.

The world. Now there was a scary thought; just how much of the Empire had fallen under this malaise? Could all of Equestria be affected? More to the point, what being was powerful enough to make a spell so wide-ranging?

Cadance grit her teeth, her determination mounting. Maybe she didn’t have Luna’s aggression and combat prowess, but she was still a princess. She’d solve this problem her way… as soon as she figured out what her way was.

The groaning, wet noises pulled her from her thoughts. They were surrounded by darkness now, the catwalk behind her leading only into more shadow. Ahead of them, she could just make out a wall of rusted metal over Flash’s shoulders, where a small magelight flickered dimly.

She longed to reach that light. Here, surrounded by shadows and with the strange sounds bubbling from below, Cadance felt vulnerable, as if something might rise up to grab her at any second. She swore she could see movement in the darkness on either side of her, but didn’t dare give the thought any credence. They just had to focus on reaching the other side, no more, no less.

A new sound reached her ever-perked ears: something like the sloppy slurping of a straw. Flash went stiff, and Cadance followed suit. The sound repeated, and then continued in a long, unpleasant constant. The best word Cadance could think of for it was slimy. She shifted her head, trying to look through the wire mesh beneath her, but only saw darkness. Even so, the noise grew steadily closer.

At last, something emerged from the black: a pair of thick brown tentacles. They were not smooth, soft-looking things, but were covered in hideous yellow growths and bulbous masses that reminded her of a cancer. The things were coated in a sickly, orange material that made her think, most unpleasantly, of snot.

It took all Cadance’s willpower not to shudder at the sight of the things. Her eyes went to Flash, who had his head tilted at what had to be an uncomfortable angle in order to look at her over his shoulder while keeping as low as possible. He mouthed ‘stay still.’

Slowly, the two tentacles arose on either side of the catwalk. They began to sway over it, passing back in forth with lethargic motions. They would occasionally twitch, as if a muscle had spasmed uncontrollably. Cadance tensed every time they did, halfway convinced the little jerks signaled a coming attack. With agonizing slowness, one of them approached her from behind. Though she didn’t move a muscle, Cadance followed the hideous thing with narrowed eyes. It slithered through the air, undulating and weaving, but never touched the catwalk itself. Did it not sense by touch?

The tentacle began to move over her position. She held her breath, muscles taut with anticipation. Even when some of that disgusting mucus dropped onto her side, the cold gunk sliding down her ribs, she kept as still as possible. Her heart threatened to break through her chest with its frantic beating, but her mind was clear and prepared. If the thing so much as grazed her, she was ready to ignite her horn in an instant.

Over her shoulder, then her head. She realized too late that her horn might be in the way. A tightness came upon her as the ugly thing grew closer, but she exerted all the mental strength she could to keep from moving.

It passed overhead, so close she could swear she felt one of those nasty yellow tumors brushing against the tip of her horn.

She didn’t relax. On the contrary, her attention now went to the tentacle that had been hovering over Flash this entire time. He held just as still, his eye on her despite the threatening horror over his head. Cadance only watched in tense silence as the two tentacle touched just above him. They wrapped around one another, the contact between them creating more of those sickening, moist sounds. More yellow gunk dripped off of them, landing on Flash’s wings, and still the ponies didn’t move.

Then, the two tentacles separated amidst gut-churning, smacking sounds. With as much sluggishness as ever, they receded into the darkness below.

Cadance continued holding her breath, even after the things faded into shadow. She silently thanked her alicorn anatomy for making breathing an act of comfort rather than survival. Her chest ached, but it was a minor nuisance at best. Her attention turned back to Flash, who gave the tiniest of waves with his hoof before resuming his crawl, this time at a much slower pace.

As they moved on, Cadance divided her time among watching for the monster below, keeping her movement slow, and thinking on her situation. Her thoughts drifted to Shining Armor and his potential fate, to the other princesses and whether they knew of what had happened, and the Crystal Ponies and how they might be holding up in this situation. Perhaps only the castle had been affected? She dearly hoped so.

Then again, there was always the possibility that this was all a dream… even if it seemed highly unlikely by this point.

At long last, they reached the opposite side of the catwalk. They were beneath that flickering light and against the rusted iron wall. They could move left or right, either way being little more than more catwalks and darkness. Without a word between them, they agreed to turn right. This proved fortuitous, for after only a few feet of quiet movement they came upon a plain doorway. Flash reached it first and stood up with such caution Cadance wondered at how painful the motion had to be, then grabbed the handle and pulled.

The door opened with a shriek of hinges. An instant later, the sound was overwhelmed by a throaty, gurgling roar.

Flash cursed and flung the door open. He tried to stand aside to let Cadance through first, but she was having none of his nobility; she snatched him up with her magic and tossed him through before running inside. She turned and grabbed the door with her magic, but paused as a tall, thin shape emerged from the shadows below. It wasn’t another tentacle. No, whatever this thing was, it had a head and shoulders, though no arms to speak of. The features were shrouded in shadow, but she could feel it staring at her.

That wasn’t anywhere near as bad as the horrible emotions that radiated from it, emotions Cadance easily recognized: envy, with undertones of guilt.

She slammed the door closed just as the tentacles began sliding over the catwalk’s railings. She spun away and discovered crystal walls yet again. Flash was already moving through the room, and she hurried to follow as something banged against the metal door behind her.

They burst through a door and into another, larger room of crystal. Flash shut the door behind them, then sagged against the wall. “That should be enough,” he muttered between panting breaths. “It won’t follow us this far.”

At last, Cadance breathed again, having momentarily forgotten that she’d stopped. As air reached her lungs, the tension in her body abated and the pain in her chest steadily ebbed. Of course, it was replaced by that endless churning of her stomach, but she ignored it in favor of observing the area. Crates and boxes littered the room from wall to wall, and she realized they were in one of the unused rooms near the top of the Crystal Castle. Assuming whatever force controlled this world didn’t send them into some random direction with the next door, they would be in the hallway leading to the Heart of the Kingdom.

“We should rest for a moment,” Flash muttered, settling on the floor.

She turned to him, expression firm. “How do you know that thing won’t come in here?”

He rubbed at his chest and grimaced as if in pain. “Because I’ve encountered it before. Killed somepony I’d stuck by for a good while after things went to heck. It doesn’t leave that room. No idea why.”

She narrowed her eyes in thought, but saw no reason to argue with him. It would have done her no good. “We should keep moving. The Crystal Heart is close.”

“We should rest,” he repeated. “We don’t want to move on tired.”

Cadance had to acknowledge that her legs and shoulders were sore from all the crawling, which had been done in a position that was by no means natural for a pony. Even so, resting when her goal was within reach? “No. I have a kingdom to save.”

“Princess.”

She paused, half-turned to the doors. Something in his tone held her, and she gave him a questioning look.

Flash returned the expression with a pleading one. “Please. Just for a moment. I promise, things will work out okay.”

She hesitated, looking to the door, then back to him. “Why do you delay, Flash?”

He swallowed audibly, his eye glistening. “Because I’ve been waiting for this moment for a very long time, and I’m tired. I finally found you again, and soon…” He pulled his head between his shoulders and closed his eyes, a tear dripping down his cheek. “Let me savor it. Please. It’s my last chance.”

Sadness. Resignation. Just a hint of desperation.

Cadance turned to her loyal guard. “Flash… Do you know something?”

He bowed his head, shifting from side to side. It took time for him to speak. “You’re nothing like I expected.”

She blinked, looked down at herself. “What did you expect?”

He smiled up at her, lips trembling. “For a peaceful mare thrust into a world of blood and death and demons, you’re very calm. I thought you’d be more… panicky.”

At that, she sighed and sat before him. “This is not my first experience getting tossed into unusual and frightening worlds, though it is by far the creepiest.”

A weak chuckle rose from his throat. “That might make for an interesting story someday. You’ll tell it to me later, won’t you?”

“Of course I will.” She wanted to smile for him, but dark thoughts weighed too heavily on her mind. “Flash? You say you’ve seen these events before?”

He turned his face away and didn’t answer.

Cadance pursed her lips. “What’s coming, Flash?”

Seconds passed. He wouldn’t look at her. Cadance continued to stare, her gaze growing more and more intense, but he didn’t budge. Just when she considered giving a direct order, he spoke. “When we get to the Crystal Heart, I will die.”

She blinked. Again. Her mouth opened, but no words came out.

“I will be there. A younger me. I’ll see it happen.” He chuckled and rubbed his chest again. “I’ve known for who knows how long that seeing you again would be my doom.”

Cadance took a step closer, her head low so that it was even with his. Still he wouldn’t look at her. “B-but you saw it. That means you know how you die, right? We can stop it.”

At last, he looked at her, and his eye was clear. “I don’t want to.”

Yet again, she was rendered speechless. She could only stare, mouth closed and mind running circles around his words.

He smiled and reached up to pat her shoulder. “Princess, I am no strapping colt, not anymore. I’ve been through all kinds of torture, made friends just to watch them die or get separated and never see them again. I can’t say how long I’ve been wandering this place, but I’m reasonably sure I could call it ‘most of my life’ and not be inaccurate. I’m ready for this.”

She sat once more, feeling as if a knife had been thrust into her chest. She could sense his honesty, and the quiet but strong confidence that told her he’d not be dissuaded. Lips trembling, she asked, “Then why don’t you want to go?”

His smile only broadened, and something new arose from his heart: love. Not a romantic love, but a love born of loyalty.

“Because you are my princess, and I want to savor a few precious minutes in your presence before I go. If that meets with your approval.”

Cadance could describe her feelings at the moment as one part flattered and one part disturbed. Her heart bled for the stallion as she reached forward to part his greying mane and look into his tired, hopeful gaze. “Flash… can you promise me that things will go well after…” Her throat constricted.

His smile didn’t falter. “When last I saw you, things were going smoothly. The problems hadn’t been solved, but I know you succeeded.”

With that, she settled down before him. Her heart continued to ache as she pressed her forehead to his, her horn parting his mane. “I’m so sorry that you had to go through this, Flash. You always were one of my most dependable guards. I wish I could have done something to help you sooner.”

She pulled away, tears in her eyes, and set a hoof atop his. “If giving you a few moments of my time will help ease a lifetime of misery, then you may have it. You deserve so much more.”

Flash closed his eye, his face set in a content smile. “Thanks you, Princess. I could ask for nothing better.”

And so they sat in the silence and the shadow, taking this last opportunity to be comforted by one another’s company.

Cadance couldn’t be sure of how long they’d remained in that room. It had been long enough for the world to transition again. The silence returned not long after their decision to rest, and once it had left the world had gone back to that unpleasant pallor from before. Flash insisted that there was no point pressing on while Pale remained, and she hadn’t argued with him.

Part of it was a fear of what might happen once she left the room. In many ways, she felt as if all this waiting was only causing more problems. She tried on several occasions to convince him to leave, and ultimately attempted to go without him. To her consternation, she found herself walking through a spacial loop where leaving the room from one door only led to her entering it from another. She attempted to reverse the process by walking in the opposite direction, and thought she’d had success when she started off in an unfamiliar hallway. That hope was dashed when she walked through a room at the end of the hallway only to find herself with the patiently waiting Flash.

“This world behaves by its own rules,” he had explained to her. “Trying to make it bend to your will just doesn’t work.”

Though frustrated, Cadance had at last given in and settled back down with her guardpony. She tried to be pleasant and entertain his questions. It rapidly became apparent that Flash was only reliving his youth via his queries. She suspected he already knew most of the answers. His manner frustrated her, but she tolerated it for his sake.

She tried to get Flash to let her help him. She pressed him to tell her how he knew he would die, but he refused to explain. This simply would not do, and she made it clear to him. When he still refused, she resorted to a wide variety of tactics; subtle suggestions, leading statement, logical reasoning. When those didn’t work, she resorted to outright ordering him to tell her. He didn't budge. Cadance grew desperate to find a way to prevent the death he predicted, to the point that she even begged him to let her help, but nothing broke through his steadfast resistance.

Her most loyal guard, once pliable and obedient to her every command, now acted as an impenetrable wall.

Seeing her distress, Flash reached out to touch her hoof. “Please, Princess. You shouldn’t trouble yourself with my wellbeing. I always lived to serve. Believe me when I say that my death will be a good one.”

Cadance, half turned away from him, had tears in her eyes. “No death is a good one, Flash. I never wanted you to die, for my sake or otherwise.”

“I swore an oath,” he replied softly. “I won’t back down.”

Wings limp and shoulders slumped, she cast her eyes upon his weak smile. “Where did it go wrong, Flash? What in Celestia’s name happened? Why is everything like this?”

He merely shook his head. “I have no answers for you. I’m sorry, Princess, but I met nopony in all my travels who actually knew why the world went to Tartarus. Not even your sister-in-law.”

Cadance’s ears perked. The shakiness in her voice only grew worse. “Y-you met Twilight? Here?”

He nodded solemnly. “I don’t think she’d been here for very long. She was still confused by the nature of this world. At any rate… Princess?”

Cadance had buried her face in her hooves, shivering lightly. “If Twilight is here, then this curse must have stretched across all of Equestria! What evil is this?”

Flash sat up straight, his gaze set on the floor. He shuffled in place, eye flitting about the corners of the room. At last, he responded, “The Maw.”

She looked up, eyebrows raised. “The what?”

“The Maw,” he repeated with a shiver. “I’ve seen it. Once.”

Cadance’s breath left her, but only for a moment. She leaned closer to him, but he avoided her gaze. “Tell me more.”

The color faded from Flash’s cheeks and his eye widened. He worked his lips slowly, licking them and swallowing audibly. “It’s… I don’t rightly know. But it looks like a giant ring made of metal. And inside of that, darkness. True darkness, more black than you’ve ever imagined, the kind of black that feels like it’s going to suck out your soul.”

The image floated in Cadance’s mind, but she sat back and frowned. “That sounds… mundane. Is it a magical construct?”

Flash’s shaking only intensified, but he forced the words from his lips. “I… I don’t know, but I think it’s alive. When I saw it, I swear something looked back. There’s evil within that darkness, an evil that goes beyond our comprehension. I could just feel its power oozing over me, like I was awash in the bodily oils of a demon from an entirely different plane of existence.”

“Flash—”

He lurched forward, wrapping one of her hooves in both of his and gazing into her eyes. “Please, Princess, whatever you do, do not look for it. If you go near it, I don’t even want to know what it would do.”

She didn’t pull away, but returned his grip in hopes of providing comfort. “But Flash, this thing may be the key to saving everypony.”

He shook his head forcefully. “The Crystal Heart is the key, I know it! That’s what you need to focus on.”

“But if this ‘Maw’ is connected to the chaos affecting Equestria, maybe stopping it will save you!”

“I don’t want to be saved!”

She leaned back at his outburst, jaw loose and ears folding back.

Flash raised her hoof to his chest and stroked the back of it, his pleading eye set upon hers. “I don’t want to be saved. My only concern is you. Please, Cadance, protect the Crystal Heart. That will solve everything. There’s no need for you to go into more danger than is necessary.”

She stared at him for some time, trying to think of something to say. Her logic and compassion for his plight had been sidetracked by the vehemence of his intent and the passion that seeped through his emotions. When she finally did speak, her words were not what she intended.

“You called me by my name.”

He bowed his head, shame filling his features. He didn’t let go of her hoof.

She heaved a deep sigh. “Okay, Flash. If it’ll—”

For the fourth time in recent memory, all sound ceased. The pain came back, but Cadance was ready for it this time. She bent down, grinding her forehooves into the floor and taking long, deep breaths through her wide open mouth. It was all the same as before: hatred, rage, despair, fear, loss. Every negative emotion she knew, all wrapped up in the mental equivalent of a baseball bat being slammed into her stomach again and again. She swallowed, spat a small gob of saliva on the floor, and focused all her efforts on not vomiting.

When the pain finally ebbed and she had recovered enough to sit up straight once more, she found Flash still sitting before her, his expression pained. “Are you alright, Princess?”

Cadance took a few more deep breaths, a hoof set to her chest. She brushed a lock of mane from her face and nodded weakly. “I’ll be okay.” She looked about to find that, once more, the world had fallen into darkness. “You called this the Veil. What is it a veil for?”

“I hate to keep saying it, Princess, but I just don’t know.” He stood slowly, and Cadance was sure she heard cracking from his knees. If the motion brought him any pain, he did a phenomenal job hiding it. “I think we’ve waited long enough. Are you ready to move on?”

She felt at her stomach, which continued to roil. “Yes. I want to end this as soon as possible.”

He smile and held out a hoof, helping her stand. “Then I apologize for making you wait. Thank you, Princess, for indulging an old soldier.”

“You’re not that old, Flash.”

He chuckled and stepped past her for the door. “Maybe, maybe not. Hard to tell in this place.”

She cocked her head and followed. “Flash, if you don’t mind my asking…”

Pausing at the door, he glanced back. “As if I’d say ‘no’ to you.”

Cadance rolled her eyes at that. “You’d best be careful, or my husband will think your affections are something more than platonic.” Shaking the silly idea away, she asked, “How did you remain sane?”

He paused, a hoof on the door handle. Lowering his head, he spoke so quietly that she almost didn’t hear him. “I didn’t. There was a long time when I just… existed. If Chrysalis hadn’t come along and snapped some sense into me, I don’t think I’d have…” He closed his mouth, pressing his lips tightly together as the hardness came back to his face.

Chrysalis. Out of all the mysteries this day – days? – had offered, that one bothered Cadance the most. “Flash, are you really sure she’s trying to help? I mean, what if she did something to you?”

“Like muck with my mind so I’d believe whatever she said?” He sighed and kept his head bowed. “I don’t know. I hope that’s not the case. I’m not sure it matters, though. Whatever Chrysalis’s intentions, I know what I saw so long ago was no illusion. I know that this is right.” He looked up at her from the corner of his eye. “Please, Princess. Trust me.”

She wanted to. Cadance knew that, in his heart, Flash believed in and meant every word he said. But to trust him… Did that mean trusting the word of Chrysalis? Could she possibly go that far? The very name filled her with disturbing thoughts, memories of a terrible time in her life. Cadance knew she should be above such grievances. She should be like Celestia, the all-forgiving and wise.

Cadance was not Celestia. She didn’t want to believe anything that came from Chrysalis’s mouth. She would play these events out, but she would not trust in them, not until she knew the stakes.

But as far as Flash went? “I do trust you, Flash,” she replied, somehow managing to smile for him. “I just don’t trust your source.”

A light laugh accompanied his own smile. “I can’t blame you. Can’t blame you at all.”

He pushed the door open.

Cadance’s heart almost stopped.

Blood drenched the walls. Body parts lay haphazardly along the hallway. Her eyes centered upon a decapitated grey head that stared at her from across the hall with sightless eyes. The scent of fresh blood and gore invaded her nostrils. No amount of mental defense could prepare her, and she turned away to dry heave.

Pain coursed through her throat as her stomach’s acidic juices rose on their own volition. She tried to fight back against her body’s instincts, but no sooner had she begun to recover than the terrible stench overtook her once more. Tears welled in her eyes as one horrible thought pressed upon her struggling mind: those were crystal empire guards. Her ponies were little more than ripped flesh just a few feet away from her!

Someone was speaking to her. She could feel the wind of his breath on her ear. She didn’t want to hear it, didn’t want to think it. She was supposed to be protecting her ponies. They were dead. Her ponies were dead. What kind of princess was she?

She wasn’t Celestia.

She wasn’t Luna.

She wasn’t even Twilight.

She was Cadance. She was scared, and she had failed. She’s always known she would eventually. She’d never been princess material, she’d known that all along. She’d tried so hard, took to all the lessons, put on a good image, but deep down she was the most undeserving pony to ever hold such a title! What had Celestia been thinking? Dealing with a single witch was not a qualification for royalty!

Going to strange places? Fine. Defend her ponies? Good.

Seeing their bloody, hideous corpses strewn about her castle? That had not been in the job description!

Something jerked her to her hooves. A lone blue eye filled her vision.

“Cadance! Get a hold of yourself!”

“I— That’s— They— Flash?”

“I know it’s horrible, but we have to move. The Crystal Heart, Cadance, it’s right there. Do your job!”

The Crystal Heart? She didn’t care about…

She jerked away, reality smashing into her like a railcar. “The Heart!” A desperate need swelled within her, and a steely determination. “Where is it? Show me!”

Without so much as a nod of affirmation, he spun about and galloped for the door. Cadance followed, eagerness and fear swelling inside her head. They entered the hallway, which remained covered in the barely recognizable remains of her guardponies. The sight and smells threatened to overwhelm her a second time, but she focused her attention on the back of Flash’s head and pushed back her disgust. No time for the doubts that plagued her life, no benefit to entertaining the chill in her chest.

The Crystal Heart. That was all that mattered.

The Heart of the Kingdom was just ahead. All Cadance had to do was activate it, and the nightmare would be over. They passed by more bodies, more ponies who she’d failed, but Cadance hardened her grieving heart. Not now, not yet.

Their destination was a tall, rounded room, normally secured from outside threats by a significant guard presence. There were no windows and only one entrance, all to better protect the nation’s most valuable resource. Cadance and Flash rapidly came upon Love’s Circle, a hallway that surrounded the Heart of the Kingdom and allowed tourists and citizens to visit the Crystal Heart from a safe – and generally harmless – distance.

As soon as they entered the circle, they were set upon by a half dozen guards. Flash moved fast, his spear blocking the sword of one of his compatriots before flipping his spear and cracking the blunt shaft across his opponent’s muzzle. This proved enough to make the others hesitate, and gave Cadance the chance she needed to placate them.

Not much placating was required; the moment the soldiers recognized their princess, they fell to their knees. Cadance hid her cringe behind a smile, hardly feeling worthy of their devotion. “Please, all of you, rise. What is the condition of the Crystal Heart?”

Nopony stood. They were exchanging quick glances. Cadance noted the looks in their eyes and could sense their anxiety. Heart twisting, she hurried to one of the observation windows.

The Heart of the Kingdom was a tall place, stretching up several stories, and it was all beautiful shimmering crystal. Many considered it the Empire’s most aesthetic room, although Cadance thought it didn’t hold a candle to some of the more recent creations. No, what held her attention now was the Crystal Heart, which floated high above a conical plinth in the center of the room.

She could only stare in confusion. Something was… on the Crystal Heart. It was white like porcelain, held together by what appeared to be stitching and black wire. She realized after some inspection that it was some kind of creature, though its features were hard to distinguish due to the way it wrapped itself about the artifact like a lover. If she observed closely, Cadance could make out arms and legs – bipedal, it seemed – and long, thin claws.

She asked the question without thought. “What is it?”

“That,” a familiar voice replied, “Wiped out two thirds of our number, you’re highness.”

The voice was firm, holding none of the hesitation or worry that she’d seen in the other guards. It was so much younger than the one she’d spent the last several hours with, yet it was also the same. She turned to a younger, more familiar Flash Sentry, who stood before her in clean armor and all his limbs intact.

He saluted, expression grim. “Your Majesty, I take full responsibility for failing to stop the thing.”

“As well you should,” an older voice groused. The elder Flash shoved his younger counterpart aside and glared through the window, lips curled back to show his teeth. “If only we had stopped it the first time.”

Flash stared at the new figure, his eyes like saucers. “You’re me.”

Elder Flash rubbed a hoof across his forehead with a low groan. “Yeah, I remember this conversation.”

“I… What?” Flash sat and shook his head as if to clear it, then squinted at his older doppelganger. Now that the two were side by side, Cadance came to recognize just how much older her companion had become; the Flash she’d spent all her time with had to have been past his middle ages.

The older pony turned to his young twin. “Yes, I’m you. You’re me. Enjoy it while it lasts. And hey, guess what? You’re gonna survive this thing. That’s worth a smile at least, right?” His ears folded back and his tone turned much darker. “You won’t be smiling for long.”

Flash stared at him, then looked to Cadance. “P-Princess?”

Cadance stood tall and gave him the best commanding look she could muster. “I’ll explain later, Mr. Sentry. For now, I need everypony remaining to be ready. Gather them up. Now.”

The young guard looked from her to the stallion before him a few times. Then he swallowed, nodded and turned away.

As he went to bark orders, Cadance turned to her companion. “My husband’s not here.”

The elder Flash nodded, his face returned to stone. “No, he’s not.”

Cursing under her breath, Cadance pushed her worries aside in favor of the moment. “You were here before. You know what is going to happen.”

“Assuming that things play out exactly the same. They have so far.”

She sat and gestured to the thing hugging the Crystal Heart. “Then talk. Explain.”

He shook his head. “There’s really no need, I think. Whatever you decide to do, things will play out the same.” But when her eyes narrowed, he hurried to add, “But I guess it won’t hurt if I talk either, right? You’re going to try to activate the Crystal Heart.”

Cadance couldn’t hold back the bite in her words. “Of course I am. The question is, what is it—” she thrust a hoof at the creature, “—going to do in response?”

“Attack,” He replied, expression grim. “Swiftly. Violently. You won’t be able to do your job without dealing with it first.”

“Then we deal with it.” She turned just as the young Flash was bringing the remaining guards to her. She did a quick headcount and felt sick. Well, sick-er. “This is all that are left?”

Flash nodded prior to saluting. The remaining guards followed his lead. “We’re ready for anything, Your Highness.”

Cadance closed her eyes and took a few slow, deep breaths. She knew what needed to be done. If the creature was in the way, it would have to be dealt with. She told herself that, but a small voice in the back of her mind protested the very idea. To order the death of a living creature? The very idea left her weak in the knees.

But she’d seen the bodies, what was left of them. The monster they faced was not one to be dealt with lightly. Her course was clear, no matter how much she hated herself for having to take it.

Celestia would have found a way to placate it.

Luna would have killed it already. On her own.

Twilight would have captured it for study and rehabilitation.

With one last, slow exhale, she opened her eyes. She hoped her gaze was as commanding as she intended.

“I must activate the Crystal Heart,” she told her guards. “That creature is going to try to stop me.”

Flash squared his shoulders and nodded. “Then we will protect you, Princess. It will have to get through us before it gets to you, and I promise, we won’t make it easy.”

He said the words, and his conviction was firm, but some of his comrades had gone pale. Cadance could feel the fear and nervousness they exuded. Was it really right of her to force them to do this? How many would the creature kill if she didn’t act fast enough? She cast a wary glance at the elder Flash. He only nodded.

He knew what was coming. He’d seen it. If he told her this was the correct course, then things would go well.

Right?

She turned back to the brave stallions before her. “I trust you all to do what is necessary. I know I am asking much, but today is not a day for hesitation. We must succeed here, my friends. There is so much at stake, far more than our lives. We can stop this curse and bring the Empire back to the way it was, and then? Then we will review the cost.”

Cadance didn’t know if that would qualify as a proper motivational speech. It didn’t feel like one in her mind, but she’d never had to command soldiers to their deaths before.

That thought struck her like a ton of bricks, making her wobble on unsteady hooves. Something firm pressed against her side, and she steadied. She gave the Elder Flash what she hoped was a confident smile, then brought her attention forward once more. Oh Goddess, she was really going to do this, wasn’t she?

“Are you ready?”

She’d meant that to sound more forceful and loud than it did. Even so, the guards before her cried their affirmation, and she could sense that they were, at the very least, steadier in their certainty. It would have to be enough; she turned away and marched for the entrance to the Heart of the Kingdom itself.

Standing in the entrance ahead of her guard, Cadance allowed herself a moment to study the creature. It turned a vaguely equine head her way. To her surprise, its eyes were little more than black buttons. It possessed a mane as well, long and black and straight, which shimmered like silk but otherwise hung limp. The creature’s mouth parted to reveal… teeth? She peered, trying to make out what she was seeing.

Sewing pins. The monster’s teeth were sewing pins. They’d been pushed through the upper and lower lips to form thin, pointed and uneven teeth. The monster tilted in her direction, and Cadance couldn’t tell if it was trying to grin or threatening her.

Her guards spread out, forming a line behind her and brandishing their spears in preparation. The two Flash Sentries stood on either side of her, the elder to her left and the younger to her right. The creature turned its head in slow, sweeping arcs, hissing and flicking a tongue made of red ribbons.

“Okay, Cadance,” she whispered to herself. “You can do this.” She’d been in battle before. True, the Tatzlwurm hadn’t been all that bad an opponent, but that still counted. This thing was smaller, surely it wouldn’t be worse. Maybe she could even… She took a step forward, igniting her horn.

Only instinct and luck kept Cadance alive. She dodged sideways as the monster flung itself from the Crystal Heart and thrust its claws at her in the blink of an eye. She leapt away, wincing as a second swipe raked her flank. A blind buck landed on the creature’s chest, and to Cadance’s surprise the pale body seemed to cave in on itself. The blow was enough to make it stagger backwards, but the collapse of its upper body only served to cushion the hit. Already it was moving forward, its chest expanding back to its former size.

Cadance had just enough time to recognize the claws as scissors before she had to leap back, too slow to avoid thin cuts to her chest. By this time her guards were charging into the fight, giving her the desperate time she needed to gather her wits.

Until she saw the first guard’s head fall off.

Panic gripped Cadance as she watched two more fall, their bodies limp and bloodied. All her drive left her upon realizing the sheer brutality and force of the beast dancing before her. It stood taller than even Celestia, its thin body weaving and rocking to dodge spears and bucks as if it were little more than a piece of fabric. Cadance brought her wing up just in time to keep blood from splashing across her face.

The younger Flash stood between her and the monster, brandishing his spear. “The Heart, Princess, The Heart!”

The monster lunged, and Flash struck. His spear ripped into the thing’s chest as if it were paper, but didn’t slow down the attack. Cadance opened her mouth to cry out, the spell coming too slowly to her fear-addled mind.

A flash of orange, a pained cry, and Flash was on the ground. Blood poured from the twitching knub that had once been his wing. His elder twin was on top of him, a thin cut on his shoulder. “Not yet, little buck. You’ve got a lot of work to do before you die.” He whipped his head to Cadance. “The heart, Cadance, get the heart!”

The heart, right! Cadance shook off her stupor and turned to the Crystal Heart.

“No, not that heart!”

What? She turned her confidence shaking as she looked in the direction he pointed his spear.

She saw it. The monster’s insides had been exposed, revealing a mess of twine and yarn and threads. There, nestled amongst the strange innards, was a large fire ruby in the shape of a heart. The moment Cadance saw it, she understood.

As her guards darted about in a desperate effort to avoid the creature’s claws, Cadance ignited her horn for a basic spell. Her aura wrapped around one of the beast’s legs, pinning it in place. She had hoped to hold its entire form, but as soon as the monster recognized what was happening it began lashing out wildly, its movements far too fast for her to concentrate on. Claws and arms and body whipped about in a silent maelstrom of violence, and the guards were unable to come any closer.

Worse, she couldn’t see its heart.

Cadance considered the situation. For all her alicorn magic, she knew she couldn’t hold the monster forever. It or she would tire out, and given that it had no apparent organic parts, how was she to know if it even could tire? She could attempt to activate the Crystal Heart, but there was no guarantee it would expel this monster. She focused on the creature itself, seeking out its emotional state.

She found envy, mistrust, arrogance. All of it layered by a thin veil of greed.

Her concentration was broken by the slightest pain in her cheek. Cadance shook out of her empathic attention and yelped, ducking her head as something tiny darted past. Her guards cried out and tried to cover their faces as more of the miniscule things went flying from the monster. One stabbed into Cadance’s leg, bringing a pain not unlike a bee sting. She examined the wound and saw that the flying objects were sewing needles.

With a grimace, Cadance threw up a shield. “Everypony, behind me!” She didn’t need to tell them twice.

For a moment, things calmed down. The monster was still thrashing wildly, but its needles bounced harmlessly against her shielding and her guard had the chance to catch their breaths. But now Cadance found herself in a troublesome spot. Her magic was strong, but she lacked the sophistication of her fellow princesses; she’d never be able to activate the Crystal Heart while holding the monster and maintaining a shield at the same time.

Cadance took a moment to examine her guards. They were down to merely half their previous number, and none had come out of the fight unscathed. Even those who had avoided the monster’s claws were bleeding profusely from dozens of needles imbedded in their flesh. If only there was a unicorn among them, one might be able to help her.

The younger Flash stood before her, his stub bleeding profusely. Though he clenched his teeth in pain, he still held his spear at the ready and saluted. “P-Princess. We can still fight.”

She looked to him, then to her few remaining guards. She bit her lip at the sight of their blood. She didn't even want to think of the bodies that now littered the room. Could she do it? Could she condemn these soldiers to their deaths? No… But something had to be done. What would Celestia have done in this situation?

“If I might make a suggestion?”

She turned to the elder Flash, who was still bleeding lightly from the scratches in his sides. If he was in pain, however, he gave no indication of it.

“Let the monster go.”

“What?” The younger Flash stomped his hoof, wincing from the pain the act produced. “Are you crazy? That thing will slaughter us!”

But his elder didn’t acknowledge the protest. He merely stared up at Cadance, his gaze firm and his spear ready. He radiated confidence… and determination. Upon recognizing this, Cadance also recognized that the time had come.

“But Flash, you’ll…”

“I know.” He smiled and shrugged. “And you know. This is how it has to be, Princess. The Kingdom comes second.”

She hesitated, glancing at the creature on the other side of her shield. It hadn’t slowed down, its arms flinging about in a pale blur. The total silence of the thing alone was enough to unnerve her. “And… I’m first, right?”

His smile turned sad. “You’re getting it.”

“Don’t do it, Princess,” the younger Flash warned, and the other guards voiced their agreement.

She closed her eyes, heart throbbing and insides churning. Why did she have to make this decision? Why had Celestia placed a crown upon her head?

It didn’t matter. She knew what she had to do.

“I’m sorry.”

“I know you are.”

With a weak moan, she turned to the monster. The glow of her horn dimmed just slightly, and it was free.

Within an instant, the creature hurtled itself at Cadance’s shield. She backed up on instinct, but the monster only slammed into the barrier. There was a loud ripping sound, and Cadance watched in quiet disbelief as the scissor claws on its hands fell away, having hit the barrier so hard they’d torn through the fabric holding them in place.

Cadance didn’t see the blunt end of the spear swinging towards her until it was too late. It smacked the base of her horn, knocking her head back to an uncomfortable angle and making her shout. With her surprise, the magic disappeared with a pop, and the shield fell. Her guards cried out in alarm…

Then everything went quiet. Cadance didn’t want look down. She waited a second, two… then forced her neck upright once more.

The elder Flash Sentry was on his hind legs, pressed tightly against the creature. His spear protruded from its backside, covered in torn fabric and loose string. Halfway across the room, the fire ruby sat innocuously on the bloodied floor. The monster’s body hung limp like so much loose cloth.

But its mouth, and all those wicked needles, were wrapped around Flash’s throat. He collapsed, coughing and hacking. Blood poured from his neck as he rolled onto his back.

Cadance dropped beside him, fresh panic coursing through her as she tried to determine the best way to remove the needles. “It’s okay, Flash, you won’t die. I promise, you won’t die! Oh, what were you thinking, you stupid, crazy colt!”

She pulled a needle out. Another. The bleeding grew worse. Cadance raised her hooves over him and let them hang there, unsure of what to do. Tears burned her eyes. “Why? You didn’t have to do that.”

He wheezed, his chest convulsing. Slowly, his remaining eye shifted to catch hers.

His lips trembled into a smile.

“No!” She encased his throat in her magic, feeling for his wounds but having no idea what to do about them. “I was supposed to stop it! You were supposed to live! Please, Flash, you don’t deserve this!”

His hoof touched her cheek, and all thoughts ceased. She stared at the aged stallion dying before her, at his pleasant smile and his convulsing chest. For a brief moment, she saw him as he once was: young, loyal and confident. She imagined all the terrors he’d gone through, how this mad world put him through more pain than she could understand. How he had come through it all with his mind and soul intact, against all odds.

All for loyalty to a pony who didn’t deserve it.

Because she didn’t. Cadance knew better than anypony, she didn’t.

The convulsions ceased.

Eyes closed.

The hoof dropped to the floor.

Cadance wept.