Go! Go! Go!
...
Cady? Are you there…?
...
I need to know if she’s gonna make it! I HAVE TO!
…
Cadence opened her eyes and observed her surroundings. She was in a clean white hospital room, bound in several different casts. The windows on the far side of the room were open, which brought in some warm sunlight and a cool breeze. When she tried to look around, her neck refused to move and erupted in pain. “AGH!” She screamed, “That hurts…”
A soon as she spoke, she heard sounds of surprise from across the room. A doctor, accompanied by two nurses, entered her field of vision. The doctor gasped, “Your highness, you’re awake! Do you feel alright?”
Cadence grumbled and tried in vain to shift about in her bed. Her front hooves were layered in cast material and suspended above her by pulleys and wires, making it impossible to move her front half. “I feel… numb. And tired. What happened?”
The doctor breathed a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness. The official report says you were hit by three class-four trap spells while in pursuit of a wanted individual. Your front hooves, neck, skull, and chest all sustained major injuries. Your alicorn physique was the only thing protecting you from certain death!”
Cadence frowned. “Certain death. Fun. You said I was chasing someone? Who?”
“You must be suffering from short-term post-trauma amnesia. You were chasing a unicorn by the name of Steel Nut who is now wanted for attempted regicide, evading the forces of the crown, and conspiracy against the empire.” The doctor looked over at the nurses. “How are her vitals?”
“Stabilizing. Her healing also seems to be moving at a much faster pace than normal. A couple more healing spells and tonics and you’ll be out of here by sundown your highness!” The nurses put on a broad smile to try and lift Cadences spirits.
Just as the doctor and nurses left Cadence to think, Shining Armor flung open the door with Flurry heart strapped to his chest in Cadence's baby carrier. The sight of it was too much, and Cadence burst out into laughter. “HAHAHA! That is too funny Shiny! I never thought I would see the day my husband carried our child in MY baby carrier!”
Shining Armor walked over to Cadence’s bed and wiped a tear from his eye. “I’m just glad to see that you’re okay and that your spirits are still high. These past few hours have been about as stressful as when we had our little munchkin!” Flurry Heart giggled and cooed in response to the attention. When she saw Cadence, she started squirming in her carrier and tried to reach out to her. “Not yet Flur! Mommy needs her rest! You can snuggle once she’s all better!” Shining said as he nuzzled her.
Not one to be outdone, Flurry Heart teleported out of her carrier, and onto Cadences face. She then giggled furiously and cuddled Cadence. “Aww… I love you too Flurry, but we can properly snuggle later.”
Shining Armor gently grabbed Flurry Heart and put her back in the carrier. “So, onto more serious matters. The pony who attacked you has been confirmed as Steel Nut, and we’ve placed him as the highest priority target possible. Funnily enough, your guards swept the rest of the West District and found nothing. No clues, aura, eyewitnesses, nothing. All anyone reports at the time of the incident was that there was a pony running down the street at ridiculous speeds. No one could say who it was, or where they were going, but our men suspect it was Nut. Do you know anything else?”
“He has something to do with Sombra. I’m not sure how or why, but he knew about how his horn was missing, which leads me to believe he could be connected. I don’t know, or remember much else. We can review this again once I'm out of this bed.”
Cadence gritted her teeth in thought. I should be out on the streets, or on the throne. Anywhere where I could help catch that psychopath... and hopefully find the truth about Sombra.
“Alright, that sounds good. Anything el-- wait a sec, someone’s at the door.” Shining walked over to the door of Cadences hospital room, where she saw a royal commander talking to Shining Armor. He put on a concerned face began walking back towards her bedside. “The guard needs me. Apparently, there’s been a disturbance of some kind in the West District, and it might be Nut resurfacing to cause more chaos. I’ll get Flurry to Sunburst, and we can talk later once i’m back. Is that good?”
“Sounds great, hun. I’m not going anywhere fast, anyways. Heh. Be safe!” Cadence lifted up, kissed Shining on the cheek, and smiled.
“I always am. See you later!” With their final goodbyes said, Shining stood up and left.
o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Earlier...
Dracarthus was fascinated with the creatures he had created. He had spent hours studying them in every way possible. The first thing he discovered was that he could actually command them, but only with basic things that came naturally to the mindless beasts. Anything more complex than “go here” or “eat” just became a suggestion. When it came to their higher mental processes though, there was little to study. All Dracarthus could find inside the creature’s minds was an impulse to feed.
To an untrained mind, these things seemed like useless horrors that did nothing but kill and eat, but Dracarthus’s mind saw further, and realized their vast potential. They could become an army that could quickly replenish its own numbers, they could destroy entire villages, cities! ...Empires. In that instant, Dracarthus used all of the knowledge he had gained to put the pieces together. With the third princess looking for a fugitive, she would most likely put the empire on lockdown. These wonderful little abominations would serve as the perfect distraction to escape the empire, and would conquer the place for later use to boot.
He finished exploring the underground temple and came back to the altar room with saddlebags packed to the brim with supplies. It turns out that Xenon Glow was preparing for Sombra to bring about the end of days, as well as salvation. He called it the “rebirth” when describing it.
“I’ll never understand why you ponies think packing food and water will help you survive the apocalypse. You’re only delaying the inevitable. Besides, extending your suffering is my job.” Dracarthus flashed a razor-bladed grin at the two creatures that stood idle in the altar room. “I really need a name for you… things. I can’t keep using vague pronouns to refer to you. Hmm… they used to call magical-made diseases ‘scourges’ anyway, and I suppose that’s what you are. Scourges it is!”
Satisfied with the food and supplies he had packed, and ready to take on the Crystal Wastes to the east, Dracarthus donned his familiar disguise once more, and climbed the ladder out of the secret temple. Poking his head down the trapdoor, he motioned to the Scourges. “Come on now! You’ve got a long night ahead of you!”
The Scourges groaned in response and used their tendrils to climb the ladder. “Hurgglelarg… eat… hungry…” they moaned as they rose.
Dracarthus checked his bags one last time and smiled sinisterly at the Scourges. “I know you’re starving for some flesh, but you’ll have to stay down here until I give the word. Good?”
“Urrrrgh….” The scourges groaned again.
“Fantastic.” Dracarthus grumbled as he rolled his eyes. “Glad you’re so conversational.”
Ascending the basement steps, Dracarthus noticed that the sun was beginning to set outside. It couldn’t have been better timing. He could escape under the cover of darkness, and with the chaos caused by the Scourges, it would only get better with less light. Ready to begin his journey, he slipped out of the back of the nightclub, and onto the streets of the West District once more.
He would need to get to the southern border gate, and then take the southern exit to the train station, where he could catch the final train to Rainbow Falls. It would be one perfect fell swoop, but he would need to time everything down to the second, and make a few assumptions for it to all work according to plan.
Wasting no time, Dracarthus headed for the south gate as quickly as his legs could take him, and began to stake out the guard presence in the area. As expected, there were twice the amount of guards as normally posted, keeping watch over the gate, and thoroughly scanning down everyone passing through said gate. Melting into the crowd as he neared it, Dracarthus finally gave the mental word to his scourges.
Go my scourges! FEED! Sate your hunger, and further your kind as you so righteously deserve!
Dracarthus chuckled joyfully as he felt the hunger of the scourges rising through the roof, and their adrenaline spike dramatically. Ready to make his move, Dracarthus monitored the guards at the gate very carefully, looking for any sign that they might break rank to deal with the threat he had unleashed. He could feel the new minds appearing into his collective, giving their memories and free will to him, as well as undying loyalty. As the number of chittering minds grew, that ever-present feeling in the collective grew stronger and stronger. Hunger. A relentless, insatiable hunger for flesh, a never-ending thirst for blood, the instinctual desire to kill that Dracarthus hadn’t felt in a long time. It was something he loved, as it was that instinct that formed the backbone of his empire so long ago, and might form again in this new dawn. Continuing to look for a sign from the guards, Dracarthus profiled the entire gate staff, trying to see if anyone had received orders.
Then he saw it. In one of the paper checking stations at the gate, a scroll with a red wax seal teleported in, and the stallion in the booth fumbled in surprise and then opened it. It took a few moments for him to read it, but once he did, the stallion scribbled something on the scroll, re-sealed it, and then teleported it away. After sending off the scroll, the officer closed the booth and headed outside to talk with several of the soldiers posted at the gate. After what appeared to be a heated argument, several soldiers left the gate, as well as both paper checking stations. Dracarthus had nearly accomplished his goal. Almost. There were still four guards manning the gates, but Dracarthus knew that he would have to move now, before the gates became overrun by panicked citizens. The only way to get by would be a teleportation spell.
It would be risky, but it would be his last chance to get out of the Empire and to Rainbow Falls fast enough to get the next fragment before heads started to turn. Determined to make it, Dracarthus approached the gate terminal leading to the southern exit and began to focus.
“Sorry sir, but the gates are currently closed. There’s been some sort of unrest in this area, and Captain Shining Armor along with most of the guard are currently investigating the source of it... Sir?” The guard tensed up, and signaled to his fellow officers to ready for something.
Dracarthus was standing still, focusing as hard as he could, trying to prevent his horn from lighting up until the last second.
The guard was becoming more and more nervous. “Sir! Do not attempt to cast spells within the vicinity of this checkpoint, or you will be subdued with force! That’s your only warning!”
Finally drawing upon all of the magic he had available to him, he summoned it all in one giant burst and managed to teleport beyond the southern exit gate.
“HEY! YOU CAN’T BE THERE! STOP!” The guard drew his spear, and flung open the exit gate, barreling after Dracarthus. “GUARDS! HELP ME! STOP THIS STALLION!”
Two more guards left the gate to chase after Dracarthus, but he was hellbent on making it. Hiking turnstiles and weaving through closed areas, Dracarthus attempted to lose the guards as he inched ever closer to his goal: The southern train station. If he could melt into the crowds there, he might lose the guards and be able to grab a train. After rushing past several flustered construction workers, and sliding underneath several lengths of construction tape, Dracarthus had made it into an open area of the train station. Sure, they were the exit terminals, but it was progress. Hearing the guards closing in behind him, as well as the shouting and tearing of tape, he knew that if he wanted to make it, it was going to be close. Passing surprised citizens and the now rather angry security, Dracarthus frantically glanced at the signs around the station, searching for the train to Rainbow Falls as he ran closer and closer to the main platform, where there were two trains waiting.
Looking at the signs on each, he saw that the second train was the one leaving for Rainbow Falls. Leaving, as in leaving the station right now! Not wanting to be left in the dust to be tackled by station security, Dracarthus made it to the edge of the platform, made a massive leap, and managed to just barely grab onto the railing on the back of the caboose.
Climbing up and onto the train, Dracarthus turned back to smile and cackle at the immensely flustered guards and security, of whom were currently standing on the edge of the platform. He mockingly waved goodbye at them, and opened the door to the caboose, entering his train to Rainbow Falls.
o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o
Shining Armor trotted into the West District barracks in his armor, curious as to why he had been summoned. Heading for the district commander’s office, Shining noticed dozens of soldiers, all bruised and battered, and some being sent to the med bay. Concerned, Shining opened the door to the commander’s office and cleared his throat.
“Commander! I’ve finally arrived. What seems to be the problem? I was told there was some civil unrest that needed my attention. Are there riots in progress? A band of criminals on the loose? Why are so many of your men in such bad condition?”
Commander Ruby Quiver turned around in his chair to face Shining Armor with a somber expression on his face. “Whoever told you this was civil unrest was sorely mistaken. This is becoming a threat to national security.”
“Well everyone has been so vague about whatever ‘this’ is, so... what is it? What’s being so destructive that it’s becoming a threat to the empire?” Shining said, thoroughly irritated.
Ruby's tone turned dark and mysterious. “That’s just it, no one knows. All we have are the ramblings of panicked civilians and the hallucinations of dying soldiers to give us clues. It’s like some sort of phantom has been killing the ponies, and no one can tell what it is, or where it’s going. All we know is that whatever it is, it’s in the northern part of the West District.”
Puzzled, Shining stroked his chin in thought. “But how can we know where it is, but not what it is?”
Ruby sighed at his grim speculation. “It’s either not there, and everyone has caught some sort of infectious madness, or this thing is very good at killing ponies...”