A Mare's Duty


                                            >You did everything you could.

                                            >Even dealing with him, though gendering the Outsider is as laughable as making a deal with him.

                                            >Using his gifts, and your skill you were able to swiftly deal with the corruption that led to the Empress' death.

                                            >However, you weren't peerless nor limitless.

                                            >Time made you wise but slow

                                            >Despite never wetting your blade, you eventually fell.

                                            >Emily was able to succeed where you failed, but that knowledge was the last kindness shown to you

                                            >You were his plaything in the Void.

                                            >Not quite bored with you he puts you into situations to see how you will act.

                                            >Sending you to every corner of world he touches to live again and do whatever bidding would entertain him.

                                            >Luckily, or unluckily you missed you next destination.

                                            >Something happened inside the Void, and he became silent.

                                            >You've gone beyond even the Void's reach, and broken through into the realm of another.

                                            >There are many "Voids" here

                                            >One of the warm bright invigorating summer, the cool sleepy calming autumn, the lifegiving almost pink spring, the dark dead black winter, the ever-shifting madness of eternal possibilities, the loveless emerald expanse, and a few others that you couldn't get any meaning from.

                                            Emily could, she was always bright. Much like her mother.

                                            >Without any action from you both the black and pink voids pulled at you, the pink slightly stronger just by being larger

                                            >You pulled your blade, ready to fight whatever may be ahead of you.

                                            I will face whatever I must, Emily lives and is prosperous. Nothing else matters.

                                            >Suddenly a small white light within the pink surged and pulled you towards it with momentous force.


                                            >You are Flurry Heart

                                            >Your horn itches.

                                            >Where's Whammy?

                                            >You grab your friend and hug her close

                                            >You then bite her head gently

                                            >Bright light!

                                            >Loud noise!

                                            >Scary monster!

                                            WAAAAAAAAAA!


                                            >You were C͘o̷ͦ͛̎ͦ͒͋͛̏̇ͨ̂́̚͞r̸̢̛̔ͭ̒̒͗ͭͮ̊̍̾̆̍̂̆͗võͨ̇ͨ͛̄ͮ̌̚ ̷̈́̌̾͂̾̋͘͜Â̴ͭ̋̓͐ͭ͐̆́̀t̵̎̈͌̇͂̔̎̇̄̓ͤ͂̚͜ťͣͦa̒́̍̑̈̋͑͊̾̌͋no̷̧̿ͤ̂͋ͪͫ̋̽̽̏̈͋̋͑̊́

                                            >You are an anonymous man

                                            >The crying of a babe adds to the pain of your forceful reentry into the world, specifically the floor.

                                            >In a practiced motion you're back on your feet, and looking around.

                                            >It's dark, but you can see that the floors and walls are made out of some crystalline material.

                                            >You have little time to get your bearings before a door opens and light floods into the room.

                                            >"Flurry, I thou- GUARDS, CODE SOMBER!" the pink horse shouts

                                            >Before you can react a beam of light fires from the horse's head.

                                            >You jump away, but the light clips your leg shooting pain throughout your body and forcing you backwards

                                            >You're on your feet again in a second, and are missed by a second shot.

                                            >You pull your cross bow and take aim at her, firing the tranquilizer.

                                            >However it is surrounded by the same pink light and tossed away

                                            >She throws around her powers effortlessly more than anyone marked, perhaps she is the Outsider of this place or at least is heavily favored by it.

                                            >Gathering you wits you bend time to a crawl and make for the window as more horses run in, some with horns aglow.

                                            >As you run you watch the pink horse, her eyes following you becoming wider as you flee.

                                            >Her motions no longer crawl with her peers, and she is soon matching your speed, and you soon see why.

                                            >Dagger still in hand, you pass the crib with a very small white horse inside.

                                            Dammit all.

                                            >Using more power you blink past the crib and to the window before leaping into the night


                                            >You are Princess Mi Amore Cadenza

                                            >No one may call you Cadence tonight.

                                            >"Where's the threat? Where's Flurry?!" Your husband asks appropriately frantic.

                                            Flurry isn't hurt, I managed to chase her off. I couldn't see a tail, so I'm not sure if she was a minotaur or dragon.

                                            >"Any details on her?"

                                            She was an assassin, masked, and bipedal. And she used dark magic.


                                            >"Guardsmares, alert all patrols. High alert, we have an assassin in the Crystal Empire who made it into the Princess Imperial's room. Armed, armored, and dangerous. Be on the lookout for a bipedal cow or dragoness. If found send word to myself of Princess Cadenza, do not engage. Three mare teams!"

                                            >Knowing that his daughter is safe Shining is back to being the capable guard captain he always was.

                                            Shining, we also need to alert Aunt Celestia, and Twilight. None of our wards or alarms were triggered, and if Flurry hadn't cried I wouldn't have even known to come in her room.

                                            >"It's ok, you protected her. And my guards are the best around, she will face justice. Come on, you need to do a princess' duty for a bit and assure the staff."

                                            >You can't even force a smile or agreement with his words.

                                            >You nearly failed in your primary mission as both a mare and a mother.

                                            >It may be feminine pride, but you cannot allow it to stand.

                                            Take Flurry and keep her shielded with the heart, we don't know if she was only after our daughter. And the heart will offer protection against her magic.

                                            >Before any argument could be made, you took wing and flew out of the window in the path of the one who would attack your family.

                                            >Tonight, you do a mare's duty.