Shining Armor and Princess Cadance discover that their daughter, Princess Skyla, has been abducted by Chrysalis, but a changeling filly with identity issues may help them more than either could have imagined.

In the aftermath of the changeling invasion, Shining Armor finds that he is still plagued with headaches and is confined to his bed for several days. As he does so, he ponders the darker parts of himself and the weakness he's faced in the past.

Have you ever wondered why the Canterlot royal family just seems to keep expanding at an exponential rate? Turns out, there's a reason for everything, but that reason may not be for the most unselfish of reasons...