“Where did all the time go?” Twilight Sparkle thought to herself as she stood at the edge of the train tracks, anxiously anticipating the arrival of two very special guests in Ponyville.
It had been exactly one year since she had last seen her brother, Shining Armor and his new wife, Princess Cadance. Twilight and her friends had travelled to Canterlot in order to attend their wedding. However, Chrysalis, the queen of the Changelings, had been impersonating Cadance in order to gain power over Shining Armor, thus breaking his barrier spell and allowing her Changelings to roam free in Canterlot. Twilight broke Cadance’s bonds, allowing her to free Shining Armor from his hypnosis, and her love gave him enough strength to cast the protection spell again, thus repelling the Changelings and their queen from Canterlot.
But not all of the Changelings were completely exterminated…
Twilight gazed back towards the clock tower. 6:30, it read.
“They should be arrivin’ any minute now.” Applejack said. She had gone with Twilight to receive the guests while the others prepared a welcome party.
It was Shining Armor and Cadance’s first anniversary. Twilight was ecstatic about not only seeing her big brother, but her new sister as well. She had always loved Cadance as a foal-sitter, especially for her extraordinary talent of being able to spread love wherever she went.
The train station was dimly lit as the sun dipped under the mountain in the distance. Twilight heard the faint sound of a train whistle, and sure enough, a majestic white train pulled into the station, and out of it stepped Shining Armor next to Cadance. She beamed with delight and strode up to embrace her siblings.
“Twily!” Shining Armor said. “It’s been such a long time since I last saw you, little sis. I missed you a lot.”
“I missed you too, B.B.B.F.F.” Twilight said, embracing him.
“Twilight!” Cadance beamed. “How’s my favorite sister?”
“I’m so happy to see you both!” Twilight replied, smiling.
“ ‘scuse me for interruptin’ ya’ll, but we best be headed down to the square, everypony’ll be waitin’ there for us,” AJ spoke up.
“Right!” Twilight said. “We’ve prepared the most amazing anniversary party for you both. You’ll love it!”
“Well, what are we waiting for?” Shining Armor said. “I’m eager to eat more apple family treats straight from the town they come from!”
“Aw shucks, sugar cube.” AJ blushed.
The four of them strolled down the road of Ponyville towards the flashing lights coming from town square. Everypony in town would be gathered there, ready to receive the couple in celebration. Pinkie Pie had been asked to host the party, so Twilight was sure it would be an amazing time for her and her siblings. A great firework shot up like a bullet streaking into the sky from town square, exploding into a brilliant pink cluster of light.
“Looks like this is going to be a night to remember,” Cadance remarked.
Firecrackers popped and whistled throughout the square. Music blasted from the stage on which Vinyl Scratch sported a great stereo system labeled “BASS CANNON” on the front. Rainbow Dash flew around the low sky, generating vibrant color patterns and streaks that flowed with the fireworks. Cadance and Shining Armor were the center of attention as Twilight sang a number dedicated to them. Everypony beamed as they danced in perfect synchronization with the music and its melodic bass pumps.
Shining Armor dragged Cadance out of the crowd, over to the stand where Applejack was selling Apple family home-made treats. Though she never received an abundance of business due to everypony being occupied with the event at hand, it was always special to her when somepony she knew stopped by and asked for one.
“Hello Applejack!” Cadance remarked. “Enjoying the party?”
“Darn tootin’, princess!” AJ responded. “How would you and your lovely husband like to try some of our traditional recipes?”
“We’d be delighted,” Shining Armor smiled, handing Applejack two bits and grabbing two apple pies off of the shelf.
The couple strolled back to the town square, catching up with Twilight.
“Twily!” Shining Armor beamed. “How are you liking the party?”
“It’s great,” she said, looking slightly dismal. “I just wish we could have a bit more time to catch up…”
“Don’t worry, Twi, we’ll make some time!” he chuckled, taking a bit out of the apple pie. “Mmm, they really are better when made directly from the Apple farm!”
“What have you two been doing lately?” Twilight asked.
She was skeptical about bringing up the topic of having children, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her, so she was attempting to dance around the subject until one of them mentioned it.
“To be honest, Twilight,” Shining Armor began, “I’ve been really occupied with my job as Captain of the Royal Guard lately. Cadance and I hardly ever have the time to attend social events like this together, which is why we were both thrilled to be coming out to visit you and all of your friends!”
“Of course,” Cadance said, “We haven’t even had the opportunity to think about starting a family yet…”
There it was. Twilight had sparked that from one simple question.
“I understand,” she said, “but on par with you, I’m just as thrilled to finally see you both again after so long!”
Vinyl Scratch’s smooth voice rang out through the square.
“Now everypony, this next number goes out to Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, our royal guests of the night!”
Cadance laughed. “Guess that’s our cue. See you later, Twilight!”
“Yeah, we’ll catch up with you in a bit!” Shining Armor repeated.
Twilight walked over to a table away from the main crowd in front of Pony Joe’s Donut shop. It had closed about an hour ago, along with all the other business in the square. Her friends Fluttershy and Rarity were seated enjoying large mugs of apple cider.
“Twilight, dear,” Rarity beckoned, “come sit with us.”
Twilight pulled an empty chair and sat down at the table with them.
“Are you okay, Twilight?” Fluttershy inquired, concerned.
“I’m fine, it’s nothing.” Twilight replied.
“You don’t look all that fine, darling.” Rarity remarked. “Does it have something to do with your brother?”
“Well, yes. It does…”
“Go on, you can tell us. We’re your friends, and we can only help you,” Rarity said.
“Okay. It’s just that… ever since the Royal Wedding last year, I haven’t once spoken to Shining Armor or Cadance through the mail or anything. I was so excited to see them, and I hoped we’d be spending every second of the night together. Of course, though, as royalty, they have to deal with the formalities of an event celebrating their first anniversary. I don’t know… it’s just disappointing. The two ponies in this world that I’ve always been closest to can’t seem to make time for me anymore.” She sobbed a bit.
“Twilight, just because he’s been busy for the past year doesn’t mean he’s disregarding you! Why, I’m sure he wants time with you just as much as you do. But Shining Armor and Cadance both have important jobs as royalty, and you have to be more understanding of that,” Rarity condoned.
“Well, when you put it that way… I guess I’m just trying to hog them.”
“Nonsense, your feelings are understandable. But Twilight…” Rarity put a hoof on her shoulder. “Lighten up a bit. Enjoy the party! Have a good time, nights like these don’t come around every day.”
“Why aren’t you two out there with the crowd, then?” Twilight asked, puzzled.
“Oh, darling, I regret to tell you I simply cannot stand this uncultured music. It simply does not measure to my standards as a proper lady to get all sweaty dancing to music as uncanny as this.”
“And Fluttershy?”
“Oh, well, it’s just that I don’t like big crowds… especially when there’s loud music. What if somepony bumped into me on accident? Or… I got lost?”
Twilight disregarded Fluttershy’s last sentiment. She was still dwelling on what Rarity said. Perhaps she was acting a bit selfish by believing they would have the entire night together. She was right about one thing, though.
“I should relax a bit,” Twilight thought. “Just go with the party. Maybe afterwards I can come to their suite at the inn.”
Twilight walked back out onto the dance floor, and saw Cadance and her brother gently swaying to the music, in their own world, as if nopony else had ever existed. All around them, however, the other ponies were busy as ever, all dancing their own separate styles to the music. Some were more graceful than others. She decided to join them. The music was… pleasurable to listen to. After a bit of getting used to the sound level, she began to unconsciously move her hooves. Before she knew it, Twilight was dancing! She must have been doing pretty well, too, because everypony started cheering for her. A circle formed around Twilight as she broke into a low groove and let her soul flow with the music. This was the most fun Twilight had experienced in Celestia knows how long. She would have been perfectly contented if it never stopped…
Suddenly, mid-song, Twilight began to feel a wrenching sense of grogginess. For a second, she thought she could hear her own heart beating louder than the bass of the song in the background. Before she could realize it, Twilight’s legs snapped and she fell onto the floor, her vision blurring and ears ringing. The last thing Twilight could remember hearing was a blood-curdling scream.
“Twilight…? Twilight? Twilight!”
Twilight snapped back into consciousness. Her head still rang, and her vision was blurry.
“Spike…?” She stuttered. “What happened…?”
“You fell down while you were dancing, and nothing would wake you up until now! YOU should tell ME what happened.”
“I…” she re-imagined the scream. “I don’t know, Spike.”
Twilight was alert again. She gazed around to see where she had been taken. The room itself was magnificent, with silky white curtains embroidered with roses around the windows, brilliant paintings of royal stallions and mares hung on the crimson red wall which was lined with a golden border. The carpet was a lighter red, with an ever lighter pink diamond pattern weaving through it. A fireplace sat roaring like a great lion on the opposite end of the room.
“Where exactly are we?”
“Cadance and your brother’s suite. They brought you back here after noticing you had fallen on the dance floor.”
“Where are Cadance and Shining Armor?” Twilight asked, rubbing her eyes.
“Oh, they went out to try and find some medicine for you. The rest of your friends went home after trying to wake you up for awhile. In fact, I’m sure they’re still worried sick about you. You took quite the fall back there, but what caused you to do it?”
“I honestly don’t know, Spike. One minute I was entranced within the music, and the next…” the scream could once again be heard in the back of her head.
At that exact moment, the door could be heard opening. Cadance and Shining Armor walked in.
“Twily! Thank goodness you’re awake!” Shining Armor exclaimed.
“We were all heavily worried about you, Twilight,” Cadance remarked. “What happened back at the party?”
“… I just… began to feel wobbly and groggy all of the sudden, and then the next moment everything blacked out. I could have sworn I heard…”
“Heard what?” Shining Armor asked, gazing into her eyes.
“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about me; I feel fine now.”
“You’re no burden to us, Twilight. I’m your big brother, and I feel privileged to be taking care of you.”
“You… you really mean that?”
“Of course I do.” Shining Armor embraced her and Twilight shed a tear, but sucked it back up shortly before it could drip onto the bed.
“Ugh… I think I ate a bit too much at the party earlier,” Spike said.
His entire face was turning green, it seemed as though he was about to vomit.
“Quick! Get Spike a bag of some sort!” Cadance yelled in fear of him vomiting onto the bed.
Shining Armor grabbed the trash can from the other end of the room and held it under Spike.
“Bleh… ooogh….” Spike choked.
“Spike? Are you okay?” Twilight asked sincerely.
Suddenly, Spike spit out a large burst of flames and a black envelope came with them, landing in the trash can, which had been burned on the edges.
“A… letter?” Spike coughed. “That’s weird. I never choke up like that when I receive letters from Princess Celestia.”
“And Princess Celestia doesn’t normally send you letters in black envelopes, does she?” Twilight asked, puzzled.
Removing it from the trash with her magic, Twilight opened the envelope, but it contained no letter. A burst of green gas emitted from it, shrouding the entire room. A commanding female voice resonated from the letter, echoing throughout the entire room.
“The City of Canterlot has fallen…. The Princess of the Sun… is dead.”
“AGH!” Twilight clutched her ears. The scream was echoing in her head. She now understood who had been screaming.
“They are coming. They draw nearer every second. You are all on your own now… my children already dwell amongst you.”
The thick green fog dissipated faster than it had spread, disappearing entirely as the envelope fell onto the carpet, burning up until it was reduced to a pile of ash. Twilight looked at her siblings. They looked back at her. Spike stood with his mouth agape in disbelief. For a moment, they all stood there. Silence filled the room. The sound of the wind knocking at the windowsill could be heard. Twilight wanted to believe it had been a joke… but the looks that were being exchanged dispelled any feeling of hope. After what seemed to have been forever, the silence was shattered by Spike’s voice.
“Princess… Celestia? Dead? But… how? When?” he stuttered, attempting to force out any endeavors of his mind to believe the message that had just been delivered.
Twilight spoke up. “We don’t know for sure whether or not that letter carried the truth.”
She walked over to the window, drawing back the velvet curtains and gazing over Ponyville, across to the mountains in the far background. It was too dark to distinguish anything suspicious in Canterlot from there.
“It just seems impossible…” Twilight solemnly remarked.
Shining Armor put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder.
“Look, sis, whatever’s going on, we’ll figure it out. Whether that letter is true or not we can’t determine… but come morning I’ll do everything I can to get back to Canterlot and see if anything’s up.”
He looked into Twilight’s eyes. His words were sincere, but far from consoling.
“Celestia… my mentor… the pony who saw and embraced my gift for magic ever since I was a foal… the pony to whom I owe my entire life to… dead? And at the hand of whom?” Once again, the scream of what she thought to be of the dying Celestia echoed in her head.
Twilight clenched her teeth and put her hooves to her ears tightly.
“Agghh…! No!”
“Twilight!” Cadance exclaimed. “What’s happening?”
The scream seemed to progressively become louder, until it wracked through her brain like a hundred bees stinging her face all at once. All outside noise was drowned out, she felt faint creeping upon her once again…
“TWILIGHT!” Cadance yelled, using her magic to snap the unicorn out of hypnosis. “Stay with me. What’s going on?”
“Trust me, Cadance, it’s… nothing. I just get severe headaches when I’m stressed or scared on occasion, nothing peculiar.”
“Twilight, I’m worried about you. Ever since that fall you took during the party, you’ve looked… wearier.” Cadance put a hoof under Twilight’s chin, lifting her head up to make eye contact. “Don’t be afraid to speak up if anything’s bothering you. I’m your sister, you can trust me.”
Twilight’s mind still rang with the sound of the scream. The concept of Celestia, an immortal, dying just seemed incomprehensible. She knew Cadance and Shining Armor meant well, but on the inside they were just as worried as she was that the letter may have been true. If it was… then who could the sender be? She opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by a light knock at the door.
The four of them exchanged glances. It was the middle of the night, and they had just received a letter claiming Celestia was dead. Should they still open the door?
Shining Armor beckoned them to get back, and strode over to the door. He flinched as another knock tapped against it. Slowly, he used his magic to turn the doorknob, and then jumped back as it flung open. Everypony was expecting the worst.
“Well what in the hay’s all this here ruckus about?” asked a confused looking Applejack as the four ponies all staring at her.
“Applejack?!” Twilight sighed in relief. “Why are you visiting us this late…?”
“Well ya see, I’ve been concerned about ya’ll ever since I left your side. I thought it selfish of me to prioritize my own sleep over your welfare, so I ran back here faster than a rattle snake in a cow barrel! And might I add, it’s mighty refreshin’ to see you awake.”
“Well, thanks,” Twilight rubbed the back of her head. “Applejack… did you see anything suspicious on your way over here?”
“Heavens no. It’s too dark to see anythin’ at this time o’ night anyways!” She looked off towards the window, and her mouth scrunched up a bit as if wincing in pain.
Twilight walked over to the window and drew back the curtains.
“But every street corner is lit up with a lamppost!”
“Well… uh…” Twilight thought she recognized a sweat drop on Applejack’s forehead. “Like I said before, I didn’t see nopony suspicerous or nothin’!”
“… Alright. I believe you, Applejack. It’s just that…”
Twilight explained to Applejack how Spike had gotten sick to his stomach, the letter that had been sent by somepony anonymous, and its claims that Princess Celestia was dead.
“I don’t wanna say I trust that little slip o’ paper. It could be somepony playin’ a prank, ya never know.”
“But the voice… it sounded almost demonic. It would take a very advanced level of magic to even conjure a letter to be expelled from Spike’s throat that had not come from the princess herself!”
“I think you’re worryin’ a bit too much, Twi. It’s probably all in yer head. Well, I can see you’re alright and everythin’ so I guess I’ll just be on my way…”
Twilight looked closely at Applejack. She did not seem like her usual self. Her eyes kept moving from side to side, as if she were expecting a monster to jump out from the walls. She was hiding something, and Twilight wasn’t about to let her southern friend go without spilling the beans.
“Oh, Applejack, you look dreadfully tired, and it’s two o’clock in the morning! I wouldn’t want to burden you with the looong walk back to Sweet Apple Acres at this hour. Why not stay the night here? I’m sure my brother and Cadance could accommodate you.” The couple looked at each other skeptically, knowing that they had no extra beds, but Twilight shot them a look that said “Trust me.”
“Thank ya kindly for the offer Twi, but I really should be headin’ off now… I’ve got cows to milk!”
Twilight thought she noticed a flicker of green in Applejack’s eye. Like a fire it lit up, and extinguished itself as quickly as it had came. Suddenly, the thought struck Twilight like a lightning bolt.
“That isn’t Applejack at all… she would never tell a lie!”
Twilight pounced upon Applejack, knocking her onto the ground.
“Who in the hoof are you?!” she demanded.
“Twilight, what are you-“ Shining Armor began.
Just then, the shape of Applejack began to contort and twist like a spiral. Twilight was casting some sort of spell on her while she was pinned. Slowly, her color faded from a light orange to a deep black. The pupils on her eyes turned a bright emerald green. Five stubby claws popped out of her hooves like bones, and several holes were made in them. Her face warped, and formed into a round insect-like head with two fangs sticking out from where her teeth had been. Finally, two great black wings emerged from her back, with many holes punctured through them. They began to beat slowly, gradually buzzing faster until the creature had gained enough momentum to knock Twilight off, and then scampered up onto its feet.
“Is that a…” Spike gaped in disbelief.
The Applejack that visited them had been a Changeling in disguise. “My children already dwell among you.” Twilight now had no doubts that the letter had been truthful.
“Quick! Stop it!” Shining Armor shouted, casting a projectile spell in the shape of a net towards the vile creature.
The changeling nimbly leaped off the side as the net whisked past him, knocking against the wall and sticking there like a spider web. The changeling made a leap for the open window, but Twilight quickly shot a net spell that blocked its only escape. Frantically gazing around, the changeling hopped onto the wall, and began scaling the ceiling like a spider. Cadance, Shining Armor, and Twilight all began firing red-colored projectiles towards it, but the changeling was agile enough to scamper around them. At last, one of Cadance’s blasts went haywire and knocked against the ceiling, creating a small explosion which shattered a hole in the ceiling on impact. The entire room shook and dust fell like a cloud, getting into everypony’s eyes. When it had cleared, the Changeling had crawled up through the opening.
Twilight quickly warped herself up into the room above them. It was unoccupied, fortunately; Twilight could not bear to think of what would happen if somepony reported seeing a changeling in their hotel room. She spun around to face Cadance, who had also teleported up next to her.
“Twilight! Did you see where it went?” she frantically asked.
“No, it must have-“ Twilight eyed the window. “There!”
Both mares ran up to the windowsill, looking down on the streets of Ponyville below. Twilight looked from one end of the street to the next, searching for any sign of the changeling.
“It couldn’t have gone far!” she said, without turning around. “We’ll have to follow it-“
Before Twilight could finish her sentence, Cadance shoved her out of the open window. Quickly grasping onto the edge of the windowsill with one hoof, Twilight looked up to see Cadance warp back into the shape of the changeling.
“You’re right,” it sneered. “It was right behind you the whole time!”
Twilight winced as the changeling raised its hooves to buck Twilight off of the ledge, onto the unforgiving ground five stories below her. She shut her eyes tightly, and began to hear the sound of Celestia’s scream, growing in her mind, ever louder…
Just as her hoof began to slip, Shining Armor bucked his horn through the Changeling’s stomach, causing green goo to spill from the gaping hole that had been made through the dying creature. He then knocked his full body into it, casting its corpse down over the window ledge, where it splattered onto the cold ground below, losing one of its arms.
Twilight had barely any consciousness left to realize what had just happened. The scream began to reap her mind, causing her hoof to slip off the ledge. Her eyes slowly shut closed…
She suddenly felt a grip on her own hoof, and regained her wits, expelling the scream from her mind.
“Twilight!” Shining Armor shouted. “Don’t you dare let go on me.” He stared into her eyes, and she stared back.
Gradually, Twilight lifted her other front hoof back up and gripped her desperate brother. He yanked her back up with great force, causing her to fly through the window and onto the floor in the unoccupied hotel room. She stood back up, dazed from all that had just happened.
“You… saved my life,” she said, her mouth still gaping at the thought of almost having lost it.
“I guess I did,” Shining Armor beamed, embracing Twilight sincerely. “That’s what big brothers are for, after all.”
They stood in their embrace for a long while. Twilight was not only relieved that her life had just been spared from a horrible demise at the hands of a changeling, the race that had killed Princess Celestia herself, but she was reassured that her brother still had room, deep in his heart, which was devoted entirely to her. This gave her a new sense of motivation, a kind of sense that was almost happy enough to repel the thought of Princess Celestia having been killed from her mind. The two ponies leapt back down through the hole into Cadance and Shining Armor’s own room.
“What happened?” Cadance frowned. “Did the changeling get away?”
“The changeling is dead,” Shining Armor responded. “It would have taken my little sister from me had I not intervened, so I have no pity for the foul thing.”
“Oh, dear…” Cadance remarked, concerned. “Are you going to be okay, Twilight? You look groggier than when you woke up from your faint!”
“I’m fine,” Twilight said. “It’s just… been a long night.” She scratched the back of her mane.
“I agree,” Shining Armor interjected. “We had all better get some rest. In the morning I’ll head over to the city council to try and get things sorted out. In the meantime… do not open the door to anypony without asking them a question only their true self would know.”
The other three in company nodded their heads solemnly. Twilight crept back into the bed she had woken up in, Shining Armor and Cadance went off into the separate master bedroom, and Spike crawled into his basket which had been brought over after Twilight had taken her fall at the party.
So many conflictions raced through Twilight’s mind. In just one night, Princess Celestia had been killed and the city of Canterlot taken by Changelings, she had fainted during her brother and sister’s anniversary party, and she had nearly been killed by a changeling in the form of Cadance. She slowly rolled onto one side, shutting her eyes and attempting to forget everything that had occurred… but it was impossible. She tried to force the scream out of her mind, but it still lingered, and she could not shake off the fact that it had been the scream of a dying Celestia. How is it that she was able to hear this? Had their minds been psychologically connected somehow? Could that have been the cause of her faint during the party? Too many questions invaded her mind. Twilight would go restless that night.
