Bad BloodView OnlineBroken TrustBad BloodAfter Queen Chrysalis and the Changelings have been defeated, all of Canterlot was finally at ease. There was virtually no chance that the changeling queen and her minions would threaten Equestria again thanks to the elements of harmony that ended the invasion. However, the threat itself could have been avoided. It was rather mysterious how Chrysalis got a hold of Princess Cadence without being detected throughout all of Canterlot, but what was even more mysterious was how nopony was able to notice that Cadence's behavior was a lot different from her usual self. It wasn't until Twilight Sparkle noticed that Cadence wasn't who everypony else what who they thought she was. After warning her loved ones about Cadence being something else, she was abandoned at the wedding hall, only to be held captive by the Cadence imposter. However, that situation alone was a major turning point in this whole event, as Twilight was able to realize that Cadence was imprisoned in the mines below the Canterlot castle. And thanks to Twilight's noble efforts, she and Cadence were able to escape the mines and confront the changeling threat. Shining Armor, captain of the Royal Guard, was imprisoned by Queen Chrysalis's mind control spell. With the power of Love, Cadence was able to break Shining from his mental prison. Together, everyone was triumphant in their battle against the changelings. Twilight Sparkle rushed towards Princess Celestia after she had been beaten by the Changeling Queen's magic. As Twilight came to her, the alicorn princess place her hoof on Twilight's shoulder. "Don't worry about me. I'm fine. You have a real wedding to put together". Celestia told her with a smile. Those words hit Twilight like a ton of bricks. It reminded her of an event that was more horrifying than anything she had experienced in her existence in Equestria. "Well, what's everypony waiting for? Let's start geting this party kickin!" cried Shining Amor in Joy. Twilight felt nothing but hatred for what her brother had done to her back at the wedding rehearsal. All she did was try to warn him, and then he shunned her, just because he couldn't tell the difference between Cadence's real personality and the way she acted while getting the wedding set up. With what her brother said, it was as if he'd already forgotten what he had done to her. In a nasty fit of rage, an aura of magic surrounded her horn, but her brother's neck as well. Shining Armor started gasping for air, then collapsed to the floor. Her friends, Spike, Celestia, and Cadence watched in shock as Twilight used her magic to strangle her brother. "TWLIGHT, WHAT ARE YOU DOING!? PLEASE STOP!" shrieked Cadence in horror, in utter disbelief that Twilight would even use such violence on her brother. "What in tarnation is the matter with you, Twi!?" yelled Applejack. Twilight continued to strangle Shining with her magic, as he continued to choke. His eyes then started getting bloodshot. Cadence continued begging Twilight to stop, while tears streamed down her face. "TWILIGHT SPARKLE! STOP THIS, THIS INSTANT!!" roared Celestia. Twilight kept strangling Shining Armor, getting to the point of his neck starting to break and his windpipe getting crushed. Being left with no choice, Celestia, used her magic to hit Twilight to the ground, It was non-lethal, so it didn't hurt her. Now with Twilight's magic released from Shining Amor, he coughed violently regaining his air. Cadence dashed toward her fiancé to make sure he was alright. "Shining honey, are you okay!?" Shining struggled to get up, still coughing for air. He was in utter disbelief for what just happened. "She just tried to kill me!" he said in utter shock. Shining was finally able to get up, he saw Twilight on the floor, who was still slightly incapacitated from the impact of Celestia's magic. He then slowly walked up to her, but not in a way like he normally would, as his neck still felt lots of pain. "Why did you do that!? Have you completely lost your mind!?" Twilight then slowly looked up at him with a glare. Shining Armor's expression was filled with both sadness and shock for what she did to him. "Get away from me!" she said in a nasty tone, but she didn't yell it. Shining slowly backed away after what Twilight just said. Everyone else in the room was full of confusion of why she is behaving this way. Shining was even more confused, how Twilight would do this to his own brother. "What has gotten into you!? Have you gone completely mad!?" Twilight was finally able to get up, then stared up to her brother. "So now you care? After what you just did to me!?" "What are you talking about?" "ALL I DID WAS WARN THAT YOU AND THE REST OF NOT ONLY CANTERLOT, BUT ALL OF EQUESTRIA, WAS UNDER THE THREAT OF ATTACK, AND WHAT DO YOU DO, YOU CAST ME ASIDE AND TAKE MY FRIENDS AND MENTOR WITH YOU, JUST SO YOU COULD HAVE YOUR LITTLE WEDDING!!!" Shining has now realized what he had done. Instead of Listening to his sister, he had cast her out of his wedding. "But Twily, I couldn't have known, I thought that she was actually Cadence!" "Of course you didn't know, you were under a spell, don't you get it!? That's what Changelings do, they use their magic so you can't find their true Identity. Besides, that has nothing to do with that fact that you took her side over mine! Tell me Shining, why was somepony you had just met more important than your own sister, your own flesh and blood for Celestia's sake!? If it wasn't for me, this stupid wedding wouldn't have happened in the first place!" She stomped her hoof and then continued. "And you had the NERVE to say that the wedding isn't important to me when all I ever did was try to save your skin! What kind of brother are you Shining!?" Cadence walked up to Shining Armor, not understanding why he would do such a thing. "Is this true, Shining? Did you really cast her out like that, after all that she's done for you?" "Yes, yes it is Cadence. I dismissed her from the wedding. It was almost as if I disowned her entirely." Cadence couldn't believe what he just said. It was straight from the horse's mouth. Her eyes started welling up in not just sadness, but anger as well. "How could you do such a thing Shining Armor!? She's your damn sister!" "What was I supposed to do!? I couldn't just let her go off like that right in the middle of our rehearsal!" "So that was your only option, to just buck twilight like that!?" "What would you have done if you were in that position!?" And with that, Cadence gave him a hard slap in the face. Everyone in the room gasped, except Twilight of course. "How dare you turn this around on me! You really think I would just shut her out like that after all we've been through!? She wouldn't have done something like that if she didn't have a good reason!" The amount of guilt Shining Armor had in him was unbearable. He didn't just let his sister down, but his fiancé as well. Twilight then turned to her friends with a mad glare. "And YOU! Instead of comforting me and taking my warnings seriously, you felt it was in your best interests to kiss his sorry flank!" she yelled as she pointed her hoof toward them. "It wasn't our fault, Twilight. We didn't know whether to believe you were blindly accusin' Cadence or if you were actually right. We were powerless to do anythin', because if we sided with you, we probably would've gotten thrown out as well." said Applejack in a sympathetic tone. Twilight was having none of it. "So you were actually concerned for me, despite leaving me all alone? I call horseapples. You were more concerned with that so-called "Cadence" then your own friend!" "We're trying to make it up to you, Twilight! Can't you just give us a chance?" Cried Rainbow Dash, "Well apparently you didn't give me a chance. Even with Equestria at stake, you were worried about this wedding." Twilight then turned to Celestia. "How could you Celestia, you've been my mentor. Why couldn't you trust me back there?" "Twilight please, we were just acting on your brother's behalf. Had you brought proof then this could've turned out differently." said Celestia. "On his behalf? You're the princess, it's your job to keep Equestria safe by any means necessary! Was the wedding so much more important than that?" "She's my niece, Twilight! I couldn't bear to see her in such distress due to your Abhorrent behavior!" "I get it, because she's your family. Even then, you still couldn't tell that her nasty behavior wasn't an indication that something was wrong with her. And yet, you tell me I have a lot to think about, so do you apparently." Celestia couldn't say anything, because she knew that Twilight was right. Twilight started facing everyone in the room. She was ready to show Cadence what was really said by Shining Armor, her friends, and Celestia. It was a type of magic she had secretly been learning by herself, without letting Celestia, her friends, or even Spike know about it. With that magic, she can go back in time and show what happened in the past. "Cadence, if you really want to see what really happened, then I will show you." Twilight shot glowing streams of magic in the air, like as if it was purple smoke. It formed as a large sphere above everyone in the room. Seconds later, it showed everyone back when the wedding rehearsal, when Twilight went off on Cadence saying she was evil and that she had been using magic to brainwash her brother, driving her out of the room. Even Cadence knew that Twilight was acting out of light, but still felt that she knew that something was wrong about "Cadence". However, nothing could prepare her when she was about to hear what Shining Armor had to say. "You want to know why my eyes went all-? Nuh! Because ever since I started having to perform my protection spell, I've been getting terrible migraines. Cadance hasn't been casting spells on me. She's been using her magic to heal me! And she decided to replace her bridesmaids because she found out the only reason they wanted to be in the wedding was so that they could meet Canterlot royalty! And if she hasn't been on her best behavior with your friends. It's because with me being so busy, she's had to make all the decisions about the wedding! Shining Armor, Twilight's friends, and Celestia knew that Cadence was going to be beyond outrage what he was going to say next, especially what the others would soon say. "I was just trying to-" said past Twilight. "She's been completely stressed out because it's really important to her that our big day be perfect! Something that obviously wasn't important to you!" Cadence was beyond shocked that he would say such demonic words to her own sister. Rage started boiling inside her. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go and comfort my bride. And you can forget about being my best mare. In fact, if I were you, I wouldn't show up to the wedding at all." Shining then lowered his head in utter guilt, his eyes closed, nearly on the verge of crying. Then they saw the past Twilight's friends walking out of the room with him. "C'mon, y'all. Let's go check on the princess." Said past Applejack. Fluttershy started to break down and cry, Rarity comforting her. Then past Celestia walked past Twilgiht saying "You have a lot to think about" leaving past Twilight emotionally pulverized. As everyone one saw the wedding hall door slammed on Twilight, she said "I could have gained a sister, but instead, I have lost a brother." Shining armor looked at Cadence, the expression on her face was heartbreaking for him to see. Her moth agape, her eyes widened, tears streaming down her eyes. He walked up to her in an effort to comfort her. "Cadence I-" "DON'T TOUCH ME!!!" Cadence screamed, moving way back from him. "YOU'RE SICK, YOU'RE DISGUSTING!!! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU WOULD BE SO VILE!!!! GODDAMN YOU SHINING ARMOR, GODDAMN YOU!!!". Cadence then madly turns to Celestia. "AS FOR YOU, YOU COULDN'T NOTICE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MY BEHAVIOUR OR AN IMPOSTER'S!!!??? HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO TWILIGHT AFTER ALL SHE'S DONE FOR YOU!!!???" Cadence ran away, sobbing uncontrollably. Twilight walked up to Shining Armor in complete apathy. "Well Shining, are you satisfied with what you just called? ARE YOU!?" "Twily, please stop this". "Stop? Stop what? How can I stop something if I didn't start anything? It was YOU who started this!" Twilight went to same direction where Cadence left at. "I'm going to comfort Cadence, so don't even think about following me" she said as she then left. Shining armor let out a big sigh. Twilight's friends couldn't believe what just happened, seeing Twilgiht get so angry like that. "So, there's no wedding?" whimpered Pinkie Pie. "I think it's safe to say that it's not happening" sighed Shining Armor. "I'm sure they will eventually cool off. These are indeed troubled times, but hopefully it will soon pass." said Celestia. "I guess I deserved this then." said Shining Armor in defeat. "We all deserve this, Shining, we all deserve it." Author's Note Yes, it's finally out! Hope you all enjoy!
Ripple EffectView OnlineBroken TrustRipple EffectWith the defeat of Queen Chrysalis and her Changeling army, Canterlot's destruction had been completely averted. However, not everything has ended on a happy note. Twilight Sparkle, whose brother Shining Armor was meant to marry her once-foalsitter Princess Cadence, had been in emotional turmoil due to being shunned by those she cared about. Not only had she called out her brother, her five friends, and her mentor Princess Celestia for leaving her in the wedding hall, but fully exposed of their crime to Cadence. Outraged by what they have done, Cadence had angrily rushed back to her chambers, with Twilight following her in. Shining Armor didn't know what to do with Cadence's disgust towards him, it has come to the point that the wedding they had long planned, would be off. Shining Armor, Twilight's friends, and Celestia stand aimlessly in the wedding hall, pondering about what they just caused when Twilight tried to warn them about "Cadence". Even Spike, Twilight's best friend and assistant, shares her pain, despite also leaving her in the hall. Her friends however, have had deep regret for the wedding rehearsal incident. "We're such horrible friends to do this to Twilight" wept Fluttershy. "I've never seen her so angry before, with us no less" said Rarity. "I still think she went totally out of like with her behavior. Did you see what she just did to her brother?" exclaimed Rainbow Dash. "Ah agree Rainbow Dash, she didn't need to lash out like that. The way she acted was uncalled for" Sad Applejack. "SHUT UP ALL OF YOU!" yelled Spike, as everyone in the hall turned to him. They could see the anger in him, toward Shining Armor, Twilight's friends, and Celestia. "You abandoned her when she was just trying to stick up for you! You're now going to say that SHE's the one in the wrong!? YOU CALL YOURSELVES FRIENDS!?" "But Spike, she stormed in here durin' the rehearsal, actin' like a lil' filly yammerin' on without proof about how Cadence is evil and that she's brainwashed Shinin' Armor. What were we supposed to do?" asked Applejack. "What were you supposed to do!? You were supposed stay by her side, that's what friends would do! You're the element of Honesty, you should've actually acted like you were the friend to her you've always were. Rarity, you're the element of generosity, you should've shared her your compassion! Pinkie Pie, you're the element of laughter, you should've lightened the mood by being able to make her smile! Fluttershy, you're the element of kindness, you should've comforted her! Rainbow Dash, you're the element of loyalty, you should've taken her side! YOU'RE ALL SUCH HORRIBLE FRIENDS!!" "You did the same thing we did, Spike," Said Rainbow Dash. "What makes you so special?" "I LEFT BECAUSE I HAD NO CHOICE!!" Spike started to break down in tears. He felt just as bad for leaving Twilight in the wedding hall. Twilight's friends could understand his heartache they caused him. "It felt like that if I stayed with Twilight, I would've got cast out of the wedding too. I just want to make it up to her." "You know I wouldn't have done that Spike. I've always loved Twilight, I was just trying to make sure that the wedding would go perfectly without any trouble." said Shining Armor. Anger boiled inside Spike just from heaving Shining Armor's voice. He has no reason to be nice to him after hearing the things he said to Twilight. "And this is all YOUR fault! How could you do something like that, to your sister!? She's my best friend, she's been like a sister of MY OWN!" Spike tried to catch his breath, then continued. "And then you say that's your reason for shunning her!? Just because you wanted to make the wedding continue, you cast out the one mare who made all of it happen!? Who were you even going to replace Twilight as best mare, some random bloke you've only met a couple times!? Not to mention that you put all of Equestria in danger just because of some wedding! How can you call yourself captain of the Royal Guard when you couldn't even put Equestria first!?" Shining Armor couldn't think of anything to say, He knew that everything Spike said to him was spot on. "Spike please, I know you're upset for what happened, but this isn't going to make the situation any better." said Celestia. "And yet YOU'VE done the same thing they did, you've been her mentor ever since I was born! It's like none of that has mattered to you!" "It's always mattered to me, Twilight is one of my precious students and it breaks my heart seeing her like that." "No thanks to you. She was doing you a favor and all you did was treat her like all she wanted to do was cause trouble," Spike then went the same direction that Cadence and Twilight went. "I'm going to show Twilight that I truly care about her, good luck on doing the same." And with that, he left. Twilight followed Cadence all the way to her chamber. Cadence had never been so disgusted that her fiancé would shut his sister out like that, and cast her out of the wedding that Twilight herself influenced. Cadence busted into her room, emotionally distressed. "I can't believe he would do that! Why would he do that to you!? You've been so close to him!" cried Cadence. "All I tried to do was stay on his side, and this is how he repays me. We're lucky we were able to defeat the Changelings." said Twilight. "It's because of you that he and I actually fell in love with each other. You were my favorite filly when I was a foalsitter, all the things we did together." Cadence sighed. "Still though, even after all that, was it really necessary that you had to attack him like that? You could've killed him!" Twilight thought about what she did to her brother. Deep down, she knew Cadence was right. If it had not been for Celestia, Twilight more than likely would've strangled him to death. "Maybe you're right, I probably had went a little to far with that. But after what he had said while we defeated the Changelings, it was like he had not cared what he had done to me, like he acted that it never happened, hoping that I'd forget it." Hearing that made Cadence even more skeptical about whether or not she should really marry Shining Armor. How can she even condone him defending someone who he thought he knew mistreat him so much, then cutting out his life the one pony who was so dearly close to him. "Well what's done is done, and he had done enough. In any event, what happened to your parents? Weren't they supposed to be at the wedding? I haven't seen them at the wedding when we faced Chrysalis." "I dunno, something must've gotten in the way while they tried to leave, but it shouldn't be long now. If he thought it was bad how I went at him, I can't imagine what they have to say about it." "I certainly wouldn't blame them, but you've been through a lot as it is, you're probably in need of a rest." "I agree, I'm going to go back to my room, see you later." Twilight left Cadence's room and went back to hers. She collapsed onto her bed, thinking of all the things she went through, getting shunned by those she loved, being imprisoned in the mines, fighting Chrysalis and the Changelings, and all of the anger that went on. She tried her best not to cry, she had been too emotional within the past hour. Suddenly, she saw Spike walk into her room. "Spike? What are you doing in here?" "Twilight, I just want to say that I'm so sorry. Please forgive me, I should've never left with the others." "But why? You've been the best friend I've ever had, how could you betray me like that? Have all the times we've been together not mean anything to you?" "I undserstand how you feel, it's just that I was afraid I would get kicked out of the wedding too." "I though our friendship was more important than this wedding, you could've stuck up for me when they left, all you did was follow the pack." "Please Twilight, I want to make it up to you." "Look Spike, I really don't know what to think, I'm just so mad and angry right now, and the fact that you did exactly what they did." "I know, I just wish I hadn't. I just don't think I can forgive myself for letting you down." "Well in that case, I just want to be alone for now. I know you want to make things right now us, but I just need some space until I feel we could work things out." "Okay Twilight." Spike then walked out of Twilight's doorway. "If there's anything you need, I'm always here for you, don't you forget that." "Thanks Spike." Night Light and Twilight Velvet were extremely worrisome of their children when Canterlot was under attack by the Changeling army. After hearing the news, they had rushed to the Canterlot castle to check up on them. The Canterlot royal guards notified Shining Armor that his parents had visited the castle so he could see them. Inside the main hall they have met. "Mom! Dad!" exclaimed Shining Armor. "Oh thank Celestia you're alright, deary!" cried Twilight Velvet as she hugged him. "I thought the Changelings had gotten to you!" "Well, they kinda did, but that's over now. All we're just doing now is picking up the pieces. The Changelings had really made one heck of a mess, breaking my magic barrier and everything." "Is Twilight alright?" asked Night Light. "She was said to have shown up at the wedding." Shining Armor started to get anxious after what went down at the wedding hall. He knew it would be a matter of time before they knew what happened during the wedding rehearsal." "She did, she's just a little on edge after she and her friends had been through. She's fine now, she's in her bed chamber." Twilight Velvet started to notice a red marking on Shining Armor's neck. "Shining, what happened to your neck?" Shining's mother's question caught him off guard. "Oh, it's nothing, don't worry about it. Twilight's in her room if you want to see her." The parents proceeded to go see Twilight in her room. When they entered her room, they immediately rushed to her. "Oh Twilight, I've missed you so much!" said Twilight Velvet, hugging her. "It was so awful, my friends and I kept fighting for our lives!" "But you're safe now, and that's all that matters." "Yeah, but there are still wounds in me that still won't heal." "What do you mean, Twilight?" asked Night Light. "Oh, so he didn't tell you, not surprised." "What happened? Please tell me." insisted Twilight Velvet. "Well for one, the reason Canterlot was attacked because I tried to warn everypony that Cadence wasn't who we thought she was. Instead of listening, my brother shuns me, strips me of best mare, and then cast me out of the wedding." Twilight Velvet and Night Light became shocked. "Wait, so you mean to tell me that our son, just threw you in the trash like that, out of his wedding!? I can't believe that!" shouted Night Light. "Well, you should talk to him about it. And that's not all, my friends went along with him. Even Celestia shunned me and left me alone in the hall. Just as they left, the fake Cadence imprisoned down in the mines below Canterlot. Luckily I was able to find the real Cadence, then finally beat the Changelings." Twilight started to get emotional. "I could've died down there, and nopony would've known about it. Equestria was this close to getting obliterated and they wouldn't even do their duty." "Then this all could've been avoided had they listened to you." Said Night light. Both Twilight Velvet and Night Light then went to find Shining Armor to give him a scolding. He was talking to a few royal guards, not knowing the wrath that was about to be unleashed upon him. "HOW COULD YOU DO SUCH A THING, SHINING ARMOR!?" shouted Twilight Velvet. "YOU SHUT YOUR OWN SISTER OUT!?" "Mom, dad, please, this isn't a good time right now..." "Not a good time!? She's your own flesh and blood, and this is how you treat her!?" yelled Night Light. "Look, I know you two are very upset, but she was screaming across the hallway accusing Cadence without any proof." "So you're saying that two wrongs make a right!? I thought we raised you to believe that two wrongs NEVER make a right!. I can't believe you would do this, Shining! We are so, SO disappointed in you!" hissed Twilight Velvet. "You weren't even there! It wasn't my fault for reacting for her actions!" retorted Shining Armor with anger. Velvet then struck her hoof across Shining's face. "Don't you dare talk back to your mother like that! Because of you, our daughter is an emotional wreck! I don't want to see your face for the rest of the day!" she yelled as she bolted out of the room. "You have failed this family." said Night Light as he left the room with her. Author's Note Here's the second chapter. If anyone feels there needs to be improvements, I'm all ears!
Lunar Consequences Pt. 1View OnlineBroken TrustLunar Consequences Pt. 1“You. Did. What!?" Twilight Velvet was furious at Princess Celestia when she told her what happened during the wedding rehearsal. "How could you, as her mentor, just leave her there when she was just trying to help!?" "I understand your frustration, Twilight Velvet, but her actions didn't solve anything. We thought she was being overprotective with her brother." Said Celestia. "She wouldn't act like that if she had a good reason. She loves Shining more than you can possibly imagine!" hissed Twilight Velvet. "I am fully aware of that. Believe me, I am, but we didn't know that the Cadence we thought we knew was an imposter. Even Twilight was fooled by her being a changeling. But in the end, she was right about something being wrong with her from the beginning." "Well Cadence's behavior should've been the first indication that she isn't Cadence after all. It's not like her to just act like that towards everypony, she's the princess of love for Celestia's sake!" "I agree." said Night Light. "We've known Cadence ever since our Twilight was a filly. She was one of the kindest ponies we had ever known. Even she is above behaving like that, and she damn well knows it." Moments later, two Royal Guards appeared before Celestia and Twilight's parents, as they saluted her. "Your Highness, we bring word that Princess Luna has returned to Canterlot." said one of the guards. "Luna? When did she get here?" asked Celestia. "Just five minutes ago, we told her the news of what happened in Canterlot, she insisted to speak to you." "Very well, Sergeant. You may return to your post." The two guards left the room. Celestia turned to Night Light and Twilight Velvet. "I'm sorry, but I have matters to attend to. Please, make yourself comfortable in your quarters for the day." Celestia walked out into the halls of the Canterlot castle with Luna. "I was wondering where you were, sister. I'm quite surprised you haven't shown after what had happened." said Celestia. Luna sighed. "Well, it's complicated. I just learned that I had been drugged by the changeling queen. It was just recently I had woken up with help from the guards. I’m not sure how they went through our defenses.” “I see.” murmured Celestia. “Well, right before the invasion occured, a bit of an incident occured, and I feel I’m partly to blame.” “Oh? And what’s that?” It was now the time for Celestia to open up for the truth. “You see, a while before our attack, we’ve noticed that my niece had been acting strange the past few days. She was constantly demanding things to go her way in an abrasive manner. I understood that this was her and Shining Armor’s wedding, but the way she treated Twilight and her friends unfairly. It just seemed to be that she was going through too much stressed and wanted the wedding to be perfect.” “Then earlier today, while we were doing the wedding rehearsal, Twilight barged in the hall and was shouting that Cadance was evil. She didn’t even bring any proof, it was all just irrationality. She caused Cadance to run out of the room sobbing. I know Twilight had been a faithful student for me, but I couldn’t bear to see my niece upset by her like that.”. There was no turning back for what she was about to say next. “Shining Armor then told his sister that she wouldn’t be his best mare and dismissed her from the wedding, and then all her friends walked out on her. I walked out with them, when I could’ve just talked to Twilight and try to understand what happened. Instead, I bitterly told her she had a lot to think about.” “Sister…” said Luna. “I know Twilight was better than to just act all stupidly. She has been the kind of mare that wouldn’t do anything horrible without a good reason. I’ve let Equestria down over my biases for my niece.” Luna was dumbfounded by Celestia’s terrible actions. She couldn’t believe that her sister would endanger all of Equestria over a wedding. “I don’t understand, why didn’t you just bring the wedding to a halt until everything was safe?” “It wasn’t easy for me, Luna. After seeing Cadance break down like that, I just couldn’t bear it.” “But you should have at least listened. I understand that she's your niece, but the safety of our nation is more important than some wedding. Twilight was like a daughter to you, you practically raised her. How could you just toss her aside like that?” “I felt like I didn’t have a choice...” “But you chose to ignore a potential threat to Equestria. What’s happened to you, sister? Have you forgotten your role as princess? Have you even learned anything after I became Nightmare Moon!?” Luna’s words hit Celestia like a ton of bricks. The fact that she brought up Nightmare Moon made her really regret what she had done, not only putting Equestria at risk, but also shunning her faithful student. “Luna please…” “No, sister, you clearly have learned nothing! When will you realize that just waiting will only endanger all of us?” Ever since Celestia had banished her sister to the moon a thousand years ago, she couldn’t help but feel that her incompetence had come back to her the day of the wedding rehearsal. All it could do was put her reputation on the line not only as a mentor, but as a princess of Equestria. Celestia never intended to let ponykind over a royal wedding, but she never could’ve thought that she would be deceived by a changeling queen. "That's enough, Luna!" Shouted Celestia. "You have no idea how hard it was for me when I banished you! Every day since I've done it, I kept pondering to myself if I had even done the right thing. You stand here and judge me when you weren't even around for a thousand years, and that I've had to do everything on my own?" Luna wasn’t through just yet, she knows that other ponies are responsible for the incident that occured. “Well sister, I want you to sit there and think what you've done. Where is Shining Armor? I want to have a word with him.” “Yes, of course.” Shining Armor’s mind couldn’t let go of what had been going on the past several hours. He couldn’t forget the rage filled face of his mother when she found out that he disowned her sister. Even when he felt that Twilight was being too irrational during the wedding rehearsal, he knew that he went too far. He had been pondering whether the changeling queen’s mind control really influenced his decision to cast her sister out of the wedding, or that he consciously did it on his own volition. It almost felt like he was remembering somepony else’s memory. He had been walking along lost in thought. He just then happened to find Spike in his presence, who idley walked by. He struggled to think of what do say, because he knew Spike was just as mad at him as Twilight was. Despite that, he walked out with the rest of the ponies who abandoned her. Difference is that Spike was afraid he would also get cast out if he spoke up to Shining Armor. He felt bad for Spike because he had been her assistant for many years and could tell he was close to her. Deciding to bite the bullet, Shining Armor approached Spike, hoping that he would forgive him. “Hey, Spike.” Spike turned around and saw him, giving a scorned look. “What do you want?” “I just want to talk, that’s all” “Forget it, you’ve said enough, after how much you’ve hurt Twilight.” “Well, you chose to still stay for the wedding-” Spike’s temper started to flare up. “Oh don’t you even THINK about turning this around on me! You know damn well I felt sorry for her! Admit it, you would’ve cast me out if I went to her side. “Alright now you listen-” “SHUT UP!!!” Spike roared. “I don’t want to hear anymore of your crap! You may have done it to Twilight, but I won’t let you do it to me! You never even cared enough to visit Twilight ever since she was sent to Ponyville, all you did was stay in this damn castle over here!” Deep down Shining knew Spike was right. He never went out of his way to visit his sister. “Spike, you know it wasn’t easy for me. I had way too much on my plate, I’ve had duties I needed to attend to. It’s not easy being captain of the Royal Guard. I’ve missed Twilight while she was gone, I just haven’t had the time in the day.” Spike scoffed. “Oh please, you know you could’ve just taken a day off, but you didn’t do that, did you? You couldn’t even send her a letter, or anything? Not even tell here you and Cadence were together before the wedding?” Just when Shining came to the realization that Spike was right, he sighed. “Yes, I should’ve told her about Cadence. I just wanted to surprise her, I didn’t think I would upset her this way. I had so much to do with Cadence that I didn’t have time to think about anything else.” “Not even your own sister, pathetic.” Spike walked past Shining to get away from him, bitterly eyeballing him. “Just so you are aware, this is all on you.” he said as he left Shining there. Shining Armor Was left thinking about everything, what he had caused, and how worse it could’ve gotten if the ponies didn’t succeed in saving Canterlot. His actions during the wedding rehearsal had cost him his reputation, not just as the Royal Guard captain, but also as a brother. Then he heard a voice calling to him. “Shining Armor!” It was Luna, who went trotting towards him, filled with potential contempt. Her first intention was to understand what happened, and why things are as they are now. Shining Armor is filled with nervousness as he knows that she has many things she wishes to discuss with him. “Princess Luna, it’s good to see you again.” “We have to talk, Shining, right now. I want to know why the Canterlot invasion took place, and how the changelings were able to break through your barrier.” Shining Armor couldn’t believe he’s being asked these questions. He thinks that if he gave his honest answers, he would be stripped of his rank as captain. At the same time, if he tried to weasel is way out of it and Luna still found out, she would banish him to the moon until he becomes an old stallion. The only way out of this this is for him to go forward and not sideways. “I-I was under a mind control spell from the changeling queen, there was nothing I could do to stop it. It weakened my city’s defense. I thought it was Cadence all along and that she did it because of my headaches.” Shining Armor explained. “What happened before the invasion?” asked Luna. “We were having the wedding rehearsal. Just out of nowhere, my sister barged in yelling about how Cadence is evil without any sort of proof. I felt it was in my best interests to exclude her from the wedding and decided to go forward with it. I just didn’t want her to cause anymore trouble that what she already had done.” Luna continued to question Shining. “And was your mind controlled during the wedding rehearsal?” “No.” he said in defeat. Luna couldn’t believe he had ignored what could’ve potentially been a major threat to not only Canterlot, but all of Equestria. “But Shining, even if she had made such a petty accusation, it’s your job as captain to but Equestria’s safety first. Even something like that should be considered a red flag and should be worth investigating. Because of you, we could’ve lost our kingdom!” Luna’s words began to strike his nerve. He knows Luna has authority over him, but he feels he still should make a case for himself. “With all due respect, it’s not like you or Celestia questioned my orders, your highness.” Luna gave Shining Armor a good smack in the face with her hoof. “You’re lucky you’re not part of my Night Guard, otherwise I would’ve had you charged for derelict of duty!” snarled Luna. To Luna, Shining was just as incompetent as her sister. A thousand years of peace had made them all complacent, ignorant of the threats gathering at their borders. She knew he can be careless at times, but a mistake like this is almost beyond forgiveness. She may have not known Twilight for long, but still wouldn’t condone him casting her out over a simple misunderstanding. Luna continued. “As for your sister, the fact that you even shut her out only tells me that family means little to you.” Shining Armor shot back. “Now you take that back-” “No I won’t, Shining Armor. Her behaviour was no excuse for that. I understand that you must’ve been through much stress trying to put the wedding together, but you should’ve listened to your sister. Family comes first, you should’ve known that by now. Trust me, I’ve had more than plenty of experience with family. It’s the number one priority in life.” “That’s easy for you to say, Luna. I’ve been through sleepless nights trying to get everything organized. You think I wanted to cast my sister out? You think I was proud of it? This wedding was supposed to be the happiest day of my life, and the last thing I needed was to see my fiance to get berated by my own sister.” Luna sighed, trying to process what she was hearing. “I see now. So you thought your sister was being overprotective.” “Not just that, it was like as if she didn’t even want there to be a wedding. Why should I invite someone who just wants to ruin things?” “Whatever.” said Luna. “And what about the elements?” “The elements? You mean Twilight’s friends? They decided to follow along with me, as did Celestia.” “Well, I would like to have a talk with the elements. Can you summon them for me?” “Yes, Princess Luna.” said Shining Armor.
