Wedding of Deception

Chapters

Wedding Notice
Two Lives Diverged
Observation
First Morning
The Breakfast Fiasco
In the Gardens
Café Conversation

Wedding Notice

"Well, well, well... it seems that things are about to change around here."

There are, of course, many changes in a pony's life. Sometimes it's a day-to-day difference like that of the weather, and sometimes it's a big change which leaves a lasting impact on a pony's life.

There are many events like these which have importance - weddings, births, holidays, causes of celebration and good tidings. And along with the importance of these events comes others bringing it up as their topic of current discussion.

The speaker was talking about a major event such as this - a wedding. And not just a wedding of two ordinary ponies, but a grand union of Equestrian royalty.

With royalty, a momentous occasion is never shared with simply a few close friends and family. The celebrity status of the ponies in question guarantees that the entire surrounding area will be alerted about the event sooner or later. Especially the celebration that was fast approaching for the citizens of the equine nation known as Equestria.

Seeing as the country was ruled by Princess Celestia, an alicorn who possessed the power to raise the sun itself, the news of her niece's wedding spread like wildfire all over Canterlot, as well as extending to the surrounding communities. It wasn't long before everypony was talking about the news, eagerly discussing their plans for the royal wedding and whether or not they would be able to attend for the festivities.

There were two separate groups of ponies, however, who were interested in the wedding for a very different reason. Rather than legitimately caring for the well-being of the two ponies who were to be wed, their plan was all for their own business. They weren't scouts for nothing.

Despite their similarity in goal and nature, however, neither group had any idea that the other was around in the large city.

The first of the two congregations consisted of a trio of unicorns. The three of them sat together in one of the city's small coffee shops, reading the newspaper. To be specific, they were eying a public notice, a headline that everypony in Canterlot had quickly become aware of, ignoring the more mediocre blurbs that were printed in the day's papers. The trio jostled around to gaze at it evenly, focusing on the image of the two ponies upon the paper's surface

The tallest of these - a mare with an azure coat, black mane, and blue eyes, with a saw adorning her flank - was the one who had spoken as she tore the advertisement from the rest of the parchment. "So, these two have known each other for several years, then?" She arched her brow, curious. "The love between them must be strong."

"Must be," a colt agreed, his purple front hooves propped up on the table. "They do look pretty together." He tilted his head slightly to get his short white mane out of his face, allowing his ruby-red eyes to peer at the paper in interest.

"Of course they do, blank-flank, it's a wedding," snapped the tall mare, using her magic to lift the paper from the table's cold surface and fold it neatly before walking off. The other two followed closely behind as they exited the premises of the small shop. "And if they've been together for a while, there's sure to be plenty of love between them." A slow smile. "Their marriage isn't arranged, so there's got to be a strong emotional connection. It's just as it should be in a marriage... at least, for our purposes."

The third unicorn of the group was another mare, slender and sporting a bright yellow coat with a flowing orange mane, lime green irises intently focused on the pair depicted. Her flanks were adorned with a musical note, which she appeared to exemplify with an eager bout of humming. "Not for long though," she said with a chuckle.

"Yeah," the colt added eagerly, "we're gonna have an interesting event to report! There's always plenty of love at weddings!"

The blue unicorn glanced at the colt's flank, devoid of any mark. "Your mark should be 'C.O.'"

"C.O'?"

"Captain Obvious," the lean mare stated with a roll of her eyes, clearly irritated with him.

The colt glared up at her in annoyance, not taking kindly to the insult to his intelligence. "Well this isn't even my-"

Suddenly finding himself on the receiving end of a warning glare, the pony stopped short and closed his mouth, having nearly let their secret slip out.

"Just shut it before we get in trouble," the lemon-colored unicorn whispered. She glanced around, making sure nopony else was around to observe them before continuing. "We can't just stand around here and discuss this in the city for much longer. The Queen will definitely want to hear about this. We haven't had an opportunity like this is a long time."

She unfolded the paper briefly to steal another glance at the two ponies, gaze lingering on the stallion.

"If the Queen approves, she might be able to... find a use for him..."

The other two gave her brief nods of agreement. And then, with another quick glance to make sure their talk had went unseen, the trio began to change.

Green flames quickly sprung up around them, engulfing their forms, and within seconds their appearances were altered completely. Gone were the three ponies who had been discussing the wedding like everypony else, as they were now replaced by beings that were unlike any ordinary pony. The creatures - known as changelings - were a dark gray color, nearly black, possessing large holes in their legs and eyes of a a bright, shimmering blue. The three changelings wore small armor casings on their backs of a navy blue color, though only one - the one who had once held the form of the yellow mare - sported a helmet of the same dark blue shade.

The helmed changeling glanced at the other two, gaze lingering once more on the newspaper announcement. Her gaze focused on the blue-maned stallion for a moment before rolling the paper up, securing it carefully.

And with that, the trio flew into the air, wings buzzing, and set off toward their destination. The Hive where their swarm resided.

Yet they were unaware of the other group within the city's walls that, like the three of them, were not at all what they seemed.

In another sector of Canterlot, four ponies were gazing at the same notice in an alleyway, concealed from everypony else. One of the cluster, a tangerine-colored unicorn, was using his magic to levitate the poster into their view, looking carefully at the bride and groom shown on the paper.

"Well what do you know," the lanky pony said inquisitively, "if the King is informed of this, it might work out well for us."

"Do you think that it could work?" murmured one of the others, a bulky lavender, blue-maned pegasus. "There's bound to be tight security when the time comes for the wedding." He moved closer, scrutinizing the poster with an analytical gaze. "Though, they do seem to have a strong bond, considering how long they've known each other." A tilt of his head. "And the mare is quite pretty to boot-"

His speech was interrupted with a sudden light cuff to his back by one of the others, causing him to turn and glare at the one who had struck him.

The one who had delivered the light blow was a red-maned earth pony with a peach-colored coat, his strong hoof now settling firmly onto the ground. "For Circe's sake," he hissed, invoking the name of their Goddess, "you're not one to think about flirting with the bride. This wedding is the perfect way to get the kind of energy that we deserve." Despite his earlier scoldings, he too couldn't help but glance at the bride-to-be. A smile crept upon his face, orange eyes glinting at the thought.

"... and what our King desires." The stallion chuckled, gently placing a hoof on the picture. "He'd probably like her."

"At least more than-"

The red-maned stallion directed a sharp glare toward the speaker, a brown earth pony with an hourglass for a cutie mark. He moved his head closer. "I think I know who you're gonna mention," he said in a warning tone, "but don't even think about it. You know how the King gets when that topic is brought up."

"But he's not here right now."

"Doesn't matter," the fourth of their assembly pointed out in a stern voice, a light gray stallion with a darker-shaded mane. His wings beat in irritation. "Don't you have any respect? It's better if we just focus on getting back to the Hive and stop debating on the King's relationship status. That's his own thing to be concerned with."

Following a steady glance on all sides, scrutinizing every corner for unfortunate witnesses, a burst of green fire briefly concealed the pony's form before revealing his true self. He too, was a changeling, similar looking to those in the other group, also sporting a large helmet to signify himself as a lieutenant.

As the others transformed into their ordinary appearances as well, it was clear that there were a few differences from the changeling's in the first group. While their they still retained the dark gray coloring that was characteristic of their species, there were no holes visible in their legs, their limbs instead having took on a full-bodied appearance like that of a normal pony. In addition, rather than the electric-blue eyes of the first group of changelings, the eyes of these four were a light green, not quite as vibrant as the shade of the flames that surrounded their bodies when they switched appearances. Their armor was different as well, being metallic coverings of a forest green color in contrast to the navy blue of the first group.

The four changelings rose into the air, rising over the city while making sure that nopony was looking up at them to catch a glimpse of the mysterious creatures above. Once they had assured themselves that their viewpoint was clear, away from the observing gaze of any pony, the small platoon sped off toward their own place of residence.

Caught up in their own intents, neither of the two assemblages had caught sight of the other, unaware that they had all heard news of the same celebration. With that ignorance, each congregation was reporting back to their ruler on this potentially grand opportunity for them, considered now the only point of interest on their minds. They had no reason or knowledge to report of any suspicious activity, certainly not another group of changelings from a Hive other than their own.

Perhaps that was for the best.

The two rulers, after all, would likely not have been all too happy to hear of one another. Not after they had broken ties with each other long ago.

Two Lives Diverged

As the two separate groups of changelings flew off from Canterlot, green flames quickly encircled each one as they took on the forms of pegasi. Better to arouse less suspicion as long as they could. With their disguises no in place, the seven sped off beyond the boundaries of Equestria, each intent on getting to their respective Hives as fast as possible. They flew over largely populated areas and the few scattered towns on the outskirts, only resuming their true form as they drew closer to their landing-place, far off the Equestrian border.

Though the ultimate destination of each of the small swarms was different, all of them were zooming off toward their homeland, a forested area which was almost swamp-like at some points, a sickly green mist present around it. It was a location that very few ponies ever went to, extending across dozens of miles.

As each member of the swarms was intent on bringing the news back to their ruler, they failed to notice the specks of the other group planning on delivering the same notice. It was as if it were a race, an unknown competition to report the news first. Just as competition had been for the King and Queen when they were younger.

The Forest of Zakelon - in changeling terms, "The Forest of Shifting Life" - was where these two separate Hives dwelled. Like the settling arrangements of many other beings, however, Zakelon wasn't the only dwelling place for changelings, but two separate royal lines had made their homes in this forested realm.

Fortunately for the pair of swarms, the two Hives they were traveling to - the Hive of the Detemus Family and that of the Hrusai Family - were a fair distance from one another. They were the dwelling places of King Metamorphosis and Queen Chrysalis, respectively. And though the monarchs' parents had frequently visited each other's Hives in the past, these days the two reigning changelings seemed to ignore the existence of each other completely.

The changelings of the Detemus swarm were the first to arrive at their home base, hidden from direct view in a rocky outcropping in one of the more densely forested parts of the area. The green-helmed lieutenant entered the cavernous hole that served as the entryway to the Hive, with the other three following suit. With their reflective eyes allowing them to see in the Hive's dark caverns once out of the entryway's light, the group continued on through the descending maze of caverns that every changeling who lived there came to know. The cavern from the entrance continued, branching off into winding pathways, before opening into a large, central chamber, lit by various green torches that dotted the area.

In this stone expanse, there was one distinct feature among the honeycomb-like pathways that led off to different sections of the Hive. It was a large stone statue that stood at about half of the cavern's height, the shape of two beings making up the structure. The first of these was one that was more or less the same in every changeling Hive. It was a being who held the form of an alicorn, but a different sort than what any ordinary pony saw. There was a slight curl to her flowing mane and an elegantly woven band atop her forehead, large mockingbird-like wings poised as if catching a draft as she raised her hooves over the figure beneath her. It was a statue of their goddess, Circe. In changeling lore, it was known that she had granted their race the ability to change forms in her stead.

The second figure, below that of the raised hooves of Circe, was of the Hive's current ruler - this second part of the statue was always reconstructed whenever the monarchy changed hooves. Currently, the figure was a stallion who stood tall and proud, his mane and tail possessing an elegant wave to them, wearing a majestic suit of armor that concealed his wings. This figure was the ruler that every changeling in the Detemus Hive followed loyally - their King, Metamorphosis.

In the tradition of those meant to be Kings and Queens, Metamorphosis was much taller and slender than other changelings, taking a more alicorn-like appearance like Circe and sporting a flowing mane and tail. Due to the nature of their unique appearance, it was believed that the more majestic and complex changelings like him were destined to rule with their stature and power. As shown by the immense structure, the rulers were viewed to be nearly on the level of deities themselves.

This deity-like level on which the rulers were placed also was the reason for another aspect of the changeling culture - naming. Much like the land of the Zebras, the majority of changelings had more exotic names from their race, though there were several that would appear to be "normal" to some others. With the rulers however, it was in changeling tradition for them to harbor a name that would be recognizable to other cultures, always a name that related to the process of changing and transforming to make sure that those of other nations would see them in rule above all else. Hence, Metamorphosis's name

With a passing glance at the large statue, the four changelings sped down one of the caverns, one which held several carvings lining the walls. At last, the group slowed their flight, their bird-like wings folding as they gently landed in front of a large door that rose up to the cavern's ceiling. The half-circle-shaped door was adorned with an emerald green metal with tarnished gold borders, much like that of the changeling's armor.

The lieutenant turned and held up a hoof to silence any interruption from his three companions, making sure that the wedding notice was secured tightly in the hold of his armor. Stepping up to the threshold, he knocked on the door three times, bowing low. "It's Lieutenant Boshrok, Your Majesty," he announced in as clear a voice as he could. "My scouting party and I have an important event we think you might be interested in."

There was a short silence before a click was heard, the lock turning and unlatching to indicate permission to enter.

"Come in, Lieutenant."

As the door was opened, the scouting party stepped through the threshold, entering into the King's chamber. In this larger portion of the room, green torches lit the room on all sides, a bookcase lining the right wall. Some of these tomes were of changeling history, others about the geography of the surrounding area, and even a manual or two on military tactics. One could never be too prepared if the Hive needed to be defended.

Another tunnel along the back wall led off to where the King slept at night, but the group did not need to go back there to search for their ruler. He was off to the left of his chamber, mulling over several scrolls that were placed on his worktable as he removed the armor he was wearing, metal of a bright silver sheen with a green wisp of flame adorning the front sides. The top of his crown - the traditional crown that all higher-ruling changelings wore - appeared to glow in the dim light of the torches.

To some, he would at first appear to be simply a dark gray unicorn with a bright blue mane and tail, perhaps a general of some sort. However, the appearance of his blue-green eyes clearly showed his changeling origin, and the removal of his armor revealed a set of powerful wings that, like his subjects, held the appearance of a bird of prey.

There were only a few scrolls on the table - it wouldn't do to approve every order of business if the request seemed potentially worthless, and those that Metamorphosis did find important were not put into effect without careful scrutiny.

It was hard work being a ruler of an entire Hive, but it was a position of great power and and respect. And if there was one thing that King Metamorphosis genuinely loved, it was power.

The King's green-blue eyes glanced over to the four scouts who entered his chamber, noticing the scroll that Lieutenant Boshrock had tucked into his armor.

"You have some business to discuss with me?"

"Oh yes, Your Majesty," Boshrok affirmed, raising his head and using magic to levitate the scroll out for the King to see. "A notice from Canterlot." There was a slight pause. "A wedding notice, sir."

Metamorphosis blinked, appearing to take an interest at the word wedding. He used his magic to take the paper from Boshrok and have a look at the notice himself. His gaze fell on the bride and groom to be married, and his eyes briefly widened, a thoughtful spark appearing in his gaze for an instant.

Boshrok continued. "I heard somepony in the city say that the mare has love as her special talent, sir."

"Her talent is... love?" Metamorphosis's voice grew softer in interest, ears pricked forward as his gaze now focused on the pink alicorn. To have love be her power, the most powerful emotion known to changeling kind...

"Uh huh," said one of the other scouts. "And if you ask me she's kind of attra- ow!" He was interrupted by a cuff from Boshrok. The one who had spoken was the changeling from before who had claimed that the young princess was pretty.

"Shut up, Screnar," the Lieutenant hissed with a scowl and a fierce glare. Quickly, he regained his composure and addressed the King again. "We figured that since love is a source of energy for us, you might, you know... find it interesting?"

Screnar looked like he was about to comment about another reason why their King would take an interest in the matter, but he had enough sense to keep silent.

Metamorphosis's eyes narrowed at the paper, glancing over the full text of the notice. "This does seem that it could be a very interesting opportunity for us," he said after a moment. "I will have to consider it at first, but... I do believe it's worth looking into."

"Of course, Your Highness," Boshrok agreed, sensing that the King was finished talking to them for the time being. He had been around long enough to know when their ruler had something on his mind. "I suppose we'd better head off then."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," Metamorphosis said with a nod.

With that, Boshrok and the other changelings departed from their King's chamber, leaving him alone to ponder on a potential course of action.

But what Boshrok and the others didn't know was that there was something else their King was thinking about. Certain events that he had tried not to think about in a very long time.

Meanwhile, those of Queen Chrysalis's Hive had arrived to report the very same news, moving swiftly through the moss-covered entryway which lay in the heart of the swampland. The layout of this Hive was similar in appearance to the misty green Hive of King Metamorphosis, though the cavernous pathways in this one were more interconnected, much like that of a beehive. Every changeling, however, as was customary, knew exactly where to go.

Due to this familiarity, the scouting party quickly weaved through the maze of caverns and past their large central chamber, easily finding their way to the navy blue door of their Queen's room. It was similar in shape to that of Metamorphosis, but the lock was a more traditional rectangular plate. The Lieutenant of the group knocked on the door twice.

"Queen Chrysalis? It's Lieutenant Shaydra," she announced. "We have a message for you."

The Queen did not give a verbal answer, but simply allowed the rectangular lock to move out of its holding place, allowing Shaydra and the others to pass through to her chamber.

Chrysalis's room wasn't quite as neatly furnished as that of Metamorphosis, possessing a darker flair to it. Like Metamorphosis, she had a bookshelf in the larger space of her chamber, though her collection was smaller, and several covered topics of powerful enchanting herbs. Enchantments, after all, were one of her specialties.

The Queen, bearing the same hole-filled limbs and wings as her subjects as was characteristic of her bloodline, turned her gaze to the trio of changelings as they entered her chamber, giving her low bows of respect.

Her eyes hardened in curiosity. Shaydra was a strong commander though somewhat demanding, and thus she only approached the Queen with a request when it was something she considered a serious manner, whether good or bad.

"What is it you want?" Chrysalis inquired, voice laden with curiosity. "It must be something important if you are delivering the message." Her gaze lingered on Shaydra as she spoke.

The Lieutenant gave a nod of confirmation as she and the others straightened themselves upright. "It is, Your Highness," she said as she removed the paper from where she had secured it in her armor. "It concerns a wedding."

There was a noticeable glint in Chrysalis's eyes, the words taking a hold on her attention. "A wedding, hmm?"

A bright green glow formed around the wedding announcement as Chrysalis levitated the notice over to herself, looking at the picture of the two ponies to be wed.

She had to admit that the stallion was... kind of attractive. But there was no way she was going to say that to her subjects.

"Weddings do involve love, after all," one of the other changelings pointed out. "Love brings us power, right?"

A small smirk played on Chrysalis's mouth. "Right... I could indeed find a use for this announcement..." A chuckle. "Thank you, for bring this... opportunity to my attention."

"Of course, Your Highness."

With that, the trio set out from the Queen's chamber, the large door closing shut behind them.

Chrysalis let out a sigh in the silence of her chamber, focusing on the paper once again. The stallion did look rather alluring to her.

In fact, he reminded her a little of...

Chrysalis shook her head firmly, letting out a slight snarl of disgust. No, no, why had her thoughts turned to him, even if briefly? Things were different, they were apart, they had been so for ages... Better to let all those memories stay suppressed...

Yet, she felt her mind traveling back to her early days, those that she had buried deep with in her mind long before.

And the same thoughts were burning in the head of King Metamorphosis as well.

It was in the days that the two of them were younger. Much younger...

Chrysalis herself was about 7 years old at the time, just getting a hang of some of the more advanced maneuvers of flying. At this point, she was hovering in the air with her parents, slowly gliding over part of the forest. They were heading toward one of the sparser sections of the landscape for the meeting that they had planned, to make for an easier landing for both of the young royals who were to meet for the first time.

Chrysalis looked up at her parents, then down at herself, turning her head to gaze at the cavities present on their bodies, manes, and wings. "If I get laughed at, can I blast him?" Her eyes narrowed into slits, an eager grin forming on her face at the thought.

"Nonsense, Chrysalis," her mother said gently. "You remember why we're like that, right? Our ancestors were resistant to any parasitic infection that might affect other ponies and changelings. The way we are has made us immune. It's why our family has an insect-like appearance, remember? The poisons of an insect are rarely - if ever - directed toward its own kind, and for us that is our real safeguard."

Chrysalis looked more confident at that, holding her head high as she glanced at the rest of the Forest. "So can I brag to him that we're-"

"Chrysalis..." her father said in a warning tone. "This isn't a competition. The fact that you and Prince Metamorphosis have the Royal Blessing is an honor that you two should be proud of, not bickering over."

The young princess sighed, a slight glare in her cat-like eyes. "Fine."

"And in any case," her mother pointed out, "our family isn't immune to all infections, only the various forms of parasitic-"

"Okay, okay, Mother, I get it!" Chrysalis huffed, turning her head to ignore the reprimanding look her mother directed at her.

A sigh. "Just try to get along."

But despite her parents insisting that the matter was not something to be competed with, Chrysalis vowed to herself that she wasn't going to he straight up calm and polite. She'd show this Prince Meta-what's-his-name who was the better changeling.

She'd show him alright.

Metamorphosis, too, was flying over to the clearing with his parents, having a similar discussion.

"If our family has stronger power in us," the 8-year-old prince inquired, "then does that mean I can challenge the Princess to a fight and beat her?"

"No fighting, Metamorphosis," his father scolded lightly. "We aren't here to pick a fight. We're here to let you two meet each other."

"You were extremely lucky to gain the Blessing of being next in line, you know," his mother reminded him. "The two of you ought to respect that."

The young prince rolled his eyes in irritation.

Eventually, the two families landed in the clearing, arriving at about the same time. The ruling parents looked quite pleased to see each other again, but the younger changelings were an entirely different story. They simply stared at each other as if they were of a completely foreign species.

"Go on, Chrysalis," the young princess's mother said, nudging the small changeling forward. "Say hello."

Chrysalis's insect-like wings buzzed in slight annoyance as she stepped forward, watching as Metamorphosis was coaxed forward as well.

"... Hello Prince Meta-whatever."

Metamorphosis's eyes narrowed at the Princess's response, and the rulers of the Detemus Hive didn't look too pleased either.

"Chrysalis!" her parents spoke sharply.

The changeling princess sighed, looking directly into Metamorphosis's eyes. "Hello, Prince Metamorphosis."

"Hello, Princess Chrysalis," the prince muttered, eyes looking back and forth from Chrysalis to his parents.

Both sets of rulers looked somewhat uneasy. This first meeting wasn't going at all the way they had hoped.

Chrysalis stepped forward, staring at Metamorphosis with a challenging gaze. "You look like you're nervous or something."

"Me? Nervous toward you?" the prince scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Why should I be?"

Chrysalis smirked, nudging Metamorphosis's study horn with the indent in her own. "Because I'm the better changeling, that's why!"

"Dream on!" Metamorphosis extended his wings slightly to show them off. "My family has extra-powerful wings, and you have those flimsy insect ones!"

"Metamorphosis, that is uncalled for," his mother said with a stamp of her hoof.

The changeling princess's wings buzzed rapidly at the insult as she stepped back from the prince, hovering in the air. "I bet you can't even fly!"

Are you scronaut?!" Metamorphosis snapped, using the changeling word for "crazy". "How do you think I got here?!"

"Well, I bet you can't fly well!"

Metamorphosis rose into the air to be level with Chrysalis, eyes narrowed. "I can too!"

"Can not!" Chrysalis countered, moving closer so they were nearly nose to nose.

"Can too!"

Chrysalis smirked, deciding to outsmart the prince. "Can too!"

"Can not- ARGH!" Metamorphosis groaned, having been tricked by Chrysalis defying the pattern.

"Ha!" Chrysalis mocked, eyes glimmering in triumph.

For a second, there was a tense silence as the two of them stared at each other. Then, as if beckoned by an unspoken signal, the two darted off in a sharp line, zooming off toward the edge of the thicker trees before the adults could stop them.

"First one to that knotted tree over there wins," Chrysalis challenged, pointing at a large, gnarled tree that marked the marked the edge of where the forest grew more dense.

Metamorphosis huffed, flapping his wings faster to give him a burst of speed. But while the lack of holes in his legs and the strength of the wings of his royal line aided in his speed, the prince seemed a bit clumsy in his flying.

While the young changeling's were neck and neck, Metamorphosis flew past Chrysalis, turning his head to look at her in a taunting, triumphant manner. "Ha, I am a much faster changeling than you! I can fly better" He laughed, starting to turn his head forward again. "Take that Princess-"

Metamorphosis's taunting was cut short as he crashed headfirst into a bush of thick brambles, causing him to crash to the ground just in front of the tree which the pair had set as the goal.

A second later, Chrysalis zoomed by, one hoof touching the large tree as she smirked down at the fallen prince. "I win!"

Metamorphosis glared up at her, steadying himself as he spat a bramble out of his mouth, shaking the fragments off of his body. "Only because I looked away!" He stood up, trying to appear dignified. "I'm not hurt at all!"

"You still lost."

"Why you-"

Metamorphosis's retort was cut off as an aura of magic lifted him into the air. He looked over at his mother and father sheepishly - his mother was the one who had a magic hold on him.

"That's enough, young man," she chided, hoisting her son out of the brambles with a firm glance. "We're going to have to have a little talk when we get home."

Metamorphosis glanced over and saw that Chrysalis was being lifted up in the same way, her parents looking just as stern.

The King and Queen from both Hives exchanged quick apologies for their children's reckless behavior, with the young prince and princess expected to apologize to one another as well.

"Sorry, Chrysalis," Metamorphosis mumbled.

"Sorry, Metamorphosis," Chrysalis muttered back.

Just before their parents took off with the two of them into, the pair managed to exchange a glare at one another and a few parting words.

"I'll show you that I'll be the best and strongest of us someday."

"Not if I get to that goal first, Princess."

Their eyes narrowed.

"Bring it on."

The two changeling rulers forced themselves back into the present. From their very first meeting when they were small, it had just been one competition after another.

Though there had been times later in their lives... when the two of them weren't in fierce brawls like that...

But the recollections of the past were shoved out of their minds. A spark of an idea had hit both rulers.

This wedding was their chance. They each believed that this could prove that they were truly the best and strongest changeling. No one would be able to argue if they ruled a whole country, could they?

And who knew - they might get something else out of the deal.

Unbeknownst to each other, the two smirked at the notices and whispered to themselves.

"This will be perfect."

Metamorphosis brushed aside the other scrolls on his table. Chrysalis gazed at her notice and let a seductive smile grace her lips.

The changelings had a wedding to investigate.

Observation

Several days passed as the anticipated celebration drew ever closer, with both the citizens of Equestria and Zakelon who had heard the news eagerly making preparations. With now less than a week to go before the big wedding day, the city of Canterlot was bustling with activity, ponies hurrying this way and that to collect everything they'd need. After all, the wedding was to be held in four days time.

And nopony in the country's capital suspected that some uninvited guests would be in attendance, or the heinous deception that would soon come to take place.

But for the moment, everything was going perfectly for the soon-to-be-wed couple, Princess Cadance and the captain of the Royal Guard, Shining Armor. The pair were just outside the castle at this time, practically being swarmed by citizens and paparazzi who had questions for them about their upcoming wedding.

Two groups of ponies in particular, mingling with the crowd, were trying to get as close as possible without being conspicuous, staying where they were able to see the pair. It was time for a major stage in the changelings' plans, the catalyst for setting everything in motion - observing who the two ponies to be married were, and what their mannerisms were like.

Chrysalis and Metamorphosis had already found a place where they could imprison the bride and groom, respectively – a series of mines deep underneath Canterlot. They had been difficult to find, buried deep underneath the city and forgotten by ponykind. And the changelings themselves might never have found it if it hadn’t been for their ability to create “phase-fire”, a fiery shield that allowed them to sink through otherwise solid surfaces. It was an ability used very rarely, but in this case it was an immense help to their plan. The bride and groom would be imprisoned, and nopony would ever know.

Then the hardest part of the plan would come: successfully impersonating their target. It was why this stage of observation was extremely important - everything had to be perfect. No suspicion from others.

"Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, are you going for a particular theme concerning the ceremony?"

"Are either of you nervous about finally tying the knot after all this time?"

"When you say that you're inviting 'everypony', do you mean everypony in Canterlot or-?"

"Woah, woah," Shining Armor chuckled, waving a hoof in an attempt to quiet the crowding ponies. "One at a time!"

Cadance grinned - not in a smug sort of way, but a sincere, gentle expression. "We aren't going for a particular theme for the wedding, just something simple."

"Well, as simple as it can be for a wedding of royalty," Shining pointed out with a laugh.

Cadance shot a cheerful grin at her fiance before turning back to the assembled crowd. "And yes, we are inviting everypony who wants to come – in Canterlot or elsewhere. We just gotta send out the invitations everywhere else!"

Shining gently placed a hoof around Cadance's shoulder. "Cadance is the most loving mare in Equestria. I can't think of anything better than sharing my life with her."

"Aw, how lovey-dovey," a pegasus - actually Screnar in disguise - said with a faint grin. The only response he got for that was a whack upside the head.

"Shut up," Boshrok hissed so quietly that only the other one could hear it. "Remind me again why you’re on the scouting team?”

“Because I’m good at tracking-“

“I was being sarcastic. Focus." Boshrok then glanced at a taller, light gray pegasus next to him - King Metamorphosis - to see if he had noticed the soldier's behavior. But the King's attention was firmly on the two ponies.

At least our King is one who has priorities in order, the Lieutenant thought to himself.

King Metamorphosis studied the pair carefully, making mental notes to himself. The pair have a strong bond with each other. Shining appears to care very much for the Princess, and she returns his affections. He smiled, a glint of intrigue appearing in his eyes, briefly revealing a flash of green. No doubt about it - if those two were changelings like us, I could say they have the Circeperma for sure.

The 'Circeperma', or the ‘Union Spark of Circe’, was the changeling equivalent of true love, a soul mate, a certain spark of a feeling that only a few changeling's truly found. Typically, it happened between those with the Royal Blessing, those born with a slender appearance like his – his parents, for instance - though it wasn't unheard of between the smaller ones.

Of course, not all those with the Blessing found that feeling, or had an interest in one in the first place.

No matter how much certain others wanted to try to impose that spark. the changeling king thought bitterly, casting his thoughts out of the past and into the present.

Of course, he was going to have to do a little more observation first. Many appeared to have a different way of behaving in private than they did in the eyes of the public. And in any case, he needed to be more familiar with how he would have to behave around the Princess once he took on the stallion's form for the next few days.

It may be difficult, but Metamorphosis told himself to be confident. It required strategy just as outmatching anything - it was like a clever game, seeing just how long you could properly deceive the opponent. And Metamorphosis was certain that he'd be able to accomplish that feat.

He'd just need to play his cards right.

Chrysalis and her subjects were also present at the assembly, for the very same reason as those of the other Hive. It was lucky that every other pony in attendance was focused on the Princess and Captain, rather than on the other ponies surrounding them.

"So, is this gonna work?" one of the disguised changelings whispered to Shaydra. The speaker was the changeling who had been stated by Shaydra to be 'Captain Obvious'.

"It won't work if you give us away, Calir!" Shaydra hissed in irritation as she noticed the brief warning flash that the Queen had given them. "We can't afford to mess this up!"

"Exactly," snapped the third changeling scout in a quick retort, silencing their conversation. They may not be heard by others over all of the noise going on around them, but in an important mission such as this, they definitely couldn't take any chances.

Queen Chrysalis quickly darted her eyes toward the trio in a silent order to focus before returning her attention to the pair to be wed, carefully watched their mannerisms as they answered questions from the rest of the crowd. She carefully observed them, seeing how close they were to each other, how caring... the look of two ponies that had formed a bond with each other over the years.

As she watched them, the changeling queen found her mind drifting to the concept of Circeperma as well. Cadance and Shining may not have been changelings, but there was no doubt in Chrysalis’s mind that the same sort of principles applied with this pair.

It was true that she’d have to observe Cadance’s mannerism’s just a little more, getting well acquainted with her character. It was no more like practicing for a play, and theatrics were something that the Queen was quite fond of as far as entertainment value.

Chrysalis loved a good performance, and she was going to put on such a powerful display that no one would know what had hit them until it was too late.

The citizens of Canterlot kept the duo to be wed so busy that they didn’t really get to spend much alone time together, much to the changeling’s irritation. But as night began to fall and the crowds finally dispersed, the changeling groups went out of sight, in order to morph into the forms of pegasi. As silently and inconspicuously as they could, the swarms began to set off to find where Cadance and Shining Armor had gone off to. Now that their demeanor in the eyes of the public had been taken into account, it was time for investigating their private life, when the two were away from the pressures of crowds. How else would they know how to properly act toward the one they were deceiving?

As Chrysalis’s group flew away from the square to talk in private, Metamorphosis and his swarm stayed, for the moment, grounded.

“I don’t want to attract too much attention,” Metamorphosis said. “You all stay here while I go properly investigate the bride and groom for myself. It will allow me to properly get in the right frame of mind for what will need to be done. If something ends up going wrong, I’ll contact you. However, with what I have planned, I don’t think telepathic communication will be necessary.”

The other changelings nodded. All changelings in a swarm had a specific telepathic frequency that was specific to each Hive, allowing members of the same swarm to communicate over long distances. Seeing as such power could be abused as a form of mind-reading, it was decreed that it only be used for specific, short messages – on important missions like this it was best to be shown the goings-on, not just told them.

The King glanced toward the setting sun. “If I’m lucky, you all should be able to go back to the Forest tonight. And when you do return with the rest of the swarm just before the wedding, make sure you remain hidden.”

A thin smile. “If all goes well, then the wedding will go off without a hitch.”

“And then the bride will be yours, right?” Screnar asked eagerly.

The others scouts shot death glares at his insensitive question, especially with their King having been on the receiving end of said question.

But the King didn’t reprimand Screnar for his words – he simply held his head up high as he looked at the quartet with a smile.

The tracker-changeling inwardly snickered in spite of himself.

“I’ll see you all at the wedding,” their King said with a light nod and a barely noticeable wink, before lifting off into the air, keeping his pegasus form as he flew toward the main sector of the palace.

Unknown to Metamorphosis, the group of pegasi that consisted of Chrysalis and her scouts had already reached the tower where the two ponies in question were, observing the ponies for a time themselves. With a quick command for them to go back to the Hive as inconspicuously as they could, and to return as the day drew closer, Shaydra led the other scouts back in the direction of Zakelom, leaving their Queen alone. Chrysalis hid behind one of the windows, craning her neck just enough so that she could see the two together.

She didn’t notice the other pegasus who hovered by an opposite viewpoint. Not only were the two changeling rulers hidden from the bride and groom, they were each hidden from the one who could ruin every bit of their plans, the one that they had stayed away from for years. They just didn’t know it.

Cadance and Shining, of course, were unaware of the two rulers watching their every move. Rather, the two of them were standing together, gazing out as the beauty of Luna’s night greeted the city’s skies. It was late, but the duo wasn’t quite sleepy just yet, kept awake in each other’s company.

"Ready?" Cadance whispered.

Shining Armor nodded, raising his head a little as his horn began to glow brightly. A burst of energy expanded upward from his horn and outward, the beam traveling straight up through the tower so that it hung over Canterlot. The magical energy then began to form into an arc over the city, beginning a descent that would form a bubble around the area.

Chrysalis and Metamorphosis both realized at once what the energy field was - it was a shield.

Without wasting any time, the two sent a telepathic order to the members of their scouting parties: "Get out of here, NOW!"

The changelings however, didn't need the order - the moment the shield had begun its descent, they high-tailed it out of the city's boundaries as fast as they could, reaching the outer edges just in the nick of time.

With the shield now around Canterlot, Shining Armor managed a smile at Cadance. "Now if whatever creatures we saw try to come in, they won't be able to break through the barrier." He winced slightly in discomfort. "Ugh, I think this spell is giving me a migraine..."

Cadance's own horn glowed as she smiled, touching her horn to his head. "I think I can help with that..." With a flash from her horn, her magic seeped into the top of Shining Armor's head, bringing him relief.

It then hit the two changeling rulers as to why that blasted shield had been put up - somepony had spotted at least one of their groups. They could have risked the whole plan!

Oh Circe above, no! Chrysalis inwardly snarled. Please don’t tell me one of the swarm was seen! How could they have been so careless?!

If Screnar did anything to ruin my chances… Metamorphosis thought in anger.

The blue-maned stallion gazed out the window with an almost longing expression as the stars outside began to shine.

His bride-to-be smiled gently at him, noticing the expression written on his face. “I know that look, Shining,”

“Look?” Shining Armor asked innocently. “What ‘look’?”

“That little glance in your eyes whenever you have something on your mind.” She gently placed one hoof on his shoulder. “I’ve known you for over a decade, Shining Armor, and I know when there’s something that you’re really thinking about.” She gently turned his head so that her eyes met his. “You can tell me.”

Shining Armor chuckled – he had never been able to resist that loving expression from Cadance. “Okay, okay…” The stallion closed his eyes, gathering himself together for a moment before he spoke.

“It’s Twily,” he finally admitted.

Twily? Metamorphosis thought incredulously. Who the Tartarus is ‘Twily’? In his curiosity, he was at least glad that the Captain had let an important point like that be revealed – if this ‘Twily’ was so important to Shining Armor, then Metamorphosis would need to know as much as he could about who this mysterious being was.

Noticing the tilt of Cadance’s head, urging him to go on, Shining continued. “I know that the she’ll probably get a notice herself soon, but...” he closed his eyes, as if he didn’t want to think about it. “She’ll probably be upset that I didn’t tell her myself.”

Cadance’s gaze grew sympathetic. “I know. But you can’t beat yourself up on that… Twilight knows you love her, you’re her Big Brother Best Friend Forever!”

The white unicorn smiled at the mention of Twilight’s nickname for him.

Unbeknownst to him, the changeling rulers nearby smiled too. So, Twilight was the Captain’s sister.

“And with all the wedding preparations and you being on guard duty,” the pink alicorn continued, “there hasn’t really been too much time out of your schedule.” She leaned forward, lightly kissing her fiancé. “I’m sure she’ll understand.”

Shining Armor looked into her eyes and managed a smile. Something about Cadance always helped to comfort him when he was concerned about something. Perhaps it was just being near the mare that he loved with all of his heart.

“Just remember, there’s only a few more days until we get married,” Cadance gently reminded him. “Then that’ll take a lot of weight off of your shoulders!”

The stallion grinned. “I sure hope so.”

But as Cadance turned her gaze from Shining to the stars outside, a brief frown crossed her face. A glance of worry.

Shining immediately took notice of this. “Now I can tell you have something on your mind, mi amore,”

The bride-to-be was silent for a moment, mulling over her thoughts before she replied. “It’s… just the wedding.”

“The wedding?” Shining asked, a wave of concern washing over him. Why would the most loving mare in all of Equestria be worried about her big wedding day? A thought suddenly occurred to him. “You’re not-”

The young alicorn immediately realized where her fiancé was going with his train of thought, and immediately shook her head frantically. “No, no, no, I’m not having any second thoughts about marrying you. It’s just…”

She trailed off, feeling Shining Armor gently ran a hoof along her back in an attempt to console his bride. With that comforting caress from her lover, she elaborated more on her concern. “I mean, I feel like everything should be perfect for it… what if something goes wrong?”

Shining tilted his head, the concern clear in his eyes. “Like food poisoning?” he managed a light laugh, having said that as a joke, but he could see by the look on Cadance’s face that she was entirely serious - it was especially the shield's presence that was concerning her.

He coughed slightly and grew more serious. “Trust me, mi amore,” Shining said. “As long as we’re together, nothing will go wrong.”

You won’t be together for long, Chrysalis thought to herself with a smirk.

A voice suddenly spoke as another pony entered the large room where the two were. “I can understand why Shining Armor would be wide awake at this time of night, but you’re usually asleep by now Cadance. Unless you’ve decided to become nocturnal as well, I would have thought that you would be asleep by now.”

Shining and Cadance whirled around to see the speaker. It was a dark blue alicorn with a long, flowing mane that appeared to be made of the night sky itself. It was none other than Princess Luna, the ruler of the night. She smiled at them.

“We were just talking, Luna,” Shining explained. “About the wedding.”

Luna’s expression looked slightly downcast. “I must express my sincerest apologies that I won’t be able to attend your wedding celebration.”

Cadance gave her friend a smile of encouragement. “Don’t worry Luna – we’ll still be holding the reception at night.” She laughed. “We’ll fill you in on everything that happened, don’t worry!”

The night princess nodded her thanks. “I also thought I should mention that the shield you've put around the city seems to be working just fine.” She smiled, knowing that if there was any pony she could count on guarding the city, it was Shining Armor. "Canterlot is in good hooves."

Cadance placed an arm around her fiance's shoulder. “Shining’s the greatest Captain that the Royal Guard could ever have.”

“And you’re no pushover either, Cadance,” Shining pointed out.

Cadance nodded her thanks. “Everything will be fine!” The princess then added silently to herself, …I hope,

Luna seemed to be reassured by the pair. “If you ever happen to need anything during the night, just come find me,” she offered. “It’s always nice to have somepony to talk to.”

With small smile, the night princess departed, appearing to be a little more at ease. But the moment that she was out of the pair’s sight, her smile turned into a frown.

Despite Shining Armor and Cadance’s assurance that everything would be fine, Luna herself couldn’t help but have a nagging feeling that something was going to happen. It could be nerves from this potential threat just before the wedding, but…

She got the feeling that she was being watched.

She turned her head toward a window nearby – the same window that King Metamorphosis was hiding behind. Luckily for him, the princess was unable to see him from his position, though with her stare fixed on that window for a few tense seconds, it was a close call. But soon it seemed that she shrugged off the feeling and, with a sigh, she walked off.

When Metamorphosis had turned again to the couple (while Chrysalis had still been observing them intently), Shining and Cadance were gently nuzzling each other, giving one another soft smiles.

“We probably should-“ Cadance’s sentence was interrupted by a yawn, “… be going to bed now.”

The groom smiled slightly. “Yeah, you’re probably right…” He found himself yawning too as he spoke.

Cadance kissed him playfully. “I know I’m right.”

Gazing lovingly ito each other’s eyes and bidding one another good night, the pair set off through the castle into their separate rooms. Cadance’s was in the lower area of the tower – she often liked to come up and see the view – while Shining Armor’s room was near the castle’s opposite side, close to those of the other Royal Guards.

With thoughts of the wedding filling their heads, the pair began to drift off to sleep…

But their contented dreams would be short-lived - it was time for the changelings to put their plan into action at last.

With Cadance not needing to have walked too far to get to her room, it didn’t take long for Chrysalis to find her in that secluded space. Making sure that the young mare was drowsy enough to be in half-slumber, Chrysalis, still holding her disguised pegasus form, she quietly used her phase-fire spell to slip into Cadance’s room…

Just as the dim light of the fire caused Cadance to open her eyes in shock, the dome of green fire swirled around her.

Cadance instantly began to panic, wide awake now. “W-Wait, what’s going on?!”

That was all that she had time to say before the powerful spell began to sink into the ground, passing through the different floors as if they were air.

Cadance didn’t want to take her chances on whether or not the fire surrounding her could burn her, but either way, it seemed that she couldn’t get out. The only thing that she could think to do was call out. “Help! HELP!” Cadance shouted, hoping that somepony would hear her. “LET ME GO!”

But the alicorn’s cries went unheard, though whether it was because she was falling so fast or the fire worked as a kind of shield, she didn’t know. All that she knew for sure was that she had been ambushed and was now being taken down to who-knows-where.

After what seemed like an eternity, the fire dissipated and Cadance hit the ground with a thud, finally able pick herself up to see wherever it was she found herself. She was surrounded on all sides by crystals, shimmering dimly in the darkness.

It would have been pretty, save for the one thing that Cadance instantly realized:

The crystals completely surrounded her like a small cell. She was trapped.

It was then that she saw the green fire from earlier reflected on one of the larger gemstones, and Chrysalis appeared to her in her true form.

Cadance gasped and stepped back, stunned at the strange figure reflected in the crystal. “Wh-Who are you?!” She was clearly afraid, but her anger at the situation showed through as well. “And where am I?!”

Chrysalis chuckled. “I am Queen Chrysalis, the all powerful ruler of the changelings in my Hive.” Laughing, she faded from the first gem and appeared on a larger one behind Cadance, much to the princess’s shock.

Cadance forced herself to stand firm, being as brave as she could. “You’re the threat that we were talking about, aren’t you?! The creature that Shining saw?”

Chrysalis glowered. “Not quite - that must have been one of my foolish subjects who let their disguise slip for a few precious seconds.”

“Disguise?”

Losing her disgruntled look, Chrysalis laughed at the inquiry, appearing on another crystal. “As changelings, we are able to disguise ourselves as other creatures, and then feed off their emotions. We do eat other things of course, but it’s emotions that help give us extra power.” Her eyes glinted. “Love is the most powerful one – I know that there are many different kind of love, but you and your groom have such a strong romantic love…” She cackled, enjoying the look of horror on Cadance’s face. “And he’s rather…” she smirked, anticipating Cadance’s reaction to what she was about to say, “… attractive as well.”

The alicorn’s pupils shrank in horror at the implications of Chrysalis’s words. “YOU STAY AWAY FROM SHINING ARMOR!” Cadance screamed, firing a blast of magic on the crystal where Chrysalis’s image was. Unfortunately, when the shimmering blue aura of magic cleared, Chrysalis’s form was gone and the crystal itself stood unharmed. Desperate, the young alicorn fired blast after blast of magic, whether Chrysalis was on a crystal or not. She wanted to get out, save Shining Armor, stop this monster from taking her place… stop the Queen from doing things she didn’t want to think about.

But it was no use. The crystals remained intact, unmoving, trapping Cadance in her crystalline prison.

“And don’t even try to call out,” Chrysalis taunted, fading away. “No pony will ever hear you in these abandoned mines. You’ll remain down here forever…”

As Chrysalis spoke, green flames encircled her image as she changed into another form that caused the princess to gasp – Cadance herself. Chrysalis smiled, but it was a scheming smile rather than the warm, friendly one that the real Cadance wore.

“And your precious Shining Armor will be mine!”

“NO! DON’T YOU DARE” Cadance screamed, looking wildly upward slamming against the crystals with her hooves, her body, and her magic. But all the heard was Chrysalis laughing away, her laughs of triumph fading as the Queen left the young princess out of sight.

“SHINING ARMOR!”

On the opposite side of the castle, Shining collapsed onto his bed, curling up under the covers as he began to drift off to sleep. The thoughts about a potential threat turned over in his head, but his worried became quelled as his thoughts turned to Cadance and the upcoming wedding.

Turned away from the window as he began to drift off, the unicorn didn’t notice the green flames beginning to creep into the room until it was too late.

“AH!”

He tried to leap away from the flames, but the green dome incased him in its fire before causing Shining to sink through his bed, then the floor, down toward what he almost thought could be the pits of Tartarus itself.

“Hey, LET ME GO!” Shining called out, hoping that somepony – anypony – would hear, and somehow stop this fireball that was carrying him downward, past the lowermost floor of the castle. “CADANCE! LUNA!”

But nopony heard Shining Armor’s cries, and he couldn’t get out of this sphere of green fire. It finally released him, however, as it dropped him into a deep crystal mine, causing him to roughly slam into the ground.

Dazed from the impact, Shining shook his head to clear it as he stood up, getting his bearings. His eyes widened as he realized he was in a sort of crystal prison, the shimmering gems on all sides with no way to a larger chamber.

“Hey! What’s the meaning of this?!” the captain demanded, firing a blast of magic at a large crystal. To his dismay, the magic burst didn’t even leave a dent. Shining rammed into another crystal, hoping it would give way and he could get free.

No such luck.

A sinister laugh interrupted Shining Armor’s attempts at escape, and the guard instantly whipped his head around, trying to find the source of the voice that seemed to echo everywhere.

“Who are you?! I DEMAND that you tell me what’s going on!”

A burst of green flame caused him to look at one of the crystals, seeing the face of King Metamorphosis reflected in its wake.

“Hello, Shining Armor.”

Shining whirled to face the speaker, seeing this mysterious being reflected in the crystal’s surface. “You brought me here didn’t you?!” He glared. “Let me GO!”

Metamorphosis laughed, his image appearing on three crystals behind Shining now. His voice turned somewhat sarcastic. “Oh yes, I brought you all the way down here in a place where you can’t escape just to say, ‘Look, these crystals are nice, we’re done here’.” The King rolled his eyes, his tone becoming more serious, sinister. “I can’t let you go – I need you out of the way.”

The unicorn stood his ground, attempting to stop the sense of dread welling up inside him. “You’re one of the creatures the other guards and I saw, aren’t you?!”

“Actually, I believe that was one of my subjects that you saw. And when I find out who, I shall make sure they regret it for nearly blowing our cover.” A look of irritation crossed Metamorphosis’s face before he appeared on a crystal to the side, lips curled into a smile. “But, since you asked – I am Metamorphosis, the King of the changelings,.” He chuckled lightly. “You’ve probably never heard of us, have you?”

Shining Armor glared, charging at the crystal where the changeling king was, only to roughly slam against the crystal’s hard surface.

“I’m assuming that’s a ‘no’,” Metamorphosis stated bluntly. “Very well – us changelings are able to disguise ourselves as others, and feed off their emotions if we choose.” His voice grew sinister. “Love is the most powerful of these, and I know that you and your Princess have.. a lot of romance love for each other…” He winked, his expression turning almost seductive before fading onto another crystal.

Shining was furious, a fire of emotion burning within him as he was hit by what Metamorphosis was implying. “STAY AWAY FROM CADANCE YOU MONSTER!” Shining shouted in rage, charging as furiously as he could into the crystal that Metamorphosis was on. But all that brought the desperate unicorn was a pounding in his head and the taunting laughter of King Metamorphosis.

“No one will find you down here in your prison,” Metamorphosis taunted. “And your bride, well…” the King chuckled darkly, and a cold chill went down Shining Armor’s back. “Let’s just say that she’ll still be getting a husband, all right!”

“DON’T YOU DARE COME NEAR HER!” Shining shouted in rage, using all of his strength to try to break free – force, magic, anything. But the crystals wouldn’t budge.

“Your Princess will be mine, Shining Armor,” the King taunted, appearing once again on a crystal to slowly morph into the form of Shining Armor himself. But the look in his eyes was anything but comforting, his smile one that Shining only would see in a nightmare “Her and all of Equestria!”

“NO! NO!” With a look of pure longing and a desperation, Shining Armor tried to knock down the crystal walls, perhaps hoping to find a spiraling pathway that would take him out of this imprisonment. He had to warn everypony, warn Cadance, get that… thing away from her at any cost.

The crystals failed to yield, the sense of isolation further accompanied by Metamorphosis’s echoing laugh. Terrible images filled Shining Armors mind as to what might happen… what might become of Equestria… what might become of Cadance…

“CADANCE, NO!”

First Morning

The next morning started out like any other in the Equestrian capital… at least, to everypony except for the two imposters now settling into their roles.

As Celestia’s sun rose in the sky the next morning, the denizens of Canterlot began to awaken, unaware that there were two within their midst who were not what they seemed to be.

Chrysalis was the first of the disguised pair to greet the new day, squinting slightly at the light that shone brightly through her – no, Cadance’s – window. She groaned, turning on her side to face away from the light. Even though she woke every morning in the torch-lit chamber of her Hive, not even the sunlight that broke through the Forest’s tree-cover shone with such intensity, except in clearings where there weren’t as many trees.

“How does that princess get up every morning to this?” grumbled the queen as she rose, listening for anypony coming to wake her. To the changeling’s relief, there was nothing. Good. It gave her time to think.

“Okay,” Chrysalis muttered to herself, standing up and observing her new form more fully in the daylight. “I look just like that princess now, just as it should be. Acting the part is going to be the more difficult aspect of this, especially where Shining Armor is concerned. But in the end, it will all be worth it.”

The queen placed a hoof on her chin thoughtfully as she stood in front of the mirror, wearing a confident smile. “This shouldn’t be too hard - if I make sure to act as I saw the princess act, then I should go through this without a hitch… and get to be closer to Shining Armor.”

With a light chuckle, Chrysalis pushed open the double doors and entered the castle hall, reminding herself that she’d have to be used the garish coloring of the castle, rather than the atmosphere of her Hive that she was accustomed to.

Oh well, the disguised changeling thought. It’s all part of the charade. I might as well get used to it for the next few days.

“Morning, Princess Cadance!”

A voice snapped Chrysalis out of her thoughts as she realized that she was being addressed. It was a light blue earth pony wearing a golden helmet, which bore a silver crest to match his mane and tail. No doubt this was one of the members of the Royal Guard.

The disguised queen forced a smile. Being referred to by the Princess’s name was going to take some getting used to, especially when she was so used to titles like “Queen Chrysalis” or “Your Highness”.

She put on a kind smile. “Good morning.”

Chrysalis left her greeting at that, as she was unfamiliar with the names of the guards, or almost anyone else in the castle, for that matter. She silently hoped that the guard wouldn’t get suspicious from her not continuing the greeting with his name.

Luckily, the guard didn’t seem bothered at all by the short greeting, simply returning the smile. “Did you sleep well last night?”

Chrysalis had to stop her smile from twisting into a pleased smirk as her mind turned to her feeling of satisfaction before she had drifted into sleep. “Yes, I did.”

The guard smiled. “Good to hear! Bet you’re excited for the wedding in a few days, huh?”

“Oh, uh, yes, yes, I am!” Chrysalis exclaimed, trying to keep up that enthusiastic demeanor, though she inwardly cursed her hesitation. Her stumble in speech could blow her cover if she wasn’t careful.

“Hey, I can understand,” the guard said with a casual air, “pre-wedding nerves probably got ya nervous, huh?”

The deceiver nodded, relieved that the guard saw her behavior as completely normal, and not something too out of the ordinary.

Speaking of guards…

“Is Shining Armor around, by any chance?”

The guard laughed lightly, glancing behind him to the long hallway. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s still sleeping. You always do seem to get up earlier than him – I swear he sleeps like a log some mornings.”

Well, at least I’m doing that right, Chrysalis thought, forcing a good-natured laugh at the guard’s comment.

The gray earth pony nodded in the direction of the hallway leading to the larger area of the castle. “He’s likely still in his room at our sector if you want to see him,” the guard pointed out, beginning to trot in that direction. “Maybe your presence will magically get him to wake up, if he’s not already up by the time you get there.”

Chrysalis was thankful that the guard was at least guiding her in the right direction to go – she and the other changelings may have gotten a view of the castle’s exterior, but aside from a few clever glances into windows, the interior of the building was largely unknown to her.

That could prove to be a bit of a hindrance when she wasn’t accompanied by anypony, but the changeling queen vowed she’d be able to bypass that.

Chrysalis walked down the hallway after the guard, glad that she’d be able to find Shining Armor’s room now without too much trouble, even if it was close to the other side of the castle. She’d have to make sure to pay attention to her surroundings around the castle – she didn’t want to feel like a fool by losing her way later.

The last thing I need is for everyone to think their princess has suddenly developed amnesia.

Meanwhile, in the section of the castle where the Royal Guards lived, the room of the Captain was for the most part silent. The room’s occupant was just beginning to rise from the haze of sleep, his eyes groggily beginning to open.

But once his senses became more alert to the waking world, Metamorphosis’s now-blue eyes opened, all feelings of sleep quickly dissipating. He was meant to be Captain of the Guard now, after all! And with that thought in mind, there was no time for dozing.

Metamorphosis rose and stretched, shaking all sense of sleep out of him so that he could properly maintain himself for the day’s events as thoughts swirled around in his head. Today was the first day of his little charade, and thus the hardest one to get into. Not only would he have to deceive Princess Cadance, but he’d also have to trick the guards into thinking that he was Shining Armor, normal as ever.

“Thank Circe that I have experience with armies and military strategies,“ the changeling king said, feeling more confident at the situation. “It will at the very least allow me to get well-acquainted with their course of action if it comes to that.”

He glanced over at a large desk in Shining Armor’s room, where, among other personal belongings, a calendar hung on the wall next to it. The king walked over to study it carefully, observing the dates.

“The wedding is three days after today… so I have today, tomorrow, and the following day to get through with deceiving everyone here.” A sinister smile crossed his lips. “And after that, the day of the wedding will be here at last!”

The changeling’s eyes gazed over to his right, where a small heart-shaped picture frame sat on the desk. Within the borders of the ornate frame was a picture of Princess Cadance and the unicorn whose form he now held.

“You really do have a beautiful bride, Shining Armor,” he said quietly, though his tone was much more sinister than endearing.

A knock on the door interrupted the imposter’s thoughts.

“Shining Armor?” a voice called out – one of the other guards, presumably – “It’s Blaze Storm. You awake in there?”

“Yeah,” Metamorphosis responded, turning away from the picture to face the door. “I’m up.” Holding his head up high, he trotted over to the door to open it, revealing the pony who had spoken to him. Blaze Storm was indeed another member of the Royal Guard, a gray-colored pegasus with a light orange mane and tail.

Blaze Storm raised his right hoof in a quick salute before letting a small grin come across his face. “Just a few more days before the big day, Captain! Think you can handle it?”

“You mean handle guard duty and trying not to get too excited?” Metamorphosis asked with a light chuckle. “I’m Captain of the Guard, Blaze, I think I can handle it.”

As the pair of them stepped out into the ornate hallway, closing Shining Armor’s door behind them, Metamorphosis felt a brief sense of surprise at how naturally this came to him. But he let it pass to replace it with a calm demeanor. Being rather knowledgeable in these guard tactics himself, he saw it as no different than talking to one of his lieutenant changelings, save having gone from the position of King to that of a Captain.

Perhaps this won’t be so hard after all, Metamorphosis thought. I’ll just have to remember to respond to “Shining Armor”, and get acquainted to how things work around here. While it was true that this was only the first morning and he couldn’t let his guard down, Metamorphosis began to feel a burst of confidence on his ability to deceive them.

Another guard came trotting up to the pair, an eager smile on his face. Unknown to them, it was the same guard who had been speaking to Chrysalis several minutes prior.

“Ah, Silver Cloud,” Blaze nodded with a smile. “What’s got you so eager?”

“Well, I see that the Captain here is awake,” Silver said. “Your bride-to-be is here to see you, Shining Armor!” He moved aside to reveal the alicorn they thought was Cadance walking over to them, a smile lighting up her face as Shining Armor – at least, who they believed to be Shining Armor – came into view.

Metamorphosis darted over to the pink alicorn, grinning at her in the loving way her husband actually would. “Sleep well?”

Chrysalis smiled, gently nuzzling him. “I slept wonderfully.”

The stallion wrapped a hoof around her shoulder. “Glad to hear it, mi amore,” he said fondly, using the nickname he had heard the real Shining Armor give to Cadance the previous night. With Chrysalis’s eyes briefly closed, she didn’t notice the brief green glint in the other’s gaze.

“Hey, lovebirds!” Silver Cloud called out, snapping the pair out of their embrace. He and Blaze were already heading down the hall, toward one of the larger areas of the castle. “You coming to breakfast with us or not?”

The disguised changelings forced grins at one another, but making them look just natural enough to work.

“We’re coming, guys!”

As the pair walked after the two guards, side-by-side, the two changelings felt a mixture of pride and satisfaction.

The day may have just started, Metamorphosis thought, glancing at the bride-to-be, but I think this is going to go quite smoothly.

Chrysalis looked back at Metamorphosis in return. So far, so good.

The Breakfast Fiasco

They should have known it was going too easily to last.

While walking slightly behind the pink alicorn, but staying close enough to not seem suspicious, Metamorphosis went over a few mental notes.

Okay, appearance? Check. Voice? Check. Mannerism? Check, so far… A questioning expression briefly came across his face, blue eyes gazing upward in thought. Magic? He knew that there were many times where a changeling would have one little detail that allowed them to blend in perfectly – the colored magic of the unicorn’s horn. It was one physical trait that changelings often forgot to conceal.

Making sure no one was looking, Metamorphosis hurriedly materialized a spurt of magic onto his horn…

Blast it! Metamorphosis inwardly snapped as the horn briefly flickered with a bright green aura. Come on, focus… conceal it properly!

After a second of focus, Metamorphosis sighed in relief when the magical aura became the same magenta color that the real Shining Armor had as his magical aura, as had been clearly shown when the captain created the shield.

The pink alicorn in front of him turned around, having heard his sigh. “Something wrong, dear?”

“Just…. a headache from the shield,” Metamorphosis said, relieved that he had been able to express a reasonable explanation. Luckily, the alicorn seemed satisfied with the answer.

When the guards and royal ponies entered the large expanse of the dining hall, the two changelings had to stop themselves from looking too surprised. The long, cloth-covered table in the room’s center was laden with foods of all different kinds – stacks of waffles and pancakes, jars filled to the brim with various types of syrup and jelly, a basket of bread rolls and bagels with butter to the side and even a plate in with several deviled eggs that had been cooked to perfection. In the center there was a large bowl of fruits and vegetables such as watermelon, celery, grapes, carrots, apples, cantaloupe, and just about every kind of berry that existed in Equestria.

The same was true for the myriad of drinks placed around the table – everything from ordinary water, to lemonade, to cider, to even some of the more alcoholic beverages. Whatever anypony could want, it was there.

To almost anypony, it would have looked extremely alluring, and they’d immediately want to dig into whatever food it was they liked best. To Chrysalis and Metamorphosis, however, the magnificent spread posed a big problem. An issue that hadn’t quite hit them before in their plans.

What in the world do they eat?!

While both swarms had managed a few brief glances in the dining hall when scouting around the castle’s exterior, they had never happened to see the princess and Shining Armor eating, and thus had next to no knowledge of their dietary habits. Aside from able to gain power through feeding off the emotions of others, the changelings did eat small foods that corresponded to their habitat. But the pair were in strong doubt there were any fish here.

Oh crap! Chrysalis thought, her eyes darting back and forth from one piece of food to the next. This is bad! Does she like any of that pancake stuff? Apples? Celery? I personally think that’s too stringy, but I’m supposed to be Mi Amore Cadenza now, not Chrysalis! The princess might love them!

Metamorphosis tried to keep his outward appearance calm, but he was having similar thoughts. How could I have fallen into such an oversight and not given proper thought into this?! Does Shining Armor drink alcohol or not? Is he allergic to anything? The changeling king wanted to slap a hoof to his forehead, but he resisted the urge.

Before the pair could even sit down, the circumstances they were in got worse from their perspective.

“Good morning, you two!” a voice said brightly.

The hearts of the two changelings skipped a few beats as their heads whirled to face the speaker, who was sitting at the end of the table. It was a tall white alicorn with an aurora-like mane, the one pony who everyone knew of no matter where they lived. She was the ruler of the sun, after all.

“Oh, uh, good morning!” Chrysalis stammered, momentarily caught off-guard at the appearance of the sun-raising alicorn as she tried to sound natural. She would have to be extremely careful about what she said and did – Celestia was the younger alicorn’s aunt, for crying out loud!

Metamorphosis bowed, quickly thinking it would be an appropriate gesture for the Captain to express. “Good morning, Princess Celestia.”

When Celestia stood up from her seat in greeting to the two of them, Chrysalis ran over with false enthusiasm and grinned at “her” aunt. You’re supposed to be her niece now, Chrysalis! Act like it and she’ll be fooled!

Smiling, Celestia looked kindly at the pony she believed to be her beloved niece. There was a look of understanding evident in her gaze, rather than confusion or mistrust. “I hope pre-wedding nerves aren’t getting to you too much,”

This vulnerability of the princess’s is making things easier, Metamorphosis chuckled, a smile coming across his face.

Thank Circe, an excuse! Chrysalis thought, nodding before speaking aloud, looking disgruntled. “A little… okay, quite a lot, Aunt Celestia.”

The moment the last two words left Chrysalis’s mouth, she inwardly snarled. She wished she could take the words back, and it wasn’t just because those two words together were disgustingly cheesy on her tongue. What if she had said the wrong thing? What if the real princess called Celestia by some name other than “Aunt Celestia”? She might have just blown everything!

Fortunately, the older alicorn didn’t seem suspicious, and only offered an encouraging smile. “Hang in there, you two. I know that the days leading up to the wedding can be stressful. You just have to make it through a few more days-”

“And then we can have the wedding of our dreams,” Metamorphosis finished confidently, flashing a charming smile as he wrapped a hoof around Chrysalis’s shoulder.

Chrysalis smiled warmly. But on the inside, she laughed at her deception. Ha! He doesn’t suspect a thing! He’ll be under my control soon enough!

Metamorphosis rested his head against Chrysalis’s in a gesture of faux affection. Don’t think that I feel any emotional attachment to you, Princess, Metamorphosis thought. I only ‘love’ the power I have over you, and what I can and will get from you.

Almost subconsciously, the changeling’s focused on the energy of the other, to feed on their love, gain power from it, get closer to the unsuspecting lover…

And in that moment, the eyes of the two changelings widened as they came to the same realization.

The love I can sense isn’t as strong as it should be!

They could sense that love was there – love in some form was definitely there, that much they could tell. But it wasn’t the kind of all-consuming love that they had expected. What love they could sense was more subtle than that.

Metamorphosis’s mind was whirling as he looked directly at Chrysalis. Could it be that… the Princess has been faking her undying love for Shining Armor the whole time? Does she only love him a little, but he thinks she loves him completely?

Chrysalis, too, was perplexed, but attempted to keep her expression normal. Does Shining Armor not really love the Princess as strongly as I thought after all? That love is there, but it doesn’t seem to be completely unconditional…

Things were only getting worse.

“Aren’t you two going to eat something?”

The two changelings were jolted out of their thoughts by the questioning voice of Celestia. She and the guards had sat down around the table, some already eating, leaving two vacant seats to Celestia’s left for the pair to occupy.

“Oh, right!”

“Of course!”

Chrysalis and Metamorphosis gave each other brief smiles as they sat down, looking at the spread in front of them. They had to eat something, or their cover might be blown.

I’ll just watch to see what Shining Armor does, Chrysalis convinced herself, feeling the idea to be foolproof. I assume they at least like similar things.

I’ll just wait for her to eat something first, Metamorphosis calculated. She’ll probably give some sort of indication of what the real Shining Armor likes to eat, like a mention of his favorite food.

The disguised changelings looked at each other, then at the table. Neither said a word, each clearly waiting for the other to make a move first.

“Ahem,” Chrysalis coughed, brow raised questioningly. “Aren’t you going to eat something, Shining Armor?”

Metamorphosis nudged his head a little towards her, smiling. “Ladies first.”

“Oh that’s so sweet of you!” Chrysalis said sweetly before her voice turned more insistent. “Seriously, Shining, you should eat first.”

With a shake of his head, Metamorphosis’s horn lit up, the magenta aura gently surrounding one of the waffles and Chrysalis’s plate. “Please dear, eat it-“

Chrysalis’s horn quickly shimmered, magically taking hold of an apple that Blaze Storm had just been about to reach for (not noticing his exclamation of shock), and swiftly levitating it over to the two of them. “Shining Armor, you are Captain of the Guard, you need your strength to perform your duties.”

“I don’t mind, dear, really,” Metamorphosis insisted, using his own magic to attempt to guide the apple next to the waffles which he attempted to place down on her plate.

“Shining, be reasonable!” Chrysalis hastily levitated one of the pancakes onto Metamorphosis’s plate, pouring on some syrup along with it.

The two were so focused on their stubborn magical war that things began to get out of control. When they had begun to focus on attempting to give each more of the food spread out in front of them (much to the onlookers’ surprise and slight amusement), the apple they had been fighting over was freed from their magical grasp, but continued the momentum it had gained in the changelings’ tug-of-war. The small fruit ended up ricocheting off the table and crashing into one of the large cider glasses, causing wobble before being knocked to the side and cider to spill all over the table, with some splattering Blaze Storm and Silver Cloud.

The still-bouncing apple ended up working like a domino effect, knocking into several other glasses and causing shards to fly over the table. One glass landed squarely in the fruit bowl, and another knocked over the basket of bread so that the rolls rolled right out onto the table.

After having knocked into just about everything the food table had to offer, the apple ended up rolling to a stop in front of Blaze Storm. In the stunned silence that followed, the look in Blaze’s orange eyes clearly expressed his disappointment. The thought was written all over his face: If only I had gotten that apple.

The coomotion and the surprised exclamations from the other ponies caused Chrysalis and Metamorphosis to quell their magical battle immediately, feeling the eyes of everypony on them. As they looked across the table, they realized that the their short dispute had cased almost every bit of cuisine to be smashed, knocked, impaled by glass shards, or spilled.

Except the devilled eggs, which, somehow, had remained unharmed.

The other guards and Princess Celestia gazed at the couple with stunned but amused expressions on their faces, though Blaze Storm looked a little irked at having his apple being taken away from him.

The duo grinned sheepishly, embarrassed at all the attention they had drawn to themselves as a result of their fiasco. With short laughter and embarrassed glances at one another, their magical auras slowly began to try to get things normal again, and put some food on their plates in a dignified manner this time.

Well, that went well, Metamorphosis thought sarcastically.

Chrysalis groaned, looking rather disgruntled. Who would have thought that breakfast could end up causing so many problems?

The others chuckled lightly.

“Try to keep yourselves under control you two, okay?” Silver Cloud said with a laugh.

As Chrysalis and Metamorphosis attempted to straighten things up a little and actually eat breakfast without tearing everything apart, it suddenly hit them that this was only the start of the day. They were going to have to work out this same sort of food issue quite a few more times before the wedding. But hopefully, it wouldn’t be near as bad as this first time.

Not only that, there was that issue of getting energy from love, a love that seemed to be there in a much smaller quantity than each of them had hoped.

Great, just great.

As the pair glanced at each other, they each thought of a potential solution: the only way to properly get the energy they wanted was to attempt to make it grow a little more, or at least take what they could get of it. The love may not be completely consuming, but it was still some sort of love.

Metamorphosis sighed, placing a deviled egg onto his plate, as it was the only food that hadn’t been smashed, tainted, or otherwise affected by their brief magical argument. And despite the little squabble, the changeling king had to admit that the deviled eggs actually tasted pretty good.

Chrysalis sighed and started eating the waffle that the unicorn had put on her plate, though the taste was, to her, a lot to be desired.

This was going to be a looonnggg day.

In the Gardens

The two disguised changelings glanced at each other, attempting to hide their feelings of utter irritation. This first morning already wasn't going at all the way either of them had hoped.

"Are you two okay?" Blaze Storm asked, concerned etched on his face as he stared at the food-scattered pair. "You seem a little... irritated this morning."

"Well," Metamorphosis said dismissively, "our wedding is coming up in a few days, and there's a lot for us to think about!" The changeling king couldn't help but be reminded of the times when the members of his swarm had tried to bug him - Scraenar especially. "Not to mention the fact that I also have the added pressure of thinking about this new threat to Canterlot!"

"Yes," Chrysalis agreed, "and you all shouldn't be pressuring me when my groom and I have a lot on our minds!" Her pink eyes looked at them all with a gaze of indignation.

Blaze sighed, shaking his head before looking at the two in resignation. "Shining Armor, I think you ought to take a short break."

"What?" Metamorphosis was surprised at the suggestion. He stood up taller, attempting to appear assertive. "You know that I am Captain of the Royal Guard and therefore it's my solemn responsibility to-"

Silver Cloud laughed and arched his brow incredulously, giving the "captain" a shoulder-nudge with a hoof. "Don't try to suddenly go all formal on us now."

Metamorphosis frowned and inwardly scolded himself for his mistake. To think that he had nearly blown his cover by breaking out of Shining's usual mannerism! Okay, so he's not the most formal of ponies despite being Captain. The changeling king nearly sighed aloud. At least he seems more competent than some certain changelings in my ranks. He had to remember that, for now, he wasn't Metamorphosis, King of the changelings, but rather Shining Armor, Captain of the Guard.

The problem was that Metamorphosis wasn't used to upholding a lack of a formal manner, but he knew he had to make do with the situation if he wanted all of this to work.

"I can tell as well as everypony here that you're stressed. Your shield is holding up fine, and it seems all clear from what we've ssen." Silver managed a smile at the irritated-looking captain "Just take time to be with your bride for a little while, to be in each other's company. Maybe that'll help you feel better and take a little stress off your minds."

As happy as Metamorphosis was for the opportunity to spend more time with the alicorn he had his eye on, he forced himself to be a bit more lax about it. He resolved to do better now that he was aware that Shining Armor wasn't too formal. "Well, I-"

Princess Celestia smiled gently at the pair. "You two deserve to relax for a short while, Shining Armor. It's okay."

"Yeah." The changeling king forced himself to keep up this slightly more laid-back demeanor. He had to remind himself that he wasn't supposed to be his usual, commanding self here. This was a very important mission for him, and he had to keep up the ruse of this new personality he was to adopt, or the plan would never work - a balance between authoritative and casual.

If he messed up drastically, he would lose the chance to rule Equestria. Lose his chance to finally beat Chrysalis. And lose his chance to claim that young, attractive alicorn as his bride. She'd be his one way or another.

Chrysalis, meanwhile, didn't seem to be that bothered about the prospect of Shining Armor taking a couple hours off to be with her. In fact, she was thankful - this way she'd get to spend time alone with the groom and try to figure out why the tartarus he seemed to have little love energy, if any at all. What use was Shining Armor for love energy if he didn't seem to feel love for Cadance in the first place?

Maybe I could find a use for him even then... Well, she thought to herself as the pair of them said short good-byes to the rest of the party, perhaps I'll have to undermine it out of him. There has to be some way to get that hidden energy of love that he seems to be concealing! It has to be there somewhere. She recalled the way that the real pair of ponies had interacted with each other, looking at the Captain as she did so. But if he genuinely doesn't feel love for her... he's really good at deceiving.

So the disguised queen attempted to make conversation now that the two of them were alone for a few hours.

"Um, Shining Armor, dear," she said in a clear inquiry as she got close to him, "now that you have a few hours off, is there anything you'd like to do?"

For a split second the smile on the unicorn's face seemed a bit less like a caring smile and more of a desiring one, but it faded before the pony he believed to be Princess Cadance could notice. Thinking fast, Metamorphosis attempted to think of some kind of thing that girls liked.

His mind briefly lingered on what kind of things she used to like, but the thought quickly left him. That was the past - any feeling of that was gone to him.

He had to think.... what do mares like, what do mares like.... what would Cadance like?

Metamorphosis suggested the first thing that came into his mind.

"We could go to the gardens out back, if you'd like," the changeling king offered, trying to keep his voice as gentle as possible. He didn't want to sound as if he were being too demanding of Cadance, and he put on an expression of placation as he glanced at the young alicorn.

'Cadance' smiled. "Alright, Shining.Armor."

Metamorphosis had to force himself not to smirk as the alicorn princess called him by the name that she believed him to possess. For the moment, he seemed to have her completely fooled. Excellent.

As the pair trod down the castle's many pathways to make their way to the gardens, the two disguised changelings walked close together, side by side. Or rather, Chrysalis was leaning against Metamorphosis slightly, nudging him with a light smile.

The king did his best to act like the caring husband-to-be, and planted a light kiss on the pink alicorn's cheek. He forced himself not to tense up and recoil at the action of faux affection - love like this was such a revolting thing.

Chrysalis smiled, forcing herself not to look too sinister as the stallion at her side kissed her. He doesn't suspect a thing! the changeling queen thought joyously. He'll be mine for the taking soon enough! Love or no love, I'll use him to allow my changelings to break through that blasted shield as his spell grows weaker!

Though she had to admit... the kiss actually felt rather interesting.

Metamorphosis made the small gesture of affection quick, not wanting it to linger for too long. He forced a gentle smile across his face, the kind that a loving stallion would give his bride-to-be. I just have to keep up this act for a few more days...

Soon enough the pair stepped out of the bustling castle and into the peaceful gardens, the wildlife their only living accompaniment. The birds hopped from branch to branch in the trees as the flowers appeared to raise their petals to the sky as they soaked up the rays of the sun.

Oddly enough, it was a nice contrast to their ordinary dwelling places.

While Chrysalis tried to hide the surprise on her face, she briefly shuffled a hoof on the ground, feeling it carefully as her hoofstep flattened a few of the blades. The grass under their hooves was bright, leveled, and clean-cut, rather than being half-twisted in undergrowth and remnants of rocky outcropping.

After about a minute of silence, gazing at the scenery of the garden, Metamorphosis forced himself to speak, adopting a gentle tone of voice which he swore to keep up around the young alicorn as he maintained his guise as Shining. He needed to fool her as long as he possibly could, and if he could pull off the beginning steps well it should be easy to keep up his character as the days went by. "It really is peaceful out here, isn't it?"

Chrysalis was broken out of her thoughts by the inquiry of the stallion beside her, turning her attention toward him with a smile on her face. "Yeah... it is..."

Unlike her deception overall, Chrysalis's reply wasn't a fabrication - she had to admit that it was very serene here, much more so than the more dense and dark parts of the forest where few changelings dared to tread. It was almost a refresher to see a sort of calm beauty such as this in contrast to the often twisted environment of the forest where they lived. The flora and fauna here were less exotic than what she was used to, and yet it was kind of... charming. Unusual, yes, but not unbearable.

Even so, she knew that she'd be more than happy to help these gardens get its own forest-flair to it when she and her changeling Hive had the opportunity to take over Equestria. A thin smile crossed Chrysalis's face as her eyes sparkled in anticipation of her triumph. Oh what a glorious day that's going to be...

Stepping beyond the boundaries of the sector where parties took place outside the castle, Chrysalis and Metamorphosis entered into the largest section of the Canterlot Gardens.

This particular section was adorned by a myriad of statues, which surrounded the expansive labyrinth within the gardens' center. Metamorphosis knew enough about the history of the surrounding regions to know that the statues represented various things - victory, friendship, chaos, among others. Who knew how many different representations of traits and forces were embodied in these sculptures?

The changeling king smiled a little to himself, recalling a story that he had heard many times when he was a colt. It was said that there once was a garden where wayward souls were encased in stone when the one known as the Monarch had deemed some worthy of punishment. It had even been said that the Monarch placed these statues in a large graveyard, as if to showcase them as a warning to the worlds of the living and the dead. But in the variation of the tale that Metamorphosis and the others had heard, the statues were sometimes brought into life, swearing vengeance and freedom from their cursed state.

It was an old story, true, but one that had always intrigued him. And he wouldn't be surprised if Cadance knew a similar story, considering the vast amount of knowledge that her aunt possessed. It would seem that nearly every culture had a story about some sort of seemingly inanimate object coming to life.

Metamorphosis cleared his throat as he noticed the pink alicorn's gaze linger on the statue of a creature known as a draconequus. He knew that if he was too careless he could get himself into deep water, but he had to be caring and thoughtful like the real Shining seemed to be. And part of that had to be shown through carrying a conversation that wasn't about military tactics. "You know, these statues remind me of a story I read about once."

Chrysalis turned to face him, arching her brow in curiosity. "What story are you talking about, Shining?"

The disguised king knew that he'd have to choose his words carefully. Giving her the full details of a changeling tale would be out of the question, but surely ordinary ponies likely had a similar story. At least, he had to hope now that he had voiced his remembrance. "A story where a powerful pony had the ability to turn others into stone."

Chrysalis managed a slight laugh that she figured would be a suitable response. "I've heard that story before too. An alicorn who ruled over the entire country and anypony who disobeyed his orders was turned to stone."

The surprised expression on the stallion's face was completely genuine. "You know it?"

The alicorn nodded. "Looking back on it though, it sounds a little silly, don't you think?"

Metamorphosis shrugged, wearing an almost involuntary smile at the irony of the situation. "I guess. Then again, there have been many powerful leaders over generations, so it could be based on something that actually happened."

Chrysalis returned the smile. "Could be." As she spoke, the queen's gaze then moved over the surrounding statues, their stone faces staring blankly at the direction they were eternally fixated on. And yet, Chrysalis somehow had the uncanny feeling that the statues were eyeing them. As if they'd surround her and Shining if they so much as blinked.

Thank Circe it's not dark out.

As soon as she thought the words, Chrysalis chided herself for her foalish thoughts. Perhaps it was the fact that she genuinely remembered a story much like the one that Shining and her had mentioned, but she couldn't help being reminded a little of her younger days. Sharing stories like this with others in the Hives, getting more than a little freaked out on occasion, and endless discussions of "What would you do if this story happened to you?"

But the changeling queen shook herself out of her memories, noticing that her fiance was looking at her with a quizzical expression. She smiled and leaned her head against him, nuzzling his neck lightly.

Metamorphosis chuckled. "I'm guessing you want to get out of this little statue-filled garden, huh?"

Chrysalis nodded, her mind wildly inventing something else that she figured Cadance would like. Something that would at least allow her to get to know Shining Armor better and know a bit more of how to act. "Maybe we could..... eat at one of the small cafés in the city? It would give us a chance to get to catch up more on things." The changeling queen suppressed her relief, as she had nearly said that they could "get to know each other more" - the real Cadance likely knew Shining like the back of her hoof.

That, she realized, could either work out really well or extremely terribly.

Metamorphosis briefly considered this request. He had to honestly admit that cafés weren't his thing - they were too small, and often one of those "everypony knowns everypony else" atmospheres that he really didn't need to be around. On the other hoof, he figured that it would be a good way to get a feel for Cadance's more sociable mannerisms, analyzing how she acted and reacting accordingly. If going for a nice bit of small talk was what Cadance requested of him, then he'd go along with it for now.

"Sounds good to me."

Giving the stallion a smile that she hoped looked affectionate enough, Chrysalis led the way out of the gardens, both wondering just how she would properly pull this small talk stuff off and secretly glad to go away from the blanched sculptures that dotted the landscape.

Unknown to the pair, a blue-green pegasus was glancing down below, only able to make out a few shapes through the large magenta shield protecting the city. In particular, the pegasus's blue eyes were focused on the statues. He shuddered slightly.

"Those statues give me the creeps."

A smack on the wing from another pegasus caused him to look over, startled, staring into the orange eyes of another that he knew rather well.

"Screnar," the green-coated pony hissed, "what did I tell you about focusing?!"

"I was focusing on the King and the Princess, Boshrok," Screnar replied with a sigh. "And then I saw-"

Boshrok held up a hoof as he blew a tuft of yellow mane out of his eyes. "I don't want to hear about your foalish fear - just stay on top of the mission and don't mess it up."

Obviously reluctant, Screnar followed behind Boshrok as they moved away from the shield so as not to appear to inconspicuous.

As the two scouts flew off, hoping to at least catch a few glimpses of King Metamorphosis with the Princess just to make sure they seemed to be getting along, Boshrok had one thought on his mind:

When our Hive takes over Equestria, the first thing I'll do is request that Screnar is paired with someone else.

Author's Note

Yeah, sorry it took so long, everypony, but now that I'm on winter break, I'll hopefully have a lot more time to write and update fics! And by the way, yes, that thing about the statues and moving if those watching so much as blinked was a reference to the Doctor Who episode "Blink", I couldn't resist. :)

Café Conversation

Both Chrysalis and Metamorphosis very quickly realized the café outing was a very bad idea. But there was no way either of them were going to show it for risk of blowing their cover.

"So," the mare who appeared to be Cadance said as she put her hooves on the table. "Tell me, dear, how have things been for you?"

The changeling king told himself to be calm and informal, trying not to slip into his usual commanding demeanor. This isn't a combat meeting, this is a casual conversation with my supposed-to-be-fiancé. He forced his facial expression into as kind a smile as he could, a gesture that he hadn't harbored toward anyone in a long time. "Very well, Cadance—"

"What about that threat that was made to the city?". 'Cadance's' eyes looked unusually intrigued, briefly harboring a glint of irritation that was so quick it was almost unnoticeable. "Any news on that?" Her gaze became soft, almost flirtatious. This better be the right course of action. "You are the Captain of the Guard, after all, my dearest Shining."

'Dearest Shining'? Chrysalis had to resist the temptation to facehoof the moment the words left her mouth. That had been a bit too much of a flirtatious demeanor, likely overstepping the boundaries. What if Cadance didn't speak in that flirty sort of tone to her lover? What if he'd notice something was up? After all, as much as she hated to admit it, she had next to no idea how Cadance normally acted. She just had to hope that she was good at sensing Shining's emotions and what would be the proper way to respond.

Not to mention the fact that I couldn't feel love energy from him is a bit... unsettling, she thought, trying to prevent her puzzled emotions from manifesting on her face. Does he really love her after all?

Much to her relief, however, her date didn't seem to notice anything different about his bride-to-be, so she assured herself that the turn of phrase had been the correct one to use. Makes things easier for me.

"From what we can tell, the perimeter is secure," Metamorphosis affirmed with his head held in what seemed to be a position that was both gentle and authoritative. As long as no one in my squadron is incompetent and ruins it.

"Seems like somepony has his mind on his job today," joked a voice, causing the two seated imposters to glance at the speaker. He was a pale blue unicorn who had arrived with drinks for the pair, his golden eyes harboring a humored twinkle. "Work must be really getting to you, huh?"

"Uh, yeah," Metamorphosis mumbled.

"Well, I'm sure a little lunch will cheer you up," the waiter said kindly. "What do you two want?"

"Just a plain sandwich and hay fries for me, thanks," Chrysalis said quickly. Metamorphosis affirmed his agreement.

"Coming right up!" the waiter said as he left, glancing at the pair to be wed.

An expression of puzzlement crossed Chrysalis's face as well. If this stallion's reaction was anything to go by, this wasn't a normal day-to-day manner for Shining. She decided to play along and run with it. "Are you sure you're alright, dear? You seem off today."

Metamorphosis resisted the urge to slap his hoof to his forehead in suppressed frustration. Oh Circe, this is awkward. He hated feeling awkward, any kind of awkward, whether playing it cool or nervous babbling. Though he hated to admit it, he had come close to having moments like those, long ago, in his younger years. But those were behind him, and he wanted them to stay that way. Even so, he reluctantly knew that he had to bring some of those old mannerisms to the surface. It seemed the kind of thing that Shining Armor would do.

Chrysalis, though she was attempting to hide it, had her own struggles. This sappy lovey-dovey stuff was almost nauseating to her. Her somewhat domineering persona was difficult to be rid of—she hadn't been associated with that sort of casual romantic stuff for years. Back when romance had actually been an active aspect of her life...

The memories she did have—the later ones, especially—were too painful to look back on. And now they were being brought to the surface again, and she had to act the part. For several days. Circe's wings this would be a long week.

Breaking out of their thoughts, the two noticed that their waiter was glancing at them with a curious expression, clearly seeing the internal dilemma on their faces. "Are you two alright?"

"Could you stop eavesdropping on us, please?" Chrysalis snapped a little more harshly than she meant to as she gave the waiter an irritated glare with her bright pink eyes. "My fiancé and I are trying to have a decent conversation!"

"O-Of course, I'm sorry." The waiter hurriedly lay their drinks on the table and backed off, nearly galloping to the next table without looking back.

The pair looked at each other with slight unease.

Metamorphosis frowned, easily noting the alicorn's irritation. "Are you alright?"

Chrysalis finally took a deep, calming breath. "It's the wedding," she quickly said, figuring that to be safe-enough answer. "This needs to be perfect, and so many things could go wrong." It was only directly afterward that she realized she had expressed exactly what she herself thought, just not about what Shining would suspect.

"Don't worry," Metamorphosis said, placing his hooves on hers and gave her a gentle grin. "A few more days and everything will go fine."

It'd better. Both changelings were thinking the very same thing.

Chrysalis cleared her throat. "You seem, um, irritated as well, dear," she said, genuinely curious. "What's wrong?"

"The threat that's been made against Canterlot." Metamorphosis was relieved that he could come up with an answer so quickly, one that was true.

"So it really is getting to you," Chrysalis said, with a tone that clearly said "I knew it."

"I just want the wedding to go perfectly, just like you."

Chrysalis decided to have fun with this turn of phrase, letting a bit of the mannerisms of her younger days show. "Oh, you're saying I'm perfect?". She smiled. "I never realized you felt so highly of me!"

An unwilling blush crossed Metamorphosis's face. Oh Circe, am I blushing? I'm blushing?! No, snap out of that... "That's not what I meant," Metamorphosis replied. His eyes suddenly widened at his possible mistake as his hooves hooked around hers. Mistake after mistake, this wasn't like him. "I mean, well, you're wonderful, but, no... nopony's perfect."

The changeling king scolded himself to no end as he realized he had been one second away from saying "no changeling's perfect".

"True," Chrysalis agreed, not seeming to notice her date's near slip-up. "No one's perfect."

When the waiter brought them their meals (leaving quickly, much to the two's relief), the two of them ate in silence for a time, occasionally stealing glances at one another. Trying not to show it, they were both perplexed, confused...

And, though they didn't want to admit it, a little sad.

Stupid memories...