Beyond Madness Somewhere Past Depravity

From her seat by the window Twilight Sparkle watched Ponyville shrink into the distance. Her head resting against her hoof, she fell into a crescent solace away from her friends cheer and chattering to sort out the conflicting thoughts duking it out in her. She didn't know how to take the news of her brother's wedding. Should she be happy to hear about her brother's big wedding or angry and maybe a little depressed that the closest person she had in the world wouldn't bother to tell her this in person. The more she thought about the more her doubt ate away at her. She valued her love and friendship with her Big Brother Best Friend Forever, but it felt more and more that maybe he stopped caring as much. She almost felt a tear before she wiped away her thoughts and swallowed her feeling

'There's no evidence to support anything. I should talk with Shiny before I get too worked up over something that could be nothing.'

She stifled a sniffle and looked back at her friends. The rest of the elements were getting hyped up for their roles in the wedding. Rainbow Dash practically and literally doing flips in the air, Pinkie barely bouncing in her seat, Fluttershy speaking loud enough to hear her voice, Rarity fawning out loud over some elaborate vision she has for festivities. Applejack was more reserved, making boasts on her cider, who was the only one to see Twilight by herself.

"You okay, sugarcube?"

Twilight weakly nodded her head, "Yeah, just fine Applejack"

The cowpony accepted it with a genuine smile and went back to listening to her friends. Twilight though didn't feel right, leaving her a little stranded despite being with her friends to brew in her anxiety.

The train stopped with a loud metal screech and with a pull of a lever from the engine room all the doors opened up on the Friendship Express. Twilight and her friends made their way out giggling to contain their excitement well except Twilight who kept to small smile, when the mood turned somber in the face a dozen guards posted all around the train station in plain view. The alertness of guards who seemed on edge gave a tense feeling to the girls as they made their approach to a stallion in armor.

Rarity spoke up, "Excuse sir, but is there any particular reason for all the... added security."

"Yeah, why's the entire Royal Guard put up on display here," Applejack said as she waved a hoof around pointing out the ceiling guards, the street guards, and the mailbox guard.

The stallion's deep voice was calm and even, "Canterlot's been put on high alert, when we received word that there may be an attempt on the Princess's life during the wedding."

Twilight looked up at the bright pink sky surrounding Canterlot, "Well, that does explain the bubble shield around Canterlot... Wait, is Captain Shining Armor holding up that barrier?"

"Ma'am even if I cou-," the stallion started only to be interrupted by Twilight

"Of course it's Shiny's spell. Nopony else could've done that. Duh," Twilight lightly slaps her forehead with her hoof.

The stallion eyes scrutinize on Twilight, "Ma'am ev-"

Twilight looks over to her friends around her, "Sorry girls, I'm going straight to see my brother, I'll meet back up with all of you later at the castle."

"Wait, miss-" but before the guard could finish, Twilight was already in a brisk trot away from him. He looked back to the group of mares, "She's not going to start any trouble will she?"

Then his vision turning very pink, "Of course not silly, she's Twilight Sparkle. Element of Magic, Princess Celestia's personal student, and one of my very bestest friends. She doesn't start trouble, trouble starts her."

Rainbow Dash lazily floated over her on a cloud, "Don't you mean, 'she doesn't find trouble, trouble find her'?"

"Exactly," Pinkie exclaimed, "I'm sure nothing's going to be Twilight's fault."

The soldier casted a slight glance to the Canterlot castle, while the five mares started walking away in different direction. Applejack lightly tapped at the shoulder hoof of the guard to get his attention, "Don't you worry about that Captain of yours, soldierboy. The worst he's in for, is an earful of an angry sibling"

His shoulder's relaxed and gave a knowing smile, "Ahhhh..."

"Shining Armor!" yelled a cute, angry mare.

The guards of the front palace watch all tensed and casted worried glances over the stone walls. The only thing worse than security alert and surprise inspection was an angry mare. After a few quiet moment some of the stallions grabbed their spears, eliciting a chuckle from their friends. Twilight walked out in the open and few of guards actually posed to throw their spears getting more of laugh from the bored stallions.

A voice came from behind them, "Hey, hey easy guys," causing the guards to stiffen out and come to attention. Although his tone was relaxed and lay-back, it was who was speaking that sombered up their mood. The stallions turned around a saluted Shining Armor, Captain of the Guard as well as the pony who signed their pay and could send them clean out latrines for a month. Despite Captain Armour's approach at familiarity it took a certain gall not to be on edge in front of the guy in charge of Canterlot.

Shining Armor looked over the edge of the castle's front gate and went from a casual smile to bright grin. "Twily? Is that you!?" He waved over to his subordinates beside him, "Open the gates let her in."

The guards broke their salute and scrambled for the controls of the gate, while Shining Armor left for the stairs down to ground level. The sound cogs turned, as the criss cross pattern in front of the purple unicorn lifted revealing to Shining her rather angry demeanor. His mind quickly scrambled for worst case scenarios and damage control.

"I am miffed with you, mister," Twilight was doing a war march as she approach her brother. The onlooking guards all had guilty smiles as they "oooohh"ed together.

Out of instinct Shining Armor said, "Look Twily I can explain-"

"Well then, please try to explain this to me; why you didn't tell me about your wedding in person?"

All at once Shining Armor was washed in relief putting him in a state of shock, before he closed his eyes and deflated on the spot.  He whispered under his breath, "Oh thank Celestia," dropped his head forward and released the breath he was saving.

He looked up at her with comfortable smile and the angry look on her face broke into a sadder, pleading face.

"Really Shining, I was so angry you wouldn't come see me in person. I'm your LSBFF, you're suppose to let me in on this stuff. Or am I not your Little Sister Best Friend Forever?" She ended her question with a shy pout.

Shining took in a deep breath, and opened his mouth to answer Twilight when he heard snickering behind him. With a single glance he found seven red faced stallions trying not to laugh with only four of them bothering to cover their mouths. He gave them a look, a rare one coming from him, that reminded them of his position. Immediately that shut-up the on looking guards, giving Shining room to think.

"Look Twily, I'm sorry I couldn't invite you in person, but as soon as the wedding plans started I've been needing 6 hooves to keep up with work lately. There was a tip that put everything over top telling us that someone might plan an attack. I've been so worked lately with the dome, I..."

Twilight's angry attitude melted into sympathy, before the fire in her burned even hotter, "Oh and that reminds me, who is this mysterious Princess Mi Amora... whatever that you're marrying?"

"Wait," Shining said slowly, "You don't know her?"

"No."

This gave shining a sly smile and he raised his head high trying his best to tower himself over Twilight, "Oh ho, this is good. It looks like I have a special surprise for you."

"Well then tell me already," Twilight whined.

"Sorry, baby sis, this is one to savor," Shining said avoiding Twilight's angry stare.

"Shiny, you can't do this to me. I'm you're Little Sister Best Friend Forever, you're suppose to tell me these things."

"Well this the sort of thing that BBBFFs have to do for their baby sisters."

"But it's torture." Twilight then threw a hoof over her forehead and talked with a stiff voice, "You are literally killing. me right now. The pain is. unbearable," Twilight threw herself back in dramatic gasp and fell over. She peeked from the hoof over her eyes to see Shining only raised an eyebrow at the over dramatic acting.

'Note to self, ask Rarity later for some tips on acting'

"Okay, you're metaphorically killing me," Twilight relented before bouncing back to her hooves, "You have to Shining, you owe me one."

The white stallion lowered his head to his sister's face with a confident grin, "From when?"

Twilight bit her tongue thinking back for something she might have over her older brother. She hummed in thought before she offered weakly, "When I saved Equestria?"

That wiped the smug grin off Shining face as he thought about. Though she was his little sister, Twilight was still technically a bonafide, national hero. But then again, she was his little sister. But it's his duty as an Equestrian to treat her with respect, but that does conflict with his duty as older brother to mess with her. Really though...

Before he find resolution, he was called over, "Oh Shining there you are."

A pink alicorn strode over the siblings with a relaxed strode. At the sight of a familiar face Twilight perked up, and leaped up to her old babysitter.

"Cadance? Is that you?" Twilight asked with big glowing eyes.

"Well, yeah, though to everyone except Shining Armo-"

"Oh, yea, it's been forever," she elicited before she stood straight and started prancing in place while singing, "Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake, clap your-"

"Wait, wait wait. Forgive me, it's been so long and the week was a rush, remind me, who are you?"

"Huh?"

"Oh cmon, Honey, you remember, you were the babysister and she was the babysat," Shining got up and walked beside Cadance, "It hasn't been that-, well actually, it has been a long time."

Cadance took a moment to think before she put a hoof over her chest, "Oh Celestia, I'm so sorry Twilight. It's so hard to remember everyone and everything since the wedding's come up, but the things I do remember is hearing about a hero mare save Equestria over and over, it's hard to believe it was my little Twilight."

Shining rolled his eyes, "Pfft, you're telling me."

Twilight felt her heart sink. Candance didn't remember anything from their past. It felt like a stab in the heart, but -wait just a feather. "Hold on," Twilight snapped over at Cadance, "You're getting married!? And Shining!?"

Twilight would like to think she was a smart mare. She was a natural prodigy and being taught by a dozen tutor and the Princess herself, but never has one plus one ever been so hard to add up. She puffed her cheeks out and sweated dripped from her forehead as she stared intently at the ground as heat was drawn to her face.

She stopped and looked at the two standing side by side... suspiciously close, and slowly spoke out, "So, you're both telling me, that you are getting married soon," She held a hoof towards the cracking up face of her older brother, "And you are getting married soon," She pointed a hoof at the bewildered princess, "so that must meannnnnn"

She sat on the ground and pressed both her hooves on her head before winding up, "Errrrrrrrr," and then weakly offered, "You're both getting married to each other?"

"Bahhhahahah," His brother laughed and jumped over to her pulling her into a hug and kept laugh, "That's my little detective little sister!"

"SHINING ARMOR!" Twilight flailed her forehooves hooves in the air as Shining waved her around in his embrace. Everypony within sight couldn't help but smile at the silly two brother and sister.