Canterlot Wedding Remix

Chapters

Prologue
Chapter One: Arrival
Chapter Two: The Plot Thickens
Chapter Three: Descent
Chapter Four: Twisted
Chapter Five: Decoy
Chapter Six: Climax
Chapter Seven: Changelings

Prologue

It wasn’t the first time that a picnic between Twilight and her best friends had been interrupted. Actually, it was starting to become something of a recurring theme. This time it was the arrival of an out-of-breath Spike which disrupted the meal.

“What’s wrong, Spike?” Twilight asked, reaching out to steady the huffing little dragon with a hoof.

Wordlessly, he held out a scroll and continued to fight for oxygen.

Twilight took the scroll in the pinkish glow of her magic. The seal was already broken, so she merely unrolled the paper and began to read. “It’s an invitation to a wedding in Canterlot,” Twilight summarized as she scanned down the note. “We’re all invited. It’s in three days and-” Her mouth dropped open in shock. She barely managed to gather the composure to gasp, “What?! Sh-shining Armor?!”

“Who’s Shining Armor?” Rainbow Dash asked, drifting closer to peer over Twilight’s shoulder at the invitation.

Twilight glanced up to reply, “He’s my brother, Dash, you know that.” Receiving a blank look from the pegasus, she looked to the others and found the whole group staring at her incredulously – with the exception of Spike, who had gratefully accepted a paper bag from Pinkie and was breathing into it.

Speaking for everypony, Applejack asked, "You have a brother?"

"Of course I do! I talk about him all the time," Twilight prompted, her brow furrowing in disbelief. "Don't I?"

Her friends shook their heads, looking perplexed.

“Oh. Well, yes, I have an older brother named Shining Armor, and apparently he’s marrying my old foalsitter.” Twilight raised a brow, gazing into the middle distance as she thoughtfully muttered, “Actually, that explains a lot.”

Dash, still reading over Twilight’s shoulder, blurted out, “Your old foalsitter is a princess?”

"Princess Mi Amore Cadenza," Twilight clarified, “though she always went by Cadance when I was small.”

“Just a moment, dear,” Rarity said brightly. "You have another princess among your acquaintances? And your brother is marrying her?" At Twilight’s nod, the white unicorn sighed and said in a sad, tired voice, "Oh, Twilight Sparkle, whatever am I to do with you?"

“It’s not like that,” Twilight said defensively. “I haven’t seen her since before I got my cutie mark. For that matter, I’ve hardly seen Shining Armor since he joined the Royal Guard, and even less since he became a Captain.” As Rarity began to look severely pained, Twilight slumped sadly. “And now we’ve grown so far apart that he tells me he’s getting married by sending an invitation. I didn’t even know they were dating.”

“Well, let’s look on the bright side,” Applejack said, laying a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “The wedding is in three days, right? Why don’t we head out tomorrow morning and get a jump on things? You can reconnect with your brother and your old foalsitter before the ceremony, and all of us will be there to support you. Right, gals?”

Rarity’s “Of course, darling!” and Pinkie Pie’s cheerful “Absolutely!” were somewhat counteracted by Rainbow’s morose whine of “Aw, do we have to?” Applejack glared at the lone dissenter, but received only a sulky look in return.

“I love weddings,” Fluttershy said quietly, her eyes darting from Rainbow Dash to Applejack a little nervously. “Everypony is always so happy and the dresses and flowers are so pretty.”

“And this will be a royal wedding,” Rarity sighed dreamily. “The gowns won’t just be pretty, they’ll be magnificent!”

“Oh, Oh!” Pinkie Pie was practically vibrating in place. “And then Twilight’s brother will be married to a princess and Twilight will be in-laws with Princess Celestia! Won’t it be amazing to be related to the princess, Twilight? You already have so much to talk about so that’ll make family reunions a lot less awkward! Oh, will that make you a noblepony? Like a princess or a duchess or an earl-ette?”

Twilight chuckled. “It doesn’t work that way, Pinkie.” She smiled at her friends and said, “Thank you, girls. You’re right. Now is the perfect time to rebuild my relationship with Shining Armor. Let’s go to Canterlot!”

Chapter One: Arrival

“We’re here, we’re here!” Pinkie chanted excitedly as the train to Canterlot approached the last guard checkpoint. Her friends perked up just in time to see a pink wall of magic racing at them as it passed through the car. They were all startled, but none more than Twilight, who cringed as if anticipating a blow. She looked moderately surprised when nothing happened.

Huddled in on herself, Fluttershy anxiously asked, “What was that?”

“I’m not sure,” Twilight admitted, raising a hoof to her chest. “I mean, it was a semi-permeable, inclusive shield, but-”

“Oh, please don’t let her get going,” Spike muttered quietly. Twilight gave him a sour look.

“Well, it didn’t hurt none so never mind,” Applejack said briskly as the train slowed to a stop. “We’re pulling into the station.”

Eager to stretch their legs after the long ride, the six Ponyville friends, their belongings slung across their backs in saddlebags, disembarked from their car and stopped short. The familiar Canterlot station hadn’t changed a bit, but there seemed to be a full squad of Celestia’s finest unicorn soldiers on duty at the station. They crowded the platform and lined the violet roof, all standing at attention. With their identical grey coats and golden armor, they were virtually indistinguishable from one another.

“Woah,” Dash said, looking around in puzzlement. “What’s with all the guards?”

“I’m sure it’s just a precaution for the wedding,” Rarity stated dismissively.

The others looked to Twilight, but she could only shrug, not having any other explanation. In any case, she was a bit distracted, flicking her gaze around as she searched the faces of the guards. “That’s odd,” she murmured, “I don’t recognize anypony.”

“Me either,” Spike concurred from his familiar spot atop the unicorn’s back.

“I’m sure ya’ll don’t know all of the guards,” Applejack replied. She nudged Twilight toward the station. “Come on, now, no dilly-dallying.”

Twilight frowned but trotted ahead. The soldiers didn’t even acknowledge the mares as they passed through the building and onto the streets of Canterlot beyond.

“Wow.” Pinkie stood on her back hooves and raised a foreleg to shade her eyes. “Do you think all these ponies are here for the wedding, too?”

Canterlot was a city of ostentation and spectacle, the glimmering capitol crown jewel of the realm. It boasted the third-highest population in all of Equestria and was always a hub of tourist activity. That said, it was usually possible to stroll down the major streets without bumping into anypony else. That was no longer the case. The streets were full to bursting with ponies, many of them dressed in the most fashionable and expensive of finery, and it seemed that almost everypony was out on a date. Couples stared into each other’s eyes lovingly as they sat at little bistros or meandered down the lane. Many had simply stopped in the middle of the street to nuzzle or talk.

Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy took to the air while their ground-bound friends began to wind through the crowd slowly, skirting citizens who were too wrapped up in their own business to make way. Twilight and the others did their best to stay close, a task made easier by the fact that few other ponies were going anywhere.

Following close on Twilight’s tail, Applejack ventured, "Was Canterlot always this crowded?"

“No way,” Spike replied, standing up on his mount and bracing his claws on the back of Twilight’s head. “I’ve never seen it like this!”

"It does seem like the streets are rather full compared to our previous visits," Rarity agreed from behind her, stepping around a stallion who was lost in his marefriend’s eyes. In her wake, Pinkie bounced along with a broad smile, chattering to herself about something called a ‘mosh’.

“It should clear up when we get closer to the castle,” Twilight said. She shrugged a bit, unbalancing Spike and forcing him to sit back down.

“Hey, come this way,” Rainbow called from above, drifting to the right. “There’s kind of a path.”

It took a while to reach their destination, even with the pegasi guiding them, but eventually they reached the palace grounds. As Twilight had suggested, it was a veritable ghost town compared to the city proper – if one disregarded the numerous guards who seemed to be on maneuvers. Most were unicorns, but a few white-coated pegasi patrolled the airspace in small formations.

“Halt!” One of the unicorn guards called. He and four others approached the Ponyvillians briskly, looking rather unfriendly. “The castle is off-limits to the public until after the royal wedding. Turn around and leave the premises now.”

Twilight’s jaw dropped as her friends grouped up behind her. “B-but that’s why we’re here! My brother is in the wedding. I mean, it’s my brother’s wedding!”

“Your brother?” The guard narrowed his eyes.

“I’m Twilight Sparkle,” she explained nervously. “Shining Armor’s little sister? And these are my friends. Um, I have an invitation…” She jerked her head toward Spike, who started rummaging around in one of her saddlebags in search of the letter.

His eyes had widened at the sound of her name, and he and his compatriots took a step back from her, looking tense and flustered. “Oh,” the guard forced out. He seemed to be sweating rather fiercely all of a sudden. “M-my apologies, uh, ma’am. I didn’t recognize you. You’re early.”

“Well, yes,” Twilight agreed, still uneasy but beginning to calm. “I wanted to spend some time with Shining Armor before the wedding.” She glanced around and gestured at the profusion of soldiers practically bristling out of every nook and cranny. “Is something wrong here?”

“No!” The stallion shook his head vigorously. “Nothing to worry about, ma’am! We, the Royal Guard, have the situation well in hoof!” One of his fellows leaned in to whisper urgently in his ear, and the guard coughed. Composing himself, he put on a stern face and said, “I will take you to her majesty immediately. Please follow me.”

Frowning, Twilight opened her mouth to respond, but he wheeled around and trotted off before she could get a word out. She looked back over her shoulder at the others, who shrugged helplessly. With no other options, they followed their escort into the palace.

The trip through the halls of the castle was brisk, the group of guards hurrying the mares along at a brisk pace. Along the way, they saw many more guards but no servants or other civilians. Rather than being led to the throne room, they were taken to the north wing and to a short but impressively grand hall on the ground floor. A pair of guards stood at the mouth of the corridor, casting curious looks at the Ponyvillians as they were led past, but not budging from their stations.

The colonnaded hall led to a pair of oversized doors inlaid with lapis lazuli. Halfway there, the escort stopped. “We’ll leave you here,” the leader of the guards said curtly. With no further explanation, he and his compatriots left as quickly as they could without running away.

“Well,” Pinkie Pie observed, “that was weird.”

“Yes, and quite rude,” Rarity concurred with a sniff as she studied their surroundings. “The decor in this part of the castle is rather different, isn’t it? I wonder if they call this the blue wing.”

“I’m not sure,” Twilight replied. “I’ve never been in this part of the palace before.”

“It’s very pretty,” Fluttershy said. “It looks peaceful.”

“Never mind that,” Dash interjected, continuing down the hall toward the ornate doors. “What’s through there?”

Spike suggested, “Princess Celestia?”

“Guess we won’t know ‘til we go in,” Applejack observed, following the pegasus. The rest of their friends trailed after with varying levels of enthusiasm until they all stood in a line in front of the imposing portal.

Apprehensively, Twilight lit her horn to open the large doors and led her friends into the room beyond.

The ballroom was unusually dim for the sun-lit Canterlot palace, illuminated only by pale white globes of mage light held in delicate silver sconces. Periwinkle walls accented with midnight blue, mirrored silver, and sapphires gave the large chamber a mysterious, dreamy feel. The large windows were high on the walls and covered in elaborate black-out curtains. One look at the ceiling – nearly black, studded with glittering diamonds, and dominated by an enormous circle of inlaid moonstone – made it clear who the ballroom had been designed for, but Princess Luna wasn’t present.

In the center of the silvery marble floor, a score of guards clustered around a stunning pink winged unicorn with a flowing, wavy mane of pink, purple, and blond. Her jewelry and hoofguards were gold and accented with purple gems. She seemed to be giving instructions to the guards, but she cut off in mid-sentence as Twilight and the others entered. Her expression as cold and threatening as a thundercloud, she strode toward the young mares and demanded, "What do you think you’re doing, bursting in here? Who are you?"

"C-cadance, it's me, Twilight," Twilight said uncertainly, taking a step back. She received a haughtily raised eyebrow and a look of disdain in return. Trying again, the unicorn prompted, "Twilight Sparkle?"

The winged unicorn's eyes widened comically for a moment before her expression turned to the happiest, most pleasant one possible. Her smile was almost painfully wide. "Ohhh, Twilight Sparkle! Of course, I'm so, so sorry! I'm just so caught up in the wedding preparations that I wasn't thinking! Oh, can you ever forgive me?" Relaxing a little, Twilight smiled back and opened her mouth to reply, but the princess went on briskly, "I didn't expect you and the other Elements so soon. They didn't forget to print the date on your invitation, did they?"

Twilight blinked at the harsh undercurrent in Cadance's last sentence. "No, nothing like that," she said quickly, not wanting to get anyone into trouble. "We came as soon as we received the letter. Um, it's just that I was hoping to talk to my brother..."

"Your- Oh, yes, of course. Silly me." Cadance flipped her mane casually, still smiling with all her teeth at her sister-in-law-to-be. "Well, he's rather tied up, but I'm sure we can arrange something. For now, I'll have the guards show you and your friends to the guest quarters so you can freshen up from the trip." She stamped one hoof and half a dozen guards stepped forward briskly.

"I should say hello to Princess Celestia before-"

"All in good time, my dear," Cadance cooed. "Off you go, now." She turned away in obvious dismissal and walked back toward the rest of the guards.

Nothing much was said while the Ponyvillians were led to their rooms. Twilight was lost in her thoughts and the others were simply lost in the labyrinthine corridors, their attention focused on trying to memorize the route along which they were taken. In a surprisingly short time, they reached their destination in a remote tower and entered a circular sitting room with plush reclining couches and large pillows. Seven doors were arrayed along the walls at equal distances. One was the entrance to the chamber and led only to the short hallway which connected the chamber to the rest of the castle. The other doors were already open, revealing splendidly appointed multi-story suites beyond, each with its own balcony.

“Your quarters,” one of the guards said crisply, addressing himself to Twilight. “We will be just outside this room should any of you request to be escorted to another part of the castle. Do you require anything, miss?”

Coming out of her daze, Twilight confirmed, “There is one thing. Is there something going on in Canterlot besides the wedding?”

“I’m not at liberty to say, miss,” he replied coolly. “Please ask if there is anything you need.” Saluting, he retreated to the hall.

“Soooo,” Pinkie drawled, looking around at her friends. She vanished in a blur, streaking toward the room with the southern exposure and shouting, “Thisone’smine!”

“Hey!” Dash popped up off the floor in a rush of indignation. “No fair, Pinkie!” She disappeared into the room between Pinkie’s and the chamber’s exit, leaving a rainbow trail that lingered for an instant in the air.

Rarity rolled her eyes, declaring, “Honestly, there’s no need to be so immature about it.” Despite her words, she wasted no time in trotting to the room of her choice – the one furthest from Dash and Pinkie’s.

Fluttershy said nothing as she crept swiftly to one of the remaining suites.

“Well, we might as well get settled in,” Applejack said. “Which room would you like, Twi?”

“Huh?” The distracted unicorn glanced up and seemed surprised to find herself alone with Spike and the earth pony. “Where did they-?”

“We’ll take that one,” Spike decided for her, pointing to the room between Pinkie’s and Fluttershy’s. “Come on, Twilight.”

A bit later, after everypony had unpacked their belongings and had a wash, the friends gathered in Twilight’s room to talk. The first story of her suite, like the others, was dominated by a large fireplace looming over a large rug in shades of gold. Rarity had settled down on a cushion, but the others were content to lie on the rug.

“I know you said she was a princess, but I didn’t think you meant a Princess princess,” Rainbow Dash said. “Isn’t it weird for her to be marrying your brother?”

“Well, it is unusual for a royal to marry a commoner,” Twilight acknowledged, “but it isn’t unheard of. Actually, it’s happened seven times since the beginning of the Classical Era. The first was Prince Star Shard the Second, who married a pegasus named-“

“No, no,” Dash interrupted, cutting off the history lesson before Twilight could kick ‘lecture mode’ into high gear. “I mean because she’s going to live like forever. How old is this princess anyway?”

Rarity rolled her eyes and fielded the question. “Oh, Rainbow Dash,” she said, “Don’t you know anything about the royal family? This Princess is a member of the mortal branch. She’s probably not much older than we are.”

“But she has a horn and wings,” Pinkie objected. “Unless the wings are fake. Are the wings fake?”

“No, Pinkie,” Spike interjected. “Princess Cadance is a unicorn with wings, but she’s not like Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. They have earth pony magic, too. Rarity is right, Cadance is pretty much a normal pony.”

“And how do you know that?” Applejack asked the little dragon.

He looked affronted. “Why does everyone forget that I’m from Canterlot, too? Besides, unlike some ponies, I actually had a social life in this town.”

Twilight eyed him crossly, but didn’t refute his statement. “In any case,” she said, “I think that we should be more concerned about what’s going on around here. Does anyone else feel a little confined?”

“Not really,” Fluttershy said softly. “Actually, it’s kind of comforting that there’s so much security. Um, I think.”

“I dunno,” Applejack mused. “I think Twi might be onto something, but-“

A knock at the door interrupted her. The friends shared a look before Twilight stood and called, “Come in.”

The doorknob glowed green and turned, the door swinging open to reveal the unicorn guard who’d escorted them to their rooms earlier. “Twilight Sparkle, your brother will see you now. I will show you the way to his office.”

Twilight hesitated nervously for an instant, looking down when she felt a hoof on her foreleg.

“Go on, sugar cube,” AJ told her. “We’ll be right here when you get back.”

Chapter Two: The Plot Thickens

The only occupant of the windowless office deep in the heart of the palace was a large and powerfully built white unicorn stallion in the decorative purple and gold dress armor of a Captain of the Royal Guard, the peytral marked with a six-pointed pink star. His multi-toned blue hair was a bit sweaty from being under the helmet that lay on the desk which dominated the room, and his eyes were tired. He looked up at Twilight’s entry and stepped away from the low cabinet he’d been all but leaning against, using his reddish magic to shove in the small drawer with a snap.

“Shining Armor,” Twilight said brightly, smiling as she trotted over and threw her forelegs around his neck for a hug. His barding was actually pretty uncomfortable from the outside, she discovered, but his familiar – if slightly pungent – scent was comforting.

“Hey,” he replied, patting her back stiffly once before easing her away from him and glancing up at the guard who’d brought her in.

“I’ll wait outside to escort her back to her room, sir,” the grey unicorn said, turning and walking back through the doorway to stand at attention in the hall.

“I didn’t mean to embarrass you,” Twilight apologized, blushing.

“You didn’t,” Shining Armor replied as he studied her face intently. “It’s been a while.”

“Too long,” she agreed, grinning up at him brightly. “I’ve missed you.” She chuckled nervously when he continued to stare at her as if studying an odd specimen of bug. “Um, but you don’t seem too happy to see me.”

His eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly. “I’m always happy to see my little sister.”

She wasn’t exactly convinced when he said it in such a grim way. Shifting uncomfortably, she decided to change the subject. “The shield that’s surrounding Canterlot,” she prompted, “that’s yours, isn’t it? You’re the only one I can think of who has such a powerful protection spell.” He said nothing, and she uncertainly tried to fill the silence by adding, “It must be a strain. Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” he said grudgingly. “Other than exhaustion and the migraines, I’m great.”

That explained his attitude, she supposed. Sympathetically, she nodded and observed, “You look drained.”

He responded with a sharp, almost angry glare. “What did you say?”

She took an involuntary step back. He’d never spoken to her in such a harsh way before, and for an instant she hardly recognized him. Even his reaction to her surprise – slight remorse tempered by wariness – was odd. A writhing ball of uneasiness forming in her stomach, Twilight stammered, “I’m sorry, Shiny, I didn’t mean to- I just- Are you mad at me? Did I do something?”

Shining Armor looked like he was going to be sick all of a sudden as he raised one unshod blue hoof in her direction. He actually swayed a little in place, then slammed his eyes shut and raised the hoof to his head, wincing. “No,” he breathed, “I’m not mad at you, Twilight.”

She wasn’t so sure, but she had to give him the benefit of the doubt. Taking a deep breath, she pleadingly asked, “Shining Armor, what’s going on? The guards, your shield; it’s like everyone is on high alert, but no one will say what’s wrong. It can’t just be the wedding. Where are Princess Celestia and Princess Luna?"

Shining Armor swallowed, his gaze shifting from her to the floor and back before his face blanked and his eyes went flat and unreadable. “They’re away on royal business,” he said. “Look, can we talk later? I’m kind of busy.”

She tried not to be hurt, but it was hard when he was being so dismissive. “I’m sorry,” she told him a little stiffly. “I just thought that, since we haven’t seen much of each other, we could spend some time together while I’m here for the wedding.”

Shooting her a dark, intense look, he dropped his voice to a nearly inaudible growl and muttered, “You shouldn’t be here at all.”

Twilight flinched, her ears flattening, her eyes wide and startled. “What?”

A spasm of guilt crossed his expression, but it was quickly controlled and he settled on looking harried. Shining Armor rubbed a harsh hoof down his face and apologized, “Sorry, I didn’t... I didn’t mean that. Of course I want you at my wedding. It’s just this headache. It’s making me crazy. Twilight-”

“Pardon the interruption, Captain.” The guard in the doorway saluted and said, “Your presence is required in the throne room.”

Shining Armor’s jaw tightened. Picking up his helmet magically, he placed it on his head and started to walk out. He cast one last glance back at Twilight, looking like he wanted to say something, but he only nodded to her silently and left. A pair of soldiers fell in behind him as he strode off down the hall.

One guard remained to tell Twilight, “I will escort you back to your room.”

Five mares and a little dragon were chatting companionably in their joint sitting room as they lounged about on the comfortable pillows and furniture. The cheerful atmosphere quickly evaporated when Twilight entered with slow, dragging steps.

Spike toddled toward her, venturing, “Twilight?” The unicorn looked up but said nothing.

Hesitantly, Fluttershy asked, “Are you okay, Twilight?”

“Did you see your brother?” Applejack added.

Twilight nodded slowly, a hint of tears shimmering in her eyes. “I...I think something is really wrong,” she told them. “I’ve never seen him act like that! One second he was angry, then he was apologetic, and then he was lying to me and sending me away. He was like a stranger.” Sniffling, she plopped down onto her haunches and despaired, “He didn’t even call me Twiley.”

The others shared a wince – with the exception of Spike, who looked concerned. Hesitantly, AJ asked, “Twiley?”

“My nickname when I was little,” the unicorn explained. “Only he and Cadance ever used it, though. Dad and Mom usually called me Sparky.”

“Sparky,” Pinkie giggled.

“I don’t understand,” Twilight protested, tearing up a little. “Shining Armor was my Big Brother Best Friend Forever! We used to do everything together. He always had time for me, and he was never mean or dismissive. He taught me how to fly kites and helped me with my magic and-”

“Okay, so he was a great big brother,” Rainbow cut her off. “Maybe he grew out of it.”

“Rainbow Dash!” Rarity gave the pegasus a scathing look and said, “I’m sure that he is simply under a great deal of stress because of the wedding.”

“Rarity’s right,” Applejack agreed. “And even if your relationship is different now, you’ll always be his little sister, sugar cube. Nothing can change that.”

“But I don’t want it to be different!” Face crumpling into total despair, Twilight dropped her head and sobbed harshly, a quick scattering of tears darkening the floor in front of her miserable form. The other ponies were taken aback by their friend’s emotional collapse. Spike closed the remaining distance between himself and Twilight and began to helplessly pat her shoulder, looking to the others for assistance.

“Oh dear,” Fluttershy whimpered, hovering over to the unicorn and petting her like a frightened animal. “There there, it’ll be okay.”

Rarity nodded as she magically retrieved a hoofkerchief from her room and floated it to the other unicorn. “Darling, all siblings fight sometimes.”

“Yeah, Twilight,” Pinkie chimed in sympathetically. “It just means you get to make up!”

“No,” Twilight said darkly, wiping her eyes clear almost violently with the small cloth and propelling it back to Rarity. “Something is wrong. It has to be.” Shaking free of Fluttershy and Spike and leaping to her hooves, she resolved, “I have to get to the bottom of this!”

“Ooo-kay,” Applejack said cautiously. “We’re with you, sugar cube. What do you want to do?”

Twilight frowned as she thought for a moment. “We’ll start with searching the palace,” she decided. “Spike, I want you to stay in our suite. If we don’t make it back by midnight, send a letter to the princess.” The little dragon saluted crisply and ran off without a backward glance.

“Do you think that will be necessary, dear?”

“Better safe than sorry,” Twilight replied grimly. “I have a bad feeling about this whole situation.”

“What about the guards?” Dash asked. “It doesn’t seem like they’ll be okay with us poking around.”

“Oh, they shouldn’t be a problem,” Twilight replied with a confident grin. Gesturing for the others to follow her, she crept down the short hallway, her horn beginning to glow softly. Once the guards were in sight, she concentrated and fired a slow pulse of magic at them. As the wave rolled over the stallions, they yawned and swayed. Within seconds, they were curled up on the floor in a deep sleep.

“I didn’t know you knew a spell like that,” Applejack observed.

“I learned it after the Ursa Minor incident,” Twilight explained, carefully levitating the guards down the short hall and into the sitting room, where she laid them gently on the floor pillows. “It seemed like it might come in handy.” Turning back to her friends, she said, “Okay, I’m not sure what we’re looking for, so we’ll need to keep our eyes open.”

The six mares technically avoided detection as they sneaked through the palace, but there were an awful lot of guards snoring their shifts away in hidden alcoves or behind large potted plants. It was only a matter of time before a patrol discovered the trail of armored bread crumbs and raised the alarm. Twilight was becoming increasingly anxious, but the only thing obviously amiss was the fact that a handful of unarmed ponies could so easily bypass the cream of the Equestrian military.

Then they found the abandoned kitchens, ripe with the smell of rotting vegetables, and suddenly everyone was on board with Twilight’s suspicions.

“I don’t understand,” Fluttershy murmured nervously as she huddled near the door, periodically peering anxiously out at the hallway. “It looks like everypony just left in the middle of their work. They didn’t even turn the lights off.”

Rarity eyed a half-diced tomato on a cutting board, wrinkling her nose in distaste at the mold flourishing on it and the discarded knife. “Yes, several days ago, from the look of it.”

“The stuff in the fridge is still okay,” Pinkie reported, her body haloed in golden light as she rummaged through the appliance’s contents. “Ooh, cupcakes!”

“But where did they all go?” Twilight whispered, drawing a line through the dust on a counter with her magic. “I knew these ponies. Chef Fry Fiery would never leave his kitchen like this.”

“I dunno,” AJ said. “But it makes you wonder what the guards are eating, don’t it?”

“Let’s keep looking around,” Dash hissed. “This place gives me the creeps.”

But Fluttershy was scrambling away from the door, urgently squeaking, “Someone’s coming!” as she hid behind Rarity. Everypony faced the entrance, ready to fight if need be, but the door remained only half-open and no attackers emerged.

“Um, are you sure, Fluttershy?” Rainbow drifted toward the portal warily.

“I heard them coming down the hall,” the trembling pegasus whimpered.

Twilight tiptoed across the floor and cautiously peered out the crack in the door. Her hair moved in the breeze of Dash’s wings as the pegasus hovered above her to do the same. Together, they watched as Princess Cadance sauntered down the corridor flanked by a pair of grey unicorn guards. The princess didn’t even glance toward the kitchen as she passed and moved out of sight.

The two ponies eased away from the door and rejoined their friends further into the room.

“It was that fake princess and some guards,” Dash announced. “They went right past.”

Distracted, Twilight wondered aloud, “What would she be doing in the old archives? The only thing down there is three hundred year old tax records and dusty ledgers.”

“Should we follow her?” Applejack asked.

“...No. I’d rather see what she could have been doing down there.”

Chapter Three: Descent

“I didn’t expect anything like this,” Rarity observed.

Deep in the bowels of the castle, in a narrow and low-ceilinged corridor that led to nowhere but endless rooms of forgotten storage, a hole had been opened in the wall. Two guards snoozed nearby, victims of Twilight’s extremely convenient spell, and six mares were looking into the darkness beyond with wide eyes.

“It looks like a tunnel,” Twilight said, lighting her horn to illuminate what was basically a roughly carved tube with stone walls which led down into the mountain.

Chewing her lip nervously, Rainbow Dash asked, “Do you want me to scout it out? ‘Cause I would, y’know, but it’s kind of dark.”

“No, I think we should stay together,” their de facto leader replied. “I’ll go first to light the way.” Without hesitation, Twilight brightened her horn and sallied forth into the unknown. Her friends followed with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

There was no sound but the tapping of hooves on stone as the ponies carefully picked their way down the tunnel in single file. A few hundred meters in, the narrow passage abruptly opened into a cavernous chamber dominated by massive crystal formations. The light of Twilight’s horn cast everything into pink-edged relief. It was a cave which appeared at first glance to be natural in origin, with passageways sprawling off into the darkness in every direction. Nearly every visible surface was a jagged landscape of mirrored, faceted gems in shades of blue and purple. Even the floor of the cave – smooth as glass but somehow not at all slick – was made of glossy crystal. Nopony spoke until they had all entered the cavern and gotten a look at the glittering spectacle.

“Oh my,” Fluttershy said softly, breaking the silence in the gentlest way possible.

“That’s one way of putting it,” Applejack agreed, tipping her hat back with a hoof and looking up warily at the dark patches where parts of the distant ceiling were lost to shadow.

“This is incredible,” Twilight exclaimed, her tightly controlled voice vibrating with scholarly fascination. “I had no idea there was anything like this down here. The history books don’t mention any caves under Canterlot. I wonder if the Princess knows.”

“It’s beautiful,” Rarity breathed wonderingly, her eyes wide and glistening with little stars. “I’ve never seen such astonishing, marvelous, enormous gems.”

“Oh Rarity, I hate to, um, interrupt,” Fluttershy ventured, “but you, um, you have a little drool there...”

“Girls?” Pinkie stomped to get everypony’s attention and gravely announced, “My knee is pinchy.”

Twilight searched her memory for what a pinchy knee warned of and just had time to think, something scary is about to happen, before a dozen guards exploded from the shadows. The stallions – every single one a grey unicorn – didn’t even give warning before they went on the offensive. Twilight instinctively knocked one away from her with a burst of magic when he attempted a kick to her head. The other girls were dodging nimbly or, in the case of Fluttershy, collapsing into a trembling heap and sending her assailant sprawling when his target dropped under his attack.

There was no time to argue and no time to think as the scuffle escalated. The cave was lit by strobing magical light in pink and green as spell blasts were fired off. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie were running interference for Fluttershy while Twilight and Rarity held their own surprisingly well against their much larger opponents. Most of the mares were still acting defensively, but Applejack and Rainbow Dash began to kick first. One of AJ’s adversaries was bucked into a crystal hard enough to crack the gem.

“That’s enough!” The harsh cry cut over the sounds of battle and, for a moment, all of the combatants froze, eyes swiveling toward the tunnel. Shining Armor strode in, his barding gleaming and his expression furious, and barked, “Everyone, stand down!” The guards immediately fell back, though they maintained a rough circle around the mares. A few of them cast dim light spells, producing an eerie green glow that made the surrounding gems glitter menacingly.

“Shining Armor,” Twilight began, “We were just-”

“Just what?” He demanded sharply, striding right up to the smaller unicorn and looming over her. “You have no idea what you’re getting into, do you?”

“You could just tell me!”

His expression cooled and he studied her thoughtfully. “Do you trust me, Twilight?”

“Of course,” she replied. “You’re my brother.”

His horn flashed bright green and he fired a blast of concussive energy point-blank that slammed into Twilight and sent her tumbling across the floor. She careened right into one of the guards, who wasted no time in pinning her to the ground with his large hooves. It was hardly necessary; the violet unicorn was struggling just to stay conscious.

The surprise attack made the other mares hesitate long enough for the guards to capture Fluttershy and Rarity as well. Before AJ, Dash, and Pinkie could even conceive of launching a counterattack, Shining Armor called out, “Stop! Don’t move or I’ll have my men break Twilight Sparkle’s horn.”

Twilight winced and squirmed as a second soldier stepped up and lifted a hoof to press against her horn, but her pleading eyes were locked on the white-coated Captain of the Guard. He smiled nastily at her in return.

Applejack scowled and muttered a few choice words under her breath, but she didn’t resist as other soldiers stepped up to restrain her. Pinkie Pie had gone utterly rigid, apparently taking the words ‘don’t move’ literally.

Rainbow Dash hesitated, hovering in midair. “She’s your sister,” she objected. “There’s no way you would-”

Shining Armor nodded his head toward Twilight’s guards and the unicorn screamed as the pressure on her horn increased.

“Stop, I give up!” Panicking, Dash dove for the ground and flattened her body against the crystal. “Stop!”

At another nod, the hoof moved away from Twilight’s head. Her horn was whole and undamaged, but she shuddered with the aftereffects of the magical blast, betrayal, and fear. Only her eyes moved when the shadow of the white stallion fell over her, and she looked up at him through tears.

Grinning widely, Shining Armor commanded, “Don’t use your magic unless you want your friends to suffer, Twilight Sparkle. At the slightest hint of a glow, we’ll break something they’ll miss.” His horn lit again in blazing, bright green and she flinched away, but this time the light ran over his whole body like fire. Suddenly, instead of Shining Armor, he was the grey unicorn guard from her brother’s office.

Stunned, Twilight gasped, “You’re a shape shifter?”

He laughed derisively. “You really haven’t got a clue, do you? Stupid little ponies. Well, you wanted to see what’s really going on.” He turned, gesturing for the guards to follow, and headed further into the cave. The soldiers prodded their captives to follow with varying results. Twilight staggered a bit when the guards pulled her to her hooves, but she steadied after a few steps and went along meekly. The guard holding Pinkie was forced to carry her with his magic, as she was still pretending to be a statue. The other mares were more or less compliant.

Several minutes of winding around crystal formations later, the path widened into a larger cavern. In the middle of the crystal floor, a group of the grey unicorn stallions stood guard over a single captive. The dirty pink-coated mare lay on the ground, her wings limp at her sides and her multi-colored mane and tail ragged and matted. A heavy collar and thick chain bound her to the ground and she’d been bridled and hobbled.

“Behold,” the leader of their little procession announced smugly, “the Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, in all her glory.”

Disbelieving, Twilight tremulously called, “Cadance?”

The princess stirred slowly, lifting her head and blinking baggy eyes. Recognition dawned alongside horror on her still-pretty face and she whimpered softly, her wings twitching in agitation.

“Twilight Sparkle first,” the stallion who’d briefly worn Shining Armor’s form told the guards. At his order, they pushed the violet unicorn forward until she stood only a few feet away from the reclining princess. The guard who’d nearly broken her horn held Twilight in place, but she did her best to ignore him.

“Cadance, what is this?” Twilight asked desperately. “What’s going on?”

Cadance looked toward the leader of the guards, who nodded at her and coaxed, “Go on, tell her.”

The princess turned back to Twilight and listlessly explained, “They’re changelings. Shape shifters.” The bit in her mouth made her slur her words a little, but she was understandable as she went on wretchedly, “They feed on love. I...I make ponies love them.”

In an instant, Twilight remembered being a little filly, too small for a cutie mark. She was walking along a street in Canterlot, following a teenage Cadance. Suddenly they were both distracted by the sound of a couple arguing about...some mundane little thing, not really important. Twilight was scared and upset in the way of small foals who don’t yet really understand that adults are not perfect. To her, grown-ups yelling meant that something was terribly wrong. Cadance smiled reassuringly, her horn lighting with a soft blue glow. A pale pink heart formed at the tip and flew toward the arguing couple. As simple as that, the fight was over. The ponies were too busy cooing at each other to care about anything else. Cadance smiled proudly at her young charge, who was appropriately amazed and enchanted.

Her well-oiled machine of a brain put together the rest. Twilight knew that her expression was one of revulsion, but she couldn’t even begin to put on a neutral face. It was such an awful thought, and yet it explained almost everything – the crowded streets, the way everypony seemed to be paired off. Still, she felt a pang of guilt as Cadance looked away, ashamed.

“It’s not your fault,” Twilight told her. “I-“

“Enough talk,” the changeling standing over Cadance barked, prodding the winged unicorn with a grey hoof. “Use your spell.”

“Not Twilight,” Cadance begged, “Please, if you have any compassion-“

The changeling sneered as he leaned in and replied, “You know the consequences if you defy us, pony.”

Cadance’s expression crumpled into defeat and she nodded weakly, the chains attached to her collar clanking. "I'm sorry, Twiley," she sobbed, her horn glowing blue as a gleaming crimson heart began to grow at the tip. "I'm so sorry!"

She couldn’t use magic, but no one had told her not to struggle. Twilight tried to pull away, but the harsh hooves just held her tighter, digging into her coat and making her fear grow. The heart was the size of her hoof, but it looked enormous as it shone bright red in the greenish gloom. "Don't!" Twilight cried, squirming against the grip of the strange stallion. "Let go!"

The heart broke free, snapping in two and flying toward Twilight and her captor. She tried to scream, but her lungs emptied when the magic hit her like a punch to the chest. It didn't hurt, at least not physically. No, it actually felt...good. Pleasant. Her whole body was suffused with warmth, and Twilight felt a blush rise to her face as she stumbled slightly. Ooh, everything kind of tingled nicely. She giggled softly and shook out her coat, feeling weirdly fizzy inside and liking it.

"Twilight!"

She looked up at the sound of the hoarse shout and saw Rainbow Dash struggling against a pair of royal guards. Her other friends were similarly restrained, stricken expressions on their faces, and Applejack was pinned down under the hooves of three large stallions, her face mashed into the stone floor and her hat several feet away.

"What's wrong?" Twilight asked, taking a shaky step toward her friends. "What's happening?"

"Hush, Twilight," a smooth voice purred in her ear. She jumped a little and turned her head as a larger form brushed along her side, but her worries melted away like mist under sunlight when she saw who it was. His pristine white coat and loving lavender eyes were as familiar to her as her own cutie mark.

"I love you," she told him, needing to say the words as much as she needed to press herself close and feel the brush of his coat as she rubbed her head against his shoulder. He was soft and strong, like silk over steel.

"Ahhh," he breathed, ruffling her mane as he nuzzled her in return. "That's...nice. You're just delicious, love."

"I'm happy," Twilight said, and she was. "So happy."

Someone was softly sobbing and her friends were calling her name, but it all seemed so distant. One of his wings draped over her, pulling her a little closer and making her hum in pleasure. As long as he was there to protect her, everything would come out alright.

Chapter Four: Twisted

"I'm so happy," Rainbow Dash said contentedly, snuggling under the wing of the Wonderbolt Soarin', who hummed his approval and nibbled at the crest of her multicolored mane in return.

"Me too," Applejack agreed. She grinned at the strapping brown earth pony stallion she was hoof-wrestling with, and he smiled back lazily. They appeared to be at a stalemate.

"Me three!" Pinkie cheered, giggling and bouncing as she led a slim blue unicorn around the room in an impromptu game of tag. Both of them wore party hats and clown noses.

“I must agree that this is simply divine,” Rarity said, sitting elegantly upon a settee with a noble unicorn stallion whose white coat and expertly-coiffed purple mane matched her own perfectly. They were the only ones partaking of the light luncheon that had been brought in for them.

Fluttershy and her beau were talking quietly to each other on the room’s other couch, though most of the conversation appeared to consist of the pale green earth pony reassuring the timid pegasus that of course he didn’t mind. They were still livelier than Twilight, who was well on her way to dozing off under the broad wing of the largest pony in the room.

The doors of the sitting room opened and Princess Cadance strode in with a group of guards, bringing a halt to the already minimal hijinks. The winged unicorn surveyed the ponies in front of her, an expression of irritation fading as she began to resemble the cat that ate the canary. "My, my," she purred. "This could not have gone better." Her gaze paused on one of the couples and her eyes widened. "Oh, my, how scandalous."

"Your majesty," the large white stallion said, inclining his head toward her respectfully. Under his wing, Twilight stared at the princess with glazed eyes.

Cadance studied him from the tip of his pearly white horn to the golden sun of his cutie mark, her grin spreading nearly from ear to ear. "Uh-huh. Oh my, this is perfect. I’m going to have to have all of you in the wedding just to see the groom’s face.” She snapped her head around and pointed at Rarity. “You. You’re a dressmaker, aren’t you?”

“Yes, your highness,” the fashionista confirmed, surprised.

“Congratulations, you get to make gowns for a royal wedding,” Cadance said cheerfully. “You’re all going to be my new bridesmaids.”

“Y-yes, your highness!” Rarity gushed, hooves clasped to her chest. Turning to the stallion beside her, she asked, “Oh, darling, did you hear?”

“Yes, precious,” he replied, smiling lovingly at her. “The queen is giving you a great honor!”

“Princess,” Twilight corrected almost inaudibly.

Cadance glanced at the purple unicorn, but Twilight’s nearly vacant expression didn’t seem to trouble her. Still quite cheerful, she mused aloud, “I want everything to be extra special when the princesses arrive for the ceremony. Now I need to go and inform Shining Armor of the change of plans.” She practically skipped out of the room.

“I like her,” Pinkie announced. “She seems fun.”

Shining Armor had decent accommodations for a prisoner. There were no chains or bars, but there were also no windows. The door was conspicuously absent – it had been torn off its hinges – but a number of guards stood just outside, intently watching their brooding prisoner as he paced back and forth in his cell. There wasn’t much space to do so; the venerable conference table which had once dominated the room had been pushed against one wall, the heavy wooden chairs were stacked haphazardly, and a bed had been dragged in to make it marginally more comfortable. This left little floor space, and the ancient rug under Shining Armor’s restless hooves was beginning to show wear.

The unicorn looked up as the changeling who wore the guise of Princess Cadance strolled in with a wink and a smile. “Hello again, dearest,” she gushed. “I’ll bet you didn’t expect to see me again so soon. I just missed you so much!”

“I doubt that,” he bit out. As much as he would have liked to attack, he didn’t; he’d learned that lesson. “What do you want now?”

“I don’t have to want something to visit my future husband, do I?” She rolled her eyes at him when he glowered at her in reply. “Fine, be that way. I’m just here to share some news. Don’t you want to hear it?”

“All I want is for you to stick to the deal and leave me alone,” he retorted.

“Yes, yes,” she agreed readily – too readily, considering her broad grin. “As long as you maintain your shield, nothing will happen to your fiancée.”

“Or Twilight and her friends,” he prompted in a growl. “You said-“

She made a show of studying a pink hoof while smirking at him with sadistic delight. “Well, as to your dear, cute little sister...” She laughed at his expression of stricken fury. “The wielders of the Elements of Harmony made the mistake of snooping around where they didn’t belong, but they’re perfectly satisfied now that they’ve visited your bride-to-be. Some of my subjects are seeing to them as we speak.”

His eyes widened and he took a step toward her, shaking with rage. It didn’t seem to worry the shape shifter. She cheerfully went on, “Would you like to know about your innocent little sister’s deepest desires? I assure you, it’s disgracefully wicked. I was shocked. I can only imagine what must have been done to her in her foalhood...well, never mind. She seems to have embraced it.”

Shining Armor’s head jerked, his horn sparking, but he cast no spells. “You’re going to pay for hurting my sister,” he hissed, visibly restraining himself from lunging at her.

“Fear not, dearest,” she cooed. “Little Twilight Sparkle won’t be hurt. Well, not much, ha. My changeling became rather a big stallion for her, but I’m sure she can take it.” With one last grin, she turned and sashayed out of his cell, laughing.

As the night wore on, the Ponyvillians went their separate ways. Rainbow and Soarin’ apparently wanted to have a race around the castle spires, but the guards were adamantly opposed. They were still arguing about it loudly, but some sort of consensus involving an improbably long, wide hallway seemed to be approaching. Rarity, who was already in a tizzy of creativity, was listing off the materials she would need for the dresses to her doppelganger and several soldiers who’d been drafted into her service. The poor stallions trailed after her like baffled, heavily armored ducklings as she went in search of the tools of her trade and an unholy amount of chiffon. In the midst of the confusion, Pinkie Pie and AJ snuck off to acquire whatever edible food could be retrieved from the kitchens, joined by their respective partners. Fluttershy was being taken for a walk in the gardens, and Twilight was on her way to bed.

“Poor thing,” the white stallion crooned as he opened the door to Twilight’s suite with the green glow of his magic. He smiled down at her as she leaned into him for balance, yawning hugely. “You’ve worn yourself out, haven’t you?”

“Mm-hmm,” Twilight agreed. She blinked searchingly at her surroundings, vaguely aware that something wasn’t right. It was warm in the room; someone had started a fire in the hearth. The curtains were moving slightly in the breeze from the balcony. A piece of parchment lay on the floor near the desk in the corner. After a moment of sluggish thought, her memory clicked and she asked, “Where’s Spike?”

He looked around, his nostrils flaring, and frowned. “Hmm, I don’t smell anypony. Spike must not be here.”

She frowned and shook her head. Where could he have gone? She’d told Spike to stay put unless...

“Don’t worry, love,” the stallion said silkily, easing her concern with the warm certainty in his voice. “I’m sure that he just trotted off for a snack. He won’t be able to get into any mischief with so many guards in the castle.” His face moved toward hers and she tilted up her chin, closing her eyes as she prepared to be nuzzled.

He kissed her, and her stomach went into a series of violent barrel rolls. She was suddenly wide awake and almost hyperventilating with stress as she pushed away from him, stuttering, "N-no. I don't- I'm not-"

"Relax, love," he soothed her, sidling up against her side and spreading a wing over her back. His eyes were puzzled but caring, his expression full of nothing but concern for her wellbeing. "We don't need to do anything you're uncomfortable with. I thought you would like that."

Twilight settled back, her tummy still fluttering but her panic subsiding. "I'm sorry," she whimpered, embarrassed. "I just...it didn't feel right."

"Don't worry about it." He tilted his head to the side, regarding her with a smile. "As long as you love me, everything is fine. And you do love me, don't you?"

"I love you," she said immediately, feeling the powerful emotion rising in her like a warm wave. "More than anything!"

He grinned lazily and dipped his head to nuzzle her affectionately, playfully asking, "Then how could I be mad?" With gentle pressure from his wing, he guided her toward the fire and they lay down on the rug before it, snuggling together for a few moments in comfortable silence. Twilight basked in the warmth and his love, sinking into the feeling of safety that came from being pressed against his much larger body. She was feeling sleepy again, but his occasional nibbles at her crest and withers made her giggle and kept her from falling below a doze.

After a while, he drew back to look down on her and mused, "I am curious, though. If kissing makes you uncomfortable, what is it that I can do to make you happy?"

She wanted to say that just being close to him made her as happy as she could ever be, but a little voice deep in her heart bubbled up. She couldn’t lie to him, so she shifted uneasily and looked up with her ears dropping back shyly. "Well, there is one thing," she admitted, blushing so much that it felt like her face might catch on fire. He prompted her to go on with a raised eyebrow and a hint of a teasing smirk. Her breath quickening a little as her chest tightened uncomfortably, she ventured, "Promise me that you’ll never send me away?”

He looked surprised, but immediately assured her, “I would never allow us to be parted, love.”

“And...” She swallowed against a mouth gone dry as bone and whispered, “And tell me...you're proud of me?"

He smiled gently, lovingly, and told her, "Of course I'm proud of you, Twilight."

"It isn't your place to be proud of my student, shape shifter."

Twilight's head snapped around and she stared at the alicorn who was pushing through the curtains that led to the balcony. Princess Celestia looked as angry as the unicorn had ever seen her, and her hooves and wings were spread in a battle-ready stance, her head lowered belligerently to emphasize the long spike of her horn.

"Princess!" Twilight was frozen in place even as the stallion rose in a rush beside her, his wings beating once and spreading in their own threat display. Seeing them together like that, they looked...so much alike. She was surprised that she hadn't realized it before.

“You shouldn’t be here,” he objected harshly, his eyes darting toward the door. “The wedding isn’t for two days!”

“You’re the one who shouldn’t be here,” Celestia countered. “Now step away from Twilight Sparkle.”

He looked down, his expression conflicted, and Twilight met his gaze with tears forming in her eyes. When he looked back to the princess, he snarled, “No. I’ll die before I give her up.”

“So be it,” the princess said coldly. Her horn blazed with pale golden light and she lunged forward. He met her halfway, their horns scraping against one another and sending neon green sparks flying.

"Please don't fight!" Twilight cried, snapping out of her daze and leaping to her feet. She could barely breathe, but she forced herself to plead, "Princess, I love him!"

The only response was an even brighter flash of light and a loud crack. The stallion flew backward violently, wreathed in magic. As he slammed into the floor, he shattered into a thousand pieces; in his place there was something dark and insect-like and full of painful-looking holes lying unconscious on the carpet. Twilight screamed, but the sound was muffled against Celestia's white coat as the alicorn swept her up in a crushing embrace. Weeping piteously, Twilight struggled against her mentor.

The princess said something urgently that she couldn't make sense of, and then there was a burst of sunlight that tore her soul apart and set the pieces on fire. The pain in her chest was excruciating and her head split with every beat of her withering heart. With a whimper, Twilight blacked out...

...Only to wake in a cold, starlit place, pressed against the side of a much larger pony with a white coat. A wing draped over her from withers to flanks, shielding her from the chill. Groggily, she raised her head and looked up into the concerned lavender eyes of one of the two rulers of Equestria. "Princess?"

The great wing lifted away and folded to Celestia’s side. "I apologize, Twilight Sparkle,” she said, giving the unicorn a remorseful nuzzle before rising to her hooves and stepping back. “I didn't realize that the magic affecting you had reached so deeply into your heart. The disorientation should fade quickly, but you’ll need to take it easy for a little while longer."

Twilight nodded, not sure that she was ready to stand. A movement in the shadows at the corner of her eye startled her for a moment, but she recognized that drifting mass of stars. Beginning to shiver a little in the chill air, Twilight ventured, "Princess Luna?"

"Twilight Sparkle," the dark alicorn replied, inclining her head slightly as she stepped into the moonlight. "It is good to see that you are unharmed."

"I'm not so sure about that," the unicorn muttered wryly. She looked around, noting the domed stone ceiling suspended above on elegantly carved pillars. The whole structure was open to the elements, but she could see only night sky or mountainside when she looked around. "Where are we?"

"This is a safe place," Celestia told her. "But we're still in Canterlot, so I would caution you to be as quiet as possible and refrain from using magic for now."

Twilight nodded obediently and asked, "What happened?"

Celestia stilled, studying the unicorn with unreadable eyes. “You don’t remember?”

“Oh, I remember,” Twilight admitted, swallowing as she tried not to think about the last few hours. “I meant to ask what happened while I was unconscious.”

“I left Spike in a secure location and brought you here, then called Luna to meet us,” Celestia replied. “That’s all, really. It’s been about an hour since you passed out.”

“We should discuss the situation,” Princess Luna said. "What can you tell us of matters within the palace?”

Twilight took a moment to gather her scattered thoughts. Some things were still hazy. “Shape shifters called ‘changelings’ have invaded the city and replaced the royal guard. They feed on love. They’ve replaced Princess Cadance with a fake and are keeping the real one in the caves under Canterlot so they can force her to make ponies fall in love with them. They have my friends and I think they’ve done something to my brother, too.”

Celestia nodded. “Thank you, Twilight. That fills in some blanks. We aren’t sure when the changelings arrived, though it must have been during the last three weeks. Luna and I were drawn away by a reported threat to the kingdom. It appears now that it was only a diversion to keep us from detecting the true danger. We wrongly believed that Canterlot would be safe under Shining Armor’s shield."

“We were arrogant,” the other alicorn murmured, looking out at the night sky.

Inclining her head, the sun princess acknowledged her sister, but directed her words to Twilight. “Luna and I have a plan to deal with the changelings-“

“A plan which will now need to be modified,” Luna interjected darkly.

“Yes,” Celestia agreed. “Do you think that you are up to helping us save ponykind once again, my faithful student?”

“Of course, Princess,” Twilight said promptly as she stiffly rose, her legs wobbling a little before grudgingly agreeing to support her weight. Pasting on a determined expression, she asked, “What do you need me to do?”

Chapter Five: Decoy

The sun rose, heralding another clear and bright day for the ponies of Equestria. Most of the residents of Canterlot were far too distracted by matters of the heart to pay the dawn much mind, but a few looked up to see an odd sight in the bluing sky. Princess Celestia hovered high in the air over the palace, her great wings flapping slowly as she glared down at her home.

Regardless of whether they had noticed the princess before, no one could miss what happened next. In a voice that rattled distant windows, Celestia shouted, “Changelings! Enemies of Equestria! Your invasion has been discovered! Come forth and surrender now or you will rue the day that you set hoof in my lands!”

She waited, but not for long. Minutes later, a swarm of royal guard pegasi a hundred strong rose from the castle, led by a winged unicorn with hard eyes. Celestia seemed unperturbed as they surrounded her. She kept her eyes on the one who wore the appearance of her niece. When they hovered face to face a scant few meters apart, the princess commanded, “Remove your disguise.”

“If you insist,” the false Cadance replied. Green fire erupted from her horn, setting the air around her alight. Her silhouette bulged and grew as her horn became twisted and her body stretched to proportions more like Celestia’s own. She still had wings, though they were ragged and insect-like. Her mane and tail grew lank and lifeless, the colors fading to a dull blue-green, and her pink fur was replaced with a matte black carapace. Disconcertingly, she had fangs and slit pupils and her limbs were riddled with gaping holes. She smirked at Celestia’s obvious surprise. “I am Chrysalis,” the twisted creature announced in a voice that carried a hint of a mosquito’s buzz, “Queen of the Changelings.”

“I am Princess Celestia,” the white alicorn returned with stiff formality. “You have assaulted my city and brought harm to my little ponies. As I am merciful, I will give you one last chance to peacefully take your changelings and leave Equestria forever.”

“How noble of you,” Chrysalis drawled mockingly. “However, I think that I have you at a disadvantage, Celestia. Your army and the wielders of the Elements of Harmony are already under my control. You can’t hope to defeat us all alone. ” She smiled unpleasantly, putting her fangs on display, and purred, “No, Princess, my swarm won’t be going anywhere until we’ve drained every last shred of feeling out of your ponies and left them as empty husks. In the meantime, why don’t you try my little changelings on for size?”

At her words, the surrounding swarm attacked as one, diving toward the alicorn in a hissing fury. Unperturbed, Celestia merely lit up like a star, her whole body shining so brightly that her attackers experienced the light as thousands of volcanic fire ants eating at their brains. The disorientation shattered their illusions and forced them to revert to their true forms as smaller, less distinctive versions of their queen as they tumbled through the sky for quite a ways before managing to right themselves. Warily, they rose again, this time maintaining a greater distance from the princess.

“Nothing that I can’t handle,” Celestia observed.

“My mistake,” Chrysalis retorted snidely, eyes narrowed. Her horn shone as she readied a spell that formed an ominously twisting ball of green and black in front of her. “I had hoped to deal with you in a less direct manner, but don’t think that you’ll find me an easy opponent.” She lunged forward in the air, her tattered wings a blur, and fired the spell.

A tremendous explosion roared over Canterlot, the shockwave sending many citizens into a panic while others stared open-mouthed at the sky. Small black forms darted in and out of a midair brawl between two larger shapes, one black and one white. Flares of green and gold power illuminated the city like lightning, accompanied by the thunder of explosions. Occasionally one of the smaller combatants would fall unheeded to the streets below.

In the royal gardens, two mares appeared with a flash and a pop. They hit the ground running toward the nearest entrance to the palace.

Twilight cast a worried look up to the sky as she ran and called out, “I thought she’d win easily!”

Luna shook her head without breaking stride. “The changeling queen appears to be far more powerful than we anticipated, but Celestia is not fighting in earnest. It would be devastating for my sister to use her full strength over the city; many ponies could be badly hurt. For now, she is merely distracting our enemies.”

“Then we’ll hurry,” Twilight said as she flung open the doors to the palace with magic and ran through. The hall beyond was empty, so the unicorn teleported to the end, trusting the alicorn to be able to keep up with her. She could hear the sound of Luna’s large wings as she took to the air for speed. Looking around at the intersection of corridors, Twilight got her bearings again and set off running. She kept the route as direct as possible, teleporting whenever she could do so and remain in Luna’s line of sight. They saw no guards in their headlong rush toward the old archives.

“Here,” Twilight said as she appeared at the top of the tunnel which led down into the crystal caves. She was breathing a little faster from the flagrant use of magic, but she was far from winded.

Luna flicked a glance at the unicorn, assessing her condition, before frowning at the gaping maw of the entrance. “We may face ambush in the caves,” she cautioned.

Twilight nodded and trotted into the tunnel, her horn bursting into light.

Five of the wielders of the Elements of Harmony were gathered in the center of the room that connected their suites. With the exception of the cheerfully humming Pinkie Pie, they were in various states of worry and ire. Rarity wanted to return to her work, from which she’d been unceremoniously pulled, Applejack and Dash were concerned about whatever was happening outside, and Fluttershy was curled in a nervous ball, her wide eyes flicking around the room anxiously. For the moment, they were being placated/forestalled/comforted by four stallions in various colors, all of whom seemed intent on keeping their charges stationary. A fifth stallion – a blue unicorn – was beat-boxing amateurishly along to Pinkie’s melody.

The colorful ponies were surrounded by a dozen grey unicorns in the barding of royal guards. They came and went out the short hall that led to the rest of the castle in pairs, but the number of guards in the chamber stayed relatively constant. Though their stated purpose was the defense of the Ponyvillians against an unspecified threat, it was clear that they were more concerned with preventing the mares from wandering off.

“No sign of the Element of Magic or our brother,” one grey unicorn told another. “A more thorough search is not possible now.”

The second unicorn was identical to the first, but he carried a certain air of authority. He nodded shortly and said, “He may still have her contained in another part of this sprawling hive. It is irrelevant. As long as we have the rest of them, she can do no harm. How goes the fight?”

“Deadlocked, but the alicorn will falter as her energy wanes.” He looked uncertain, though, as he told his leader, “We have the advantage of numbers, but only a quarter of our force is in flight. None have joined us from the city.”

The leader frowned, eyes narrowing at the unwelcome news. “This makes no sense. If the alicorn has the power to restrain the swarm, then why change her tactics to retake this empty palace? Can the Element of Magic be responsible?” He glanced toward the captive mares and immediately jerked back when he found a grinning pink face roughly an inch from his own.

“I’m gonna call you Grumpy Wumpy,” Pinkie announced effervescently, apropos of nothing. “It’s a good name.”

His expression went through a series of gymnastics encompassing the full spectrum of irritation and chagrin, ultimately landing a dismount with icy disdain. “Please remain with your friends,” he requested coldly. “For your own safety.”

“Okie Dokie Loki!” She zipped back to the other mares in a pink blur and plopping down next to the bewildered blue unicorn once again.

“They may be more dangerous than the Queen thought,” the subordinate unicorn murmured.

Before the other could respond, a battered white pegasus half flew, half staggered in through the door of Fluttershy’s quarters and nearly crashed into a guard. He had apparently entered the tower through the balcony of the suite. There was something wrong with him beyond his dented armor and the burns and bruises that marred his coat. His wings twitched erratically and sometimes out of sync, buzzing rapidly for a second and then flapping more normally for even less time. As he moved, his flesh seemed to crawl along his frame in a strange, slick, slimy sort of way. His eyes glowed a flat blue that blotted out pupils and irises. “The foe is strong,” he announced loudly, his voice distorted by a strange buzzing undertone. “Aid is required.”

“Yes,” Grumpy Wumpy said. “We will join the battle. But first, we must neutralize the Elements of Harmony. I will take no risks with our Queen’s glorious plan so close to fruition.” He cast his uncaring eyes over the group of mares and raised a hoof in their direction. Raising his voice so that it could be heard by all of the soldiers, he commanded, “Kill them.”

Twilight and Luna halted at the base of the tunnel while the princess surveyed the crystal cave with wide eyes. Looking to the unicorn for guidance, she asked, “Which way do we go?”

“I think this is the right way,” Twilight ventured cautiously, pointing a hoof almost straight forward, “but I’m not sure. Maybe I can modify the gem tracking spell to find winged unicorns...” Green light flashed in the darkness ahead and Twilight flinched, automatically raising a shield which deflected the blast of magic, sending it ricocheting off of crystal walls.

A barrage of green bolts followed, but Twilight merely had to solidify her defense. The attacks were powerful, but merely maintaining a shield was relatively easy. Her mind worked furiously as she tried to figure out what to do. Fortunately, she’d enclosed Luna in the translucent pink bubble as well, but they were too exposed in the middle of the room and the shots peppering the shield were too well aimed. If she dropped it, either she or Luna would be hit. She could teleport both of them, but without a clear destination ahead, it would have to be a retreat. They needed to pass through the caves to reach Cadance.

Luna leaned in over her shoulder and asked, “Twilight Sparkle, can you move while maintaining the shield?”

Twilight’s expression of concentration scrunched up a bit more and she slid a hoof forward, but almost immediately she shook her head. While moving her body was possible, moving the bubble was too taxing. She could cast a second shield to seal off the tunnel and maybe catch the changelings with a ricochet.

Suddenly the volley cut off as a dull thump and the sound of a large, armor-clad body falling echoed through the cave. A moment later, a flurry of green flashes illuminated two ponies in combat; one was a gray unicorn in barding, the other unusually large and pale-coated with both wings and a horn. At their hooves lay an unconscious guardspony. One of the bigger pony’s blasts took the unicorn directly in the chest and there was darkness again, followed by a pair of thuds as a body struck the wall and fell to the floor.

Luna nudged the unicorn with a wingtip, her eyes narrowed as she tried to see through the slight distortion of the protective magic and into the gloom beyond. Hesitantly dispelling her shield, Twilight prepared to recast if necessary as the sound of hoofsteps came closer. Finally, the white-coated pony stepped out of the dark tunnel and into the light.

For an instant, it was possible to mistake him for Celestia; the size, coloring, horn, wings, and cutie mark were the same, his multi-hued mane and tail even glowing slightly and flowing in an unseen current. The differences were minimal: a slightly more squared muzzle, a subtly more muscular form. He was still rather willowy for a stallion, but he carried it well. He regarded the two mares with concern and asked in a low, gentle voice, “Twilight, are you alright?”

Twilight scrambled away from him in something approaching a blind panic. Luna stepped between them and lowered her horn at the newcomer. “Foul creature, art thou so foalish as to steal the form of our sister and twist it so? We will not be tricked by such a flawed disguise!”

The changeling barely spared Luna a glance as he paced sideways to get a glimpse of the unicorn who was cowering behind her. “Please, love, I was so worried about you.”

“That’s not true!” Twilight glared around Luna and accused, “You just want to feed on my emotions!”

He seemed honestly hurt as he protested, "How can you say that? I love you, Twilight!"

Princess Luna was taken aback. She craned her neck to give Twilight a rather odd look while still keeping an eye on the changeling. “Twilight Sparkle, is there something you would like to share?”

Face glowing with heat, the unicorn abashedly explained, “He’s...he’s the one Cadance made me fall in love with.”

“In truth?” At Twilight’s blushing nod, Luna blinked and turned back to face the stallion fully. “We...I see. This makes a kind of sense. A love spell works equally on both parties. If you were forced into blind devotion, so too was this creature."

Twilight’s jaw dropped and she stared up at the princess with wide, horrified eyes. "You don't mean..." She shifted her attention to the changeling and weakly insisted, "You don't love me. It's just a spell."

His eyes flashed, but there was only determination in his expression. "You’re mistaken, love," he replied, caring but firm. "I know what I feel. You’re my world, Twilight.”

“Is that so?” Luna regarded the white changeling with curiosity. “Then you would protect her from harm?” He nodded and she cajoled, “We seek to thwart your queen’s plan, and in return your brethren attack us. If you truly intend to protect Twilight Sparkle, then will you stand against your own kind in more than a skirmish?”

He nodded again, his determined eyes locked with Twilight’s. “Yes. I won't let anyone - not even Queen Chrysalis - harm you."

Twilight had to swallow against a sudden urge to be sick, but Luna smiled ineffably and commanded, “Then lead us to the captured princess, changeling, that we may free her.”

“This way,” the changeling said, indicating the tunnel he’d emerged from as he wheeled around and started off in the direction Twilight had originally suggested at a fast walk. Luna nudged the unicorn to follow and they fell in line with Luna taking up the rear.

Twilight was silent for a while as they went deeper into the cave, but at length she raised her voice to ask, “Why do you still look like that?”

The changeling looked over his shoulder at Twilight to find her watching the floor as she nearly trotted to keep up. “This is the form you know," he answered cautiously, slowing his pace slightly. "If I changed my appearance, you wouldn’t recognize me.”

She ventured, “But you could...look different?”

“Well, I can’t change my gender,” he replied, “or turn into anything other than a pony, but I can match the coloring, general build, and cutie mark of anypony you love,” he replied. “Would you like me to be one of your friends? Maybe your brother?”

“No,” she said quickly, glancing up with narrowed eyes. “What about your true form?” Behind her, Luna pricked her ears to listen.

The changeling looked a bit uneasy. “I don’t think you’d like that. We don’t look much like ponies anymore.”

“Anymore?” Distracted, Twilight stumbled over a cracked chunk of crystal, but a green glow wrapped around her and prevented her from falling. She shot him an uncomfortable look which he returned forlornly.

He let go quickly once she was on her feet again, tucking his flared wings back against his sides as he explained, “Well, according to the old stories, our ancestors were ponies.” At the incredulous looks he received, the changeling nodded as if acknowledging that it seemed absurd. “It’s true. The old ones say that our people were abandoned to a dark, cold place, and as the food ran out, they learned how to survive by eating emotions. There were a few unpleasant side effects.”

Twilight looked over her shoulder to ask the trailing alicorn, “Princess Luna, could that be true?”

Luna was frowning as she scrutinized the changeling with new interest. Thoughtfully, she answered Twilight’s question by saying, “I...am not sure. There are many things in this world that even my sister and I do not know. It seems plausible, though horrifying.”

“We’re here,” the changeling announced, slowing to a stop as the path widened. He peered around warily, his nostrils flaring as he scented the air. “She’s alone, I think.”

In the center of the chamber, Cadance sluggishly raised her head at the sound of his voice. Her eyes widened when she saw the three equines entering her prison. For a moment, she almost looked hopeful; then she recognized the white stallion and her face fell.

“It’s okay,” Twilight assured her, trotting briskly to the chained princess’s side with the changeling following her closely. Luna remained at the mouth of the tunnel, scanning the shadows with sharp eyes. “He’s not going to hurt you.”

Cadance fearfully slurred, “But, but he-“

“He’s still under your spell, so he thinks he’s in love with me,” Twilight grumbled, embarrassed. “Before we get out of here, could you fix him?”

“What? No,” the changeling objected, stepping back. “Don’t you dare. I don’t want to stop feeling this way. You can’t make me.”

Twilight was ready to argue, but Luna called out, “Let him be, Twilight Sparkle. We haven’t the time to debate the issue.”

The unicorn subsided with a distressed frown in the direction of the changeling. He gave her the most resolute puppy dog eyes ever in return, and she looked away quickly. Once again, hurt dulled his eyes, but it was overshadowed by concern.

Cadance’s pained gaze bounced between Twilight and the changeling as she looked increasingly distressed. She struggled to speak around the bit, pleading, “Please, don’t fight...”

“Sorry,” Twilight apologized a little grudgingly. “I’m just frustrated because somepony is being completely unreasonable.”

With a beleaguered sigh, the changeling muttered, “You cut me to the bone, love.”

Twilight ignored him as she focused her magic on the chains that bound Cadance.

“Won’t work,” Cadance mumbled in despair, “chains are resistant to-” She stiffened and gasped as the heavy collar and hobbles were casually shredded into fragments of scrap metal which fell to the ground all around her. Twilight was more careful with the bridle, unbuckling the straps and gently sliding it off. Free for the first time in weeks, Cadance clambered to her feet unsteadily, working her mouth and licking her lips compulsively to try to remove the taste and feel of the bit. Tentatively, she asked, “What happens now?”

It was the changeling who responded, regarding the pink princess with determination and telling her, “You're going to help us save Canterlot."

Chapter Six: Climax

The corridor was ominously silent except for the occasional low rumble of a distant explosion. No enemies were in sight as the small group of ponies approached the door which led to the quarters where they believed that the bearers of the Elements of Harmony were being held prisoner.

Princess Luna gestured for the others to stay back and stepped close to place her ear to the door. “I hear no fighting,” she murmured after a moment. She backed away from the portal and nodded to the others. “Doubtless there are changelings within, but we should have the element of surprise. I will safeguard the entrance, Twilight Sparkle. Subdue any opposition quickly. Once we recover your friends, we can move on to the final stage of our plan.”

Twilight nodded. Squaring herself with the door, she took a deep breath and called on her magic. Moving fast, she slammed the door wide and charged down the short hallway with the white changeling beside her and Cadance on her heels. She didn’t go far before she stopped short, the spell fading from her horn as she took in the scene before her.

First, and most importantly, her friends seemed to be unharmed. They were all gathered in the sitting room that connected their suites, their faces lighting with happiness and relief as they turned to see Twilight entering the room. Second, five other notable ponies were in the room: a brown earth pony stallion with an apple tree for a cutie mark stood at Applejack’s side, Soarin’ of the Wonderbolts hovered in the air with Rainbow Dash, a pale green earth pony marked with a teddy bear somehow managed to cower and look protective of Fluttershy at the same time, a male clone of Rarity was inspecting a chipped hoof with a moue of distaste, and a familiar blue unicorn stallion with a safety pin on his flank was nodding in time to one of Pinkie’s frenetic monologues. Third, there was no immediate threat to face.

Roughly a dozen equines were unconscious on the floor. A few still appeared to be unicorns, but the vast majority had reverted to their true forms. They were nightmarish: covered in matte black exoskeletons, mouths filled with razor teeth and protruding fangs, and their deformed horns twisted and sharp. Worst of all, their legs and diaphanous wings were perforated with gaping holes, giving the impression that they were rotting while still alive. Twilight couldn’t help but glance toward the white, winged stallion who stood protectively by her side. Under his flawless facade, he was one of them; he was teeth and holes, a pony-that-is-not-a-pony. She restrained a shiver of uneasiness.

“Twilight!” Dash shouted, darting forward in midair to land right in front of the unicorn, startling her out of her disquieting thoughts. “Where were you? Everything’s going crazy around here!”

“We were so worried,” Fluttershy piped up softly, unfolding from her anxious huddle. “No one knew where you’d gone.”

“Poor little Spikey-Wikey is missing, too,” Rarity chimed in, blue eyes filling with dramatic tears. “Those brutes herded us all together as soon as the commotion started outside, but I’ve seen neither scale nor spine of him!”

“I wanted to go look,” Dash announced, “but they told us to stay put and we thought they were royal guards.” She glared down at one of the crumpled changelings with righteous indignation.

“Yeah,” Pinkie agreed, bouncing closer with no particular care given to where her hooves landed. One of the insensate changelings groaned as his thorax was forcefully compressed by a careless hop. “And then they attacked and turned into weird bug things, and we fought like tigers, except not really because tigers use their paws and claws and are like, ‘RAARG!’ and there was more bucking and aerobatics and we were like, ‘Neigh! We are but mares!’ except for the boys, who are colts. Stallions? How old is too old to be a colt, anyway?”

Applejack gently but firmly plugged Pinkie’s pie-hole with a hoof and added, “Some of them got away.” She looked past Twilight to Cadance, who was making a credible attempt to disappear into the unicorn’s shadow. “I reckon you’ve had an interesting time of it, too. Howdy, Princess.”

“I’m just glad that you’re all okay,” Twilight told them earnestly. “Rarity, don’t worry about Spike, he’s safe.” Adopting an apologetic but determined look, she took a deep breath and continued, “Girls, we have a situation on our hooves, but there’s something I have to do first. Sorry about this.” Her horn glowed as she concentrated and released a wave of magic which passed harmlessly through her surprised friends and filled the room. As it reached the five ‘stallions’, they slumped to the floor in boneless heaps. Soarin’ began to snore.

A cacophony of protests erupted from the mares as their beaus fell. “Darling!” “Hey!” “O-oh my...” “Tarnation!” “Kumquat!”

Incensed, Applejack demanded, “Twilight, what’d you do that for?”

“Trust me, it’ll be bad enough without having to fight them as well,” Twilight countered in a low but authoritative voice. “Cadance, could you undo the spell on my friends?”

Hurriedly backing away, the white changeling blurted out, “I’ll help Princess Luna guard the entrance.” He made a hasty exit down the short hall, disappearing into the corridor beyond. Twilight sighed but didn’t stop him.

“Wait,” Dash said suspiciously. “What spell? We’re under a spell?”

“I’m sorry,” Cadance apologized as she crept around Twilight. Closing her eyes, she began to channel her magic and her horn lit with a faded blue glow. A white heart materialized at the tip, growing larger and larger until it was nearly the size of a pony’s head and pulsing with light. The princess was showing a bit of strain as she finally cast the counterspell, sending the white heart to hover over the enthralled equines. The mares watched in awe and trepidation as the heart pulsed brightly once before exploding with a flash and a pop. Glittery residue showered everyone in the room, causing some sneezing and general discomfort, but it evaporated in an instant.

Fluttershy looked down at the faux stallion lying beside her and screamed almost silently as she scrambled backward and away from him. All around her the others were startled into awareness.

“I remember,” Rainbow Dash babbled, kicking up off the ground and bouncing off the lighting fixture before she managed a frantic hover at the edge of the room where wall met ceiling. She couldn’t take her eyes off of the unconscious changelings. “The caves, and we, and they! Agh!”

Applejack raised a hoof over the prone brown earth pony, then deliberately turned and walked to Fluttershy, picking her way carefully around fallen changelings. She laid a hoof on the withers of the shaking pegasus and began to speak to her in a murmur. Rarity seemed to be in shock, her stare focused on nothing and her mouth slightly agape. Pinkie was still smiling, but it was a vague, confused sort of smile and her mane and tail were sagging noticeably.

Cadance took a shuddering breath and turned away from the scene, unable to bear it. She looked to Twilight for help or absolution, but the unicorn was at a loss. Lowering her head and closing her eyes, Cadance sagged against the wall. Dark spots began to appearing on the carpet below her muzzle.

Twilight tore her eyes away from her disconsolate former foalsitter to address the other ponies. “Girls, please,” Twilight called loudly. “I know that it’s a shock.” They gave her their attention immediately, though Rarity and Fluttershy still looked unsteady. Twilight lowered her volume to a more conversational level to say, “Believe me, I know. Aside from that, is everypony okay?”

One by one, her friends nodded confirmation that they were, indeed, fine.

“Good,” Twilight breathed. “We don’t have time to be emotional. These changelings aren’t going to be a threat anytime soon, but the others still have to be stopped.”

“We’re with you, Twi,” Applejack said stoically.

“Yeah,” Dash agreed, easing down just enough that she no longer seemed to be glued to the ceiling. “What do you want us to do?”

“We need to get to the Elements of Harmony,” Twilight explained. “We should be able to use them to create a super-powered counterspell that will free everypony else from the love spell. Cadance can’t do it on her own, as weak as she is.” The other mares glanced toward the slumped noble, but none of them seemed inclined to comment. Taking their silence as acceptance, Twilight approached the princess and gently coaxed, “Cadance, we have to go.”

The winged unicorn bobbed her head in a shallow nod and pushed away from the wall. She looked up at Twilight with reddened eyes in a tear-streaked face and dully replied, “I’m ready.”

Unsure of what else to say, Twilight led the others from the room and down the hall to rejoin Luna and the stallion in the corridor. A small group of fake guards lay by the wall in a tidy, unconscious heap near Luna, who was thoroughly unruffled. The white changeling was eyeing the princess of the night nervously but, upon noticing Twilight, he brightened up immediately and moved toward her.

“Ah, good,” Luna said, perking up as the ponies emerged. “Now we can-“

“Changeling!” Dash pointed an accusatory hoof at the white stallion, causing him to flare his wings and back away from the mares uncertainly, clearly not thrilled by the idea of a fight.

“No, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight interrupted, quickly stepping between her friends and the false alicorn. “I mean, yes, he is a changeling, but he’s still affected by the love spell. He’s an ally, okay?”

The pegasus’s face twisted in disgust and she angrily snapped, “You’ve got to be kidding!”

“Twi, come on,” Applejack objected, “you can’t be serious.”

“Um.” Fluttershy hesitantly asked, “Twilight, um, are you sure you’re thinking clearly? I mean, if the love spell is still on h-him, maybe, um, you’re not free either?”

“Of course I am!” Twilight insisted.

“If you say so, darling,” Rarity said in a clipped voice. The frosty look she leveled at the changeling made her opinion on the matter clear.

“I say so as well,” Princess Luna interjected, stepping forward and glowering at the mares. “My sister removed the enchantment on Twilight Sparkle. The changeling remains ensorcelled, as is his wish.” He nodded his agreement with her statement and she went on, “This is a matter of no importance. Celestia does battle with the Changeling Queen as we speak. You must retrieve the Elements of Harmony and use them as soon as possible after Cadance and I bring the shield down.”

“Yes, your highness,” Applejack agreed, though she didn't seem entirely mollified. The others grudgingly accepted the princess’ word on the matter even as they still eyed the stallion distrustfully.

“I’ll stay with you,” the changeling told Twilight. “You’ll have to leave the building to reach the place where the Elements of Harmony are kept. It will be dangerous out there, in full view of the battle.”

“No, you need to lead Luna and Cadance to my brother,” Twilight countered resolutely.

Crestfallen, he pleaded, “Twilight-“

“Please help them,” she requested. “We can defend ourselves.”

He looked torn, but he nodded. “I’ll do as you ask, love.” He stepped in to nuzzle her tenderly and she stood stock still and let him. Sighing, he drew back to give her a last sad look, then turned and started down the hall. Cadance followed him hesitantly, glancing back once at the other mares only to swallow whatever she might have said in parting.

“Be cautious, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna intoned seriously. “The day is not yet won.” Without waiting for an answer, she went after the departing ponies.

Twilight nodded as she kept her eyes on the floor, and she didn’t look up until the winged and horned ponies rounded the corner at the end of the hall and were out of sight. Then, blushing, she turned to face her friends.

“So,” Rainbow Dash asked casually, “Is this a good time to talk about the fact that Twilight has a crush on Princess Celestia?” She flinched a little when all of the others – even Fluttershy – glared at her. “Okay, okay, not the time.”

“We need to hurry,” Twilight said. She reared and raced off, the others on her tail.

The battle in the sky was at something of a stalemate. Periodically, Celestia threw off a pulse of pure light to send the lesser changelings reeling and give herself some breathing room. This had less to do with her need to protect herself than with the queen’s distasteful habit of disregarding the lives of her minions as she attempted to destroy the alicorn. Fortunately the smaller changelings seemed ridiculously durable; even those who fell all the way to the paved streets below quickly rejoined the fight with only minor injuries.

A thick bolt of acid green hissed as it sliced through the air. Celestia dodged easily, casting a bolt of light at the changeling queen that missed by a hair. It faded out before reaching the overarching pink wall of the shield.

Noticing this, Chrysalis gleefully gloated, “Running out of energy, Celestia?”

She hadn’t even worked up a sweat yet, but the effort of restraining her power while remaining effective in combat was starting to wear on her. Her return volley was too strong and her aim erratic. She winced as one of the buzzing creatures went down screeching with a scorched wing, barely able to slow his descent.

Her distraction cost her; a glowing green spell bomb was only a few feet away when she banked and snapped her wings shut, allowing herself to plummet out of the way an instant before it detonated practically on top of her.

The sounds of the aerial battle echoed through the streets. Ponies huddled against walls in small groups, clinging to each other and staring upward as the princess of the sun fought for them. Twilight and her friends paid them no mind as they galloped toward their destination. It wasn’t far, and the open layout of the palace grounds made cutting through the surrounding streets the fastest route. They were running past a cafe when a changeling fell out of the sky and smashed into the pavement mere feet from the mares, showering them with stony fragments. He almost immediately rolled and forced himself to his hooves, staggering a little as if dazed from the impact. When he saw them, he hissed threateningly.

Applejack bucked him in the skull and he arced through the air to bounce down the street a bit. He didn’t get back up, but the slow movement of his side showed that he was still breathing.

“This isn’t so bad,” Dash said, delivering an impressive spinning kick to a changeling as it fell past her. The flailing black body disappeared over the roof of a nearby building. “I kind of thought there would be more of them.”

Twilight blasted another fallen changeling with her sleep spell, knocking him unconscious, and observed, “Thanks to the love spell, a lot of them are probably too busy protecting the ponies they care about.”

It took very little time to reach their goal, thanks to the lack of opposition. Charging up to the doors, Twilight flung them open with a burst of magic. Beyond lay a long chamber with massive windows depicting momentous events in the history of Equestria. Only half a dozen enemies waited to guard the Elements, and AJ and Dash made quick work of them before the others could even think of lending a hoof.

“There it is,” Twilight said, eyes affixed to an ornate door at the end of the hall. “The Vault of the Elements.” She broke into an eager trot, her friends close behind her. Light shining through the stained glass windows painted their previous victories on their coats. As she passed the fallen, Twilight cast her spell again to ensure that the changelings would remain dormant until they were defeated as well.

Finally, they reached the vault.

“Oh no!” The other ponies all turned to look at Rarity, who had dropped back on her haunches and covered her mouth with both hooves.

“What?” Dash demanded, flying back to hover above the white unicorn. “What’s wrong?”

Pained, Rarity looked up and asked, “Don’t you remember the last time we were here? Princess Celestia told us that she was the only one who could open the vault!”

“Ponyfeathers!” Applejack exclaimed. “You’re right. Without the princess here to open the magic lock, we’re stuck.”

“Not a problem,” Twilight countered. She lifted one of the unconscious guard-changelings with her magic and carefully deposited him in front of the sealed door. Clambering up on her living makeshift stepladder, she inserted her horn into the hole. A little burst of unicorn magic later, and the vault began shooting out rays of light in the signature hue of Twilight’s magic. The sound of heavy tumblers and clockwork filled the air and the vault rumbled open. Smiling proudly, Twilight retrieved the jeweled chest from within and lifted the lid to display the contents. “Ta-da!”

Rarity sputtered, “Wha- But- How?!”

“I think what she’s trying to ask is, ‘How the hay did you do that, Twi?’” Applejack translated.

“Oh, that’s simple,” Twilight replied blithely as she hopped down from her perch and began to distribute the Elements to their respective bearers. “Princess Celestia showed me a little trick; but if you really want me to explain how, I would first have to clear up a few common misconceptions about harmonic resonances and their impact on multi-level seals, and you’d need a basic understanding of Giddy Gumdrop’s Fourth Law.”

“Ooh, I know this one!” Pinkie clapped her hooves together and cheered, “You mean it’s magic!”

“Exactly!” Settling the tiara on her head, Twilight struck a heroic pose and called, “Come on, girls! It’s time to save Canterlot. For Equestria!”

She received deadpan looks from three out of five ponies. Fluttershy hid her face. Pinkie adopted her own world-saving stance and growled supportively.

“Seriously, Twi,” Dash said brusquely, but not without sympathy. “Leave the catch phrases to the experts, okay?” Clearing her throat, the pegasus cried, “Let’s kick some flank, Elements of Harmony style! Charge!” She blasted off, leaving a rainbow-streaked trail, and the others followed with cries of encouragement.

...With the exception of Twilight, who muttered, “What’s wrong with my catch phrase? I like it.” She grudgingly galloped after the others, finding them just outside of the building, staring up at the sky. The shield was still up.

“I thought that was supposed to come down,” Dash said.

“It is,” Twilight agreed grimly. “What’s taking so long?”

The changelings guarding Shining Armor were hardened soldiers, more than prepared to deal with one unicorn stallion, no matter how powerful or well-trained. They were not prepared to fight an alicorn. Luna trotted up carelessly, her horn lighting only when the grey unicorns began to charge. The changelings were unceremoniously lifted in a dark magical aura and slammed into the walls, the floor, and each other with vicious force until all three went limp. Luna never even slowed her pace. With her foes pacified, she piled them up beside the open door and trotted into the room beyond, announcing, “Captain, we have come to rescue...you?”

Shining Armor stood in the middle of a room full of smashed and splintered furnishings. A venerable conference table had been rendered into kindling, and there wasn’t an intact chair in sight. Tattered fabric and shredded mattress innards were strewn about, indicating that at some point there might have been a bed in the chamber. At the center of it all, the stallion looked exhausted but surprisingly unscathed, considering the state of his living quarters. His eyes widened as Luna walked into the room, and he looked on the verge of collapse as a bedraggled Cadance entered in her wake.

The pink princess trembled as she walked to her fiancé on shaking legs. “Oh, Shining Armor,” she exclaimed softly, nuzzling him with desperate relief. “You’re alright!”

He made no move to return her affection, but his gaze bounced from her to Luna and he was clearly thinking furiously. Cautiously, he ventured, “You’re- How do I know it’s you?”

She was taken aback, but understanding came quickly. She cast about for something, anything, to say, then blushed and hesitantly leaned in to whisper something into his ear, causing his eyes to widen.

“Cadance,” he rasped out, pulling her into an embrace. “It’s really you.” All too quickly, he reluctantly drew back. “Cadance, they have Twilight and her friends. Chrysalis – the queen – she came and told me-“

“I-I had to,” she pleaded guiltily. “They said they would hurt you...”

“As touching as this is,” the white changeling quipped dryly, “Twilight and the others are in danger.”

Shining stared at the Celestia look-alike. “What the hay?”

Luna cleared her throat and tapped a hoof pointedly against the worn carpet. “Captain, if I could have a moment?”

“Princess Luna.” Shining Armor replied quickly as he stood at attention, but he couldn’t seem to stop his attention drifting back to the changeling. “But he-“

“Is a changeling and an ally,” Luna interjected crisply. “Never mind him. Twilight Sparkle and the other bearers are free. Lower your shield immediately.”

Shining Armor snapped his eyes shut and concentrated.

High above the city, the shield came apart like a window shattering. The temperature rose several degrees in an instant as Princess Celestia suddenly burst into flame and went on the offensive. Even far below, the Queen’s scream of rage could be heard as she was blasted to the horizon by a blazing eruption of golden light and fire. A beat later, a bright flash rivaling the sun itself lit the sky.

Twilight blasted another changeling head over tail and shouted, “Now, girls!”

As one, the Elements of Harmony called upon the power of their friendship, their eyes burning white as they lifted into the air. The remaining changelings tried to flee, but it was too late. The rainbow light of harmony exploded outward, engulfing all of Canterlot.

Chapter Seven: Changelings

The rush of magic faded and the wielders of the Elements of Harmony slowly dropped back to the ground, still tingling from the vague euphoria that came in the wake of the power.

Shaking away a lazy half-smile, Dash perked up and asked, “Did we do it? Are the changelings-?”

“Look up!” Pinkie shouted, sitting back on her haunches with one hoof pointed toward the sky.

Black shapes fell from the air, tumbling, flailing, and crying out as they plummeted toward the ground. Some of them still had wings and were able to catch themselves. Others were not so lucky – their wings had vanished – but their flying comrades did their best to catch them. The few who were not caught in midair were either enveloped in the glow of magic and decelerated or snagged by compassionate pegasi before they struck the ground.

Acting on reflex, Rainbow Dash darted up a few meters to rescue one of their falling enemies, her eyes widening when she saw what she’d caught. The half-grown colt, his tiny wings too small to sustain flight, was a pegasus pony, not a changeling. He immediately twisted in her loose hold and clung to her like a limpet, sobbing from fear. Dash gaped at him for a moment before looking to her friends for help.

Applejack stared. “What in tarnation...?”

“Look at them,” Rarity said in a hushed, disbelieving undertone as she stared off down the street. The others turned to follow her gaze and joined her in being entirely flummoxed.

The changelings were no longer changelings; they were normal unicorns, earth ponies, and pegasi, some of them mares, some stallions, and even some foals. Each one had a coat as black as night, their manes and tails in various shades from blue to green. They looked around with electric blue eyes, regarding their surroundings and their new bodies with shock as colorful ponies approached them tentatively.

One black earth pony with a mane of darkest blue was turning circles as he examined himself, occasionally laughing unsteadily. When he stumbled and nearly fell, a beige stallion reflexively caught and held him up. The helpful pony received an exuberant hug in return. Not far away, a pair of ponies who had been clinging together during the battle now stared at each other, still caught in a loose embrace. The black mare began to stammer out an apology, but the orange stallion cut her off with a desperate question. She shook her head sharply and he tightened his forelegs around her as he spoke softly and thoughtfully. Her coat was too dark for a blush to be visible, but her shy expression spoke volumes. He smiled at her and she smiled back.

Others were not so joyful.

“I’m a pony,” an elderly pegasus observed blankly, tears streaming down her wrinkled cheeks. “I’m a pony.”

A little further down the street, a tiny black unicorn colt picked himself up, shaking his head. Eyes widening, he slowly looked up to find a rose-colored unicorn staring down at him, one of her hooves half raised as if to reach out. His little face crumpled and he burst into tears. The mare swayed in his direction, the motion setting a pendant around her neck swinging. She paused, apparently torn, and looked around. Another black pony – a slightly gangly young pegasus with a stunned expression and a limp – was approaching the crying foal. Eyes widening, the unicorn reached out and scooped up the colt, who latched onto her desperately and continued to cry. The pegasus stumbled to a halt and unceremoniously dropped to sit on her haunches.

“It’s true,” Twilight realized aloud. “They really were ponies once.”

Dash – who’d sunk down to the ground and was in the process of transferring the weeping colt to a cooing Fluttershy – exclaimed, “What?! They were ponies the whole time?”

“Well, duh,” Pinkie chirped, rolling her eyes. “Of course they were! Other than being black and having fangs and funny eyes they looked just like us. And now they look even more like us!”

“If that don’t beat all,” Applejack said. “Was it some kind of curse?”

“No,” Twilight responded absently, “but it must have been a spell or-” She shook herself free of her thoughts to stare at Pinkie, who gave her an innocent look. “No,” Twilight breathed. “No, it can’t be.” She turned and stamped a hoof to get the others’ attention. “We have to meet the princesses and my brother in the throne room. Come on, let’s get all of this sorted out.”

The palace grounds were full of ponies. True Royal Guards trickled in from the city and began to take charge. Servants arrived and vanished into the palace to restore order. Former changelings were also converging on the palace. They milled about aimlessly on the lawn, but seemed to be slowly congregating in small groups under the watchful eyes of the guard. One such group relieved Fluttershy of her young charge, who seemed relieved to huddle together with a few other black foals.

No one impeded the progress of the six mares as they entered the palace and made their way to the throne room. There they found the doors open and a group of confused and uncertain black ponies, mostly unicorn stallions, loitering nearby. The former changelings stared at them, awe and uncertainty in their eyes as they began to whisper amongst themselves. Some of them even genuflected before the mares. Embarrassed and puzzled, Twilight and the others moved past them quickly.

Luna, Shining Armor, and Cadance were being attended by veritable horde of guardsponies and members of the palace staff at the base of the dais upon which sat the throne. The moon princess was giving orders while her captain received reports, Cadance leaning into his shoulder exhaustedly.

Seeing the mares entering, Shining Armor perked up and called out, “Twiley!” He eased away from Cadance, ensuring that the groggy princess was stable before cantering to his sister. Rearing up, he laid his forehooves gently on her shoulders and stared into her eyes intently as he urgently asked, "Twilight, are you okay? Did they...did they hurt you? You can tell me."

"I'm fine," she replied, a little puzzled. She looked around at her friends, smiling as they all nodded to show that they, too, were whole and unharmed. Turning back to her brother, she asked, "Are you?"

"Yeah," he said, slumping with relief and favoring her with a tired grin. "I’ll be alright." He lowered his forelegs and stepped back, glancing to his right as Cadance came up alongside him slowly.

Taking in the princess’s downcast demeanor, Twilight ventured, “Cadance?”

“I’m sorry,” Cadance apologized heavily. “I can’t...I can’t say or do anything to make it up to all of you, but at least know that I am so sorry for everything that’s happened.” Beside her, Shining Armor looked pained but said nothing as he cast a guilty glance at his sister and her friends.

“That’s silly, silly,” Pinkie Pie objected, laughing. “You don’t have anything to apologize for. It was the meanie-pants changelings who were naughty, and they’re nice now. Hey, since they’re all freed from the evil spell, this is a good end! That means no one has to say they’re sorry!”

“Yeah,” Dash agreed. “I mean, you didn’t want to do what those jerks said, right?”

Applejack nodded staunchly. “And you helped stop them, so we’re square as far as I’m concerned.”

“Yes, your highness,” Rarity chimed in. “We were a little frightened and suffered an unpleasant shock, but no permanent harm was done. Please, don’t worry about it.”

Cadance looked up with teary eyes. "No, I- What I’ve done to you, to everyone? I should have fought harder. I should have refused no matter what they said. I hurt ponies. I'm a monster!”

Twilight shook her head, keeping her eyes locked with the trembling princess's as she said, "No, you’re not.”

A hoof fell softly on Cadance’s shoulder and she looked up, startled, to find Fluttershy regarding her with gentle, sincere empathy. “It’s okay,” she told the princess earnestly. “You’re not a bad pony. You did a bad thing, but you didn’t want to and you’re sorry. We forgive you.” Behind her, the other Elements nodded their agreement. Cadance’s face crumpled. A low whine emerged from her as she tried to respond; then she broke down completely, slumping to the ground at the yellow mare’s hooves and sobbing out all of the fear, frustration, and crushing guilt of her imprisonment between bursts of unintelligible apologies.

Twilight looked helplessly to her brother, who responded with a sober look before crouching beside his fiancée to comfort her. Fluttershy elected to help by folding her legs gracefully beneath her so that she was on Cadance’s level and nuzzling the older mare. Rarity stepped forward wordlessly and began to groom Cadance with the soft blue glow of her magic, smoothing and cleaning her matted and grimy coat and mane.

Twilight moved as if to join in, but a flash of golden light drew her attention toward the front of the room. Princess Celestia had appeared, hovering a few feet off the floor on widespread wings. A purple baby dragon clung to her back, wide-eyed, as she lowered herself to the floor and crouched down so that he could leap from his perch. Relieved, Twilight cast one last slightly guilty glance toward Cadance before trotting a few paces further into the room and calling, “Spike!”

Looking around, Spike caught sight of his caretaker and immediately rushed toward her, calling out, “Twilight!” Lunging forward, he flung his short arms around her neck and hugged her tightly.

Twilight returned the embrace, hooking a foreleg over his back and giving a quick nuzzle to his scaly head. “I’m so glad that you’re safe.”

“Me too,” he sighed. In a quiet, reticent voice, he told her, “Princess Celestia said that you would be okay, but last night, when you just collapsed like that...” He squeezed a little harder, the tips of his claws just beginning to dig into her coat. “I was worried.”

“I’m sorry you had to see that, Spike,” Twilight said seriously, releasing the little dragon. “Don’t worry, everypony is perfectly fine. Thank you for sending a letter to the princess. Because of your quick thinking, everything worked out okay.”

He bashfully scratched the back of his head with one claw and, “Aw, it was nothing.” He glanced past Twilight, his eyes passing quickly over their other friends to land on Rarity. She was still occupied with Cadance’s mane. Uncertainly, he asked, “Is Princess Cadance okay?”

“The whole situation has been pretty hard on her,” Twilight hedged diplomatically.

“Best to leave ‘em be for now, Spike,” Applejack advised as she walked up to Twilight’s side. She nudged the unicorn with a hoof. “Twi, I think the princesses are waiting for you.”

Startled, Twilight looked toward the throne and saw Celestia and Luna watching her, the former smiling patiently while the latter merely looked calm and remote. Gulping more out of old habit than any real nerves, Twilight quickly left her friends and trotted up the red carpet which led to the front of the room. As she approached she scanned her mentor surreptitiously for battle damage, but Celestia was as perfect as ever, not a hair or a feather out of place. “I’m sorry,” Twilight began contritely, “I didn’t-”

“It is alright, Twilight Sparkle,” Luna assured her. “I suggested to my sister that it would be best to include you in this discussion that we may avoid repetition later.”

“And I agreed,” Celestia interjected serenely. “Are you well, Twilight?”

“Yes, Princess,” the unicorn replied promptly. “Everypony is fine.” She cast a glance back to her friends, who were still gathered around a prone Cadance. “Or they will be, I guess.”

“I’ll take that as good news,” Celestia said mildly. “On that note, it will be some time before Queen Chrysalis presents any sort of danger to Equestria.”

“It is good to hear,” Luna replied. “The changeling army has been dealt with as well, thanks to the Elements of Harmony.” She waved a silver shod hoof at the crowd of black ponies at the back of the room. “We appear to have acquired quite a few new subjects.”

“Truly?” Celestia turned her rapt gaze to the former changelings and mused, “How strange. I had no idea that the Elements would affect them in such a way.”

“Princess,” Twilight interjected, “about the changelings. Pinkie said something earlier - though I don’t think she meant it quite this way - and it’s probably nothing, but I think you should know just in case she’s on to something...”

Gently, Celestia laid a gold-shod hoof on her student’s shoulder and reassured her, “Twilight, I trust your judgment. If you feel that it’s important, I’m listening.”

Twilight had to suppress the bubble of giddy warmth that swelled in her chest before she embarrassed herself. Forcing herself to remain calm and collected, she ventured, “Well, the changelings – when you consider what the Elements did to them-” She looked to Luna guiltily and lowered her voice to hesitantly continue, “They reminded me a little of...of Nightmare Moon.”

Luna recoiled visibly, eyes wide and lips parting as if she would object, but no words emerged. Celestia, on the other hoof, took it with her usual poise. “Yes, I see what you mean.” Glancing at her sister, she calmly agreed, “It is possible that there is a connection, but we may never know for certain. For now, let us keep it in mind and move on. Did the Elements remove the love spells from the citizens?”

Still reeling a little, a slightly more subdued Luna answered, “Yes, in that regard, the Elements functioned as we hoped they would.”

As if on cue, Cadance approached gingerly, flanked by Shining Armor and Fluttershy. She looked much better for Rarity’s attentions, though she could still use a hot bath and a good night’s sleep. Bowing before the sun princess, she said, “Princess Celestia, I’m so sorry. The changelings never could have gotten so far without my love spell. I understand that I probably couldn’t have stopped them, but I...” She paused and glanced toward Shining Armor, who gave her a supportive smile. Taking a deep breath, Cadance continued, “I’m sorry, your highness. I'll never use that spell again."

“Princess Cadance,” Celestia sighed, “please don’t say that.” She stepped closer to the winged unicorn and touched her muzzle to Cadance’s shoulder, encouraging the younger mare to look up. Celestia met her eyes with an expression of gentle compassion. “Any spell can be misused. Rather than forsaking your special gift, take this as a lesson. You wield powerful magic and should always consider carefully before using it. What has happened here these last few weeks is not your fault.”

“I...I understand what you’re saying,” Cadance said, “but I don’t think I could bring myself to do that to anypony ever again.”

Celestia nodded. “In time, perhaps.”

“In time, all things,” Pinkie Pie chirped, bouncing past the white alicorn. Gleefully, she leapt into the decorative water feature beside the throne and began to splash around. “Whee!”

“Ahaha,” Twilight laughed nervously, her face suddenly frozen in a forced smile. Her horn lit and Pinkie was enveloped in magenta light and lifted out of the shallow pool. “Sorry, Princess, Pinkie is just a little wound up from all of the excitement. She is so sorry-” (“I’m not sorry! That was fun!”) “-and she’ll never do it again, she promises.”

“It’s alright,” Celestia replied, smiling indulgently as Pinkie giggled and wiggled around in midair, dripping freely on the red carpet below her. “It has been quite a day. Why don’t you and your friends go get something to eat?" Twilight looked uncertain, but the princess was serenely adamant. "Don’t worry, Luna and I can handle things. Captain, please escort the Elements of Harmony and Princess Cadance to brunch and ensure that they receive whatever accommodations they desire. I think that Lieutenant Horn Blower can fill you in when you get back.” One of the earth pony guards saluted crisply.

Shining Armor looked a little surprised, but obediently said, “Yes, your highness.” Turning toward the lieutenant, he told the younger officer, "Hold off on searching the caves until I get back, but be sure that everyone guarding the entrance stays on their hooves. Oh, and have Lieutenant Bush compile a list of soldiers and palace staff who haven't returned to duty; it's possible some were hurt when the changelings arrived."

"Yes, sir!" Horn Blower and the other guards saluted their captain.

Shining Armor returned the gesture before bowing respectfully to the princesses. The Ponyvillians and Cadance followed suit, and the ponies took their leave as the rulers of Equestria watched them go. The small group was halfway through the throne room before a nudge from Applejack reminded Twilight to let Pinkie down.

As they came to the door, Twilight hesitated. A Celestia-sized black stallion with a long, sharp horn was just entering, his broad wings tucked neatly against his sides. He stopped when he saw the purple unicorn and returned her stare with shocked, luminescent blue eyes. Her friends moved on, none-too-subtly ushering Shining Armor and Spike forward when they would have stopped, and left Twilight effectively alone.

She had to say something, if only to end the horribly awkward silence. “You,” Twilight blurted out dumbly. The stallion shifted slightly and she took a skittish, involuntary step back, unsure of what to think or feel.

“No, it’s okay,” he said, quickly raising a hoof in a placating gesture. “I don’t love you anymore.” He blushed immediately, strongly enough to be seen through his dark coat. “Sorry, that didn’t sound right. I mean, the enchantment was broken.”

“Oh right. Of course it was,” Twilight replied weakly, calming down a little. She studied the former changeling more thoroughly, wryly thinking that he still resembled the princess a bit too much even though his long, flowing, azure mane and tail were merely normal hair. “So...you really are an alicorn now.”

“A unicorn with wings,” he corrected, “much like Princess Cadance. I’m nothing special.”

“I’m not so sure about that,” she countered. “We might not have found Cadance or my friends without your help.”

“I’m vain enough to pretend that’s true,” he chuckled. Growing serious, he gravely told her, “I wanted to apologize for what I put you through and also to thank you for saving us.” He nodded toward the other former changelings, who stared at Twilight with awe. “I don’t think I can express what it was like. We owe you more than we will ever be able to repay.”

"It wasn't just me," she protested modestly, uneasy under the weight of so many wide, earnest blue eyes. "I couldn't have done it without my friends. And you certainly don’t owe us anything."

He gave her a look that gently disagreed, but something behind her caught his eye before he could say anything in response. Twilight glanced over her shoulder to see both princesses looking in her direction. Luna was gesturing for the stallion to approach but paused at a word from Celestia. The unicorn felt her face begin to heat up as she realized who she was talking to and what her teacher must think-

“I should go to them,” the stallion said reluctantly, drawing Twilight’s attention back before she could work herself up too much. “Princess Luna said that she would speak to Princess Celestia about making us citizens of Equestria. She thinks that a lot of the other former changelings will look to me for guidance...” He fluffed his wings and bobbed his horned head pointedly, a somewhat wry expression on his face. “...and it will be easier for us to integrate if we have a public face who looks ‘royal’.”

She nodded and silence fell between them. He hesitated briefly but seemed unsure of what else to say. With an awkwardly polite nod, he walked past her and approached the waiting princesses. The rest of the former changelings moved to follow, drifting after the winged unicorn stallion like nervous shadows.

He’d gone a dozen steps when Twilight whirled around and called, “Wait!” He glanced back over his shoulder at her and she hesitantly pointed out, “It’s kind of embarrassing, but I never asked your name.”

The other ponies continued to file past, all of them giving the winged unicorn a respectful berth as he paused and turned to face her again. “I didn’t have one before,” he admitted, “but Princess Luna suggested Caeruleus Nox.”

“I like it.” She closed the distance between them and, smiling up at him, held out a hoof. “Friends, Caeruleus Nox?”

Nox’s returning smile was brilliant. He nodded as he gently bumped her hoof with his own and happily agreed, “Friends, Twilight Sparkle.”

Cadance and Shining Armor had paused just outside the open doors of the throne room to wait with Twilight’s friends when the young unicorn fell behind. They were grouped in a loose circle, Cadance leaning into Shining Armor’s side and hesitantly allowing the other mares and Spike to engage her in conversation. The stallion paid no attention to the discussion as he watched his sister interact with the former changeling through narrowed eyes. Suspiciously, he began, “Cadance, wasn’t that guy the one who-”

“Oh my, what a day,” Rarity interrupted dramatically, fanning herself with a hoof. “I can’t remember the last time I ran around so much.”

“Oh, that’s a good question! Hmm, I think it was when we fought Discord,” Pinkie mused. “Saving the world sure is hard work.”

“You said it, sugar,” Applejack chuckled. “I don’t know about ya’ll, but I’m plumb tuckered.”

“Me too,” Fluttershy softly agreed.

Rainbow Dash laughed as she landed and flexed her wings. “No kidding. And I thought coming out here for a wedding would be boring.”

Rarity suddenly looked stricken. “Oh no, the wedding!” she gasped. “I never finished our dresses!”

“Uh, I’m not sure there’s actually a wedding, Rarity,” Applejack ventured, glancing uneasily at the couple who might or might not be tying the knot. “Wasn’t that just part of the changeling trap?”

“Not exactly,” Shining Armor replied slowly. “I had asked Cadance to marry me and we were beginning to make plans, but then the changelings came. We’d already decided on the date and asked the princess for permission, so Chrysalis incorporated the celebration into her scheme.”

Cadance chimed in softly, her eyes on the floor. “Tomorrow is the anniversary of the first time I foalsat Twilight; it was the day Shining Armor and I met.”

Fluttershy shifted uneasily on her hooves and tentatively asked, “So, um, you’re still getting married?”

Cadance looked to Shining Armor uncertainly. “Sh-shining?”

“Of course we’re still going to get married,” Shining Armor said softly, stroking her forelock back and smiling at her. “Unless you don’t-“

“I do,” she insisted quickly. “But after all this-“

“I told you that none of that matters to me. I love you,” he told her firmly. “We’ll just have to postpone the ceremony a little.”

“No, you won’t,” Twilight said. All eyes turned to the mare who had just joined them. She looked around at her friends, a challenging smile on her face as she asked, “What do you think, girls? Does twenty-four hours sound like enough to set up the best wedding ever?”

Pinkie, Rainbow, and AJ loudly agreed, with Fluttershy joining them much more quietly. Only Rarity looked unhappy. AJ poked her in the side with a hoof and said, “Uh, Rarity? That was our cue to say yes.”

Completely deadpan, the white mare asked, “Are you mad? Prepare a wedding in twenty-four hours? Do you know how much time and effort goes into making a wedding dress? Hours of labor! Multiple fittings! That’s not even to mention the bridesmaids’ dresses, hair and make-up, decorations, the food, the invitations, the music, and the flowers! And this is a royal wedding! Only the best will do and everything must be absolutely perfect! Nopony could accomplish such a task, no matter how brilliant, talented, and fashion-forward she might be! It’s simply impossible!”

The other ponies stared at her blankly as she heaved with indignation. Finally, Spike hesitantly ventured, “Impossible for anypony but one as brilliant, talented, and fashion-forward as you?”

Rarity rolled her eyes and flipped her mane dramatically. “Oh, alright. But I’m going to need Fluttershy, six gallons of hot coffee, unrestricted access to the bride, and a large workroom with a suitably inspirational view.”