Chapter 1: Prologue (Once More With Feeling)
"Maybe I was being overprotective. I could've gained a sister. But instead... I just lost a brother... "
Twilight heard herself speak the terrible truth. It had been only moments ago that the young unicorn mare was hoist by her own petard; what she originally intended only to be help her B.B.B.F.F. – Big Brother Best Friend Forever – just made the situation even worse than before. The situation in question prominently features an accusation of an imposter who was impersonating her brother's fiancée and her own former foalsitter: Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, or "Cadance" for short. Little did they know, she was correct in her consideration concerning the imposter. However, she was too saddened to realize this revelation.
He was my big brother, best friend
Forever...
And now, we'll never do anything
Together...
And to realize that said "imposter" was strutting towards her.
The hooded pony made his way toward the silently sobbing unicorn. This was her, he thought to himself, the mare whom he was supposed to imprison. But he couldn't... Just abruptly do so to the defenseless dimbo. It couldn't hurt to warn her just one bit... Right? He had to find out. The pony sighed softly and trotted toward Twilight, whose crying had ceased almost fully. It had transitioned into something that resembled the silent treatment. The perfect opportunity to comfort her and knock some sense into the poor mare. Wait... Comfort? The poor mare? Damn it, it was just what I feared that would happen. In the midst of being at odds with himself, he shook this debate off his mind for the time being and made it to Twilight, hovering above her.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, he caressed her head and spoke softly to the point where it was a whisper, "Hush, Twilight... It's okay..."
"No, it's not," Twilight murmured, much to his surprise. Despite this, he continued his caressing and contradicted her concern,
"Oh, darling. You are mistaken. You could've gained a sister, but instead... You just lost a brother."
At that, Twilight slowly shifted and glanced upward to find herself face to face with her visitor; her own face was in-between that of a frightened frown and an intrigued interest,
"Who are you?"
"Not Princess Cadance, I can tell you that. But..."
"But what?"
Noticing that he captured her attention, the pony proceeded on, "I am a Changeling, darling. Princess Cadance, your former foalsitter, is one as well. I have been assigned to kidnap and imprison you in the Canterlot Caverns below, but I'm afraid I can't do just that."
Twilight was many things: ecstatic, because she was right considering how different Cadance acted; appalled, because the Cadance imposter had ordered her imprisonment; and confused, because this "Changeling", one of Cadance's own, decided to defy her orders,
"But..."
"But what?"
"But why? Why would you choose to side with us rather than with them?"
"Well... I am on nopony's side but my own, darling. Still, I find it wrong to enslave many innocent lives for the sake of one kingdom, which is Equestria in this case."
"Still..."
"Still nothing, darling. I'll inform you of the rest of my information when I meet you in the Caverns."
"But you said – "
"I said I'm on nopony's side but my own. Don't worry, no harm done."
[ youtube=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5Xh8duZ1-j0]]
With that being said, a circle of harlequin glames surrounded Twilight and formed a bubble, which lowered her down to the aforementioned Caverns. He sighed softly once more with feeling and began to change into his costume underneath his cloak. When he finished, he lowered himself into the caves below, where Twilight was waiting for his arrival. Arrived he did, and he caught her attention once more with feeling. He cracked his neck and back, beginning to tap dance and sing in synchronization with a jazzy instrumental:
"Why'd you run away? Don't you like my style? Why don't you come and play? I guarantee a great big smile / I come from the imagination and I'm here strictly by your invocation / So what do you say? Why don't we dance awhile?"
The Changeling threw off his cloak and revealed his pony costume: a pair of lapis lazuli eyes, a mane of two tones of sapphire blue, and a coat of light bluish grey barely visible due to the fact that most of it (cutie mark included) was obscured by the sapphire blue suit and vest with matching dress shoes he donned head to hoof. Twilight couldn't help but blink in bewilderment; the Changeling couldn't help but not notice. He continued to remain oblivious throughout his sinister serenade:
"I'm the hottest swing, I'm the twist and shout / When you gotta sing, When you gotta let it out / You call me and I come a-running / I turn the music on; I bring the fun in / Now, we're partying, That's what it's all about / 'Cuz I know, what you feel, girl / I know just what you feel, girl..."
That's when Twilight interrupted him with a question, "Oh, so you're like a good Changeling? Bringing the fun in?"
The Changeling could only chuckle, "You could say that."
Then he resumed his singing:
"All these melodies, they go on too long / Then that energy starts to come on way too strong / All those hearts lay open; that must sting / Plus, some customers just die combusting / That's the penalty when life is but a song / You brought me down and doomed this town / So, when we blow this scene, Back we will go to my kingdom below and you will be my queen / Cuz I know what you feel, girl..."
All of a sudden, Twilight couldn't help but sing once more with feeling, "No, you see /
You and me / Wouldn't be very regal..."
The Changeling couldn't help but enjoy it, "I'll make it real, girl – (What I mean / I'm fifteen / So, this queen thing's illegal)"
"I can bring whole cities to ruin / And still have time to get a soft-shoe in – (Well, that's great / But I'm late / And I'd hate to delay her)"
"Something's cooking, I'm at the griddle / I bought Nero his very first fiddle – (She'll get pissed / If I'm missed / See, my sister's the Slayer...)"
The Changeling interrupted his own song and faced Twilight, "The Slayer?" He knew that the "Slayer" was slang for Princess of the Crystal Empire, and apparently the latter knew this fact as well,
"Yuh-huh."
"Hmm," The Changeling rubbed his chin and finished his song, "Now we're partying / That's what it's all about..."
He soothed his suit and strutted toward Twilight, who was confused as she would be, "So, what's your information you wanted me to be informed of?" He then glanced at both sides as if Twilight wasn't as smart as he previously believed,
"Darling, my entire song was my information: I feel pity for you so I have arranged a bargain for the both of us to reach. That is, I am doing the Kingdom of Equestria a favor, just as you are doing your brother. The problem is, both are unaware of our motives, so it's our job to make them aware. In short... I'll help you if you'll help me."
That offer alone caught Twilight's attention fully, not counting the times that his presence was present. This was her chance, her chance to expose the lies of the imposter, but at what cost? After all, a Changeling of all things had offered his assistance to bring one of his own down. Would this be an elaborate ruse? Who was playing who? What if this was a trick? They were different versions of the same question.
"And don't worry, darling, no tricks up my sleeve," The Changeling somehow miraculously read her mind. Again, this was one of many complications clouding her judgement of him; he simply oozed charm and character. A much deeper, much darker character then she feared. Then again...
"What's the deal?"
The Changeling smiled a surprisingly sincere one, "Do you have a name?"
Twilight furrowed her eyebrows but replied anyway, "Twilight. Twilight Sparkle."
The Changeling's sincere smile suddenly reverted to a sinister smirk, "The name's Logan. Logan Lazuli." He stuck out a hoof for her to shake, which she did rather reluctantly,
"It's a pleasure to work with you, Mister Lazuli."
"No, Miss Sparkle... The pleasure's all mine."
Queen Chrysalis – in her Cadance costume – shot up from her bed, glancing around in worry. Worry about the possibility of something wrong occurring, that was Chrysalis's concern. Still, something was very wrong, and she was unaware of what was that wrong. Raising her hoof to her head which was trickling down with a dampness, she gasped and found that the dampness was a swim of sweat, which was rather unexpected to her – a heartless, ruthless villainess. Turning her mind's eye on the wedding hall, it was then Chrysalis realized:
When you need something done, you do it yourself... Once more with feeling.
