Rainbow Dash was not the ‘wedding’ type. Of course she’d imagine she’d have one of her own eventually. But she promised herself many years ago, in a suppressed memory that involved far too much itchy lace, that her own wedding would be as simple as she could make it while still being awesome. So she really did not want to go to the wedding of some fancy princess with a pretentious name like ‘Mi Amore Cadenza’.
But it was Twilight’s Brother’s wedding too, so she wouldn’t have missed it if she could. At least she got the job of performing her signature move at the ceremony, and it had even been bumped up to a full performance while on the train. A fair trade off, as long as she avoided some bridezilla.
Rainbow was in the air as soon as the train door opened, glad to stretch her wings again.
“What’s with all the guards?” Rainbow asked, mostly to herself.
“I’m sure they’re just taking precautions,” Rarity assured. “Royal weddings do bring out the strangest ponies!”
As if on cue, Pinkie sneezed and let out a trumpet sound, confetti flying everywhere. The group decided to ignore it, as usual.
“Now, let’s get going!” Rarity chirped. “We’ve got work to do!”
“And you’ve got a big brother to congratulate!” Applejack said to Twilight.
“Yeah, ‘Congratulate’,” Twilight growled. “And then give him a piece of my mind!”
They watched as she stormed through the gates, not even remotely intimidated by the Guards and their spears. Suppressing a giggle at the Guards’ confusion, Rainbow followed after in the air. She wasn’t really worried that Twilight would fight her brother and get arrested, but it didn’t hurt to keep tabs on their conversation.
She kept an ear on Twilight and her brother, who Rainbow really wanted a better look at. She decided it would be best to focus on something other than the guy that was getting married tomorrow, and checked out the badge Celestia had included in her letter.
After all, in a state of emergency, they couldn’t have just anyone in Canterlot Airspace, and she was supposed to use the Guard’s training grounds to practice for her show. She’d thought it was just a generic badge, one that said ‘you have permission’ or something. Yet, after the first Pegasus Guard looked at it, his face paled and he actually saluted her before high-tailing it out of there.
The badge itself was made to be worn around a neck, and its red color reminded her of her Element of Harmony, though it was a standard shield instead of a lightning bolt. Still, it had very little on it. There was just a spot for a name and rank, both filled in.Tthe ‘name’ section was obvious, but under ‘Rank’, Celestia had written ‘Loyalty’. Nothing else indicated her permission to be there.
She wondered if the Elements of Harmony held some sort of Military rank, and what that rank actually was. If it was decently high, that could explain the Guard’s response earlier. She’d have to ask Twilight.
Speaking of Twilight, Rainbow’s thoughts were interrupted by a squeal of glee.
“Cadence is only the most amazing pony ever!” Twilight shouted, loud enough for Rainbow to hear. “She’s beautiful, she’s kind, she’s-“
Seems like Twilight knew a ‘Mi Amore Cadenza’ after all. She wondered why the princess used a nickname to the point that someone who knew her that well didn’t know her legal name. Then again, if Rainbow were stuck with something as pretentious, she’d probably do it too.
Rainbow laughed to herself, watching Twilight gush about someone. With that attitude, maybe this ‘Cadence’ was marrying the wrong sibling.
Deciding they were in good hooves, Rainbow flew off to find the practice grounds. The place was oddly empty, but then again, all the Guard were probably out doing Guard things. She didn’t care too much. It made it easier to practice whatever she needed.
Rainbow started small, just warm-up exercises. Soon enough, she was going for more complicated spins and rolls and such. She dove, getting as close to a Rainboom as she could without actually causing said event.
As she pulled out of a barrel roll, she spotted someone entering the grounds. Even if the mare didn’t have a crown on her head, the fact that she was an Alicorn gave away the fact that she was a Princess. Banking hard, Rainbow dove and came up to meet the pink mare.
“Good afternoon, Princess,” Rainbow greeted, a bit too formally for her taste.
“It’s ‘Princess Mi Amore Cadenza’,” the mare corrected with a glare.
Biting back the urge to ask who pissed in her cheerios this morning, Rainbow stood straighter and smiled.
“Good afternoon, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza,” Rainbow greeted again. “What can I do for you today?”
Instead of answering, the Princess inspected her. It felt creepy. Not a lecherous type of creepy, thank the stars, but the way Flight Camp bullies used to do. Of course, Rainbow did have enough sense not to immediately tell her off like she would the bullies.
“Please tell me you have something better planned for your performance,” the Princess said.
Rainbow visibly recoiled and raised an eyebrow.
“Of course I do,” Rainbow stated, trying not to glare. “I’ve only known about this job for a few hours. I haven’t had time to hammer out actual plans yet, other than the finale.”
“Ugh,” the princess rolled her eyes. “I told her she should get the Wonderbolts. At least they have planned performances.”
“Excuse me?!” she snapped, not bothering to hold back her glares. “First off, if you wanted the Wonderbolts, then maybe ask them in advance instead of giving the task to your aunt a day before your wedding. Secondly, the only reason I’m not a Wonderbolt is because they have an age limit, which I’ve only recently passed, so you’re really getting the same deal. Thirdly, even if you got the Wonderbolts, none of them can do what I can do.”
“And what exactly is it you can do?”she asked.
“Oh, I don’t know,” she rolled her eyes. “How about a Sonic Rainboom?”
“A sonic whatnow?” she raised an eyebrow at the word.
“A Sonic Rainboom?” she repeated, trying to recall the fancy words Twilight used. “It’s a maneuver where one flies so fast they create a sonic boom with a visible, spectrum-colored shockwave, and was completely theoretical until I managed it at age eleven?”
The Princess stiffened at the comment. Faster than Rainbow thought possible for someone other than herself, the Princess was in her face. Their muzzles weren’t quite touching, but she could feel her breath on her fur, and nearly went cross-eyed trying to look at her.
“Show me,” the Princess commanded.
“What?” Rainbow asked.
“I said, show me!” she said.
“No,” she replied, refusing to back down.
“I am your Princess, so do as I say!” she shouted.
Dash backed up, not out of fear, but because she wanted to properly look her in the eye. Sure, she could just perform a Sonic Rainboom. She could probably perform several in a row. But she was not going to give in this brat.
Thinking for a moment, a fact she would be proud of later, she found her way out. Of course, she didn’t hesitate to flare her wings and look bigger than she actually was.
“No,” Rainbow repeated. “I am under Princess Celestia’s orders to do my part in making your wedding amazing. If I perform a Sonic Rainboom now, everyone in the city is going to see it. If I continuously practice it, everyone is going to see multiple of it. As awesome as I am, it’ll cheapen the effect at your wedding. So, no, I’m not going to show off my coolest moves to satisfy your curiosity. But just know that Princess Celestia wouldn’t have asked me to do this if she didn’t think I was capable.”
For a moment, the Princess looked even more furious. However, Dash wasn’t one to back down from a fight. She entered the staring contest, Magenta not leaving Violet for a moment. Eventually, the mare recomposed herself, smoothing down her mane as if this was trivial.
“Fine,” the Princess agreed. “Do as you wish.”
“I will,” Rainbow said.
“Good,” she said, heading back out the door. “But if you ruin my wedding, the Wonderbolt entrance exams won’t be much of a problem for you.”
Rainbow physically bit her own tongue to keep from telling her to shove her tiara somewhere Celestia’d never find it. Instead, she nodded and glared at her back as she left.
Flying around once more, she tried to get back into the rhythm. Every time she imagined that princess’s smug face. Stars, that mare. If it weren’t also Twilight’s brother’s wedding and a favor to Celestia, she would have quit on the spot. Oh well.
She tried. She really tried to work out a bit of a routine for the wedding. Hopefully it could be short, because she only managed to get half way through.
Some petty, spiteful part of her kept thinking of ways to sabotage the wedding, and more than a few ended with some romcom scenario of the Groom leaving her at the altar for the interesting new Mare who was obviously better than the bitchy fiancé. She tried to tell herself ‘it’s just wedding stress making the bride a jerk’, but it just riled her up more, reminding her of the old ‘boys will be boys’ bull she’d heard in school. Stress or not, she was still responsible for her actions.
After a few hours, Rainbow gave up completely. Partly out of frustration, and partly because the girls planned to meet at a local restaurant for dinner. She took her time, enjoying flight without having to think of routines and princesses. It relaxed her enough that she wasn’t fuming by the time she reached the place.
At least she wasn’t last. Twilight had yet to get there, which was odd for her, but who knows what was going on. Rainbow set down next to Fluttershy, sighing and laying her head on the table.
“Um, I already ordered for you,” Fluttershy said. “I figured you might be tired.”
“Thanks, Shy,” Rainbow smiled before looking around at the rest of the group. “So, you all meet the bride? What’d you think?”
“She was okay,” Applejack nodded. “Seemed to have something else on her mind, though with all going on, I’d probably be a bit spacey too.”
“She was…” Rarity trailed off a little. “She was a bride. I’ve seen worse, but wonderful considering wedding stress and the state of emergency. Honestly, I don’t think I’d be as well-held together!”
“She was really pretty,” Pinkie chirped. “She wasn’t very enthusiastic though. ‘State of emergency’ isn’t really the best thing for a wedding.”
“Yeah, figures,” Rainbow did her best to not show outright disgust. “Anyone meet the groom?”
She watched three heads shake ‘no’. Meanwhile, Rarity let out a dreamy sigh.
“Unfortunately not,” Rarity said. “But I had to make adjustments to his outfit as well, just a few small changes in the sleeves and chest before I sent it back. Anyway, while I usually measure my clients myself, he was far too busy and someone had to send up his measurements. But stars, just by measurement I can tell he’s my type.”
“Yeah, I’ll bet,” Applejack snickered while nudging a barely contained Pinkie.
“Okay,” Rainbow reluctantly dragged them away from innuendo, if only to keep Fluttershy’s face from matching her mane. “Having actually seen the guy, let me say, totally measures up to the, uh, measurements. Though I never really thought about ponies actually coming in the Guard’s white and blue, but it really works for him. Tall, handsome, muscular, could totally kick some ass. He’s, like, the embodiment of a Guard, straight out of one of Sunset Silk’s cheesy romance novels.”
“Didn’t take you as a romance novel type,” Rarity teased.
“Only Sunset Silk’s ‘bad’ work,” she laughed.
“When did you see him?” Pinkie asked.
“When we first got here,” she shrugged. “I flew off in the same direction as Twilight, so I got to hear a bit of their conversation.”
“What have I told you about eavesdropping?” Fluttershy smiled softly.
“But she wasn’t dropping eaves,” Pinkie tilted her head. “She was listening in on other’s conversations.”
Thankfully, they were saved from having to correct her by Twilight’s arrival. After depositing Spike at the table, she walked past them for a moment to get a drink from the bar while he told them about his visit back with their parents. Rainbow thought it was unusual for Twilight to drink this early and in just their company, but it was an unusual day. Though maybe she should keep an eye on stress-drinking.
“Bet I can guess what you’re all thinking!” Twilight greeted. “Cadence is the absolute worst bride-to-be ever!”
“Who, me?” Spike asked in a near-comical high voice.
The group turned to see him holding the caketoppers, both designed like the Bride and groom. As Applejack scolded him for taking those from the kitchen, Rainbow reflected on Twilight’s comment. What had happened in the past few hours?
“Twilight, whatever are you talking about?” Rarity wondered. “She’s an absolute gem!”
“Rarity!” Twilight groaned. “She was so demanding!”
“Well, of course she is!” she rolled her eyes. “Why shouldn’t she expect the very best on her wedding day?”
“Applejack,” she addressed, turning to the mare in question. “Did you know that after she told you how much she ‘love-love-loved’ your hors d’eouvres, she threw them in the trash?”
“Aw, she was probably just trying to spare my feelings,” Applejack shrugged.
“No, she was just being totally fake and insincere!” she insisted.
“She did raise her voice at one of my birds during rehearsal,” Fluttershy said.
“See! Rude!” she exclaimed, pointing for emphasis.
“But he was singing really off-key,” she added, calling the bird in question to her hoof.
As the bird began to squawk horribly, Rainbow frowned at Fluttershy. She wondered exactly how bad ‘raising her voice’ was, considering Shy’s history of underplaying rudeness. If the Princess’s actions earlier were any indication, she could guess.
“Pinkie Pie, you had to have notice how Cadence treated-“ Twilight began.
She cut the sentence short when she saw Pinkie not even paying attention. She was just playing with Spike and the caketoppers. Sighing, Twilight turned to the one pony left.
“Nevermind,” she said. “Rainbow Dash, you’re with me, right?”
“A bit,” she said. “She stopped by while I was practicing, and sort of implied that if I didn’t meet her expectations she’d get me banned from entering the Wonderbolts.”
Instead of responding, Twilight growled and downed half her drink. Tentatively, Rarity put a hoof on her shoulder.
“The princess is about to get married,” Rarity said. “I’m sure any negative behavior she might be displaying is simply the result of nerves.”
“And I’m sure,” Twilight replied, slamming her glass on the table, “it’s the result of being an awful pony who doesn’t deserve to even know Shining Armor, let alone marry him!”
“Think maybe you’re being just a tiny but possessive of your brother?” Applejack asked.
“Uh-huh,” Rarity and Fluttershy nodded.
“No,” Rainbow said, tilting her head.
“Wait, what?” Pinkie and Spike chorused, coming back to attention.
“You don’t think she’s being possessive of her brother?” Fluttershy asked.
“Of course not?” Rainbow replied.
“Not to be rude, Dashie dear,” Rarity said. “But you do remember the train ride up here, right?”
“Yeah?” she said. “Twi was mad because her brother hadn’t told her he was getting married until the day before the wedding. Understandable. If I had a brother I’d be pissed too.”
“Uh, you do remember the other half of that anger?” Applejack said. “Twi’s jut using wedding stress actions to judge a mare she’s never met. If that ain’t possessive-“
Applejack was cut off by Spike snorting with laughter. As he fell out of his seat, Rainbow stared at them and wondered what weird dimension they’d slipped into all day. Then she looked to Twilight, who was looking back and forth between Applejack and Rarity with a similar question on her face.
“That’s-that’s hilarious!” Spike gasped for breath between gigglefits. “Twi-Twilight not knowing Cadence! That’s-Haha!”
“What ain’t I getting?” Applejack asked.
“The fact that Twilight actually knows Cadence?” Rainbow suggested. “Remember what I told you about eavesdropping? She was gushing a storm about the mare. Honestly, kind of wondered if she was a first crush.”
“No, she wasn’t my first crush,” Twilight responded, snapping out of her disbelief.
“But dear,” Rarity frowned. “If you knew who she was, why’d you say before that-“
“That I didn’t know a ‘Mi Amore Cadenza’?” she finished. “Because I didn’t. ‘Mi Amore Cadenza’ is her legal name, but it’s never used for anything. Everypony here knows her as Cadence.”
“But how’d you never know her real name?” she asked.
“Easy,” Pinkie answered for her. “The same way you didn’t know my full name is Pinkamena Diane Pie until, like, last month! I never mentioned it because everyone calls me Pinkie Pie!”
“So, how long have you known ‘Cadence’?” Fluttershy asked.
“For almost ten years,” Twilight answered. “When I was little she was my foalsitter. And even though I haven’t really needed a foalsitter in years, she’s stayed around. She’s one of Shining’s best friends, and while I stubbornly ignored the fact I had friends until I met you girls, she was definitely one of them. They’ve been dating since they were fourteen, but they kept quiet because of how many ponies gossip about the Princess’s ‘lover’, and didn’t tell me because I’m too honest for snooping reporters. She always…. She usually loved to watch out for us. She was one of the sweetest, kindest, mares I’ve met.”
“Again, first crush,” Rainbow deadpanned.
“She wasn’t-“ she sighed. Instead of fighting, she looked to Applejack and Rarity. “I’ve already explained this to you two. Why am I saying it again?”
“Explained it when?” Applejack asked.
“When I-“ she sputtered for a moment and shook her head. “When I first came to the kitchens to check on you? You asked why I looked upset and I told you about the legal name thing and that she didn’t seem to recognize me even though I’d just seen her two days before the Summer Sun Celebration? And I ranted how I was worried that maybe I had changed too much by being in Ponyville for months?”
“I don’t…” she trailed off.
“And you!” she turned on Rarity. “I came to you after I saw Cadence toss Aj’s food in the trash! I ranted for a while about how it wasn’t me who changed, it was her!”
“I’ll admit,” Rarity gulped. “I might have, perhaps, drowned out a bit of the conversation. Don’t give me that look Twilight, I was working on some delicate embroidery when you walked in and that needed more of my attention at the time. I honestly thought you were going over your checklist, not ranting at me.”
“So you didn’t see the bridesmaids either, huh?” Twilight deflated. “I-I thought you were just ignoring it.”
“What about the bridesmaids?” Fluttershy asked.
“When the bridesmaids said they liked the dress colors,” she said. “Cadence, she glared at them. And it was just a glare, but they were terrified, as if they thought she’d hit them. I’ve seen that response before, on a classmate of mine from before I was Celestia’s student. His parents actually did hit him. So for Cadence of all ponies to cause a reaction like that…”
“Are we sure we’re talking about the same Cadence here?” Spike asked. “She’s nothing like that.”
“I know,” Twilight sighed. “That’s what scares me. Because, do you want her like that with Shining?”
“Hell no!” he shouted.
“Language!” four mares warned.
“It’s warranted,” Twilight muttered, rubbing her forehead.
“She does have a point,” Pinkie said.
“Are you sure it’s not wedding stress?” Rarity asked. “Before you start Dash, I know it doesn’t excuse her actions, but if this is temporary…”
“Okay, yeah, temporary,” Rainbow said. “Until something else stressful comes along. Usually after Ponies get married, they have a baby. Babies are one of the most stressful things, and they don’t just go away like a wedding. If that’s how she treats her bridesmaids, how do you think she’ll handle a screaming poop factory?”
“Must you make children sound like such a bad decision?” she sighed.
“Yes,” she answered.
“But that’s the thing,” Twilight said. “Not the baby part, but the stress part. I’ve seen her stressed. I was a stressful child to foalsit!”
“You don’t seem the ‘troublemaker type’,” Fluttershy mused.
“I wasn’t,” she said. “I was the curious type. The ‘I wonder how much Dragon Fire it takes to break through Dad’s fireproofing spells’ type. The answer happens to be ‘Two minutes of uninterrupted flame on one spot while distracting a foalsitter with looking for a sewing kit, and then months to get the smell out of the carpet’. ”
“I remember that,” Spike frowned. “You still owe me three Amethysts for taking the blame.”
“Remind me when we get home,” she said. “Point is, when she’s stressed, Cadence is calm and near-diplomatic. That fire incident? She jumped in surprise, but immediately used an airtight bubble spell while tossing Spike and I outside. I’ve never seen her freak out, or even be rude to me. So if she’s suddenly terrifying her bridesmaids and threatening Dash and yelling at birds, it’s not stress. For whatever reason, she’s doing this on purpose.”
“Do… Is there anything that could’ve cause a personality shift?” Applejack asked. “Like, a major trauma or something?”
“Nothing… recent,” she answered.
“Well….” Spike began. “It couldn’t be, right?”
“What?” Rainbow asked.
“Her… her parents,” Twilight said, her voice much softer. “Jerk or not, I shouldn’t be the one telling you this, but they, uh, died. Back when she was seventeen.”
“That’s horrible!” Rarity gasped.
“I know,” she said. “I’m not going further into the how, stars I wish I never snuck a look at the doctor’s report after it happened. But in the aftermath, that was the closest I’ve seen her to ‘different’. She depressed and traumatized, sometimes sarcastic, but still, never rude.”
“Do you think that’s it?” Rainbow asked. “I don’t know how she feels, but if she’s snapping because her parents won’t be here for her wedding, then…. Okay it still doesn’t excuse what she’s said, but I’ll admit, that’s better than the alternative.”
“It still sounds off,” she said. “But not impossible, I guess. It’s a better option than ‘she decided to be a jerk all of a sudden’.”
“I think you should talk to her,” Pinkie said, oddly cheerful as usual. “Talk to your brother too, because either she is being a jerk and he should break up with her, or she needs help and her fiancé can help cheer her up!”
“I guess,” she said, picking up her glass again. “Okay, I’ll go talk to them.”
“Dear,” Rarity said, taking the glass from her magic. “Not that I don’t trust your judgment, but perhaps you should be as sober as possible for this? And I’d suggest eating as well.”
“Fair enough on the drink,” she agreed. “But I don’t think I can eat right now. Ugh. Just-just order something for me and bring it back to my room. I’ll eat it when I get back.”
Before anyone could protest, she ran off. Looking at one another, they sighed and relented. Atmosphere ruined, they decided to change their own orders to go as well. Rarity took all the boxes in her magic as the group began to walk off.
“Hop on, kid,” Rainbow said, lowering herself beside Spike.
“You sure?” Spike asked.
“Yeah, you looked kinda tired,” she shrugged. “And I wanted to talk.”
“About Cadence?” he asked, climbing up.
“Yeah,” she said. “Do you think it’s just stress or that she’s gone off the deep end?”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I…. She’s been sweet most of the time I’ve known her. Like, if Fluttershy had your confidence, but not the ego. Uh, no offense on that ‘ego’ bit.”
“Wow,” she laughed. “How many ponies can you say that about?”
“Maybe one other,” he said. “But I don’t remember much of her… before her parents died. I mean, okay, yeah, I have a lot better memory than most, maybe because I’m a dragon, so I can remember most things from since I was hatched. But with Cadence, I didn’t see her much at first. I was with Twilight, and she was getting settled into being Celestia’s student. We’d pass her in halls, say hi, but I never got the chance to know her back then. By the time I saw more of her, it was right after…”
“You don’t have to say it,” she said.
“Yeah,” he sighed. “I remember that Cadence clearly. Like Twi said, she was how you’d expect, but she was still kind. Everyone said she recovered and was back to normal, but I don’t know what her ‘normal’ was, so I can’t tell if she’s the same as before.”
“That’s harsh, and kind of existential,” she nodded.
“Didn’t think you were one for existentialism,” Rarity said, sliding beside them.
“We’re in the middle of something,” she frowned at her.
“Something the rest of us can hear,” Applejack said from her other side.
“And are concerned about,” Rarity added.
“Okay, just…” Rainbow looked up ahead a bit. “Keep it a bit quiet around Pinks and Shy. They’re… they don’t like thinking that someone could be that bad.”
“Alright,” she said. “Spike, what about after the… however it happened? How’d she get better?”
“Therapy, probably,” Spike said. “She’s the reason there’s a Royal Therapist.”
“There is?” Rainbow asked. “How many royals needed therapy?”
“More than you’d think,” he said. “As Twi would say, it’s not my story to tell there. You just need to know that she got better, and she was like what everyone called ‘her old self’. Some of her relationships actually improved. Like with Blueblood-“
“How could one improve a relationship with him,” Rarity muttered.
“Come on,” he frowned. “Blue can be a bit pretentious, but he’s not that bad.”
“He was kind of a jerk when I met him,” Applejack agreed.
“So was Cadence,” he pointed out.
Both mares stopped and tried to think of a response to that. Eventually, they gave up, though perhaps Rarity looked a little guilty.
“As I was saying,” Spike continued. “Blueblood’s her cousin, and they’d been close already, but after that they seemed more like siblings. She said Celestia was less distant, though again, I don’t have a frame of reference. And if Shining had been close to her before, I think they’ve spent every free moment together now.”
“But,” he continued. “She never felt like she was faking it. It felt like she’d actually moved on and dealt with it, so to have her change her personality because they’re not here for the wedding feels off. But she’s never shown a sign of anything else. If it wasn’t this, then what changed?”
“Wow!” Pinkie exclaimed, having at some point dropped in with them. “That’s really different! You make it sound like she’s a whole different pony!”
“Where have you been!”
The group looked up. Somehow, they had made it back to their rooms in the castle, though none had been paying attention to the turns they took. As they entered the door into the ‘lobby’ area of their rooms, the place Rarity had taken as her workshop, a pony came up to them.
She was a blue Unicorn, with a gold mane and a Cutie Mark that looked like some sort of hexagonal ring. Behind her were two Earth Pony colts, maybe a year older than the group’s little sisters, each leading a large cart. One was dark blue with a lighter colored mane and a spear Cutie Mark, while the other was light blue with a dark blue mane and a vase for a Cutie Mark.
“Hello,” Rarity greeted. “Sorry, we only stepped out to get something to eat. Has something happened?”
“Yes,” the mare answered. “Due to some last minute changes, the previous bridesmaids have been removed from the wedding, and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza would like you five to replace them.”
“R-really?” Fluttershy whispered. “But… we barely know her.”
“I don’t make the rules,” the mare shrugged and gestured to the carts. “But I was told to make sure you had enough material, so we gathered some supplies.”
Sure enough, the two boys began to unload bolts of fabric, boxes of pins and thread and beads and stars know what else.
“Five dresses in less than a day,” Rarity stared. “Well, I don’t think I shall be getting much sleep tonight. Onward then!”
“I have a question,” Applejack said. “What happened to the other bridesmaids?”
“They……” the mare stopped and frowned. “I have no idea, actually. Th- kid, do you know?”
The light blue colt shook his head, dropping a box on the way. Spike hopped off Rainbow’s back and helped him gather the spools that rolled off. The other colt gave an exasperated sigh before saying he didn’t know either.
“Okay…” the mare frowned. “We have no idea. It doesn’t matter too much right now. They’re out, you’re in.”
“That’s weird for a wedding,” Rainbow frowned.
“Hey, maybe she’s apologizing!” Pinkie said. “Like, not that she’d get rid of bridesmaids for us, but if she had to anyway then maybe she’s making up for it?”
“Who knows,” the mare said. “Anyway, I have more to check up on, so let’s go.”
With that, the mare walked off down the hall, the two colts following behind. Picking fabric and sketches up in her magic, Rarity looked over the rest of the group.
“Hm…” Rarity mused. “I think I can repurpose the old dresses. Almost makes me glad she asked me to change the colors on the first round.”
` “This is still weird,” Spike said. “While she doesn’t usually have something to apologize for, Cadence’s never been the ‘apologize from the distance’ type.”
“Who knows what’s going through that mare’s head,” Applejack said. “Besides, you should probably go to sleep.”
“Come on, AJ!” he protested. “It’s early!”
“Yeah, and you’ll be up early too,” she repied. “Tomorrow’s going to be one heck of a day, and you need sleep.”
“Fine,” he grumbled, heading to one of the bedrooms. “Despite what Twilight says, I still think the curse will do something.”
“What curse?!” Fluttershy squeaked.
“Supposedly grandma’s ex cursed the family,” Spike said. “Now all weddings will end in some kind of disaster. Twi says the curse isn’t real since only two weddings had something go wrong and the marriages themselves are still strong, but mom and I agree that ‘your ex coming to murder you but ends up cursing the family as she’s hauled off to jail’ and ‘the Bride and Groom’s parents get drunk and start a brawl before the ceremony’ is a bit of a coincidence, so we’re waiting on the third to be a pattern.”
With that, he closed the door and left them to maksure Fluttershy knew there probably wasn’t a curse, and even if there was it’d be fine.
Of course, nothing distracts from the threat of family curses like modeling. In minutes Rarity had them wrapped in fabric and pins. And while Rainbow hated dresses, she did concede to Rarity’s point that a bridesmaid needs a dress. Still, she had some requests.
“Rares, can’t you make it less….” Rainbow tried to find a word. “Frilly?”
“Rainbow, it’s a dress,” Rarity deadpanned.
“I know, I know,” she said. “But come on. This is starting to look like my gala dress, but less aerodynamic. Not that the first one was but-“
“Ugh,” she made a face. “You’re right. It is just like your gala dress. Great, now I have to remake it.”
“Okay, next time, I keep my damn mouth shut,” she groaned, rubbing her face as the dress was tugged off of her.
Before they could say anything else, the door burst open. Twilight came flying through next, in a whirlwind of sobs and traces of teleportation magic and near-incoherent babbling. Within seconds they had surrounded her, hugging her, though they didn’t know why.
“Twi, are you okay?” Applejack asked, once her breathing had slowed to something normal.
“No,” Twilight shuddered.
“Whatever could have happened?” Rarity asked.
“Sh-she happened,” she said.
“Cadence?” Fluttershy asked. “I thought you went to talk to her and your brother.”
“What did she say?” Rainbow nearly growled.
“Nothing,” Twilight gulped. “It’s what she did.”
“What she did?” Pinkie asked.
“Twilight, start at the beginning,” Rarity commanded.
She nodded, starting to speak, but her voice choked. Fluttershy was quickest, getting her a glass of water. Swallowing the whole thing in a few seconds, Twilight gasped and nodded.
“I-I went to Shining’s place,” Twilight said. “I started to talk to him, but before I could say anything she-she walked in. She wanted to talk to him alone, so they walked into the other room. But I couldn’t-I had to know. So I watched through the door.”
“They started arguing,” she said. “First about me being there, then about his outfit, and she- as soon as he disagreed with her she cast a spell on him, and just like that, he was nodding along.”
“Some kind of brainwashing spell?” Applejack asked. “Can-can she even do that?”
“Physically or legally?” she asked, almost with a dry sarcasm. “Legally, no. Physically, it’s possible, if difficult. But he’s been casting the shield spell for a few days straight now so-“
“What does that have to do with anything?” Rainbow asked.
“You can’t cast spells in your sleep,” Rarity answered first. “At best you can wake up from a nightmare casting something on instinct, but if you are fully asleep your magic cuts out. Her brother hasn’t been sleeping for days. How he’s still standing-“
“There’s a spell,” Twilight said. “You can transfer the body’s need for sleep into someone else. But you can’t rest your mind, and it makes you highly suggestible to even normal types of manipulation. Mind spells after several days without sleep? He didn’t stand a chance.
“But if she’s,” she swallowed. “She’s using mind spells to keep him from disagreeing with her. If she’s using them that casually, what else has she been controlling? Just-Fuck! What if their whole relationship is just her forcing him to like her? What if she forced him to-stars I can’t even say it.”
She didn’t have to, because everyone’s faces showed that they made the connection. Rainbow felt like she was going to throw up.
“A-are you sure?” Fluttershy asked. “Not about what you saw, I believe you saw that but just… why would she change? Pinkie said it sounds like she’d been replaced. Could she, um, I mean, there is a threat against the city, so what if someone was using mind spells on her or replaced her.”
“I was joking with that,” Pinkie answered this time. “It’d be totally pointless to have replaced her.”
“But, it would make sense,” Twilight admitted. “She-she’s a princess with access to-“
“Exactly!” she said. “Like, if I was some evil supervillain trying to take over the city, I’d do anything to do that. And if I managed to brainwash or replace a princess? As fun as charades is, I wouldn’t pretend to be the bride checking on the wedding.
“If I were said supervillain, I’d probably kill Shining Armor,” she continued with her cheery voice, ignoring Twilight’s squeak. “Because then I could call in my reinforcements. Then I’d probably sneak in while my troops take care of the guards and kill Celestia and Luna. And then I’d kill the brainwashed Cadence, or if I replaced her I would’ve killed her at that point and-“
“Pinkie, oddly enough, this isn’t helping!” Rarity said, her voice tense.
“Huh? Oh, right,” she gave a sheepish giggle.
Twilight took a shuddering breath, but managed to hold together. The rest looked at each other while Pinkie apologized again.
“I think what she meant,” Applejack took over, “is that there’s no payoff for her to be replaced. So unless we find reason, I don’t think we can rule that out.”
“So, what are we going to do?” Rainbow asked. “Usually I’d fly off to kick some ass, but lately all that gets me is a tail pull and a lecture. So what’s the plan?”
“We-we have to wait,” Twilight said. “I don’t want to, stars I have half a mind to let you go off and kick her to Tartarus, but we have to prove she’s evil. And I think the best way to do that is to go to Celestia.”
“Why directly to her?” Rarity asked.
“Because she can’t be brainwashed,” she answered. “Any of the Guard could easily be put under a spell, but Celestia is too powerful and experienced, and she hasn’t been running herself ragged like the Guard, since they need her at full strength should they fail. Not to mention, she’ll believe us. I mean, okay, some of the Guard know me, but against a Princess and the Captain? Even if our accusation is mind control, our standing with the guard won’t do much-
“What standing with the guard?” Fluttershy asked.
“Is this why that one Guard saluted me?” Rainbow asked.
“Yes,” Twilight answered. “I only recently found out about it, but wielding the Elements of Harmony technically puts us in the Guard, a sort of specialized team like the Wonderbolts. There’s a lot of rules I have to go over another time, half of which are circumstantial. Basically, if we are in a situation where the Elements are needed, we have some command of the regular Guard.”
“That is a lot of power,” Rarity said. “But you’re right, they probably put us under the Princesses and Captains. So, we wait and go to Celestia as soon as she’s free?”
“The rehearsal,” Twilight said. “That’s the earliest.”
“Fine,” she agreed. “Until then, as much as I hate destroying hard work, I suggest we do something therapeutic and burn these.”
With her magic, she pulled the dresses off everyone and tossed them into a pile. Pins came out and thread unraveled as she went. Honestly, Rainbow was half sure they’d end up getting set on fire from Rarity’s glare alone.
“Why-why were you wearing those?” Twilight asked.
“That-that creature,” Rarity spat, “Apparently fired her bridesmaids. She had asked for us to replace them, and at the time I thought ‘perhaps she has realized how she acted and is apologizing with the opportunity’. I can see now it was probably a bribe of some sort, hoping to get us all excited so that we’d forget her previous actions and brush off any accusations otherwise. Stars, it makes me sick that I could have fallen for that.”
“Wait, why’d she get rid of her bridesmaids?” Twilight asked.
“No idea, but she’s a bitch,” Rainbow shrugged. “Does she need a reason?”
“Well, no, but I want to make sure they’re okay,” she said. “It was Twinkleshine, Lyra and Minuette.”
“Our Lyra and Minuette?” Applejack asked.
“Now that you mention it, it was,” Rarity frowned, pausing her destruction. “Do you think they’re okay?”
“I hope so,” Twilight said. “I kind of feel bad. They were always nice to me, back when I stubbornly refused friends. I think they considered me one, even if I sucked at it.”
“They did,” Pinkie said. “Trust me, after they moved to Ponyville last year, Lyra and I talked on and on and she mentioned you and said you were really nice, if a little reclusive! Why do you think I went above and beyond for your welcome party instead of the usual party? No! I grabbed them and set up a surprise party!”
“Still,” she said. “Considering what she’d do to my brother while supposedly loving him, I’m concerned for the mares she barely knows.”
“They’ll be fine,” Rainbow said, trying to put more confidence into her voice than she felt. “Once we talk to Celestia tomorrow, we can figure out what happened!”
“I hope so,” she whispered.
Rainbow was as impatient as ever, but even she wasn’t as bad as Twilight. She was twitchy as all hell as they walked through the halls. She could only imagine what her wings would be doing if she’d been a Pegasus. The only thing she was ‘glad’ about was that they managed to convince Spike to go somewhere else, saying he should probably spend the day helping Velvet and Night Light. It was better than letting him hear anything they said.
The room they walked into was grand, the sort of place you’d imagine a wedding in a castle would happen. Though the décor was only half-finished, a Unicorn could easily set up the seating in a matter of minutes.
At the end of the hall were Celestia, Shining, and the ‘Princess’. The six friends stood tall, Rainbow and Fluttershy both giving Twilight a comforting wing on her shoulder, and stared them down.
“Girls, I’m glad you’re here,” Celestia said. “So, you should be standing-“
No,” Twilight said, her voice commanding. “We’re not going to stand next to her. And neither should you!”
“I’m sorry,” Shining said to the mare standing across from him. “I… I don’t know why she’s acting like this.”
“Maybe we should just ignore her,” the ‘Princess’ said.
Her comment, while muttered, was loud enough to be heard from their position. Rainbow felt a fire roar beneath her skin, and she felt those next to her tense. Even Celestia recoiled and raised an eyebrow at the comment.
“Twilight,” Celestia said carefully. “Are you okay?”
“Absolutely not,” Twilight said, walking forward and pointing her hoof at the ‘Princess’. “She’s evil!”
“What are you-“ she began.
“Because she’s evil!” she shouted. “She’s been horrible to my friends, she’s obviously done something to her old bridesmaids, and if that wasn’t enough, I saw her put some sort of mind-spell on my brother!”
“Why are you doing this to me?” the ‘Princess’ whined.
“Because you’re evil!” she screamed. “And if I don’t stop you, you’re going to ruin my brother’s life!”
Instead of fighting back, as she’d expected, the ‘Princess’ burst into tears and ran out. Rainbow debated about going after her, but decided it wasn’t worth it now. Once they fully talked to Celestia, they’d find her.
However, the two remaining had different views. Celestia was calm, her previous shock replaced by an almost diplomatic neutral expression. Shining Armor, on the other hoof, looked ready to kill. Just as Twilight turned to explain in full what they had learned, he marched up to her.
“You want to know why she was casting spells on me?” Shining demanded, causing her smile to drop. “Because ever since I started having to perform my protection spell, I’ve been getting terrible migraines. She hasn’t been ‘brainwashing me’, she’s been using her magic to heal me!”
“You can’t believe that!” Twilight scoffed. “It’s the spell talking. Do you think it’s a coincidence that she cast it as soon as you disagreed with her?”
“Of course it was!” he shouted. “Because concidences happen! Did you see her cast it any other time?”
“No, but after she did you-“ she tried to say.
“And she decided to replace her bridesmaids,” he continued, ignoring her comments, “because she found out the only reason they wanted to be in the wedding was so that they could meet Canterlot Royalty!”
“Lyra and Minuette wouldn’t-“ Pinkie interrupted.
“If they wanted that they would’ve-“ Twilight began to say, her conviction draining.
“And if she hasn’t been on the best behavior with your friends,” Shining stomped his hoof, “It’s because with me being so busy, she’s had to make all the decisions about the wedding!”
“That’s no excuse for-“ Rarity attempted before being silenced with a glare.
The five surrounded Twilight, standing between her and her brother. He glared at them, daring them to move. Fluttershy, trembling as she was, stood in front and stared back.
“She’s been completely stressed out!” Shining shouted, his stare boring past them into Twilight. “It’s important to her that out big day be perfect! Something her parents would have loved! And that obviously wasn’t important to you!”
“Now wait just a darn-“ Applejack started.
“Now if you’ll excuse me,” he said, ignoring her and walking past to the doors. “I have to go and comfort my bride. And you can forget about being my Best Mare. In fact, if I were you, I wouldn’t show up to the wedding at all!”
At that, Twilight broke. She stared after him, her legs failing and dropping her to the floor. Tears sprung up, and she looked like she couldn’t breathe. Fluttershy started Panic Attack Protocol, Pinkie produced warm tea from nowhere. Rarity attempted to get Twilight to focus on her while Applejack stood in her way, blocking Shining from sight.
“You son of a bitch!” Rainbow screamed. “She was trying to help you!”
She snapped, flying forward faster than she thought she could in that short a space. She only managed one punch before his magic slammed her into a wall. Swearing, she slid down and lay against the floor.
“Shiny, what…” Twilight whispered.
“Don’t,” he said. “Maybe next time you’re being possessive, don’t make up stories to justify your paranoia.”
Rainbow wanted to punch him again, but her head pounded. She felt someone help her to her hooves, but nearly fell over again when she felt more magic washing over her. Thankfully, this seemed to calm her raging head instead of slam her into another wall. Daring to open her eyes, she saw a fading gold glow from Celestia’s horn.
“Perhaps the phrase will be unbecoming of a Princess,” Celestia said. “But would someone care to explain what in the hell just happened?”
“It-It wasn’t her….” Twilight muttered, still staring at the door.
“She’s talking about Cadence,” Rainbow said. “She’s been a total-“
“Quite rude,” Rarity cut her off. “We hadn’t noticed at first, after all Brides can be demanding and snap under stress, but Twilight pointed it out and told us how out of character it was for her.”
“Judging by your reaction a minute ago,” Applejack said, “I’d say Twi was right?”
“You are… not wrong,” Celestia admitted. “Cadence is exceptionally kind. I will admit, even I am confused as to why she was not an Element of Kindness. And she has handled far more stress than a wedding. Then again, my family has surprised me before. If I were not so busy-“
“It’s not your fault!” Pinkie said. “There’s been some sort of emergency, and no one can blame you for being busy!”
“While that is true,” she smiled, “It does not take away the problem. And if I were not busy, I could have helped her before. Yet, did Twilight say something of mind spells?”
“Yeah,” Rainbow nodded, regretting that due to what remained of her headache. “Even with it being out of character, it had to be something, right? So Twilight went to talk to her brother and-“
“She said she saw the Princess cast a spell on him when they argued,” Fluttershy piped up. “Anyone would assume mind control, right?”
“Exactly,” Rarity nodded. “And that sent her panicking to us, and after she went over the possibilities and implications, well, it was a lot of bad. And what reason would we have to doubt her? To be fair, we had before we knew she actually knew what she was talking about, but now that we- oh, this is getting complicated.”
“Point is, what other conclusion was there?” Applejack asked. “We’d ruled out stress-induced snap, and we’d ruled out ‘the threat against the Royals having already replaced her’ so-“
“How did you rule that one out?” Celestia asked.
“I got this one!” Pinkie said. “Because if the threat had replaced her or something, then they would’ve just killed anyone in their way with access! Like, she was in here alone with you and Shining for a good few minutes, so why wouldn’t she at least attempt to kill you? But if she’s not here to kill you, why bother being someone’s rude fiancé? What does anypony get out of that?”
“A pony wouldn’t,” Celestia mused.
Closing her eyes, Celestia lit her horn once more. Yet nothing happened. No objects appeared or began to levitate, nothing changed, nothing even lit up. Rainbow didn’t even feel her headache lessen, so she knew it wasn’t another healing spell.
“D-did you think of something?” Rarity asked
“Possibly,” Celestia answered. “Pinkie Pie is right, no Pony would have anything to gain. But a Changeling would.”
“A what now?” Applejack wondered.
“A Changeling,” she repeated. “They are shapeshifters, able to mimic other creatures and their abilities. They’ve been forgotten by time, due to them nearly disappearing. The few that I’ve found have been disguised, so I can only assume that they’re all either hiding somewhere out of civilization, or disguised in plain sight.”
“Okay, so they can easily replace her,” Rainbow said. “What’s their motive?”
“Love,” she said. “Changelings, for lack of a better phrase, feed on the emotion of Love. If a Changeling replaced Cadence, it would have much more to gain leaving Shining Armor and Myself alive.”
“Is-is there a way to check if she’s a Changeling?” Fluttershy asked.
“That’s what I’m doing,” she said. “Everyone has their own unique Magic, even Changelings. While they can mimic bodies and voices, Magic is impossible for most of them. And considering I just found Cadence’s Magic signature in her room, it seems like that’s not the case.”
“You said ‘most’ of them can’t mimic magic?” Applejack asked.
“Only one,” she nodded. “But she would have no reason to.”
“Are you sure?” Rainbow asked.
“I’ve been surprised before,” she frowned. “I will check with Luna, but I cannot see a reason. That said, Twilight….”
Celestia knelt next to her student, white wings gently pulling her out of shock. Twilight looked up to her, tears still rolling down her cheeks.
“I’m sorry this has happened,” Celestia spoke softly. “While Shining and Cadence are upset, I understand that you were trying to help. You thought something bad was going on, and you acted as best you could.”
“But I thought….” Twilight trailed off. “Did I really make it up? I know I can be paranoid and go into anxiety spirals, but I didn’t…. I saw all of that happen. I know I saw it. Usually it’s just me over-thinking a situation, but I know I saw…. I can’t have hallucinated all of that…..”
“Perhaps not a hallucination, but the wrong interpretation,” Celestia said. “You saw half-truths, and your anxiety filled in the rest with the worst possible situation. That is no fault of your own.”
“Isn’t it?” she asked. “I could have gained a sister, but instead I… I lost a brother. I doubt he’ll want to see me again.”
“It will be okay,” she said, giving her cheek a short nuzzle. “Shining is upset, but in time he will see that you love him and were trying to protect him. Give him a little bit to cool off, then go apologize.”
“Think he’ll let me back in the wedding?” she gave an almost sarcastic laugh.
“I don’t know,” she said. “But I do have over one thousand years of experience in Sibling Fights. And as long as one of you still cares, you can fix anything.”
“Thank you,” she said. “I-I’ll go talk to them.”
“You want some backup?” Rainbow asked.
“Uh, no,” she winced. “No offence Rainbow, but you did kind of just punch my brother.”
“He was being an ass,” she shrugged. “As Princess Celestia said, wrong or not, you were trying to protect him. But yeah, if he’s not ready to hear you out, I don’t think I should be there. I think getting slammed into the wall once is good enough for me. Not to self, it takes more than one flying punch to take him down.”
“And that is why Shining Armor holds the record for youngest Guard Captain,” Celestia smiled.
“If you need us,” Rarity began, “We’ll be here. Even if he refuses to talk to you, just come back to us. We’ll figure something out.”
“Yeah!” Pinkie agreed. “Maybe we can get your mom to yell at him! Imagine being grounded on your wedding day!”
“Thanks,” Twilight laughed. “I-I’ll be back soon. I promise, I’ll fix this.”
Despite everything in Rainbow’s gut telling her to follow, she stayed. It would be fine. There wasn’t any threat from Princess Cadence.
Right?
Author's Note
So, the whole 'no one believes Twilight' thing always bothered me. So I took the one character who seemed the most neutral in the whole thing and added some scenes to tip the scales. Kind of interesting.
Also, featuring some Cameo Changelings!