Canterlot

Private Chambers

Twilight Sparkle, tears streaming down her eyes and cheeks, limped into her room and collapsed on her bed, crying like a newborn infant.

"Why?" she moaned into her blankets. "Why...won't they believe me?"

She sobbed for a few moments, remembering that even her mentor abandoned her, harshly rebuking her and banishing her from the Wedding.

"No…" she whimpered again, brushing her tears away. "That's it. If they don't want me here...so be it."

Twilight charged up a teleportation spell, attempting to return to Ponyville. As the magic formed around her horn, and the mental image of her destination appeared in her mind, she flinched when she saw that the normally lavender glow was a bright electric blue, and sparks of lightning were crackling off her horn. Twilight, realizing her spell had backfired, or was about to do so, attempted to cancel it.

However, it was too little, too late.

The spell backfired, causing a crackling blue orb to form around her, Twilight's screams echoing louder as the orb enveloped her, then it collapsed, blowing everything around her into fragments, and then…

Twilight Sparkle was gone. Not too much later, Princess Luna opened the door, and when she saw the carnage, there was a gasp, and cry, and the clatter of hooves.

====
Forerunner world of Requiem

Unknown Space

Twilight groaned and rubbed her eyes open, gasping upon seeing her environment. She wasn't at Ponyville. In fact, she didn't know where she was at all. The terrain was foreign, and she could see large metal chunks of debris around her. It looked like something large and metallic had crashed recently. Similar metal objects, colored purple, were also strewn about.

"Where am I?" she murmured. "What happened here?"

Twilight looked at the area again, and sighed.

"No need to panic." she reminded herself. "So, instead of heading to Ponyville, I'm stuck in...Celestia-knows-where, with a bunch of metal objects and detritus. I'm not on Equis anymore, that's for sure...and I'm scared out of my wits."

She groaned, and deciding it was better to get moving then to stay, she started to walk.

====

It wasn't much later when she saw her first sign of life. A hulking, bipedal beast plated in armor appeared in her vision, causing her to jump into hiding. She looked at the alien carefully. It was bipedal, with hooked legs and a flat, mandibled head. It stumbled slightly as it reached for its shoulder, and Twilight realized the alien was hurt. Taking a gamble, she called out.

"Hello?"

The alien spun around, and upon seeing Twilight, gave a low rumble.

"Are you okay?" she asked again. The Elite growled and drew an Energy Sword and ignited it, lunging for Twilight. She fired a blast of magic and stunned it before running like high heaven away from it. The Elite, though wounded, kept pace, and eventually cornered her when Twilight dove under a pipe-shaped piece of debris with no exit. The Elite started to slice up the pipe, segment by segment, in order to force the creature out. Twilight, knowing she was cornered, screamed as loud as she could muster.

"HELP ME!" she yelped, causing the Elite to flinch, then to slice her cover apart far more quickly, eventually succeeding in driving Twilight out. She cowered in fear and panic, and as the Elite raised his sword to impale her…

A single gunshot rang out through the clearing.

===

Twilight saw the alien collapse to the floor, a large hole in its head leaking blue blood and ichor. She hastily scanned the area, looking for whatever killed it. Then, she heard footsteps. She looked in front of her to see another alien come forward slowly. This one, though still bipedal, was plated in green armor with a golden visor, and it carried a small, white, L-shaped object. A larger gray object was on its back. It walked forward slowly, holstering the small object. She could read three numerals on its chest plate.

117.

Twilight tensed up, waiting for death to come as the alien neared her.

Only, it didn't. The alien knelt in front of her, and spoke in fluent Equish.

"You alright?" it said, in a deep voice that reminded Twilight of a hardened warrior. Twilight nodded hastily, still shaking in fright

"Good. Stay close to me." the alien replied, pulling her up. "We need to get moving."

"Who...who are you?" Twilight managed to stammer. The alien turned and the next words it said would change her forever.

"Call me Master Chief."

====

Back in Canterlot, in the Crystal Caverns, the real Princess Cadance walked through another stratum of crystals, having long lost her way earlier. She sighed, and leaned on a cavern face populated with gems. Suddenly, she heard a faint humming, and the cavern wall disintegrated. Cadance gasped upon seeing a metal hallway lined with green glyph markings and beams of glowing energy. Cadance wanted to run, but her curiosity got the better of her, and she started to walk down the path.

After a few moments, she arrived in a large cavern with a domed ceiling, and countless beams of energy cascaded across the ceiling. At the end of the path in front of her was an altar of some kind. She walked over to it, and touched it. A beam of green energy covered her, and after her vision cleared, Cadance saw her ragged coat and mane had been restored to its normal sleek and curled state. And furthermore, her magical reserves had been replenished. She prepared to teleport to the wedding hall, only to cancel the spell at an odd sound.

Humming.

She looked to see a small metal orb with a ringed body float near her, humming a tune. Cadance stayed silent out of fear, then she noticed that orb didn't seem to know she was there.

"Hmm...hmm...hmmhmmhmm..." it chirped, Cadance seeing its eye, a bright green lens pass it as it neared the altar before it scanned it.

"Well, that's odd." it spoke in a elderly, kind voice. "No unauthorized access detected...must be my imagination. Well, seeing as my 13.15 thousand cross-checks didn't find anything..."

It then looked at Cadance, and the two of them screamed.

"AHHH!" Cadance cried.

"Gah!" the orb yelped. "Well, Pardon me! I didn't think I'd have visitors so soon! That's why the access beacon went out! Silly me, I thought it was my imagination!"

"What are you?" Cadance asked, putting a hoof to her mouth.

"I am 153 Pious Deacon, Forerunner Monitor of this Installation." Deacon said. "Who are you?"

"I'm Princess Cadance." she said. "Where are we?"

"You are currently in the Forerunner Control Room of Shield World Ascendance." Deacon said. "And surprisingly, I didn't know life developed here independent of the Librarian's actions! Fascinating! Tell me, what's going on up top?"

"Up top?" Cadance asked.

"Of course! Up top, above ground?" Deacon said again.

"Well..." Cadance said, giving a hurried explanation of the wedding. Deacon flinched, and then, he laughed.

"That will not do!" he said. "That is a clear violation of the Guidelines established by the Forerunners for this Shield World! If you'll allow me, I can address it!"

"How?" the Princess asked. "We'll need an army..."

"I have an army!" Deacon said with glee. "A countless army of Promethean Warrior-Servants, at my beck-and-call! If you want, I can activate them and this violation will be fixed in no time!"

Cadance hesitated, then she nodded. Deacon pulsed a green aura, and the forms of countless Promethean Watchers, Knights, and Crawlers appeared, ready for combat.

"All of you know what to do!" Deacon said. "Take care of these brutish Changelings!"

The Prometheans cried out and vanished into a Slipspace portal. Cadance then saw a second portal open behind them.

"Let's go!" Deacon said.

"Where are we going?" Cadance asked, confused.

"Where do you think?" Deacon said with glee. "Up top! You're getting married, remember?"

Cadance and Deacon jumped into the portal, and in a flash, reappeared in the wedding hall, startling everyone present, especially the Cadance currently at the altar.

"Impossible..." Celestia murmured.

"What?" Rainbow cried. "Why's there two of them!"

Many others in the crowd murmured in shock.

"Because that one's a Changeling!" Cadance cried. "You're through!"

Chrysalis laughed and revealed herself to the crowd.

"Right you are, Princess." she cackled. "I thought you wouldn't make it in time! Pray tell, how'd you do it?"

"I had help." Cadance said, as Deacon came into view.

"Hello. I am 153 Pious Deacon, Forerunner monitor of this Installation! And you, Changeling are in violation of the Guidelines! I would advise immediate surrender!"

"Hah!" Chrysalis laughed. "I have an army!"

"We have one, too!" Deacon laughed joyfully as countless Prometheans, glowing blue, appeared and raised their weapons. Chrysalis stopped laughing and looked at the small orb and the Pony Princess.

"Now, would you like to do the honors?" Deacon asked Cadance, who nodded.

"Get her." Cadance growled as the Prometheans opened fire.