After the Honeymoon

by Pokey the Unicorn

Rating: teen
Tags: Romance, Queen Chrysalis, Princess Celestia, Slice of Life, Twilight Sparkle, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Princess Cadance, Rainbow Dash
Length: 46659

Shining Armor and Cadence have returned with a special announcement.

Returning from their honeymoon, Shining Armor and Cadence have organized a get-together in Canterlot for their friends and loved ones. Twilight and the other elements are all invited, and the invitations mention that Princess Cadence has a special announcement!

If only they had known that this announcement would turn their world upside down.

Published 2012-08-24 11:34:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-08-25 16:55:20 UTC

A Royal Invitation

Rainbow Dash rolled around on the floor laughing her head off. Rarity and Applejack were squabbling for what felt like the tenth time since they had left Ponyville that morning.

"Oh I just feel so naked without any clothes on!" Rarity complained. Applejack walked over to her, chuckling.

"That's because you are naked, sugarcube." She quipped.

"Applejack please, don't stare!" Rarity said, covering herself up with her forelegs.

"Aw, don't worry Rare. I think you look darn pretty when you're naked." The Earth pony smiled at her friend. Rarity smiled back, blushing a little.

"And I think it's amazing what a simple brushing can do for a pony's appearance. You look absolutely beautiful, darling." The two ponies shared an awkward glance before averting their eyes.

"... um, for once." Rarity added quickly. They both turned away from each other abruptly, the farm pony making her way toward Twilight.

"So, Twilight." She began rather loudly. "I haven't seen you all week. How are you?"

Twilight was gazing out the window, watching the countryside go by. She ignored Applejack's question, blinking at her a few times. "What was that all about?" She asked, tilting her head quizzically.

"Oh that? That was uhhhh... nothing! Nothing at all. No siree!"

"Uh huh." Twilight said skeptically. The unicorn raised an eyebrow as she watched her friend's eyes dart back and forth. Applejack tried a big smile, but that didn't work either.

"Well..." She relented. "I dared Rarity to go to Canterlot without wearing her fancy clothes like she always does. I guess I wanted her to look like one of us, you know? She's not one of those snobby Canterlot types. She agreed, but only if I promised to brush my mane and leave my stetson in the hotel room." Twilight couldn't help but giggle. "Your mane does look nice that way AJ."

"I think you two will look wonderful together." She assured. Applejack looked aghast for a second, then tried to change the subject with a frantic wave of her hoof.

"We haven't had a chance to catch up this week Twi. How are things?" It was Twilight's turn to chuckle uncomfortably.

"Oh it's fine. It's all been fine!"

"Twilight, you've been holed up in that library all week. You've been sending Spike to do all your errands, and if I didn't know better I'd swear this is the first ray of sunshine you've seen since we got back from the wedding. Now what's going on?" Applejack gave her friend a stern look.

Twilight sighed. "Spike said something, didn't he?" She jumped a little when AJ stomped her hoof angrily.

"Shucks Twilight! No I did not talk to Spike! I don't need to be told when something's wrong with my best friend. Now come on sugarcube, what's going on?"

"Sorry. It's just that ever since the wedding I've been feeling... sad, I suppose. I keep thinking; what if I was wrong about Cadence? What if I had ruined my relationship with Shining Armor for real? And not only that!" Twilight said, becoming agitated. "You all walked out on me! You never even stopped to consider that I might be right! You're supposed to be my friends, and you sided with somepony you'd only just met instead of me! Why can't you-"

Twilight caught herself. Her ears flopped, and she looked up at Applejack apologetically. "Sorry. I just haven't gotten over it yet."

"You're still angry with us for what we did?"

"Well... yes."

"Good."

"Huh?!"

"I said good. Twilight, sometimes I think you forgive far too easily. You can't get past this by sealing it up in a cider barrel. If you still feel something, then by all means talk to us about it, okay?" Twilight looked up. Her friends had heard her outburst, and were standing around her. They exchanged a few uncomfortable glances, not saying anything for a few long seconds. Rainbow walked over and sat down next to Twilight, breaking the silence.

"We talked after the rehearsal. We didn't realize that Princess Celestia was going to walk out on you as well, and when we saw her coming out after us, we knew it was bad. We were going to apologize, but we couldn't find you. Then I think we all forgot about it until after the reception so we didn't ruin the wedding for anypony. And... I guess it never came up after that. The couple of times I came over to take out the next Daring Do, you never wanted to talk. Rarity thought you might need some time alone, so we gave it a rest."

"You know what my element is. And what you were just saying about us choosing Cadence instead of you? You're right. I've failed you as a friend." Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie gasped. Twilight stared at her technicolor friend.

"Rainbow..."

"No Twilight. I should have stuck by you. I'm sorry." Rainbow leaned over and nuzzled Twilight gently. She gasped, and the others just stared. It was rare to see Rainbow bare her soul and confront her emotions, but being affectionate?

"I forgive you. Of course I forgive you Rainbow." She turned to address her friends. "Even though we're the Elements of Harmony, we're not perfect. We're bound to make mistakes, but we can get past them. Friends stick together no matter what, right?" Twilight finished. They all nodded.

"Every time something of this nature has occurred you've always been right, darling." Rarity began. "I think I can safely speak for all of us when I say that we're going to place our absolute trust in you from now on. We should have done so a long time ago, in fact." The others agreed without hesitation.

They spent the last ten minutes of the journey talking amongst themselves excitedly. It almost felt like the Grand Galloping Gala all over again. Twilight felt much better now that the air had been cleared, and all six of them were in high spirits as the Friendship Express trundled into the station.

Twilight and her friends stood before Canterlot castle, brimming with anticipation as they gazed up at the regal structure. Rarity was on the verge of leaping around and squealing happily; she'd never been invited to a social function with royalty before. Even Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were optimistic about the day to come. They all smiled when the guards let them enter without so much as a glance, and they didn't even have to get out their invitations when they got to the ballroom where the function was being held. They all recognized it instantly: it was the same room that Celestia had so graciously provided for Twilight's birthday. Ornate decorations adorned the walls, and there were tables and chairs everywhere. A flock of caterers were busily rushing around the tables, but other than that, the only pony there was Princess Luna. She hadn't seen them enter, and was busy sampling some of the hors d'oeuvres.

"Hellooo Princess!" Pinkie Pie yelled. Luna jumped, and one of the caterers dropped a fork. Whirling around to face the sudden noise, she smiled when she saw the six friends there.

"Twilight Sparkle and her friends! How wonderful to see you all again."

"Hello Princess Luna." Twilight exclaimed, bowing politely. Her friends followed suit, and Pinkie Pie bounced over to offer her a hoofpump, which she returned gracefully.

"I trust your journey was safe?"

"It was, thank you princess." Twilight replied. Luna smiled.

"I'm sure you're looking for the happy couple, yes?" She inquired. "They're out in the gardens." Twilight ran off to go find them, and her friends followed her lazily. They were happy to just walk around the gardens and talk.

Twilight found Shining Armor and Cadence strolling around together, pointing out various flora and fauna. They looked so happy and peaceful, a far cry from how they had appeared not more than a week ago. How idyllic. Twilight thought. They both turned and smiled when she called out to them, and the first thing they did was share a hug.

"Twily! It's great to see you again!" Her brother said, ruffling her mane. "How are you Twilight? Did you have a good trip up here?" Cadence smiled warmly.

"Hi Cadence! The trip up? It was good. So how was your honeymoon?! What did you do? You have to tell me all about it!" Twilight exclaimed, hopping up and down excitedly.

"Well you're here pretty early, so we should have plenty of time to talk about it." Shining Armor said, grinning at her.

"Early? The invitation said that the party's at midday. It's midday now." Twilight explained confusedly. Shining Armor and Cadence just chuckled. "The honeymoon was amazing..."

About half an hour later, almost all of the guests had arrived. Shining Armor had shown the mane 6 their room and given them time to freshen up before the party started. Because she didn't have any clothes to fuss over, Rarity had a lot more time to assist her friends with their appearances. She spared a few moments to help Pinkie Pie, but spent the majority of the time chasing Rainbow around the room with her manebrush. The ballroom was packed when they returned. Every member of the Royal Guard had been invited, as well as a select few members of the Canterlot elite - they were probably friends of the happy couple.

Twilight and her friends got a big round table all to themselves, right up front next to the main table where Shining Armor, Cadence, Celestia, and Luna sat. Shining Armor had apologized multiple times for not being able to seat them all at the one table, but there was simply no table big enough to accommodate them all. Twilight was sitting next to Rainbow Dash, who was laughing into her hoof, trying and failing to stay quiet.

"I didn't even see her there!" Twilight explained to the pegasus. "She was right on the other side of the door when I ran through, and I nearly bowled her over! And then when I moved away, I got tangled in her mane, and we both ended up on the floor." The unicorn was laughing now. Sure, clumsily knocking down Princess Celestia was funny in hindsight, but seeing Rainbow snorting into the tablecloth with tears running down her face was pretty hilarious too. She waited a few moments for Rainbow to calm down before she continued.

"She wasn't angry, thankfully. She laughed too. You know how her mane undulates naturally? Instead of getting messed up, it started swinging around for some reason. It took her three tries to clearly tell me not to worry, because her mane kept flapping around her face!" When she finished speaking, Rainbow smiled at her. Not an amused smile though; a warm, friendly one. She hugged Twilight.

"What was that for?" Rainbow blushed a little, fiddling with her hooves.

"It's just really awesome to see you smiling for once Twilight. You've been all mopey ever since the wedding. After what happened, I was a little worried." She admitted, shrugging. Twilight smiled inwardly. It was times like this that made her glad to be Rainbow's friend. Few ponies ever saw this side of her.

Twilight looked over at Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy. They had been sitting in the corner talking during the trip up, and had stuck together all day. Twilight elbowed Rainbow, glancing sideways at her.

"Psst! What do you think they're talking about?" She whispered.

"I dunno. They've been hanging out all the time lately." Rainbow replied. Pinkie noticed that they were talking about her.

"What we're talking about is none of your business!" She told them curtly. A second later, she grinned.

"Twilight! Did you find out what the announcement is?"

"No, I didn't. It's a pretty big secret, not even Shining Armor knows what it is!"

"Whoo..." Pinkie said, eyes wide.

"Wait a second." Applejack said, raising a hoof. "Y'all don't think that Cadence is...?"

"I hardly think so." Rarity exclaimed.

"Well not yet, but you could definitely tell. That girl's as thin as a rake." Applejack reasoned.

"Applejack!" Twilight shot, glaring at her.

"It would be pretty big news though." Rainbow ventured. "Right? New member of the royal family, that kinda stuff?"

"We'll just have to wait and see." Rarity mused.

The meal was amazing. Three courses were served, including dessert. Much to the confusion of Twilight, Rainbow, and Applejack, a second wine was served after dessert. Rarity had to explain that it was a dessert wine, which was something that Pinkie and Fluttershy somehow already knew. Once everypony was finished, Cadence called for attention.

"Thank you all for coming. Before I reveal my announcement I'd like to propose a toast." She said, raising her wine glass. Everypony followed suit.

"Oh Fluttershy!" Rarity exclaimed in a hushed tone. The pegasus was holding up a glass of water sheepishly.

"Aww come on Fluttershy! Just this once?" Pinkie coaxed. The pegasus shook her head.

"Girls, you know I don't drink." She stated.

"-to friends, family, and our good health!" Cadence finished. They could all drink to that.

And now, the moment you've all been waiting for...

The first thing that Twilight noticed when she awoke was that she had awoken. Hang on, I was at the party. Why was I sleeping? Where am I? It only took a few seconds to realize that, to her horror, she was encased in a green changeling cocoon. Panic overtook her, and she screamed.

"Twilight, darling! Is that you? Oh my dear, are you alright?!" It was Rarity.

Twilight looked in the direction of her voice, gasping for breath. There were translucent windows on all sides of her cocoon, allowing her to see all around. When Twilight saw what was around her, she had to stop herself from screaming again. There must have been dozens of them. Rows and rows of cocoons lining the ceiling of the ballroom, filled with every pony Twilight cared for. Celestia, Luna, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Rainbow Dash, Shining Armor, and what looked to be the entire assembled forces of the Royal Guard. They all looked at Twilight in turn, sharing the same horrified expression.

"I think I'm okay Rarity." Twilight said. "What happened? Is everypony alright?"

"Nopony knows." Shining Armor told her. "I'm glad you're okay though Twily. You had us worried for a minute."

Any further discourse was promptly cut short by the loud thwack of the entrance doors swinging open. The Changeling Queen walked in, looking up at them. She had taken Cadence's form again.

"You!" Shining Armor growled. "What have you done with Cadence?! Why have you taken her form? You have no chance of tricking us a second time!" A cold chill washed over Twilight when she realized that Cadence was missing.

The Changeling Queen sighed, looking up at the Captain sadly. "Hush my love, I'm right here." She lowered her head before turning to the door. Her horn glowed a light sky-blue and the doors opened a second time.

"Chrysalis!" Cadence called. The true Changeling Queen strolled into the room slowly, looking around. She didn't smile. She didn't laugh, or gloat. Instead, she walked over to Cadence and sat down off to the side. Everypony gasped. Celestia spoke for the first time since they had awakened.

"Mi Amore Cadenza! What is the meaning of this?!"

"We're ending your reign of tyranny, aunty." Her tone was almost sorrowful.

"EXPLAIN YOURSELF!" Luna boomed.

"I've formed an alliance with the Changelings." Cadence said, looking up at Luna angrily.

Twilight glared at Chrysalis. She wouldn't let the evil Changeling get away with this again. Everypony could see what was happening, and this time, they would all stop her.

"No!" Twilight interjected. "Cadence, I don't know what The Changeling Queen has done, but this isn't you! She's controlling you just like she did with Shining Armor! You have to fight it!"

Cadence's expression wavered. A second later it vanished, replaced with pain and fear. Her stance lowered. Her body shook. She screamed.

"Cadence!!"

"Aah! N-no! Urrrgh... Twilight! Please! She's controlling me, I can't..." It ended as abruptly as it began, and she stood glaring up at Twilight.

"Cadence no! You have to-"

"Oh just stop!" Cadence spat. "I'm sure you'd all love for Twilight to be right, wouldn't you? Oh look, the disgusting evil monster is back to threaten our lives again! Quick, blast her away so we can get on with our day-to-day!" Everypony faltered, confused by her words.

"I drugged the wine." She admitted.

"Cadence?" Shining Armor asked quietly. "What have you done?"

"None of you understand. The Changelings were dying. I had to do something." Cadence sighed in frustration, rubbing her head with a hoof.

"Fluttershy! Could you come in here please?"

Everypony stared in utter shock as the yellow pegasus skulked into the room, flanked by two Changeling drones. Twilight thought that she was being held prisoner at first, but she noticed that the drones weren't detaining her. They were following her.

"Fluttershy?! Cadence, if you've laid a hoof on her, I'll-" Rainbow Dash was cut off as Fluttershy spoke.

"Don't worry everypony, I'm fine." She shifted uncomfortably. "I know this looks bad, but please hear her out, okay?" It was then that Twilight noticed more Changelings entering the ballroom. There were about twenty or thirty in total. Six flew in carrying another each, and the rest hobbled in after them. Aside from said six, the Changelings looked... awful. They didn't march triumphantly, or flit in menacingly. They looked sick and weak. Some could barely stand, and their bodies were absolutely riddled with holes. Twilight had assumed that it was normal for a Changeling to have holes in its legs and wings, but these ones had them everywhere. They looked as though they were more empty space than Changeling. Twilight spotted one with a hole above its eyes that went right through its head. Some didn't even have a proper set of wings.

"These are the last remaining members of the Changeling race." Cadence announced. "Many perished when they were banished from Canterlot, and these odd-thirty barely survived. I encountered Chrysalis while Shining Armor and I were on our honeymoon. She was hurt, but had still managed to gather her subjects. I found them while I was on one of my late-night strolls, on the brink of death and extinction." Cadence paused to take a breath, then continued. "I had thought the Changelings evil as all of you had, but seeing them there, I could only think how wrong I was. They're not an evil aberration. They're a shunned species fighting for survival. Chrysalis appealed to me, begging for a fair audience with the Royal House, and I agreed to oblige her so long as she swore that nopony would be harmed."

Cadence faltered, and began to cry softly. "I'm so sorry that I had to do this to all of you. This past week I've been so scared, hoping that everything would turn out okay. I feel like I've been plotting against everyone I love, but you forced me Celestia. I knew if I escorted the Changelings into Canterlot—even just the queen—that all of Tartarus would break loose." She glared up at the alicorn angrily.

"You're so xenophobic!" She cried, stamping her hoof. "Canterlot has been locked in a diplomatic stalemate with the griffons for decades now. They are still not recognized as true citizens. Why can you not accept other species? Where does it end?"

"My special talent is love, and understanding. Love can't be hoarded, or kept to yourselves. It has to be shared with others, otherwise it festers and turns into something ugly." Cadence walked over to Chrysalis and nuzzled her. "Chrysalis has appealed to the Royal House in the past, and been driven out by you, Celestia. All she wanted was acceptance and asylum for her subjects, but you brushed her off with a hurricane of feeble justifications. Protecting your subjects!" She scoffed. "Let me show you what you were protecting your subjects from!" Her horn glowed, and Twilight's cocoon came away from the ceiling with a loud snap.

Chrysalis's eyes widened. "Cadence, wait!"

"Shh, it's okay." the pink alicorn said, placing a hoof on her side reassuringly. The cocoons that held Twilight and Shining Armor floated to the ground, and ripped open. Brother and sister climbed to their hooves, and embraced.

"My family..." Cadence whispered. "Do you still trust me?" Twilight and Shining Armor exchanged glances before nodding.

"Always" the stallion affirmed. Cadence whimpered softly, embracing her husband.

Cadence, what's going on?" Twilight asked. The alicorn smiled, breathing a sigh of relief. They were listening to her.

"I'd like you to meet the Changelings." Horn aglow, she selected two Changelings from the group and levitated them over, setting them down across from the unicorns. One wobbled on its feet, and Cadence rushed over to help it regain its balance.

"Are you okay?" She asked. It looked up at her and smiled, then turned to Twilight. The lavender mare stared at the Changeling confusedly, unable to accept that these were the same creatures that had laid siege upon the royal wedding just one week ago. Shifting her hooves, she let her curiosity take the helm.

"Hello. I'm Twilight Sparkle." She said, offering the Changeling a hoofpump. It smiled and accepted the gesture.

"Hello Twilight Sparkle." It replied in a raspy voice. The Changeling moved in to nuzzle her slowly. Twilight wasn't sure whether she should be feeling scared, disgusted, or fascinated. She wanted to pull away, but decided against it when she noticed Cadence smiling at her reassuringly. She slowly began to feel a warmth in her body, flowing around like liquid. slight dizziness followed as the Changeling pulled away and sat down with its eyes closed.

"It's feeding." Cadence announced. "The process is nothing more than simple proximity. No attacks. No killing. Twilight, how do you feel?"

"Warm, maybe a little dizzy..." Twilight announced to her friends. "Not bad in any way." She observed.

"Of course not!" Cadence exclaimed. "Changelings feed on love, and it's a pleasant experience for both parties. Why would you ever think differently?" Twilight looked at her Changeling. The holes in its body were disappearing! Hollow areas filled slowly until only a few holes remained in the legs and wings. It sighed contentedly, then smiled at Twilight.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, I guess..." Twilight replied, chuckling uneasily.

"Shiny? Twilight? Could you help me with all of the cocoons please?" Cadence asked.

A minute or so later, everypony was free, and Cadence called for their attention. She gestured to the group of starving Changelings.

"Please, help them."

A chance to talk

Some were more reluctant than others. The element bearers didn't approach the Changelings right away, but some of the braver guards did. They weren't willing to do more than greet the shapeshifters, still being cautious.

The first thing Rarity and Applejack did once they were freed was run over and make sure the other was alright. Celestia and Luna stepped back to observe, muttering to each other under their breath. Rainbow flew over to Twilight.

"You okay Twilight?" She sounded more concerned than she'd usually allow herself.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks Rainbow."

"I saw that thing bite you. Are you sure?"

"It didn't bite me, look." Twilight tilted her head to one side. Rainbow leaned in and looked at her neck, tracing a hooftip over it to make sure there were no punctures.

"Good." Rainbow tried to sound brusque, but she couldn't hide the subtle notes of relief in her voice.

"Do you think we can trust them? One spoke to you, right?" Rainbow asked.

"I'm not sure. There doesn't seem to be any apparent danger though. They're outnumbered, and we could probably overpower them if we needed to."

"Fluttershy!" Rainbow exclaimed. "What happened?"

"Hi girls." The pegasus said as she walked over. "Oh I was so scared at first. Everypony fell asleep, and then the Changelings came in and I thought we'd lost, but Cadence explained it all to me, and... I think I agree with her. The Changelings aren't all bad."

"Huh." Rainbow said. "Okay, but I wouldn't get too comfortable." Rarity and Applejack walked over to the group next.

"I'm not sure what to make of all this. What an unexpected turn of events." Rarity mused. "Twilight darling, are you alright?"

"Yeah. It wasn't bad at all, actually. Changelings are very gentle nuzzlers." Twilight said, giggling.

"Just like RD here, then?" Applejack said. She poked the pegasus playfully, earning herself a glare. Rainbow felt herself blush, but thankfully, Rarity had chosen that moment to notice Pinkie Pie.

"What in Equestria is Pinkie Pie doing?!" They all looked. There were two Pinkie Pies standing next to the Changelings. They both seemed to be mimicking each others' movements, doing all sorts of contortions and dances. Pinkie Pie—what they all assumed was the real one—was giggling madly. She looked like she was having the time of her life. Rarity called for her, and she bounced over to the group.

"Hey, the princess is coming over!" Pinkie pointed out.

"Hello Twilight and her friends." Celestia said sweetly. "I hope that none of you are hurt in any way?" The six mares bowed before her.

"We're all fine princess. Are y-" Celestia cut her off with a raised hoof.

"Twilight, I'd like you to take your friends and go back to your room. Can you do that for me now?"

"But princess!" Twilight exclaimed. "What about Shining Armor an-"

"The Royal Guard has the situation under control. There's nothing for you to worry about. And besides, if something does go wrong, it would be wise to keep the elements of harmony on hoof, yes?"

"Oh, okay! Should we go get the elements now princess?"

"No, that won't be necessary Twilight." Celestia said, indicating that the conversation was over. Twilight and her friends glanced at each other, then slowly walked out of the ballroom. Rather than returning to their room, all six unanimously agreed that they'd rather wait outside in the garden.

As soon as the doors closed, Celestia whirled around and paced towards Cadence and Chrysalis. She rose to her full height and flared her wings aggressively, glaring down at the pink alicorn.

"I would have you courtmartialled."

"Aunty, I-"

"You compromised the security of the Royal House. You brought a known threat into Canterlot, and you have betrayed our trust. If I had sole responsibility I would banish you from the kingdom instantly."

It wasn't the harsh words or the threat they carried that terrified Cadence. It wasn't even Celestia's stabbing glare. It was the calmness with which she spoke. Cadence had seen Celestia get angry like this once before, and it had scared her to the core. Now, this fury was being directed squarely at her. She could feel her pulse race. The edges of her vision faded to black. She felt as though the ground were going to open up and swallow her whole. It wasn't until then that the gravity of the situation truly hit her. She trembled. Her legs felt weak. Celestia's wrath was absolute; she showed no mercy.

"This is unforgivable." She said. Shining Armor and Luna gasped.

Chrysalis had been uncharacteristically silent ever since she had entered. She sat on one side of the room with a swarm of content, fed Changelings behind her. She had been perfectly happy to sit aside and watch the proceedings, but seeing Celestia tear apart what she considered to be her sole friend spurred her into action. With a buzz of her wings, she shot over and put herself between the two alicorns.

"You!" She snarled. "What kind of monster are you?!"

Celestia didn't even bother to turn her head when she glanced over at Chrysalis. Her horn sparked threateningly.

"You will hold your tongue."

"No. You're going to listen to me, princess. I won't allow you to speak to her like that! There is no threat to Canterlot, and Cadence has both explained and justified her actions. Only you could see this as a betrayal. You would disown her simply because she consorted with somepony you don't like? She risked everything for my species, and she did so of her own accord! I have the right to diplomatic negotiations on behalf of my people, and you must give me an audience."

"You lost any rights you might have had when you invaded Canterlot." Celestia said.

"And I reveled in every second of it." Chrysalis spat. "You don't deserve your perfect little pony kingdom Celestia. If not for that unicorn lackey of yours, I would have succeeded! Just imagine what Equestria would be like without you."

Celestia's eyes narrowed. "Captain!" She barked. "Assemble a two-unit detail immediately."

"Yes Ma'am!" Shining Armor replied. "Spearshot, Bolt Cracker, on point now! The rest of you are dismissed." Two unicorn guards took their place next to the captain, leveling their horns at the Queen. The rest filed out the door hurriedly. The air in the ballroom was thick with venom, and most of them were glad to be out of there.

Chrysalis scoffed. "What are you doing now? Threatening my subjects? Threatening me? I wouldn't be surprised. Do you still think you hold the moral high ground Celestia? I suppose it's okay for you to threaten my subjects, you are the princess. I wonder what you'd say if I were to threaten your little unicorn pet?" Celestia's facial expression remained unchanged.

"Kill her."

Chrysalis's eyes widened. Shining Armor's military register cracked slightly as he issued the order to his soldiers. The two unicorns fired a volley of horn bolts at the Changeling Queen, blasting her backwards. Her body cut a swathe through the Changelings behind her, and she slammed into the far wall with a sickening crunch.

"No! No! What are you doing!? Cadence shrieked. She galloped over to her fallen friend and hugged her protectively. "No! Don't hurt her!! Please!"

"I'm alright Cadence." Chrysalis groaned. The impact had stunned her, but she was otherwise unharmed.

"Captain. Have you mastered the anti-brainwashing spell?"

"Uh... yes princess."

"Perform it."

Shining Armor was torn. He approached his wife tentatively, paralyzed by indecision. His wife or his monarch? Cadence's eyes widened.

"You don't trust me?" She asked, bewildered.

"Cadence, I trust you. I'll always trust you but I... I have to do this." He replied solemnly.

"Shiny, it's me! This is me!" She exclaimed. Shining Armor just sighed. "I know." His horn glowed, and he touched the tip to Cadence's head. She stared at him, waiting for whatever would happen to happen.

Nothing happened. The captain finished the spell, then turned to Celestia.

"There's nothing there ma'am." He reported stiffly. "Princess Cadence is not under any kind of influence, and is acting of her own free will."

"Then there is no excuse for her actions." Celestia stated.

"Sister! I shall request your consult in private." Luna requested sharply. Celestia stood still for a second, then calmly walked over to the Moon pony.

"I understand your feelings, but I implore you sister, please take some time to decide upon your actions. Cadence is royalty! She has taken a sworn oath pledging allegiance to Equestria. I do not believe she would turn on us so quickly. I would prefer if we discussed this prior to any action being taken. May I suggest that you issue your decision tomorrow morning?" Celestia considered for a moment.

"Very well." She walked back over to Chrysalis and Cadence.

"Mi Amore Cadenza and the Changeling beast will be incarcerated. Luna, I trust you will escort them to the dungeon safely?"

"Of course, my sister." Luna replied. Celestia disappeared in a flash of golden light, teleporting back to her chambers.

Repercussions

"This isn't good." Twilight said to herself as she paced back and forth. "The Changelings are up to something, and they've obviously done something to Cadence. But why let us go?"

They've been in there for a while." Applejack said to the rest of the group. "I still don't understand what's going on though. Cadence and the Changeling Queen are chummy all of a sudden? Smells like bad apples to me."

"Cadence said something about appealing to the Royal House." Rainbow began. "Maybe they're talking about something?" Twilight's eyes widened.

"Yes, yes! Cadence said that... Chrysalis, I think her name was, requested asylum some time ago. But why would they want to live in Canterlot?" Twilight asked.

"Maybe she's requesting asylum by force?" Pinkie suggested.

Fluttershy gasped. "Maybe she's planning a takeover!"

"With twenty-something Changelings? Let 'em try!" Applejack scoffed.

"It's entirely possible that there are more Changelings somewhere in Canterlot." Rarity said. "They could be disguised as anypony. Nevertheless, I think it would be best if we wait until we know more before throwing around accusations. If Cadence is indeed herself, there might be more to Chrysalis than we thought."

"But what did she mean when she said that Princess Celestia is xenophobic?" Fluttershy asked.

"That didn't happen." Twilight snapped.

The six friends had been waiting in the garden for over fifteen minutes. Finally, the doors opened. Cadence trudged out, leaning on Chrysalis. Shining Armor and Luna followed, the latter slinging a comforting wing around the captain. All four of them looked unhappy. Shining Armor called for his wife's attention, cantering up to her. The two shared a hug, and Cadence wept.

"I'm going to fix this, okay?" He reassured. Cadence kissed him, and he smiled before galloping off somewhere. The alicorn looked around, noticing the element bearers waiting nearby.

"Luna?" The Moon pony smiled, nodding.

"Of course. But only ten minutes." Cadence looked up at Chrysalis.

"Come meet them." She said, galloping over. The Changeling Queen followed reluctantly.

There was silence for the longest time, as nopony knew quite where to start, or what to say.

"Hello everypony." Cadence began, glancing around the group. Twilight took a step forward.

"Cadence, I think we deserve an explanation. What's going on?" The alicorn took a deep breath and sat down.

"Well... you already heard what happened. I found Chrysalis and her subjects while on a walk. I decided to wait before telling Shining Armor about it, because I wanted to know exactly what I was getting into beforehoof. I yelled at her at first, of course, but we eventually started talking. Over the next few nights we met again and again, and I slowly began to trust her. Her subjects were going to starve, so I allowed them to feed on me. I learned a lot about the Changelings, and much of it surprised me."

"I already knew that Celestia had turned Chrysalis away, but I didn't think anything of it. It was just one of those bits of information you hear in passing. When I agreed to get her an audience with Celestia, I knew that simply walking in wasn't an option. Ponies would riot in the streets, so I had Chrysalis disguise everyone and enter the castle, and I drugged the wine. I understand that the cocoons were an awful idea, but there was really no other way. We needed everypony to just sit still and listen."

Cadence looked at the skeptical faces of the element bearers. "Do you understand now?" She asked quietly.

"Cadence..." Twilight began. "I can understand that you'd want to preserve the species, but that doesn't change the fact that you've committed treason! You've betrayed the princess! What if she banishes you?!"

"It's only treason because Celestia makes it treason..." She replied bitterly. "She has no real reason to ostracize the Changelings. She just doesn't like them."

"They did invade Canterlot darlin'" Applejack pointed out.

"Yeah, what's up with that anyway?" Rainbow demanded, glaring at Chrysalis.

"I had to feed my subjects!" The Queen shot back.

"Rainbow." Rarity interjected, turning to address Chrysalis. "I suppose we'd like you to tell us what's going on. We're having a hard time believing that you'd invade Canterlot by force one week, and be diplomatic the next." Chrysalis didn't reply. Instead, she stood up and turned around, then spoke to Cadence.

"This is a waste of time. I shouldn't have to explain myself to them." She said, and began to walk away.

"Chrysalis wait! Please just talk to them, they'll listen to you." Cadence ran around and stood in front of the Queen, looking up at her pleadingly.

"You gave me a chance. Give them a chance too. They can help you." Chrysalis glared down at her, faltering.

"Please?" Cadence asked, nuzzling her friend. Chrysalis grumbled.

"... Fine! Fine, I'll speak to them." She returned to the group, glaring at them angrily.

"I remember all of you." The Changeling Queen began. "You're the ones that tried to stop me with the elements of harmony. And you!" She snarled, stabbing an accusing hoof at Twilight. "If not for your meddling my subjects would still be alive!"

Twilight's ears drooped a little. She had never thought about it like that. She knew that it wasn't her fault that the Changelings had died, but part of her did feel bad for the Queen. Cadence placed a comforting hoof on Chrysalis's shoulder.

"...but I suppose there's no point dwelling on the past." She added stiffly. "What do you want to know?"

"Please explain everything as thoroughly as you can. It will definitely help your case." Luna said. Nopony had noticed her walk over.

"Cadence has already told you everything. She agreed to help me get an audience with Canterlot royalty."

"I am Canterlot royalty." Luna said. "But I was not present during your previous appeal, and had no knowledge of it. Why do you seek asylum in Canterlot?"

"I never said that it had to be Canterlot. Anywhere in Equestria would be fine." She looked down at Cadence, who nodded, urging her to continue.

"Something had to be done. My swarm is the last of its kind left in Equestria. As our numbers grew, it became harder to find reliable food sources. Our usual methods didn't work on a larger scale. We were starving."

"So being desperate made you civil?" Applejack challenged.

"No! Desperation drove us to invade Canterlot. Tell me, had you ever heard of Changelings attempting to take cities prior to the invasion? Did you even know that we existed?!" Everypony looked at Twilight, who shook her head.

"How dare you." Chrysalis growled, rounding on Applejack. "You infer that we are uncivil? That we are evil?! You ponies are all the same. You can't-"

"Why did Celestia refuse your appeal?" Luna interjected.

"She told me that she wouldn't allow her kingdom to be marred by our kind's filth." Chrysalis sneered. Luna drew back as if she'd been struck.

"Surely you paraphrase?"

"No." The Queen replied. "Those were her exact words. I was thrown out of-"

"ENOUGH!" Twilight yelled. "I won't let you talk about Princess Celestia that way! She is not xenophobic! She's the kindest, wisest, most wonderful pony in Equestria!" Twilight's words struck Rainbow somewhere deep, but she wasn't sure why. Luna scoffed bitterly. Chrysalis looked over at her, surprised. The two gazed at each other, a flicker of mutual understanding appearing in their eyes briefly.

"You're wrong! You're evil! You've done something to Cadence!!" Twilight ranted. Luna walked over, placing herself between Chrysalis and the unicorn.

"Twilight." Luna began gently. "I believe that Chrysalis's words are based in truth."

"No! I can't accept that! It's not true! All of you, shut up!" Twilight turned and ran, teleporting away.

"Twilight!" Rainbow called after her, but she had already disappeared. No point going after her now. She could be anywhere. The pegasus thought. She returned to the group and sat down. Fluttershy winghugged her.

"Chrysalis." Luna continued, thinking. "What do your normal feeding practices entail?"

"We are nomads. We travel from town to town and set up camp somewhere secluded where we can go unnoticed. When the time comes to feed, we simply disguise ourselves and head into the town. Not all at once, of course. Simply walking around and interacting with others provides the love we need to sustain ourselves. As a rule, we try to avoid becoming too involved. Too many things can go wrong, and we run a far greater risk of being discovered." Chrysalis sighed, rubbing her foreleg.

"We were discovered once, long ago. One of my subjects forged a strong friendship with a citizen after saving her from a housefire. A week later, he showed her his true form. She accepted him, and their friendship remained. This had never happened before. I didn't think it possible for a pony to befriend a Changeling. Witnesses told me that they saw his body cavities disappear entirely. I thought that it would be a good day for the Changelings, but unfortunately, she told her family. Word spread quickly, and we were hunted, driven out of the town. Slowly, our numbers grew, and it became more difficult to survive, so I appealed to Celestia for help. We needed a home. We couldn't hide anymore. When she turned us away with such... revulsion, I decided that drastic action was needed. I divided my swarm into two groups; one in Canterlot, and one in Ponyville. They were to wait while I devised a plan to take over Canterlot. I would introduce my Changelings into the city and make everypony see that we're the same. Oh it would have been glorious! A city where the ponies live alongside my Changelings without fear, without hate, and without Celestia."

"Without fear?" Rainbow questioned. "They attacked everypony when you set them loose on the city!"

"If you recall, I told them only to feed. We simply secured the city. Nopony was threatened or injured in any way."

"But you fooled everypony! You almost ruined the wedding! You enjoyed it all!"

"And why should I care about any of that?" Chrysalis growled.

"Because you messed up our friendship for a week! You messed with royalty!" Rainbow shouted.

"And what makes you ponies so important that we should all care so much?" Chrysalis yelled. Rarity cleared her throat loudly, interrupting the shouting match before it got out of hoof.

"It appears that we might have misjudged you. If this is indeed true, I see no reason why you should be denied your rights."

"But Rare, nopony is going to go for this." Applejack said. "They invaded the city a week ago, they strung us up in those green cocoons, and now they want us to accept them and pretend like everything's hunky-dory? It ain't gonna work!"

"Applejack, all they're asking for is a little compassion." Rarity exclaimed.

"Nuh uh, nothin' doin' Rarity. They gotta earn it first!"

"Well then give them a chance!" She shouted back. "How do you propose they do that when you won't let them?"

"IF I may get a word in edgewise." Luna said. "I believe that Rarity is correct in this case, fair Applejack. While it would be unwise to extend our complete trust at such an early stage, I staunchly believe that we must give Chrysalis the benefit of the doubt."

"Thank you princess." Chrysalis said, surprised. "Luna, is it?" The moon pony nodded.

"I will discuss these matters with my sister." Luna decided. "Rest assured that I will speak on your behalf, but for now I must escort the two of you to the dungeon."

Everypony gasped. "The dungeon!?" Luna nodded.

"Yes. Celestia's verdict will be issued tomorrow morning. Until then, Cadence and Chrysalis are to be imprisoned."

Chrysalis groaned. "Cadence?" The alicorn sighed and stood up. They began to walk away, following Luna.

The element bearers watched them leave, each deep in thought. Rainbow flew over to Chrysalis, falling into pace beside her.

"So what are you?" She asked. Chrysalis glanced at her.

"In essence, we are ponies just like you. We're simply... different."

"But you have insect wings!" Rainbow pointed out.

"And you have feathered wings." Chrysalis replied. "Are you a bird?" Rainbow grumbled in response.

Celestia watched her elements of harmony interact with the traitor and the Changeling beast from her balcony. She smiled when she saw her faithful student yell and run away, but she was saddened to see her own sister side with the beast. She sighed, then returned to her bedroom to brood.

They're turning against you Celestia. They're all being drawn in by false sympathies and doubt. The beasts are going to turn your kingdom against you, spreading out like a black, unclean plague. Your beautiful kingdom will be tainted...

Something must be done.

Secret Rendezvous in the Forest

Cadence inhaled deeply, taking in the fresh night air. She enjoyed the cool sensation as it breezed down her throat, filling her lungs. She loved spending time with her new husband, but she still needed to have her alone time. Night strolls had been a tradition of hers for years now. Finish up her nightly duties, dinner, et cetera, then take a walk outside. The cool night air always cleared her head, and she found the hushed silence extremely relaxing.

Tonight was no different. Shining Armor had promised to cook dinner for their first night, and cook dinner he had! It might not have been a three-course meal, but there was something to be said for a simple, lovingly home-cooked dinner. Especially a delicious one. Cadence had even asked for seconds!

She giggled as she remembered his shocked face. Shining Armor had barricaded himself into the kitchen and spent at least two hours cooking noisily and haphazardly. She had giggled so much as she sat in the next room listening to the sound of his frantic yelps and crashing crockery and cutlery. He had even begun to yell at one of the pots at one point, scolding it for misbehaving. Cadence decided that she had better go in and help him, but as soon as she announced her intentions he had burst out, panting, and insisted that he was fine. The spaghetti strands hanging off his nose and rump, plus the ones in his mane said otherwise though.

Shining Armor had very nearly had a panic attack as he watched his wife take the first bite. His eyes widened as a pleased little smile formed on her face, and her little "Mmm!" nearly blew him out of his seat. Cadence had to insist three times that she liked it before he started to believe her, and once he had calmed down and tried it as well, he was so happy that he started singing to her about it.

Cadence was pulled from her thoughts by a choice; she had come to a fork in the path. Left or right?

Right. It seemed to curve back towards where she was staying, and was lit better. She strolled down the path, humming to herself. She reached a surprisingly large clearing when she turned a bend, and had to stifle a scream.

It was the Changelings. About twenty or thirty of them sitting in the clearing, huddled together. The Queen was there as well, pacing back and forth. She turned around to pace forth, looking right in Cadence's direction.

She's back?! What is she doing here?! How did she find us? Wait, she hasn't seen you yet. Run!

Cadence heard the Changeling Queen gasp. Too late. She decided to stand her ground.

"You." Cadence growled.

"You! How did you find us?!" She shot back.

"I wasn't even looking for you. If you're trying to hide you've done a pretty bad job."

The Changeling Queen looked around, glancing in every direction. "Changelings! Keep a lookout in every direction. If you see a pony, you tell everyone!" She shouted. Cadence tilted her head confusedly.

The Queen glared at her defiantly, horn aglow.

Before she had a chance to react a green horn bolt struck Cadence in the chest, blasting her backwards. She then felt her body lurch forward, pulled in by the Queen's telekinesis. Cadence came to a stop in front of her black hooves.

"Changelings, surround her! This is where we shall make our stand." The Queen barked, glowing horn swinging in all directions. Cadence cried out, keeping her eyes on the savage Changelings all around her.

Something was wrong though. If Cadence hadn't known better, she would have sworn that she could hear fear in the Queen's voice. There was no lust for conquest, no gloating. Her voice wavered. She sounded tired. Then Cadence noticed the Changelings themselves. She had expected the swarm to be all over her by now, but... They moved slowly, hobbling. None flew, but some crawled. There were holes in their bodies. Holes everywhere, many more than last week. Some of them had so many holes in their legs that they couldn't even stand on them.

Cadence yelped as a rough hoof rolled her over to look up at the Changeling Queen. She glared down at Cadence with such anger, but there was still that subtle hint of fear.

"Where are they?!" She growled.

"What?"

"Where are they?!" The Queen raised her head and looked around wildly, shouting into the empty forest. "I've taken your princess hostage! You will show yourselves! Come out slowly!"

Cadence's mind worked quickly. She had to take control of the situation if she was going to make it out alive. She must think that I have a squad with me. She stood up, staring down the Changeling Queen.

"I have no less than twenty horns trained on you from every direction. Tell your army to stand down." The Queen's eyes widened, and she gasped.

"No!"

"Yes. You will cease your attack immediately, or we will fire." The Queen blinked at her confusedly, then scanned the trees again, growling.

"We're not attacking, you foal."

"What?"

"You think it's all about you, don't you? I wasn't even aware of your presence. Your surprise attack caught us completely off guard. Congratulations, pony." The Changeling Queen sat down suddenly, sighing.

"Go on, do it."

"Do what?" Cadence asked. She was confused by the Queen's words, but kept her guard up. It was probably another trick.

"Finish the job!" The Queen snarled. "Get it over with!"

"An excellent idea." Cadence said brazenly. "You will surrender."

The Queen scoffed. "No. I refuse to surrender. If you're going to murder me, murder me."

"However, if you have the decency to oblige me a dying wish, I only ask of you to spare my Changelings. They are on the brink of death. Slaughtering them won't be necessary." She spat bitterly.

Cadence just stared. Kill them? She wasn't going to kill them. Nothing added up. Why were there so few Changelings? Why did they look so weak? Why did the Queen seem so... defeated?

"What are you doing here?" Cadence asked. The Changeling Queen sneered at her.

"What are you doing here?!" Cadence pressed.

"We were simply minding our own business when you ambushed us. You're attacking an outnumbered, largely defenseless enemy. Does that make you feel guilty, pony?" She jeered.

"You're not attacking?" Cadence asked softly.

"No, we're not attacking you. Do you understand now, or do I need to say it again?"

"I'm not attacking either."

"What?"

"This isn't an attack." Cadence took a deep breath. "I'm alone. There's no squad."

"No squad..." The Queen almost smiled.

"Hooray!" One of the changelings shouted. The Queen held up a hoof, calling for quiet.

"Why would you tell me that?"

"Because I don't want to fight you." Cadence said. "I was taking a stroll and I just found you here. If you're not after me, I want you to leave me alone. Don't follow me." The pink alicorn turned and ran.

"WAIT!" Cadence stopped. There it was again. Fear. Desperation. This wasn't the Changeling Queen she was familiar with. Her curiosity won, and she returned to the clearing.

"What?"

The Queen's gaze dropped to the ground, and she looked away. Cadence heard her mutter something softly.

"I can't hear you. Say again?" The Changeling's horn glowed, and she dragged Cadence closer, muttering again.

"Help us."

"... help you." Cadence repeated, dumbstruck. "Help you? Why in Equestria would I help you?! You almost ruined my wedding, you took my husband, imprisoned both myself and my sister-in-law, attacked Canterlot, and now you have the gall to ask me to help you!?"

"They're dying." The Queen said, gesturing toward her subjects.

"Dying? What do you mean dying? Can't you just kidnap somepony and feed on them?" The implication of her words sunk in as soon as she spoke them. Cadence did her best to appear neutral, backing away subtly.

"You want to know what I was doing before you barged in?" The Queen growled. "I was trying to come up with a way to save them. Most are too weak to walk, and I can't take them all with me. We're too far away from any food sources, and one wouldn't be enough. They're all going to die, and... and I'll be the last one left."

"No you won't. You had an entire army when you invaded Canterlot. Where are they?"

"Dead."

"Dead? All of them?"

"They were all killed when you blasted them out of the city. This is all that remains. And they're not an army!"

Cadence wasn't sure what to think of that. All of those Changelings had died by her hoof? She, who personified love itself, was a murderer?

"Well... I'm sorry, but I couldn't have known that that would happen. And if they're not an army, what are they?"

"Just Changelings. Citizens."

"Citizens of where?" The Queen didn't reply. She just looked at the ground sullenly.

Cadence snapped to, catching herself. She had almost felt sorry for them.

"No. No, this is all just another trick. I'm going. Leave me alone." She took no more than two steps before green magic ensnared her once again.

"No." The Queen stated firmly. "I can't let you leave. I can't let you just walk away. Not now." She dragged Cadence over to the Changelings, holding her in place firmly.

"My subjects! You will take no more than what is necessary. Line up." Cadence kicked and screamed wildly as the first Changeling hobbled over to her. The thing was going to bite her, or do something awful. She held up her hooves defensively, covering her neck.

"Aah! No! Get away from me! Stop this!" The first Changeling drew closer, reaching for her neck with its fangs...

"Somepony help meeeeee!!!" She felt it brush against her neck, nuzzling hungrily. It was too late. Any moment now, sharp fangs would sink into her neck. It would happen over and over again, draining her like the Queen had done to her husband. She would be left an empty husk. There was no point screaming. She came this way because she knew that there was nopony around, and now nopony to hear her.

Cadence felt warmth gathering in her body, welling up and ready to be sucked out. Dizziness followed, and she barely noticed that the Changeling had withdrawn without breaking her skin. It gazed at her with a drunken smile on its face, then turned and shuffled away.

It hadn't been as painful as Cadence had been expecting. She calmed down slightly, enough to notice that the creature had not bitten her. The warmth caressing her body remained as the second Changeling approached, pulling itself forward with its ragged forelegs.

"What's going on?!" Cadence asked, thoroughly confused. The Queen looked down at her, frowning.

"I thought it had been made clear the last time we met. Changelings feed on love. They're feeding now."

"But why aren't they... biting me or something? Why do I feel good? What are they doing?"

The Changeling Queen scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I see. You think that it's supposed to be harmful. What a surprise. Tell me something, did you see any bite marks on your husband?" She asked.

"Well... no." Cadence admitted.

"Changelings are infiltrators, not warriors. What use would we have of such barbaric practices?" Cadence was speechless. Despite herself, she sat and watched as every last Changeling fed. Once they were done, she stood up. She had expected to feel weak or drained afterwards, but she actually felt quite good. Warm, comfortable...

"I suppose we owe you our thanks." The Changeling Queen relented.

"So what are you going to do now?" Cadence asked.

"Why do you care?" The Queen retorted. Cadence stared expectantly, remaining silent.

"Well." The Queen began. "You have given us time. I should be able to find something to sustain them now."

"You mean kidnap somepony?" Cadence shot.

"Perhaps." The Queen replied aloofly.

"No. I can't let that happen." Cadence stated. "This feeding. Will it cause negative side effects over time?"

"No?" The Queen was confused now.

"Then stay here. I'll return tomorrow night to ... feed them." Cadence replied stiffly. The Changeling Queen stared at her.

"You're helping us?"

"No. I'm helping them, not you." The alicorn replied. The Queen scowled.

"Well we don't need y-" She stopped herself, glaring at the ground. Without another word, Cadence turned around and left.

Cadence returned the next night, somewhat relieved to see that the Changelings had not left. Nothing was said as she sat down and allowed the swarm to gather around her. The Queen sat on the other side of the clearing, facing away. After some time, Cadence broke the silence.

"How do you know?" The Queen didn't respond at first.

"Changeling Queen! I was talking to you!" She looked up.

"Hmm?"

"How do you know? That they're all dead?"

"I'd be able to feel them." The Queen replied wistfully, tapping her temple with a hoof. "And my name is Chrysalis. Not Changeling Queen, or 'you.'"

"Chrysalis? Oh. Well, hello then Chrysalis." Cadence chuckled despite herself. She had never considered that the Queen would have a name, and the idea of it seemed funny to her. Silence returned, only to be broken a few minutes later.

"Chrysalis? Why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Invade Canterlot. I don't understand how you could do something like that."

"...I don't know why I'm telling you so much. Stop asking me so many questions."

"Hey, I'm helping your subjects! You at least owe me an explanation." Chrysalis growled in response.

"Please?"

"Fine. You want to know why I attempted to take Canterlot?" Chrysalis turned around, rubbing her hooves together. "I was in line to become Queen from a very young age. For as long as I remember, we have lived like this. What you see now is the way of the Changelings. We travel, trying to find cities where we can survive without being discovered. We don't kidnap ponies, we simply disguise ourselves and walk amongst them. It has been my ambition to lead the Changelings to greatness, to find a home for us, a kingdom worthy of my title."

"Wait, so you wanted a place to stay in Canterlot? Why not just ask? I'm sure Princess Celestia would have obliged you if you had made a formal request."

Chrysalis scoffed. "You think I didn't already try that? Celestia turned us away. She saw us as monsters. We weren't good enough for her city."

"She turned you away?! I don't..." Cadence considered it. Celestia had been dragging her hooves on the griffon treaty. It could be true.

"Well." Cadence began. "It's a shame you ruined it by attempting an invasion. She might have considered giving you a second chance."

"Then again, I'm not comfortable with leaving you to roam around Equestria preying on innocent ponies. I'm a princess. What if I were to escort you into Canterlot and speak on your behalf?

"You want to help us??" Chrysalis was floored.

"The way I see it, you made a bad decision. I don't like you at all, but this isn't about me, it's about them." Cadence gestured towards the Changelings. The Queen looked at her for a long time, thinking. Eventually, she spoke.

"How do I know that I can trust you? This could be a trick. We walk into Canterlot and your Royal Guards capture and execute us. Is that what you're planning?"

"For you, perhaps." Cadence stated flatly. "I'll protect your subjects though. They deserve a fair trial, but they need a better representative."

The Changeling Queen rubbed her foreleg indecisively, glaring at Cadence.

"Swear. Swear that you'll help us."

"Alright, I swear to help them."

"But not me? Fine." Chrysalis sat down. She glanced over at her subjects, smiling, then turned back to Cadence.

"You're not like most ponies, are you Cadence?" She mused thoughtfully.

"How not?"

"You're helping Changelings. Ponies don't help Changelings."

Cadence shrugged. "Listen, it's getting late. I have to go, otherwise Shining Armor is going to start worrying. So uh, bye."

"Goodbye." Chrysalis sat and watched as Cadence left. She had some things to think about.

On the third night, Cadence was late.

"Hello, sorry I'm late! We went to the cutest little restaurant for dinner!"

"Hello. To eat?" Chrysalis enquired. Cadence sat down, and the Changelings gathered around her. One even nuzzled her gratefully before helping another over with its magic.

"To eat? Of course to eat. That's why ponies go to restaurants. Shining Armor loves pasta, so naturally, I was dragged off to an Italian place."

"What's it like, eating?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I've never eaten pony food with my mouth before. I did take a bite of something that Twilight Sparkle's friend made, but it felt so unusual that I had to spit it out." Chrysalis blinked inquisitively, and Cadence giggled, smiling broadly.

"Hmm... Well, you put the food in your mouth first. There are a lot of kinds of food, and they all taste and feel different. Once it's in your mouth, you have to chew it with your teeth. Then you swallow it." She explained, miming each action as she described it.

"And it goes down your throat? Euhh..." Chrysalis shuddered.

Cadence nodded. "Yep! You eat until you've filled up your tummy." She said, patting her stomach. Chrysalis stared at her own torso, wincing.

"Could we perhaps talk about something else?"

Cadence chuckled. "Look at us, meeting up and talking like friends."

"You find that concept amusing do you? You and I being friends?" Chrysalis raised an eyebrow.

"I think everything is amusing right now." She replied, grinning.

Chrysalis eyed her suspiciously. "You're acting rather... strangely tonight, Cadence." The alicorn rubbed her foreleg sheepishly.

"Well, I might be just a tiny little bit tipsy..."

Chrysalis tilted her head. She had no idea what 'tipsy' meant.

Cadence sighed. "I had a drink at the restaurant." She explained.

...

"Of alcohol."

"Oh." Chrysalis's eyes widened. ... Oh.

The pink mare giggled. "Chrysalis? Thanks."

"Thanks? For what?"

"Just for being nice, talking to me."

Chrysalis grumbled. "You're helping my subjects. I have to be nice to you."

"Are you sure about that? You didn't have to talk to me you know." She teased. The Queen looked away.

Cadence gazed up at the embarrassed Changeling, smiling warmly. "Hey." She called softly. Chrysalis looked down at her.

"Why don't you try being nice to me? Just because you can?" Cadence asked with a gentle smile on her face. Chrysalis frowned at her.

"Because you're a... you..." She exhaled through her nose sharply, thinking.

Cadence giggled and cocked an eyebrow cheekily.

"Does this mean that we're friends now?" She asked the alicorn wearily. Cadence considered it, tapping her chin with a hoof. She nodded to herself, then walked up to Chrysalis and nuzzled her.

"Aah!" The Changeling cried, scrambling backward. "Get away! What are you doing?!"

"This is called being affectionate, you silly thing." Cadence poked her tongue out, grinning. "Let me just show you. Don't run away this time."

She nuzzled Chrysalis again. The Changeling's body was soft, to her surprise. She didn't have any fur, but her skin was smooth and Cadence could feel body fat on her.

"You're squishy!" The pink mare exclaimed.

"I'm what?!"

"Look at you! You're squishy! You feel just like a pony! I thought you'd have a hard exoskeleton, like an insect." Chrysalis glanced around uncomfortably as Cadence poked and prodded her chest.

"You're prodding me!" Chrysalis whined in disbelief.

"Uh huh!" Cadence replied.

"Stop it!"

"Nope." She giggled, prodding the Queen again. Chrysalis growled and poked Cadence in retaliation.

"Ooh!" The alicorn moaned, flashing her a silly grin.

"This is ridiculous! Stop it!" Chrysalis shouted, poking Cadence.

"No!" Cadence shouted back, subtly keeping her hooves to herself.

"Yes!" Chrysalis poked her again. Cadence gave her a victory smile.

"Having fun?" She asked. Chrysalis drew back when she realized what she was doing. She turned away quickly, grumbling to herself. Cadence skipped over and raised a hoof to the Queen's chest. Chrysalis stared at it.

"Poke."

She gasped. She looked at Cadence's playful grin. A smile slowly formed on her face.

Both mares burst out laughing.

"What is the matter with you?" Chrysalis wondered aloud.

"What's the matter with you?! You didn't even realize that I'd stopped poking you!" Cadence exclaimed through fits of giggles. As their laughter died down, they looked at each other curiously. Suddenly, Cadence gasped.

"Oh no! How long have I been out here?! I promised Shining Armor that I wouldn't be out too long tonight! I've gotta get back! I'll see you tomorrow night Chrysalis!" She waved, then ran back down the path to home.

Chrysalis pouted as she watched Cadence leave.

"... Oh. Already?"

Twilight Tipple and Rainbow Smashed

"Sister, we must at least consider the possibility that the Changelings are not entirely evil." Luna appealed. She honestly felt unsettled. The issue of the Changelings and Cadence was beginning to drive a wedge between her and Celestia, and she didn't like it one bit.

Luna had always considered her and Celestia's bedchambers a place of calmness and solace. Their own escape from their duties, away from prying eyes, judgmental officials, and arduous responsibilities. Smaller meetings were sometimes held in the lower part of the room, where their office resided, but once they ascended the ornate winding staircase at the center, everything faded away beneath them. It was amazingly quiet, and the only place in the castle where they could truly relax. But now, the air in the room felt uncomfortable. This was the first time that the Royal Sisters had argued or fought since the Summer Sun Celebration. Luna's elder sister stood up and walked over to her.

"No." Celestia stated with finality. "The Royal House does not negotiate with enemies. There will not be a hearing."

"But what if you're wrong, sister?" Luna pressed. Her elder sighed, looking down at her wearily.

"Luna, I saw you engage in a lengthy dialogue while you were supposed to be escorting Mi Amore Cadenza and the Changeling beast. What surprises me is that you let them speak to the Elements of Harmony. What were you thinking, Luna?? This is a delicate issue that needs to be kept under wraps, and you allowed them to meet?! What if a threat arises? What happens when the Changelings take advantage of our complacency and launch an attack? If my subjects accept the Queen she could very well be powerful enough to oppose me once more! I cannot protect my subjects with that thing on the loose. And what of the Elements of Harmony? What if this issue divides them? They cannot utilize the power of their artifacts if they're arguing and picking sides." Celestia sighed, rubbing her temple with a hoof.

"I-I'm sorry 'Tia... I didn't realize." Luna mumbled, looking up at her elder sister with sad eyes.

"I'm sorry too Luna. I don't mean to yell at you." Celestia said, nuzzling her little sister affectionately. She turned to look out her window, sighing.

After a few seconds, she spoke. "This is what Changelings do, Luna. This is why they are dangerous. They masquerade as something they are not, something false. They work their way in, pit us against each other, and strike when we are at our weakest." Celestia turned to look at her little sister.

"Cadence's demonstration in the ballroom seemed fairly benign, didn't it? Everypony was surprised by how nonthreatening the Changelings were. You cannot trust them Luna. Changelings are infiltrators, not warriors. They fight not with brute force, but subterfuge." Luna looked at her, thinking.

"So you're saying that it was a trick? What about Cadence? The Captain said that she had not been brainwashed. What could possibly compel her to help the Changelings?" Luna asked, shifting her hooves edgily.

Celestia bit her lip. "I don't know Luna. I just don't know. I had hoped that she had simply been forced, but..." She trailed off, hanging her head sadly. Luna nuzzled her.

"Do not worry sister. Cadence had not abandoned us, and there is more to this situation than we currently know. I am sure of it." She stated, smiling up at her Sun sister reassuringly.

Luna cleared her throat before continuing. "I vouch for the Changelings for this very reason. Circumstances are too contrived. This is all too soon, too sudden." She grinned. "There is sleuthing to be done, 'Tia! We must boldly go forth and find the truth!" She exclaimed, striking a pose playfully.

Celestia frowned unhappily. Luna walked over and smiled at her coaxingly, wiggling her eyebrows. A small smile slowly graced Celestia's lips, and she chuckled.

"Ha-ha!" The Moon pony cried triumphantly. Celestia slung a wing over her back and hugged her.

"Thank you Luna. All of this is beginning to give me a headache."

Luna smiled and placed a hoof on Celestia's shoulder. "Executing them will get us nowhere 'Tia." She said softly.

Celestia smiled wryly, looking away.

"Luna, I let that thing walk around under our noses for an entire week while one of our own was left to rot underneath the city. The Queen overpowered me in front of my own subjects, and the entire city was at stake as a result. If not for the fortitude and tenacity of Twilight Sparkle, we might not have had such a favorable outcome. I'm not going to make the same mistake twice. They would simply return if I banished them. What would you have me do?"

"I maintain that we need to look deeper before taking action." The Moon pony said, tapping her chin with a hoof. "I'm assuming that Cadence has a very good reason for doing all of this, and we must find out what that reason is. She is no fool." Celestia pawed at the floor, gazing down at her sister worriedly.

"Luna, what are we going to do about little Amore? I cannot bring myself to believe that Cadence of all ponies has committed treason. Cadence, Luna. I can understand her helping those in need, it's her very nature to do so, but she brought the Changelings back not a week after the invasion. She deliberately drugged us. She had us all captured, then spoke out against us in front of the entire Royal Guard!" The Sun pony sighed again, rubbing her temple slowly.

"And what of her accusations of xenophobia?" Luna asked. "Sister, you know how gossip can spread. Some ponies will believe anything you tell them. We must-"

"No." Celestia said slowly. "No, attempting to withhold it will only draw unwanted attention. I can only hope that my subjects have faith in me, and dismiss these accusations as the fabrication that they are."

"So you will simply do nothing?" Luna asked, tilting her head quizzically. Celestia's eyes widened, and a small smile formed on her lips.

"Yes... do nothing." She mused.

Celestia looked down at her sister with a twinkle in her eye. "Princess Luna. We both rule over the land and its denizens, but government affairs and diplomatic responsibilities are solely my responsibility. In the past, you have requested that we share these responsibilities, ruling as true equals. I am prepared to give you a chance to prove yourself." She stated. Luna gasped, her wings flaring.

"You... you mean...?"

"Yes. There has not been an execution under my rule for over one thousand years. In dealing with the Changelings, I would be forced to revisit places that I would very much prefer to keep in the past. I'm granting you full power so that you may deal with this issue as you see fit. I am old and set in my ways Luna. Perhaps your kind touch is exactly what is needed to lead us through this ordeal." Celestia smiled as her little sister thrust a hoof into the air.

"Huzzah! Thank you so much, 'Tia!" Luna squealed, rushing over and grabbing Celestia in a giant hug. She laughed gleefully, hopping up and down.

"I shall prove to you and everypony else that I am..." The Moon pony paused, blinking a few times. She slowly let go of her sister, stood up straight, and evened her voice.

"I shall prove that I am worthy of my title, Celestia." She stated with determination, fighting back her sheepish grin. Celestia smiled back warmly, chuckling.

"I'm certain that you'll do me proud, little sister." She said, beaming.

Far below, in the dungeon, Cadence stood up suddenly.

"What am I doing?!" she asked herself, exasperated.

"What?" Chrysalis asked. The alicorn turned to her.

"All of this. It's crazy! I'm in the dungeon, Chrysalis. A week ago we were enemies, and I was getting married. Now I'm locked in the dungeon with... with you!" Chrysalis didn't know how to respond to this.

"And now I'm being charged with treason. Look at what's happened, Chrysalis! I'm going to be exiled, all because of you! I have to get out of here!" Cadence cried frantically, rushing over to the bars.

"Me?! Where is this coming from? I've done nothing!" The Changeling Queen shouted indignantly.

"Oh you did everything!" Cadence shouted back, breathing hard. "You had to invade Canterlot and be driven out, didn't you? You just had to turn up in the exact same place as me! You had to make me pity you and help-"

"PITY ME!?" Chrysalis roared. "YOU PITY ME!?" Cadence shrunk back from the tall form before her.

"Well... yeah." She said. The Queen was glaring down at her with more ferocity than Cadence had ever seen.

"Don't do that." Chrysalis raged. "Don't ever do that! I thought we were friends. I thought you saw me as an equal, but I was wrong, wasn't I? I'm just a poor little forest creature to you, aren't I?"

"What?! Chrysalis no! That's not true at all! I saw a different side of you! I saw that you're worth helping! I am your friend."

"Worth helping." The Changeling spat. Despite her anger, the alicorn noticed a brief flicker of grief cross her features. "You decided that did you? You decided to let my species survive on your whim?"

"My whim? I never said that it was like that." Cadence protested. "I wanted to help you, and I just had the right connections to give you a chance. You're not evil, Chrysalis. That's why I'm your friend."

Chrysalis grabbed Cadence's chin with a hoof, and pulled her in close. The fire in her eyes flared, and she growled at the alicorn savagely.

"I don't want your pity."

Cadence's hooves skittered on the hard floor as Chrysalis shoved her back roughly then turned away, seething. Cadence gazed up at her perplexedly. She couldn't take it anymore. Her body sunk to the floor, and she cried. Countless angry faces tormented her mind as she sobbed into her forelegs, overwhelmed by grief and rejection. The Changeling Queen glanced back. She was furious. She wanted to be angry, but felt her rage slowly ebb away as she watched the stricken mare before her.

"Stop that." She snapped. Cadence looked up slowly.

"Huh?"

"Stop crying!" Chrysalis growled. The devastated look on the alicorn's face made her uncomfortable. The pout, the misty quivering eyes, the droopy ears, it had to stop.

Cadence sniffled. "Why?" Chrysalis fidgeted, trying her best to glare angrily.

"Because... it's annoying. Stop it."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, just stop crying!" Chrysalis shouted. She had to stifle a cry of surprise when Cadence got up and hugged her. She tried to pull away, but the pink mare held her tightly, crying into her chest.

"I'm sorry." Cadence whispered, her voice wavering. "I'm sorry that this happened. I'm sorry that I tried to help you. I'm sorry that I failed to help you, and for what happened to you. I don't know what to be sorry for. I don't know what I'm doing, nothing is okay anymore..."

This was certainly new. Chrysalis looked around desperately for... something. There was no way out though. She stared down at the mare wrapped around her, then raised her hoof. She curled it around Cadence's back slowly, pausing. This just felt weird. She repeated the action with her other hoof, and squeezed gently.

Chrysalis looked down when she heard Cadence whimper gratefully. It took her a second to realize that she was smiling. She quickly wiped the expression off her face, but felt it persist, returning slowly.

Chrysalis had to admit that this was nice in a strange way. Cadence's body felt soft, fuzzy and warm in her forelegs. She took a deep breath and pulled Cadence in closer, then reached down and rested her head on a pink shoulder. She rubbed up and down Cadence's back, feeling the bumps and contours curiously. They stayed like that until Cadence's sobs faded away.

Cadence eased herself out of Chrysalis's embrace, sitting back. She looked up at the Changeling, wiping away her tears. Chrysalis gazed back at her. They smiled.

Shining Armor's hooves clopped noisily as he galloped into the library. His eyes scanned the room quickly, searching for his little sister. The first place he had looked was her room at the castle, but both she and Rainbow Dash were absent. Her four friends had explained to him that she had run off, and Rainbow had gone to look for her. If he hadn't been rushing he would have stopped to enjoy the rich aroma of oak, and the familiar smell of books. Being related to a bookworm meant that he had spent a lot of time in this library, and he had grown quite fond of it.

"Please be here..." he muttered to himself.

There was no sign of her. She wasn't sitting at any of the tables, and he couldn't find her in any of the aisles. Maybe... There was one place left: a secluded corner that she had run to countless times in her fillyhood when upset. Shining Armor cantered into the deepest depths of the archives, stopping at the final corner. Sure enough, a wall of stacked books had been constructed. He smiled.

"Twilight." A mare's head poked out from behind the wall, looking up at him inquisitively.

"Oh! Hi Shining Armor!" She chirped. The elder unicorn looked down at her sternly.

"I was told that you'd run off Twily. I was worried about you, are you okay?"

"Me? Oh yes, I'm fine! I just had a sudden urge to do some reading, that's all." She explained quickly.

"Uh huh. And you hid in your old safe corner because..."

"I didn't want to be disturbed?" She offered.

"Heh, okay." Shining Armor said, walking over to a nearby table. "I haven't had a chance to talk to you properly all week little sis. First it was the Changeling threat, then the preparations, then the ceremony, then the reception! We had no free time at all! Whose idea was it to have a wedding, anyway?" He shouted, waving his hoof theatrically. Twilight giggled.

"I know! I haven't had a chance to tell you about this amazing story I've been reading. They have a copy of it here!" She said, waving a hardback novel around her head.

"Well you can tell me all... ngg... about... uh... it... hnnnng!" Shining Armor's horn glowed, and he angled his head sideways, pulling, but his efforts were futile. The novel, levitated by Twilight's magic, barely moved.

"Jeez Twilight! When did your magic get so strong?! I used to be able to beat you easily when we hornwrestled!" The book begain to wobble, jerking sideways in a stop-go pattern. Twilight had to exert herself to keep the book in place, but she spared a few seconds to blow a raspberry at him. He growled at her playfully, pulling extra hard...

The book ripped in half.

The two siblings just stared at it, wide eyed. They looked at each other, then at the book again.

"Uh... whoops?" Shining Armor offered.

"Whoops." Twilight agreed, chuckling sheepishly.

"We can fix it later." Her brother cast the book aside. "Right now, we need to talk about what happened."

"At the rehearsal?" Twilight asked fearfully.

"At the rehearsal." He confirmed.

"Oh, we really don't need to B.B.B.F.F! We both apologized!" Twilight exclaimed. Shining Armor took a step towards her.

"Twilight." He said sternly. She backed away.

"No, I'd really rather we put it behind us." She mewled, backing into the wall.

"No. We need to talk about this Twilight."

"Please don't..." She whispered, turning her head away. Shining Armor sat down in front of her. He smiled as he wrapped his big, strong forelegs around his trembling sister.

As soon as Twilight felt his touch, she caved. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I don't know what came over me! When I read the letter I got scared because I realized how far apart we'd become, and nothing seemed right about Cadence, and I couldn't let her take you away from me if you were going to be unhappy. I was being so selfish. I-I... I would have ruined your wedding all because of my..." She trailed off, her words slipping into incoherent blubbering.

"Shh." Shining Armor held her while she cried into his chest. He waited a few moments before speaking.

"Twily, we really should have talked about this sooner. Listen, I don't want you to apologize. You were right to be suspicious. You-"

"But what if I was wrong?! What if that was the real Cadence and I'd really destroyed our relationship?"

"It wasn't and you revealed the deception to everypony." Shining Armor stated.

"That's no justification!" Twilight shouted.

"Twilight, nothing could ever destroy our relationship. Nothing. Disowning you? That was the spell talking. Think about it this way, if it was the real Cadence nothing suspicious would have happened, right? After the preparations, you told me that she was just as sweet as you remember. Everything would have been perfect if not for those darn Changelings."

"But." He continued. "I need to apologize to you. We both know that I didn't mean to say those terrible things to you, but that doesn't change the fact that I said them. I know that it hurt you, and I'm sorry Twilight." Shining Armor bowed his head.

"You're still my B.B.B.F.F." Twilight smiled up at him weakly.

"Heh, not getting out of that one any time soon, am I?" He grinned, ribbing her playfully. Twilight dropped her gaze to the ground, rubbing her foreleg.

"What about the Changelings though Shiny? Why is the Queen back? What's going on? How did they get to Cadence without you noticing?"

"Well, you know how much she loves her night strolls. Listen, Princess Celestia asked me to check for signs of mental influence, and there was nothing there. Whatever she's doing, it's all her." Twilight gasped.

"No! No, I was sure that they'd brainwashed her! Something is going on. Cadence can't have done this herself."

"Well right now it looks like she has. I haven't had a chance to speak to her about it, but something definitely happened during the honeymoon." Shining Armor paced back and forth, thinking. "Cadence said that she found them during a stroll. She said that they're not evil, and were going to starve. Twilight, you know how kind she can be. Cadence would definitely try to help somepony in need, even if it caused trouble for her." He said, smiling wryly.

"Yeah, she would..." Twilight agreed, smiling back. "What about the Princess though?" She asked worriedly.

"Hmm?"

"Cadence accused Princess Celestia of being xenophobic. They were saying things about her turning down an appeal, and then Luna started agreeing with the Changeling Queen! It's a lie, isn't it Shining Armor? Tell me it's a lie?"

"Well..." Shining Armor began hesitantly. "Princess Celestia did turn down a request made by the Queen a little over a year ago. I didn't hear what was said, but the Princess tasked me with escorting her out of Canterlot safely. They were only in there for a few minutes. I don't think it's true though. It's more likely that something happened in the past that made her wary of them."

Twilight's ears pricked up. "Wait, you think something might have happened?" She asked excitedly. Her big brother shrugged, nodding.

"There's probably a record of an event in the books here!" Twilight cheered, galloping over to the history section. She rushed back to the table with the appropriate book a few seconds later, slamming it down enthusiastically.

"Easy there, we don't want to break another book." Shining Armor cautioned. The pages ruffled as Twilight skimmed over them, looking for the section on Changelings.

"Aha!" She hollered triumphantly, before poking her nose into the pages and reading aloud.

"Changelings are shrouded in mystery. They... Deh deh deh deh deh, behavior, abilities ... Here we go. The existence of the Changeling race is steeped in legend, as there are no definite historical records to prove their existence. What?!"

"Check the edition." Shining Armor suggested. Twilight nodded, flipping to the correct page. Her eyes widened as she read the words.

"Updated last year. There's nothing in here about their appeal to the Princess, or any kind of event."

"Well, maybe I was wrong." He said simply.

"What do we do now?" Twilight asked, exasperated.

"Now we get on with our lives. The Princess will deliver her verdict tomorrow morning, I've sealed the Changelings in the ballroom, and the Queen is in the dungeon. It's getting late. You should go be around your friends, get some dinner. Now that I'm off duty I've got time to go see Cadence. I really need to talk to her about this, and I can take her some food too."

"Okay well, good luck. Thanks for the talk Shining Armor." Twilight said, smiling up at him.

"No problem little sis. You're going to be okay, right?" Her big brother asked, placing a hoof on her shoulder.

"Yeah, I should get back to my room at the castle." She leaned in to kiss him, but he pulled away.

"Twilight, I'm married now!"

"Aww, not even a little one?" Twilight pouted.

"Fiiiiine." He groaned, rolling his eyes. He leaned down and stuck out a cheek, and she planted a quick peck on it, giggling.

"Now go on." She urged, poking him with a hoof. He saluted, grinning, and galloped off.

Twilight grabbed her saddlebags, put back the books she'd used, and left. She was so relieved that her relationship with her big brother hadn't been ruined. They were still B.F.F.s, but time had changed things. She and Shining Armor had drifted apart. Only a little, but she could feel it. His hugs just weren't the same anymore. Back when she was a filly, her big brother's hugs were legendary. When she was wrapped in his forelegs, she knew that she was safe. Her B.B.B.F.F. was big and strong, even as a colt, and his barrier spells were nigh impenetrable. Nothing could hurt her when she was with him.

Something had changed though. Shining Armor's hugs used to be the best, but now... Twilight thought back to the hug that she and Rainbow had shared earlier. It was... different somehow. Rainbow was a little smaller than her. She wasn't well-built and muscular like Shining Armor. She was soft and curvy, but athletic too. Twilight remembered how she had felt the mare's silky mane tickle her muzzle. It was nice in a different way.

As Twilight walked through Canterlot Castle, deep in thought, she realized something. She could have a hug from her big brother anytime she wanted one, but Rainbow's hugs were much rarer. She wasn't the touchy-feely type, and affection wasn't her strong suit at all. Sure, she hung onto the edge of a group hug every once in a while, but a real hug was reserved for those she cared about the most.

Twilight walked back to her room at the castle feeling much better than she had half an hour ago. She was spotted by an eagle-eyed pegasus flying around above.

"Twilight! There you are! I looked for you everywhere, where did you go?"

"Oh, hey Rainbow. I was in the library." The pegasus landed and cocked an eyebrow.

"That was the first place I looked. Where were you?"

"Well, I kinda have an old hiding spot." Twilight admitted, chuckling sheepishly. "I used to hide in one of the corners and build a book fort around myself when I was upset. Sorry."

She looked up. Rainbow was smiling at her. "A book fort? That's so like you Twilight, heh."

"I guess so, yeah." The unicorn blushed. "Listen Rainbow, I uh... can I give you a hug?"

"A hug? Why?" Rainbow asked, drawing back a little. Twilight rubbed the back of her foreleg nervously. This was becoming much more uncomfortable than she thought it would. She didn't know what to say, so she just looked up at her friend.

Rainbow glanced at her reluctantly. "Uh... okay." She walked up to Twilight, sat down, and wrapped her forelegs around her lavender friend. Twilight returned the hug, resting her head on a cyan shoulder and nuzzling into her soft mane. Why does this feel so good?

Rainbow was struggling to keep control of herself. A blush threatened to wash over her face, and she was putting a lot of effort into keeping her wings shut. Play it cool Dash. You can do this without going all red in the face. It's just a hug for a friend.

Twilight eventually ended the embrace, sitting there with her eyes closed for a few wonderful seconds. She sighed, and looked up at her friend. Rainbow was blushing and fiddling with her hooves. Twilight took it as a sign that she wasn't totally comfortable with 'sappy' stuff like this, but she appreciated that Dash would do it for her. She fought off her own blush as she steeled herself for what was coming next. This was going to be difficult.

"Rainbow." She began softly. The pegasus looked up at her with the tiniest shy smile, ears pricking up attentively. "Listen, I usually wouldn't bother you with this, but tonight, I just can't keep it to myself. I've tried to keep it a secret, but if I have to share it with somepony I want it to be you Rainbow."

Twilight reached up and placed her hooves on Rainbow's shoulders. Dash gasped, biting her lip. Twilight didn't notice when her wings burst open. She looked at her colorful friend, swallowed nervously, and...

"Rainbow, I need a freaking drink."

...

"WHAT?!"

"Please don't be angry! I try to keep it to myself, not even Spike knows about it, but things get so stressful sometimes I just need to unwind and relax and I really need to do that tonight but I'd have to go to a bar but I've never been to a bar before so I didn't want to go alone and what if I get really drunk out there so I thought I'd need somepony to go with me and I wanted it to be you because you're awesome and..."

Rainbow gazed at Twilight perplexedly. The pegasus didn't seem to be angry with her.

"You're not angry?"

"Angry? No, no I'm just... surprised?" Twilight breathed a sigh of relief.

"Can we go now? Just let me put away my saddlebags..." Rainbow nodded, then turned around and took off. Twilight walked over to their room.

"I'll be waiting up here!" The flying mare hollered. Twilight opened the doors with her magic, and found that the room was dark, to her surprise. She flicked the lights on, and heard somepony gasp. Rarity and Applejack were on one of the beds, and from the looks of things they had been caught by surprise.

Rarity was wearing her friend's stetson. She sat up and scrambled backwards, sitting down. AJ let out a surprised moan as she bolted upright. Rarity quickly returned the hat to AJ's head before wiping her mouth with a hoof. They both sat and stared at Twilight, wide-eyed.

"Twilight!"

"We weren't expecting y-aah!" Applejack shuddered involuntarily. She tried to stifle her gasp with a hoof, and Rarity laughed uncomfortably as she regained her composure.

"What brings you here?" The unicorn inquired cheerfully.

"I mean, we know this is your room too, but we thought you'd be out."

"We're not saying that you're not welcome though, quite the opposite."

"You can come right in if you want!"

"Of course, if you're going out somewhere, please don't let us keep you!"

"No siree! You go right along Twilight!

...

"I'm just dropping off my bags girls. Don't worry, I'm going out and I'll... leave you two." Twilight muttered, frozen. Her saddlebags landed on the floor with a thump, and she turned and ran from the room. The doors slammed shut after her, and she took a few moments to compose herself, breathing steadily. Wow. I was not expecting that.

"Rainbow!" She shouted, calling for the pegasus. Said pegasus shot through a cloud suddenly, landing next to Twilight with a loud thump.

"Ready for duty!" She barked, saluting. She giggled a second later, then walked over to the railing to look at the city below.

"So where are we going?" Rainbow asked. Twilight joined her, scanning the city for an acceptable establishment.

"Well we can't see anything from up here. Why don't we go down and look around?" Rainbow nodded, and they both turned around and started walking down to ground level.

"It's funny, I know Canterlot like the underside of my hoof, but I never paid attention to the bars." Twilight said. "Come to think of it I've never seen you go to any of the bars in Ponyville unless we're all having a night out. Do you drink much?"

"Actually, I don't really drink at all." Rainbow admitted. Twilight stared at her, surprised.

"Really? Not at all?"

"Nope. When it comes to alcohol, pegasi are lightweights. I'm a mare, and my body size isn't very big, so I get smashed really quickly. Besides, I can't fly straight if I've had a drink."

"Well you don't have to drink anything if you don't want to." Twilight offered. Rainbow scowled at her.

"Seriously Twilight? You want me to go into a bar and get a lemonade with a little parasol in it? I'm drinking, just keep an eye on me, okay?"

"Sure thing Rainbow." Twilight said, chuckling. "Although, you could still get a little parasol!" She grinned at the pegasus, who was glaring daggers at her by now.

"Okay okay, maybe not..."

Twilight and Rainbow eventually reached the nightlife district of the biggest city in Equestria. It was as though they were seeing it for the first time. There were lights everywhere, illuminating the droves of ponies filling the streets in every color. Some danced, some swayed drunkenly, a few were in the middle of a brawl. Some of the Earth pony members of the Royal Guard worked as bouncers, standing guard alongside each bar's own bouncer.

"Hey!" Rainbow called. "Fluttershy was really shaken after what happened today, so Pinkie took her out to cheer her up. We might run into them!"

"Did they say where they were going? We could go there!" Twilight replied. Rainbow's little 'nah' annoyed her. She'd have to make a decision now. Which place should they go to?

They looked around. The entire street was lined with bars and clubs. Some were big and extravagant, adorned with inviting colors, and some were cramped and shady. Most of the better-looking places had queues a mile long out front, which crossed them off the list of viable choices. There was a good place off to the right, but the music coming from inside sounded absolutely deafening, so no to that one too.

Then Twilight spotted the place. It was a colorful bar called the Midnight Mare. The entrance was fairly large, and the bouncer was a big unicorn mare. There were absolutely zero stallions waiting in the line, which was fairly short.

"There!" Twilight yelled, pointing at her choice. Rainbow's ears drooped.

"That place? Really?"

"Why not? What's wrong with it? It looks like a mares-only bar, so we won't bothered by any horny stallions." Twilight exclaimed, grinning.

Rainbow chuckled. "I guess so. Let's go." The line was only a few minutes long, and the bouncer smiled down at them when she let them in.

"See?" Twilight told Rainbow. "She was really friendly! This'll be great!"

"Yep, sure will Twilight." Rainbow agreed, grinning. The bar was a little bigger on the inside than it had seemed when they were standing outside. There were a lot of tables and booths, and around half were unoccupied. They walked up to the bar. The shelves on the back wall were huge, and they were stacked high with every type of alcohol that the duo could name, and even some that they couldn't. Twilight looked around behind her while they waited for the barkeep.

"See? No stallions, lots of ponies, and the music isn't as loud as I thought it'd be."

"Yeah, it looks alright. Can we get a table? I don't wanna sit at the bar." Rainbow asked.

"Okay, I think you two cuties were next, yeah?" The barkeep hollered. Twilight whirled around, blushing a little.

"Us? Um, yes I think so." She said, nodding. "I'll have a Johnnie Canter and soda please. No ice." The barkeep nodded, then turned to Rainbow.

"Sweetie, is that your natural mane color? It's gorgeous! Let me tell ya, if that's a perm, you gotta tell me who does it for ya!"

Twilight looked at her friend confusedly. "Of course it's her natural color!"

Rainbow ran a hoof through her bangs proudly. "Thanks!" She leaned in, lowering her voice. "You should see it when I fly."

"The barkeep laughed. "Okay, okay, what'll it be?"

"Cosmo." She said. Twilight turned to her, staring.

"A cosmopolitan? You? But that's a 'girly drink.' Aren't you going to get rum or something?" Twilight asked her incredulously. Rainbow gave her friend the best deadpan expression she could.

"Twilight, alcohol is not girly. Besides, Pinkie's been force-feeding me all kinds of new cake recipes all week. I think I've grown a sweet tooth." Twilight rolled her eyes, then turned to the barkeep.

"How much?" She asked.

"They're on the house." The barkeep replied, winking at her. The unicorn turned to her friend, grinning ear to ear.

"And you had your doubts about this place!"

Twilight's horn glowed, and her drink followed her as she trotted over to a table happily. Rainbow opened a wing and held it up to the bar, sliding her drink onto it with a hoof. She followed after her friend, walking over to the table and laying her wing on it.

"Hey Twilight, check this out." Rainbow said smugly. Grinning at Twilight, she snapped her wing back to her side, pulling it out from under her drink. The glass thunked onto the table cleanly, remaining upright. None had been spilled. Twilight's eyes bugged out.

"Very impressive!" She cheered, applauding. She turned to her own drink and took a sip. Her posture melted.

"Ooh, that's the stuff..." Twilight groaned. Rainbow laughed.

"Feel better?" She asked. Twilight nodded, eyes closed.

"You're not going to get smashed on me are you?"

"Nonono! Of course not. Two's my limit." Twilight assured her. Rainbow took a sip of her own drink.

"Wow, what a crazy day. You know, a lot happened in the garden after you left. You seemed pretty upset. Are you okay?" Rainbow asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine now. I talked to Shining Armor, and we cleared things up, thankfully. I'm still worried about Princess Celestia's alleged xenophobia though. I keep telling myself that it's not true, but all of these things keep popping up that say otherwise."

"What do you mean?" Rainbow asked, tilting her head quizzically.

"Cadence hadn't been brainwashed." She said simply. Rainbow's jaw dropped.

"What?! That makes no sense, how did you find out??"

"Shining Armor told me himself. He even checked with a spell."

"No." Rainbow stated defiantly, shaking her head. "Cadence is a Princess. She wouldn't betray us for the same Changeling that almost ruined her wedding. Twilight, you know Cadence better than any of us. Do you think we can trust her?"

Twilight slumped, sighing. "I don't know Rainbow. I just don't know. I definitely don't trust the Changelings right now though."

"Same here." The cyan mare agreed, bristling her wings. She turned to Twilight, chuckling.

"It's funny isn't it? How there's a possible invasion happening, and we're in a bar." Twilight smiled.

"I guess so. There's not much we can do right now though. The Changelings are sealed in the ballroom, and the Queen is in the dungeon." The unicorn said, peering into her empty glass. "I'm getting another drink. I'll be back in a second." Rainbow nodded to Twilight as she got up and walked over to the bar. She ordered, exchanging a few words with the barkeep. She was feeling nicely buzzed by now, but could go a little further. The barkeep surprised her by putting two drinks down in front of her.

"Wait, I only ordered one!" Twilight protested.

"I know. These are from..." The barkeep looked over Twilight's shoulder, frowned, then scanned the room. "Ah, these are from the two mares over at your table." She chuckled.

"Uh, thanks." Twilight said uncertainly. She looked over at her table, and was surprised to see a pair of big, bulky mares there. They were all over Rainbow. Dash scowled at them as she tried to wrestle them off her, but then one leaned down and whispered something into her ear. She froze, eyes wide. Twilight gasped and rushed over, towing the drinks behind her.

"Uh hi. What's going on?" Twilight exclaimed. Rainbow had sunk down into her seat, looking extremely uncomfortable. The pair of mares let go of her, grinning at Twilight.

"Hey there. I see you got the drinks we sent you. Same as before, right?" One said. She was a tall, dark blue pegasus with a yellow, wavy mane. "I'm Poledancer, and this is Garden Blast." She said, gesturing to the pale red unicorn with a long green mane standing next to her. Twilight chuckled uncomfortably as Garden Blast waved to her.

"I'm uh... Twilight Sparkle, and this is Rainbow Dash."

"Twilight Sparkle eh?" Poledancer said. "Cute name for an even cuter mare." She grinned as Twilight's face flushed red.

"Hi..." Rainbow added quietly. Poledancer pulled Twilight and Rainbow close with her wings, dropping her voice to a husky whisper.

"Whaddya say we get outta here?" She suggested. Rainbow let out a timid squeak. She looked absolutely mortified. Twilight looked up at the blue mare confusedly.

"And go where?" She asked. Poledancer blinked at her for a few seconds, then laughed. "Blast, I think we've scored a couple of virgins!"

"Oh wow!" Garden Blast replied, throwing a foreleg around Rainbow's shoulder. The cyan mare's face was doing a rather good impersonation of a tomato.

"I'll give you a hint." Poledancer whispered. "Back at our place, we've got a bed that's plenty big enough for the four of us. We won't ruin the surprise by telling you what we have in mind, but I guarantee that we can make you squeal and beg us for more of it."

Twilight nearly choked on her gasp. She now knew exactly what was going on.

"Twilight?" Rainbow called, fear audible in her voice. Half of her face had sunken beneath the table. Twilight scowled. She picked up the two mares with her magic and moved them over to the opposite side of the table, and lifted Rainbow over to her side.

"No!" Twilight shouted. "Thank you for the drinks, but how dare you assume that we're like that? Now go away. Shoo!" She waved her hooves at them, glaring. The pair of mares stared at her, befuddled. Garden Blast snorted, and they spun around and stamped off.

Twilight turned to Rainbow, aghast. "Can you believe the-Hey, are you okay?"

Rainbow was shaking. Her ears were flattened against her head, and she was staring into her glass abashedly. She jumped a little when Twilight wrapped a foreleg around her shoulders.

"Hey." Twilight called softly, nudging her. Rainbow turned and glanced up at her friend briefly, keeping her head down. Twilight was concerned, to say the least. She had never seen Rainbow like this before.

"Uh, I yeah-it, I mean, nothing. It's..." Dash inhaled, trying to calm herself. "That was my fault Twilight. I should have said something before we came in."

"Something about what??" Twilight asked. She looked around curiously. Something did seem a little strange about this place. Twilight had figured that there might be a few horny fillyfoolers in a mares-only bar, but a lot of the mares in here were being very... intimate with each other. Her eyes fell on a pair that were kissing.

Oh.

"We're in a fillyfooler bar!?" Twilight shouted, completely gobsmacked. She turned to Rainbow, glaring. The pegasus's blush had washed away, and she sat there grinning at her friend.

"You knew, didn't you?"

"Yep." Rainbow chuckled.

"Why didn't you say something?!"

Rainbow shrugged. "Well, you did say that you wanted to avoid the horny stallions." Twilight grumbled. She had a point.

"Anyway, thanks for the save Twi." The pegasus giggled. Twilight raised an eyebrow.

"What happened to you back there? What did that unicorn say to you?" She asked. Rainbow blanched.

"Well uh... nothing really. Don't worry about it." She smiled, waving her hoof dismissively.

Twilight was about to say something, but noticed Poledancer and Garden Blast coming back over.

"Hi again!" Poledancer said, confident as ever. "Listen, normally I'd leave you alone, but Blast here loves a challenge, and she usually gets what she wants." Twilight and Rainbow just stared at her disbelievingly.

"Besides." Garden Blast added. "I thought you might need some time to think about our offer." Twilight's jaw dropped as she watched Poledancer sling a wing over Rainbow's back and pull her in close. Grinning devilishly, she lowered her lips to Dash's ear.

"You sure you don't want to try it?" The larger pegasus whispered, moving up to nibble on the tip of her ear. The smaller pegasus shuddered, accidentally letting out a soft moan. Her blush returned in full force as a blue hoof shot up to stifle the telling noise she'd just made. Her ear slipped from between Poledancer's warm lips, and she shuddered again.

"You like that huh? That's just the beginning..."

Twilight was too busy dealing with Garden Blast to help her. She kept the larger unicorn fixed with a death glare, horn aglow. Blast knew better than to try making a move on her. The bigger unicorn relented, stepping back. Twilight turned to the other one, pushing her away from Rainbow with her magic.

"Don't touch her."

Poledancer groaned. Rainbow hurried around the table to stand beside Twilight. Lavender unicorn and red pegasus stared each other down. Ponies were beginning to notice. This wasn't going to end well. Rainbow had to do something, and quick.

"Girls!" she shouted. "My marefriend and I are just here for a quiet drink. Sorry, but we're not interested." Rainbow huddled close and slung a wing around Twilight, nuzzling her. Poledancer rolled her eyes.

"Whatever..." They both left in a huff.

Twilight breathed a sigh of relief, only to have her next breath catch in her throat as Rainbow leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

"Rainbow!" She gasped. "What are y-"

"They'll leave us alone if we pretend to be a couple." Rainbow explained, trying to hide her blush.

"Oh, okay. Good thinking Rainbow!" Twilight exclaimed, leaning over to give the pegasus a kiss of her own. Dash's eyes widened, and her other wing sprung open. She looked away as casually as she could, eyes wandering around the room. She met the gaze of a mare who was watching her and Twilight intently. The mare winked at her, and she averted her gaze quickly, growing more and more flustered as the seconds passed. Twilight took a sip of her drink, smiling as she saw Poledancer and Garden Blast leaving.

"Oh good, they're gone. I thought we'd have to get out of here after what happened." She exclaimed, looking over at her friend. Rainbow was fidgeting and staring at the table.

"Hey, are you okay Rainbow?"

"Huh?" Her gaze snapped back to her friend.

"Sorry. I hope I didn't make you feel uncomfortable." Twilight pouted.

"No, it wasn't you. I uh... think I'll get another drink." She said, rushing over to the bar. She called for the barkeep, and Twilight teleported over when she walked up to the pegasus.

"Hey, there's no flying or teleporting in here ladies." The barkeep explained sternly.

"Right, sorry." Rainbow replied, nodding. "Rum and cola thanks." She turned to look at Twilight, who cut her off with a raised hoof.

"It's my shout tonight Rainbow. Put away your bits, I insist." Twilight said. Rainbow smiled up at her.

"Wow, thanks Twilight."

"Five bits for that one." The barkeep announced, clunking Rainbow's drink onto the bar. "You two make a really cute couple, if ya don't mind me sayin.'" She leaned in close, whispering conspiratorially. "Place like this, you two oughta watch out." she chuckled, winking at Twilight, then went off to tend to some other customers.

The front door of the Midnight Mare swung open, and a lavender mare walked out. She was supporting a very drunk pegasus, who was giggling raucously.

"Twilight, you should have stopped me getting drunk too much before I had too many drinks... to drink."

"Mhmm," Twilight replied wearily. "Take a few deep breaths, the fresh air will clear your head."

"Clear my head? Of what?"

"Alcohol! You've been drinking, remember?" Twilight exclaimed, jabbing Rainbow with a hoof. The pegasus laughed.

"You're a real crack-up sometimes Twilight. Why would I need to clear my head? The drinks are in my stomach!"

Twilight groaned. "Rainbow, you've had too much to drink. Just take a few deep breaths. Please?"

"Fiiiiiine." Rainbow grumbled, sucking in air. "I only had three drinks though! It's not like I didn't have too... wait, had too many!"

"Uh huh." Twilight droned. "Rainbow, remember how you told me that a small mare such as yourself couldn't handle that much alcohol?"

"What?" The pegasus shouted, taking to the air and getting in Twilight's face. "Is that a challenge? I can so not handle that much drinks!"

Twilight groaned. "Rainbow, cool it. And please stop flying, you're going to hurt yourself!"

"Oh yeah?! I'll show you how drunk I am!" Rainbow slurred, shooting forward in a straight line and coming to a stop with expert precision.

... Except, that's what she would've done if she weren't completely smashed.

"Ow!" Dash groaned. She had barely made it a foot before faceplanting clumsily. Luckily, they had wandered onto a grassy patch just off the street. Rainbow shot back into the air suddenly, shaking herself off.

"I'm fine!"

"All right, that's enough!" Twilight shouted. Her horn glowed, and Rainbow's back hit the grass. She cried out in surprise as her limbs were pinned down.

"Agh, Twilight, what the hay??"

Twilight walked over to her and lowered her head. Her horntip touched Rainbow's belly, and magic flowed. Rainbow giggled a little as her tummy tingled, then rumbled audibly.

"What are you doing, Twilight?" The unicorn's response was a wink as she picked up the pegasus and set her down on her hooves.

"Anti-intoxication spell!" She chirped, grinning. Rainbow blinked, taking a few seconds to see how she felt. She wasn't wobbly anymore, and her mind had cleared up. She felt pretty good, actually.

"Hey, it worked!" She shouted.

"You sound as though you were expecting it not to." Twilight retorted.

"Well..." Rainbow smiled cheekily. Suddenly, she scowled.

"Hey! You let me get drunk!" She accused. Twilight giggled.

"I sure did!"

"Why?"

"Well, I was still watching out for you. And I have the spell I just used, so I knew you'd be fine." She explained reasonably.

"I guess so..." Rainbow said slowly.

"And besides! I wanted to see what you're like when you're drunk!" The unicorn chirped, fixing Rainbow with a silly grin. Rainbow stared at the ground, grumbling.

"And I'm glad I did. You're so cute when you're drunk, Rainbow!" She teased, throwing a foreleg around Rainbow's shoulders. The pegasus blushed a little, pushing Twilight away with her wing.

"And," Twilight continued cheerily. "I don't think I've ever heard you giggle so much!" This made Rainbow's cheeks turn even redder. She turned away sharply, spluttering.

"Oh yeah?! Well you, you..." Twilight stared at her expectantly, eyes bright.

"You walked straight into a fillyfooler bar and didn't even know it!" Rainbow crowed triumphantly. Twilight didn't miss a beat.

"Yes, and I was very popular with the mares, wasn't I?" She cooed, batting her eyes at Dash. She grinned, then fell to the grass in a fit of laughter.

Rainbow glared at her as she rolled around on the grass, laughing raucously. Rainbow couldn't help but laugh a little too. She sat down next to her lavender friend, chuckling with her.

"You should have seen your face! Your eyes bugged out so hard that they almost rolled away!"

"I couldn't believe it! I honestly had no idea when we walked in." Twilight's face hurt from all the laughing. She sat up, smiling at Dash. The pegasus leaned in, pressing her side against Twilight's.

"This was fun Twilight. Thanks for inviting me."

"You're welcome Rainbow. You know, I'd actually forgotten all about my nerves."

Rainbow's ears pricked up. "You did?" She asked. Twilight nodded. "Mmhm!"

Rainbow grinned as she leaned back, lying down on the grass. "Look at the stars, Twilight."

"You stargaze too??" She asked, taken aback. Rainbow nodded.

"Yeah. Don't tell anypony though." She warned sternly. "I nap so much during the day that I actually spend a lot of time awake at night. Sometimes, when I'm not reading Daring Do, I like to find a good cloud and watch the stars."

Twilight joined her, thumping back onto to the grass clumsily. "Wow, I'd never have guessed that about you Rainbow. You're always so fast, and I used to think that you were missing out on so many wonderful little things. You really have to stop sometimes and take notice of the world around you. Look at this grass, for example. It's blue!"

Rainbow turned her head sideways, looking down at the grass. It was indeed a strange blue-green color. Rainbow's nose crinkled as tall blades of it tickled her muzzle. It was then that she noticed just how close her and Twilight's faces were. Twilight smiled as their eyes met, and they gazed into each other's eyes for a brief moment.

"Do you know about constellations?" Twilight whispered. Rainbow looked away shyly, turning her eyes to the sky.

"No, not really. Do you?" Rainbow looked back down at Twilight when she heard no answer. The unicorn was smiling at her, eyebrow cocked.

Dash chuckled. "Okay, okay, stupid question."

"Look up there." Twilight said, pointing with her hoof. "See those three stars in a line, the bright ones? That's Orion's belt. The other bright stars around it..." She explained, tracing the shape with her outstretched hoof. "... make up Orion himself."

"Who's Orion?" Rainbow asked.

"A great warrior stallion of olden times." Twilight replied.

"And up there," She explained fondly. "Is the North Star. It's always been special to me. Shining Armor taught me to navigate by it, in case I ever got lost, and I could always remember it because it's in his cutie mark." She looked down at her own flank before continuing. "Then it became my cutie mark as well. Anytime I felt myself miss him, I knew I could find our star, and it'd point straight back to Canterlot."

She glanced at Rainbow. Dash was smiling.

"The North Star's name is Polaris. It always indicates north when you see it in the sky. And look over there! See those seven stars?"

"Yeah?"

"That's Ursa Minor." Twilight explained. Rainbow looked at her.

"The Ursa Minor?" She asked.

"Yes, actually. The constellation was discovered by an astronomer named Ptailemy, and he named it after the bear."

Rainbow gazed up at the stars confusedly. "Why?" She asked.

"It looks like a bear. It's pointed downwards, see? The paws are on the side." Twilight explained, waving her hoof.

"It's got a really long tail."

The unicorn chuckled. "Yeah, it does."

Nothing more was said. Both mares were happy just lying there with each other, gazing up at the night sky.

After some time, Rainbow gasped. Twilight had reached over and taken her hoof, holding it in hers. When she looked over, the unicorn was smiling warmly.

"I really like this side of you, Rainbow." She whispered. Dash chuckled nervously. There was nothing she could do about the hot blush on her cheeks.

"...Thanks I guess." She mumbled, fidgeting. Twilight let go of her hoof, chuckling to herself. She was glad that Rainbow hadn't pulled away.

Dash exhaled, her body no longer tense. Suddenly, Twilight rolled over to face her, cupping her face in her purple hooves.

"Rainbow." She whispered gently. "I've told you before that you don't have to hide your feelings from me. Please don't ever feel scared to be yourself when it's just us, okay?"

Rainbow bit her lip, trying to stay calm. Her blush had spread, warmth seeping down her neck, and her breath caught in her throat. She swallowed nervously before replying. She was so glad that she was lying on her closed wings.

"... okay."

Twilight just smiled. She turned back, then rolled forward onto her hooves before turning around and offering a lift to her friend. Rainbow took it, using the hoof to pull herself upright.

"Ugh, my rump is numb now." Twilight grumbled.

"My wings are numb!" Rainbow countered. "That's much worse." Twilight responded by yawning at her.

"Ooh! I think it's about time we hit the hay." She commented. "We should start heading back." Rainbow nodded her agreement, and they both began the walk back to the castle.

Rainbow opened her wings, flexing them to work out the numbness. With one powerful flap, she was airborne. She climbed a short distance then entered a shallow dive, wheeling around above Twilight's head.

"Hey, don't fly away!" Twilight complained. Rainbow came to a stop in front of her, flying backward slowly.

"Heh, sorry. I just really like flying at night. Especially high up."

"Why at night?" Twilight asked.

"It's really quiet up there. Somehow, it's completely different to flying during the day." Rainbow sighed, looking at the ground sullenly.

"Sometimes I wish that there was somepony I could go flying with. The only pony I can really ask is Fluttershy, and she'd think of it as a chore. It's too scary at night, that kinda stuff."

"Well..." Twilight thought, tapping her chin with a hoof. her horn glowed, and her hooves began to glow with a soft violet light. Then she raised her head, disappearing with a flash.

The loud bang that came from above drew Rainbow's gaze skyward. Twilight's smiling face peeked out over the edge of a cloud, and she waved when Rainbow spotted her. Laughing excitedly, she took off, flying up to the cloud.

"Twilight? Where did y-oh no!" Her gaze swung downward, scanning frantically. Had Twilight fallen?

"Rainbow! Up here!"

Breathing a sigh of relief, the pegasus shot up to meet her. Twilight grinned as she stamped her hooves on the cloud, as if testing it's cushiness.

"Neat huh?"

"Hehe, yeah!" Dash exclaimed, whizzing around her. "Let's go higher!" She ascended as Twilight watched, smiling. Twilight leaped off the cloud, hanging in midair for a second before gravity took hold. With a kick of her legs, a bubble shield formed around her, and she began to float upward slowly.

"I'm coming!" She hollered to the pegasus above her. Twilight eventually reached Rainbow's height, and she grinned sheepishly as the pegasus frowned at her, tapping her hoof impatiently.

"Can't that thing go any faster?" Rainbow asked, grinning.

"Oh shush, you. I'm here now." Twilight grumbled, teleporting onto the cloud. Rainbow smiled at her excitedly, walking over to the edge and pointing down.

"Look at the city down there. You really can't get a view like this in the castle." She said. Twilight looked. The city was bathed in soft moonlight, which shone off the white buildings and made everything shine blue. The nightlife district was brightly illuminated, but the quieter parts of the city were much calmer. Only a few lights remained, shaped square by the windows from which they shone. Rainbow sighed, turning to look at the other side of Canterlot. She had opted to stand on the edge of the cloud, next to Twilight, and wasn't looking where she was stepping. This unfortunately meant that her back hoof had overshot the edge, and Rainbow fell. There wasn't enough time to grab anything; her body rolled off the surface before she could react.

"Aaaaah!" The world was a spinning blur, and wind whistled past her ears. Falling was usually a non-issue for a pegasus—especially one that could fly as well as Dash—but she wasn't falling, she was tumbling. Righting herself proved impossible.

In her panic, she didn't notice the beam of violet light reach down and catch her. A bubble shield formed around Rainbow, and gravity no longer had a hold on her body. She took the time to catch her breath as she ascended, retracing the distance she had fallen until Twilight's concerned face came into view.

"Rainbow!" Twilight cried. "Please be careful!" She held a hoof to her chest, calming herself.

"You saved me... thanks, Twilight."

"What happened? I look over and suddenly you're not there. I didn't even realize that you'd fallen until I heard you screaming." Her voice held so much concern. She took down the shield, carefully levitating Rainbow back onto the cloud. As soon as her hooves made contact, Twilight hugged her tightly.

"Don't do that again, okay?" she said, pouting at the pegasus.

"Don't worry, I won't." Rainbow assured. Twilight's horn glowed, and they reappeared at ground level with a loud bang.

"I think that's enough flying for one night."

"Wanna go back now?" Rainbow suggested.

"Yeah, okay." The unicorn agreed.

They strolled back to the castle slowly, enjoying the quiet lull of a city at rest. The castle was only a few blocks away, and the streets were empty. When they reached their street, Twilight gasped.

"Oh, look! A new ice cream shop's opened up here!" She exclaimed, trotting up to it. She pressed her face against the glass, looking inside. Rainbow joined her, peering into the dark shopfront.

"Looks good." She commented.

"It's a shame they're not open now, I'd really like a milkshake." They both walked away, cutting across the grass to the castle entrance.

"We could try it tomorrow." Rainbow suggested.

"Wait, did you hear that?" Twilight said, ears pricking up.

"It sounds like... Fluttershy?" Dash wondered aloud. "Is she singing?!" They both looked around, trying to discern where the sound was coming from. They spotted her flying up the street toward the castle, bobbing lopsidedly. She had her eyes closed, and was singing at the top of her voice.

"Ohh, what a magical place!
I can see it now, cuz I'm drunk off my face!
If I knew that booze was such a wonderful drink,
I'd have drunk it sooner, and... um...

...

Dee dee dee!
Yes, I. Love. Everythiiiiiiing!"

Fluttershy finished her song on a high note, throwing her hooves skyward. She nearly lost her balance as she lowered them, then keeled sideways into a wall as she tried to steady herself. Twilight and Rainbow stared, wide-eyed and flabbergasted.

"That's Fluttershy." Twilight said.

"Yep." Rainbow agreed.

"She's drunk."

"Yep"

"We should go see if she's okay."

"Yep."

They both cantered over to the drunk pegasus, who was trying to do a barrel roll.

"Fluttershy!" Rainbow called. "What's going on?!"

Fluttershy's head shot up as soon as she heard Dash call out to her. A huge smile formed on her face, and she zipped over and tackled the pegasus to the ground.

"Oof! Watch it Fluttershy!" Rainbow shouted.

"Hiya Rainbow Dash!" Fluttershy cheered brightly, beaming down at her. The smell of booze on her breath was painfully obvious.

"Fluttershy! You're drunk!" Twilight hollered, clearly annoyed.

"Of course I'm drunk Twilight!" Was her reply.

"Why are you drunk though?!"

"Because I've been drinking!"

"No, but, I mean, you... Aah!" Twilight spluttered in exasperation. "What happened Fluttershy?"

"Oh, Pinkie Pie took me out to a bar, and we got some drinks. I drank them. I thought that'd be obvious, Twilight." She looked at the unicorn confusedly, then suddenly took off, flying away.

"Ohh no." Twilight stated firmly. "You're going to bed so you can sleep the rest of it off." She grabbed the wild mare with her magic, plonking her back on the ground.

"Aww..." she whined, pouting.

"No buts!" Twilight snapped, turning on her hoof and trotting back to the castle. "Now let's go!" She called over her shoulder.

Rainbow stayed by Fluttershy's side as she trudged after Twilight, pouting. She looked over at Dash, suddenly excited again.

"Hey! We should dance!" She suggested brightly. Rainbow had no time to protest before Fluttershy grabbed her and pulled her close.

"There were some really nice mares at the club we went to. They showed me this new dance!" She explained. She stood upright, pulling Dash with her, then started grinding her crotch into Rainbow's leg as she swayed and waved her hooves rhythmically. Rainbow cried out in shock, jumping away. She grabbed the raunchy pegasus and slammed her hooves back down, backing away from her.

"What the hay are you doing, Fluttershy!?" She roared. The yellow mare just tilted her head quizzically, staring at Rainbow.

"You know, you two are really slow on the uptake tonight. Have you been drinking?" She asked. Rainbow facehoofed.

"Okay, that's it." She snapped. She lunged at Fluttershy, grabbing her around the waist, and took off towards the castle balcony outside their room. Fluttershy hit the ground a few seconds later, landing outside their door.

"Ouch!" She whined. Rainbow landed next to her, scowling.

"Snap out of it Fluttershy! It's time for bed!"

"Oh alright..." She relented, rubbing her side gingerly. They both jumped when a loud bang sounded behind them. Twilight teleported onto the balcony, giggling.

"It's not funny!" Rainbow shouted.

"It kinda is, Rainbow." Twilight countered.

"Hi! What are we talking about?" Pinkie Pie trotted around the corner, coming into view.

"Pinkie? Where did you come from??" Twilight wondered.

"Around the corner, silly! I was heading back and I saw the three of you, so I followed you up!"

"Pinkie!" Fluttershy cried, zipping over and hugging the pink pony tightly. "Thank you soooo much for tonight! I had so much fun!" She gushed, bouncing up and down. Pinkie yawned.

"You're welcome! You can tell me all about it tomorrow, okay? I'm about ready to nod off!" She exclaimed, bouncing toward their room.

"Finally!" Twilight huffed. "Rarity and AJ are in there, so be quiet guys." She cautioned. Opening the doors, they walked in quietly. Rarity and Applejack were asleep, thankfully, and Pinkie and Fluttershy both retired to their bed with minimal fuss. Rainbow hit the sack as Twilight grabbed the saddlebags she had hurriedly thrown at the foot of her bed earlier, setting them down against the bedside table neatly.

She pulled back the covers and climbed in, enjoying the cool sensation of the blankets. She heard Rainbow let out a few mumbles as she got comfortable. Once she had settled, Twilight nuzzled her.

"Goodnight Rainbow." She whispered.

"Mmmnight Twilight." The pegasus mumbled back. Twilight rolled over, facing outward, and poked her pillow a few times. There's something missing... She thought, looking back at the mare behind her. Twilight lay still for a few moments, deciding. Finally she nodded to herself and rolled over. She scooted in and spooned Rainbow, wrapping a foreleg around her chest. Rainbow didn't protest.

Twilight sunk into the bed, sighing contentedly. She held the pegasus close, and drifted off to sleep.

Earning your wings

Twilight Sparkle awoke to the Sun's first rays playing across her face. She yawned, taking a few moments to wake up fully.

I'm hugging Rainbow!

The events of the previous night came flooding back suddenly, and she let out a sleepy giggle. Wow, what a crazy night. Fluttershy is going to have the worst hangover...

Twilight had a goofy smile plastered all over her face. Rainbow's body felt so nice against hers. She was warm, and Twilight could feel her chest rise and fall rhythmically as she breathed. Twilight didn't mind the soft feathers grazing against her stomach. She gave Rainbow an affectionate squeeze. The pegasus stirred, mumbling to herself tiredly. Twilight watched as she slowly looked down at the foreleg wrapped around her chest.

"Huh?"

After a brief pause Rainbow rolled onto her stomach, arched her back, and stretched her wings, easing out the stiffness with a few flexes. She slumped back down with a sigh, and looked over at Twilight.

"Good morning Rainbow." The unicorn smiled at her.

"Uh... morning Twilight..." Rainbow replied, fidgeting. She rolled off the bed abruptly, grinning awkwardly once she found her footing.

"I should probably go have a shower while everypony else is asleep." She muttered, shooting into the bathroom. Twilight hadn't noticed Rainbow's blush. Her ears drooped, and she slumped back into the pillow. Morning cuddles would have been nice...

Applejack was snoring lightly. In fact, now that Twilight thought about it, she'd been snoring since they had gone to bed last night. Last night, now that Twilight thought about it, had gone far better than she could have imagined. She was a little scared that Rainbow would get mad when she revealed her... penchant for alcohol. She had imagined scenarios where the pegasus had all kinds of negative reactions, but she now realized how silly she was being. Rainbow was her-

The sound of soft hoofsteps caught Twilight's attention. Looking over, she saw that Rarity had arisen.

"Oh, Rarity! Good morning!"

"GtzAaaaahh!" Rarity cried, jumping a few good feet in the air. "Twilight! Good morning!" She stared at the lavender mare like a deer in headlights. Twilight giggled. Rarity sans makeup, false eyelashes, and manestyle was quite the odd sight.

"Whoa nellie!" Applejack shot upright, woken by Rarity's loudness. Twilight grinned as the two exchanged uncomfortable glances.

"Uh... g'mornin' y'all."

"Good morning dear."

"Hi Applejack."

"Is everything okay Rarity?" Twilight asked.

"Of course! Why wouldn't everything be alright my dear?" Rarity gushed, waving a hood and chortling uncomfortably. Twilight raised an eyebrow. Even Applejack looked skeptical.

"Just-" AJ yawned mid-sentence. "Just tell her, Rare."

Rarity looked over at Pinkie and Fluttershy, making sure that they were still asleep. "Twilight, about what happened yesterday..."

Twilight smiled inwardly. She could have some fun with this.

"What do you mean Rarity?" She asked innocently. Rarity smiled.

"Of course, nothing happened. Thank you darling." She said, breathing a sigh of relief. Applejack snickered.

"What?" Twilight said, flashing her best pout. She flopped her ears for good measure. "I'm confused Rarity. Did something happen?"

Rarity blinked a few times, stammering incoherently. She shot a glare at Applejack, then rubbed her hooves together.

"Twilight... When you walked in here on us last night... Do you know what we were doing?" The unicorn asked carefully. Applejack climbed out of bed and put on her stetson, watching intently. She sat down next to Rarity, grinning.

"Umm... Were you sleeping?" Twilight asked, tilting her head. Rarity's horrified reaction was making it very hard to keep a straight face.

"Oh my, it's far too early for this..." Rarity muttered to herself. "Twilight, we were... How do I put this?" She groaned, squirming.

"Okay okay, calm down Rarity." Twilight said, chuckling. "I know what you were doing." Both mares drew back at that.

"I'm still surprised though. Why were you doing it?" Twilight asked, genuinely confused this time. Rarity and AJ blinked at her.

"We are talking about the same thing, are we not? Just to be sure, my dear."

"A romp in the hay." Applejack offered. "Tippin' the velvet. Horizontal mambo. Double cherry-"

"That's quite enough Applejack. There's no need to be so... vulgar." Rarity was blushing something fierce. Applejack walked over and threw a foreleg around her shoulders, chuckling.

"That's not what you were sayin' last night, darlin'." She pulled Rarity into a kiss. Twilight's eyes bugged out. The dressmaker protested at first, waving her hooves, but AJ held her in place. As soon as Rarity calmed down and eased into the kiss, AJ pulled away.

"We're marefriends." The placid smile on Applejack's face said it all.

"You're what?!" Pinkie Pie shouted.

All three ponies jumped. They whirled around to look at Pinkie Pie... who was still asleep. Twilight and Applejack exchanged confused glances as they crept over to investigate. Maybe Pinkie had just been shouting in her sleep?

"Pinkie?" Twilight poked her with a hoof.

"Shh, I'm supposed to be sleeping." Pinkie whispered. She didn't open her eyes or move at all.

"Pinkie!" Rarity admonished. The pink pony opened her eyes and sat up, frowning.

"Sorry girls. I know you wanted some privacy, but I was already awake. I tried not to listen..."

"That's alright Pinkie. We were gonna tell y'all eventually anyway." Applejack reassured.

A loud knock on the door startled them.

"I wonder who that could be? It's mighty early." Applejack wondered. Twilight trotted over and opened the door.

"Oh! Good morning B.B.B.F.F!" She chirped, smiling up at her big brother.

Something was wrong though. Shining Armor's face remained stoic, and he was flanked by two guards. Twilight noticed that the sky behind him was tinted violet.

"Twilight, Princess Celestia has requested your immediate presence in the throne room."

"What's going on Shiny?"

"The Changeling Queen escaped from the dungeon last night. We're on full alert." She gasped. If the Queen was loose in the city...

Twilight knew what that meant. She could be disguised as anypony. She could be anywhere, ready to attack. A shudder passed through her as she nodded.

"Let's go."

"We'll stay here Twi. Come straight back, y'hear?"

"Of course. Don't let anypony in, okay?"

"Don't worry, we won't."

"Good luck darling."

Twilight smiled, then turned and followed Shining Armor out the door. The walk up was unusually quiet. She couldn't help but feel nervous. Shining Armor's bubble shield shimmered at regular intervals, and it almost seemed... foreboding. The very air around them felt tense.

"We're here." The captain stated. "We have to go, the rest of the guard needs us on patrol. Be careful on the way back, okay Twilight?"

"I promise." She assured, hugging him. He saluted, then galloped off.

Twilight turned to face the huge, ornate throne room doors before her. She hadn't expected it to be so quiet on the other side. Shivering lightly, she pushed the doors open and walked inside. There was only one pony in there; Princess Celestia.

"Princess! You wanted to see me?"

She was sitting on her throne, head down. Pulled from her thoughts by Twilight's voice, Celestia got up and approached the unicorn. Her wings flared, and she rose to her full height, staring down at her protégé intensely. Twilight stopped dead in her tracks, shrinking under the Princess's stern glare.

"Twilight Sparkle. I have summoned you for a reason of the utmost importance." Her eyes narrowed.

"Do you remember the request I made of you on the day you earned your cutie mark?"

Twilight was shaking now. The Princess seemed furious with her. Her stare bore through the unicorn's very soul. Even worse, Twilight was drawing a total blank. A request? She had always had an excellent memory, but...

My cutie mark! Yesyesyesyesyesyes...

Twilight had leaped around the Princess in several joyous circles before bouncing over to hug her parents... The next thing she did was rush off to find her big brother. The entire family went out for dinner to celebrate. Twilight hadn't seen the Princess until the next day.

"B-but Princess, you... you didn't request anything of me."

Instantly, Celestia's posture relaxed. She closed her wings, breathing a sigh of relief.

"Thank the stars..." She whispered, rushing over to her student and hugging her.

"Huh?" Twilight gasped, utterly confused.

"I'm so sorry Twilight. I had to be sure that it was indeed you." Celestia said, nuzzling her gently. Twilight's eyes widened as her words sunk in.

"Don't worry Princess, it's me." She assured, smiling. "You must have called me here for something really important."

"Yes. Your safety." Celestia paused to rub her temple before continuing.

"Twilight, are you aware that the Changeling Queen escaped from the dungeon last night?"

"Yes, Shining Armor told me. What's going on Princess?"

Celestia ruffled her wings. "She has threatened your safety." Twilight felt a chill run up her spine.

"Me? Why?"

Celestia looked away. "... Simply because of your connection to me." She muttered.

"Princess, you can't blame yourself for th-" Celestia cut her off with a raised hoof.

"I do not know how powerful the Changeling Queen truly is, but there is the chance that the strength of her magic now exceeds my own. If she were to attack you... You must be on your guard, Twilight. She could be disguised as anypony. I've placed guards around the ballroom where the rest of the Changelings are being kept, so with hope, she should be our only problem."

"Princess, you have my word. I'll be the most careful pony in Canterlot!" Twilight stated, stamping a hoof. The Princess paused to look at her thoughtfully.

"Twilight, what do you know of transformation magic?" Celestia asked.

"Well, I've studied it extensively, just like every other kind of magic. I have several transformation and transfiguration books in the Ponyville library, and I can perform several spells from memory. You saw the extent of what I can do..." Twilight thought back to her entrance exam, and the horrible transmogrification spell she had accidentally cast on her parents.

Celestia smiled. "No Twilight. I'm talking about metamorphic magic."

"You mean... shapeshifting??"

"Yes. Being able to alter one's appearance without limit is an ability that is both awed and feared. It can be used for terrible evil in the wrong hooves." Celestia's horn glowed, and a scroll floated down to Twilight. Her ears flattened as she stared at it, reeling in anticipation.

"It is for this reason that metamorphic magic has been kept within the highest circles of Canterlot royalty for millennia. Its secret has been closely guarded, the knowledge kept in the most restricted section of the Canterlot Archives. However, due to current circumstances I must now break this tradition. As my prized student, friend, and defender of Equestria...

"Princess..."

"I now confer this magic upon you."

The scroll unfurled.

"Princess, I..." Celestia smiled at her warmly. Go on, Twilight.

Licking her lips, she began to read. The scroll was old and weathered, and Twilight didn't dare touch it for fear that it might crumble to dust. The instructions were written in an ancient cursive, words that were barely legible to even a learned scholar such as Twilight. The application of the magic was but a simple spell. The catalyst was a possibility hidden in plain sight, something nopony would ever think to try. Its simplicity was almost elegant. Any unicorn could use it. Maybe even any pony...

Twilight gazed up at the Princess, lost for words.

"Twilight, you must not attempt to fight the Queen yourself. The danger is too great. You now have the ability to disguise yourself as any living creature you so wish."

Celestia approached Twilight and wrapped a wing around her. "You have to run, my student. Slip away, become somepony else. I cannot protect you by confining you somewhere. A military detail would do little to safeguard you from a foe that can influence minds. The Queen cannot harm you if she cannot find you." Celestia paused, looking Twilight straight in the eye. "This is also an affirmation of my absolute trust in you. You may use this magic for anything you wish."

"I... Thank you Princess Celestia." Twilight exclaimed, bowing her head. "And I promise that I'll be careful."

Celestia lowered herself to her underbelly, bringing herself down to Twilight's eye level. "Good luck my little pony. Please stay safe." Twilight gazed at her, smiling humbly.

A few seconds passed, and Celestia grinned. "So, are you going to try it?" The little unicorn blinked at her.

"Oh! Right! ... Where do I even begin?" Twilight wondered, looking at her body confusedly.

"Well, you could try making yourself taller." The Princess suggested.

Twilight nodded. She squeezed her eyes shut, concentrating. Her body glowed with a soft light, and began to change.

"Yaaaaah!"

Twilight crashed into the ceiling. Celestia was left far below, staring at the longest set of legs she had ever seen.

"Urgh... Stupid ceiling! Who put that there?!"

"Twilight?" Celestia called up to her. "Are you alright?" Twilight lowered herself back down, grumbling. Celestia's mischievous smile threatened to make way for a laugh, but she stifled it with her hoof.

"That was kinda funny..." Twilight admitted, chuckling. The Princess allowed herself a small giggle. Her student smiled up at her.

"I must admit that you have a flair for comedic timing, Twilight. Now try again."

Focusing once more, Twilight gave a gentle push. Her body slowly began to grow, legs and neck extending until she was roughly the height of Princess Luna.

"Neat!" The unicorn chirped, looking herself over. "It feels a little strange, but there's no pain at all!"

"Good. Keep going." Celestia encouraged, waving her hoof. Twilight frowned uncertainly as her stature rose to match that of the Princess herself. The two ponies looked at each other. Celestia's face bore an expression of great interest and curiosity, but Twilight was becoming anxious. She was now on eye level with the Princess, and growing. Celestia's head tilted upwards as Twilight rose further and further. Twilight looked down at the Princess. Her pulse began to race, and she shrunk back to ground level sharply.

"I'm sorry Princess Celestia. I-I shouldn't have done that." She mumbled, looking away. Celestia sighed inwardly. It pained her to see Twilight in fear of her like this.

"Done what, Twilight?"

"I..." Twilight faltered, biting her lip.

"Please, calm yourself." Celestia urged, smiling reassuringly. "Perhaps you should try something else?"

"Okay Princess." Twilight took a deep breath, thinking. What else could she do? Make herself shorter? That was fairly safe. Fatter? Thinner? If she could become anything, maybe she could try turning into...

Oh.

Twilight smiled excitedly as her body glowed once more. A second later, a pair of wings sprouted from her sides.

"Wings!" She cheered. "Just like Cadence and Luna!" Twilight's grin disappeared, and she looked away bashfully. Blushing a little, she cast her gaze downwards.

"And like you, Princess." She pawed at the floor with a hoof.

"Indeed." Celestia mused, beaming at Twilight. "You'll need to make them slightly larger though. They won't support your weight without pegasus magic at that size."

Twilight made them a little bigger. "Right, if I want to fly..."

Rainbow...

Celestia chuckled, pulling Twilight from her thoughts. "Oh my, I don't think I've ever seen you smile like that before Twilight."

"Huh?"

"Why, if I didn't know better I'd say you look lovestruck. What were you thinking about?" She asked inquisitively. Twilight felt her cheeks flush hotly.

"Oh, I was just thinking about Rainbow Dash." She stammered. "I mean, thinking about how much she'd like this. I'm not lovestruck, that's not it."

Celestia raised a cheeky eyebrow.

"Rainbow told me last night that she wanted somepony to go flying with." Twilight explained. "I was just thinking how happy she'd be if I could show her."

Celestia nodded sagely, smiling. "Well I'd love to hear about it when you do."

Twilight's ears pricked up. "Wait, you don't want me to keep the spell a secret??"

Celestia shook her head. "No, definitely not. Now is not the time to be keeping secrets from one another. Hiding your shapeshifting from your friends would only cause unnecessary tension."

Twilight smiled. "I'll be sure to tell them!" She exclaimed brightly, waving a hoof.

There was a brief lull in the conversation. Twilight traced her hoof back and forth on the ground, thinking. "Speaking of Cadence, Princess, what's going to happen to her? When will you deliver your verdict?"

"I will not be delivering a verdict. I've given power of authority to Luna, and she will be handling everything. Cadence will almost certainly be charged with slander, her more serious actions notwithstanding. Luna believes that there is more to this case than we currently know, and is conducting an investigation. As such, any verdict will be delayed until further notice."

Celestia's posture seemed to sag. "Between you and me Twilight, I was quite shocked by Cadence's speech in the ballroom. I honestly had no idea that she harbored such odious thoughts about me."

Twilight frowned. She wanted to offer the Princess some kind of comfort, but couldn't find the right words. Shaking off her despondency, Celestia looked up to address Twilight once more.

"I'd like you to take these as well." She said. A case floated over to Twilight, opening with a clacking sound.

"The Elements?"

"Yes. While you now have the means to protect yourself, your friends are still vulnerable. The Elements should be enough to ward the Queen off when you're together. I'd like all of you to wear them everywhere. It should go without saying that you'll have to make sure that your friends haven't been replaced before giving them their Element."

Twilight nodded. "I know an unmasking spell that can lift Changeling disguises."

"Excellent." Celestia paused. "Twilight, are you aware that the Elements are imbued with an adherence enchantment?"

"Yeah, I read about that in the guide." Twilight replied, tapping her chin with a hoof. "A rudimentary yet powerful spell secures the Element to its bearer. The Element can only be removed if the bearer actively decides it. I've seen the enchantment at work. Not even Discord could break it."

Celestia seemed impressed by that. "Good. With that knowledge in mind, you can use the Elements as identification." She explained, gesturing for Twilight to take them.

Twilight picked up the Element of Magic and placed it on her head. Next, she took Rainbow's Element of Loyalty and secured it around her neck. She put the other four on her foreleg.

I just picked the Element of Loyalty at random. It doesn't mean anything... does it?

"Good luck Twilight." Celestia bowed her head.

"Thank you Princess." Twilight bowed politely, and left.

A lone pony sat on a park bench. Her coat was black-green, and she possessed both a pair of feathered wings and a horn; a detail that went unnoticed by passersby. Her long teal mane obscured her face as she stared at her hooves, deep in thought.

The guard ponies are definitely looking for me. I'll have to lay low while I figure out a way to get to my subjects. This is obviously a lost cause. If I can get to them, we should be able to slip away.

What about Cadence though? We're friends... Friends don't abandon each other do they? I can't just leave her in the dungeon. She's in much more trouble than I anticipated. Maybe I overdid it with that brainwashing spell?

Cadence stood outside the ballroom, taking deep breaths in an attempt to calm herself. She peeked through the barely-open doorway one more time. They were indeed all there. Countless guards, both Princesses, her husband, and the Elements of Harmony all strung up in cocoons.

I can't believe I'm actually doing this...

She and Chrysalis had talked about it over the past few days. They had planned, argued, debated... Cadence thought that she had been alright with the plan, but seeing everypony like this really drove the reality of what she was doing home. Bringing a hoof to her head, Cadence took another deep, calming breath. She was beginning to feel lightheaded, and her churning stomach wasn't making things any better.

Fluttershy looked up at her. She was too frightened to offer any comfort, and too confused to be sure that she should. She still couldn't bring herself to look at the group of Changelings on the other side of the lobby. Cadence had managed to calm her down enough to explain the situation, and the alicorn's own nerves were the only reason that Fluttershy considered believing her.

They both jumped when Chrysalis entered. Cadence whirled around to face her, shaking noticeably.

"I've thrown out the civilians. We're ready Cadence. This one isn't going to be a problem is she?" The Queen nodded in Fluttershy's direction.

"Me? Nono! No problem at all!" The pegasus squeaked frantically.

"I-I don't think so..." Cadence mumbled. Chrysalis raised an eyebrow, looking her over.

"Why are you shaking Cadence? Are you all right?"

"... I'm nervous. This is... this is bad. They're not gonna like this. Are you sure that there wasn't another way??" The alicorn looked up at the Queen, her frantic mind desperately searching for an alternative.

Chrysalis groaned. "We've been over this. This was the only way."

"Yes!" Cadence gasped. "Please, tell me again, I need to hear it."

"Well, Celestia would never listen to me if we spoke on her terms. She'd execute me on the spot."

"And there was no alternative, right? We had to do this!" Cadence exclaimed between breaths.

"...Yes." The Queen replied, somewhat confused. "Using cocoons was the best way to go about this. They cannot harm us, and we have not harmed them, just as promised."

Cadence stiffened. Screams could be heard on the other side of the door. The Queen watched, concerned, as she shrunk back.

"I-I can't do this..."

"Yes you can. They'll understand once you explain everything. You have to go now, they've woken up." Chrysalis urged, pushing Cadence towards the door gently.

"But what if they don't?"

"They will, don't worry." Chrysalis soothed, placing a hoof on the alicorn's shoulder. "We don't have time for this, you have to go now Cadence!"

She couldn't move. Her body was quaking now, and she tried a few more breaths as she stared at the floor.

The Queen groaned impatiently. "Look, I've got a spell that can help." Cadence's head snapped upright.

"Yes! What is it? Will it help?" She gasped, biting her lip.

"Just a helping hoof, now take a deep breath." Chrysalis warned, horn aglow. Cadence didn't need a second prompt. A beam of green magic shot into her head as she inhaled, and she let out a perplexed whimper as it took effect. Her eyes unfocused as the Queen concentrated, muttering to herself. The light between them faded as the spell ended, and Cadence reeled on her hooves. Chrysalis reached out to steady her.

"Aaaaaaah... What did you do to me??"

I'll be here if you need me." Chrysalis assured, ignoring her question. "I used the minimum dose. It'll wear off in a few minutes, so don't waste time."

"Okay... " Cadence mumbled, shaking her head. She took another deep breath, and walked into the ballroom.

Chrysalis stood up. She was no taller that Twilight Sparkle in her current form. Ruffling her new wings, she started trotting back to the castle.

I care about her. I have to go help her.

Chrysalis had fed on Cadence while she slept. She had decided to top up before sneaking out, but she hadn't realized just how much innate power the alicorn possessed. Chrysalis's magic felt absolutely supercharged. She was fairly sure that she now had enough power to pull off a jailbreak.

The morning after

Twilight trotted back to her room swiftly, ears pricked. The morning was beautiful. The Sun was out, there was a gentle breeze, and it was quiet. Twilight had decided to make good use of her new abilities and take the form of a gray Earth pony. Chrysalis was hunting for a lavender unicorn, and Twilight hoped that her new appearance was plain enough to allow her to go unnoticed.

The Earth pony moved with precise, cautious steps, always scouting ahead before she moved a significant distance. Her head was much lower to the ground than usual, a useless attempt to go unnoticed as she skulked back to her room at Canterlot Castle. Her rational mind caught her looking back occasionally, checking to make sure that there wasn't anything following her. Said part of her mind told her to calm down and stop breathing so hard. It was a short trip in a fortified area. She was safe here. ... Right?

The eerie disquiet said otherwise.

Twilight wished that she had her saddlebags. A random Earth pony sneaking around with all six Elements of Harmony hanging off her body like jewellery would definitely turn heads. She'd feel much more comfortable if she could stow them away where nopony could see them. Failing that, she could hold them with her magic. If she bundled all six by her side and hugged the wall, nopony would be able to see them. She didn't though. If she were ambushed, she wanted to be able to focus all of her power and concentration on defense, and not have to worry about holding onto six little pieces of eye-catching jewellery.

After what seemed like hours, Twilight reached her room. After casting a quick glance around to make sure she wasn't being watched, her body shifted back to its usual appearance. She pushed the doors open with her magic, still trying to be quiet. Once she was inside, she let out the breath she'd been holding the entire walk up. She turned on the spot, surveying the room. Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie were huddled around the furthest of the three beds—Pinkie and Fluttershy's. The three of them turned to greet Twilight when she entered. Worryingly, Fluttershy and Rainbow were missing.

"How did it go, darling?"

Twilight paused. This was a fairly big announcement. She was relaying orders directly from the Princess, she had new powers to explain, she had to give her friends the Elements...

"It was... alright. Where are Rainbow and Fluttershy? I have an announcement."

Pinkie gestured toward the bed. There was a curvy lump under the sheets. Twilight approached the bed curiously, looking the lump up and down. She didn't notice Rarity and Applejack exchanging surprised glances.

"Did something happen?" Twilight asked.

"She's refusing to get out of bed." Pinkie explained, sounding uncharacteristically serious and concerned. "She won't even let us look at her. We've tried to talk to her, but she's been buried under the sheets all morning, Twilight!"

Twilight rubbed her chin with a hoof, looking the lump up and down.

"Fluttershy?" She called tentatively. The lump squeaked.

"Fluttershy, what's wrong?" Another squeak.

"I'm going to remove your sheets." Twilight explained carefully. Fluttershy gave a frantic squeal of protest. Twilight could make out her hooves grabbing at the sheet in bunches and gripping extra-hard. Invoking her magic, Twilight gingerly eased the sheets from Fluttershy's grip, revealing a quaking pegasus curled into the fetal position. Fluttershy let out a mortified scream, covering her face with her hooves.

"Oh!" Twilight chirped, getting an idea. "She probably has a hangover!"

Rarity and AJ stared at her. After a few seconds, the Earth pony's eyes narrowed.

"Fluttershy doesn't drink."

"Yes." Rarity agreed. "The Fluttershy we know wouldn't dare touch a single drop."

Twilight winced when she heard the lump whimper. "Well she's clearly hung over. Rarity, could you please get her a glass of water? Applejack, close the blinds. We should all try to be quiet for her, okay?"

The two ponies nodded, going about their respective tasks. Twilight glanced over at Pinkie. The pink mare had a hoof over her mouth, and her eyes flew back and forth between Twilight and Fluttershy. Twilight climbed onto the bed and sat next to Fluttershy, stroking her mane tenderly.

"Shh..." She soothed. "I think I might have a spell for this." Twilight looked up when she heard Pinkie let out a tiny squeak.

"What happened last night, Pinkie?" She asked in a hushed tone. Pinkie stared at her for a second before replying.

"I don't know. I took her for a night out because she needed to calm down after what happened yesterday. She wanted to go to a bar. I promised her that I'd look after her, but... She had one drink, then disappeared into the crowd. I..." She cast her gaze downward ashamedly. "I lost her, Twilight."

"Don't worry about it." Twilight assured, smiling. She knew how responsible Pinkie could be, and despite her craziness, she wasn't negligent. There was no point berating her about this. Rarity returned, levitating a glass of water. She gave Fluttershy a gentle nudge.

"Here, darling. You'll feel better once you've had some fluids." She lowered the rim to Fluttershy's lips, letting her take a sip. The pegasus took one big gulp and dived back under the sheets.

"You have to drink more than that." Rarity urged, peeling back the sheets.

"P-please let me have my sheet back..." Fluttershy murmured. Twilight groaned and lifted her into a sitting position. The resultant scream nearly blew her off the bed.

"Yaah! Fluttershy, what's wrong?!"

"Don't look at me!" Fluttershy cried, hiding behind her hooves.

"Fluttershy, you have to sit up and drink your water! Please tell me what's going on?"

Fluttershy squeaked again. Twilight looked at her friends, thoroughly confused.

"Land sakes! We're your friends, Fluttershy. Now what's goin' on!?" Applejack yelled. Fluttershy squeaked again, curling up even tighter.

"I'm never getting out of bed again!"

"What?" Rarity gasped. "Whyever not, dear?" Fluttershy peeked out from behind her hooves, glancing at Rarity. She sat up reluctantly, gazing at the bed. Rarity gave her the glass, and she began to drink.

"I'm so embarrassed..."

"Fluttershy, sweetie, it's only a hangover. We're not going to judge you." Rarity soothed, rubbing her shoulder.

"N-no, it's not that..."

Suddenly, the pieces in Twilight's mind fell into place. "Ohh. This is about what happened last night, isn't it?" She asked. Fluttershy nodded.

"What happened?" Applejack asked.

"Rainbow and I found her wandering the streets last night. She was heavily inebriated, and... well, she was alone."

"Pinkie Pie!" Rarity admonished. "How could you?!" The party pony pouted, shrinking back ashamedly.

"I didn't mean to leave her alone..."

"You left her?" Rarity cried. "What in Equestria were you doing, Pinkie? How could you lose Fluttershy? Something could have happened to her!"

Rarity frowned when Fluttershy started crying. She climbed onto the bed and held the sobbing pegasus, throwing a glare at Pinkie.

"I was afraid that this sort of thing would happen. How could you be so irresponsible?! You know how Fluttershy is with alcohol!"

"No." Fluttershy spoke with surprising firmness. "Pinkie didn't do anything wrong. She was only trying to cheer me up. It was my decision to drink, not hers." She paused to take a deep breath. "I... I made a foal of myself last night. I'll never be able to speak to Rainbow Dash again, but it's my fault. Rarity, please don't be mad at Pinkie."

Rarity sat there for a few moments, going over everything in her mind. Her scowl softened as she cast a glance over at Pinkie. The pink mare was sitting next to the bed, staring at the floor. Her mane had lost its curliness. It now hung straight, veiling half of her face. Rarity shivered when she noticed the state Pinkie was in. She had never seen her friend look so utterly devastated before. A few stray tears rolled down Pinkie's cheeks, and her face was twisted into an anguished grimace. She didn't look so bright and pink anymore.

"I suppose you're right. I shouldn't have snapped at you, dear." Rarity said gently. Pinkie didn't respond. Her friends watched with increasing worry as she wilted, almost seeming to melt into the floor. Fluttershy wiped away her tears, got up, and walked over to Pinkie. She wrapped a warm, feathery wing around her friend and nuzzled her to get her attention.

"Don't feel bad, Pinkie. You had good intentions, and I appreciate that you'd go out of your way just for me." Fluttershy finished with a friendly smile. Pinkie's lower lip quivered, and her gaze turned back to her hooves.

"I'm sorry Fluttershy..."

The pegasus pulled her into a hug. "Shh." She soothed, rubbing Pinkie's back. Pinkie squeaked quietly, biting her lip as she cried into Fluttershy's shoulder.

"I'm so sorry..." She mumbled.

"It's okay." Fluttershy whispered. She ended the hug, stroking Pinkie's back with a wing. The pink pony didn't look any better.

Fluttershy turned to Twilight. "Twilight? Do you know wha-" She stopped talking abruptly.

Twilight blinked confusedly, watching as Fluttershy's eyes widened. The pegasus shimmied back a little, ruffling her wings. She glanced over at her friends, who met her gaze.

"Oh... oh my. Rarity?"

"Y-yes. Yes, I noticed it too Fluttershy." Rarity stammered. Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy all stood there, staring at Twilight apprehensively.

"What?" Twilight exclaimed, looking down at her chest. "Is there some-Oh! The Elements! I completely forgot. Princess Celestia gave me the Elements of Harmony, and I'm to deliver them to you. I must look strange wearing them all like this!" She chuckled uncomfortably, waving a hoof.

"Or you stole them." Applejack countered.

"Applejack!" Rarity snapped.

"Um... She is acting a lot like Twilight..." Fluttershy said.

"Acting like Twilight?" The lavender mare exclaimed. "Girls, I am Twilight. Why are you doubting me? And why did you wait until now to say something?"

"We weren't sure..." Rarity said, looking her over carefully. Twilight noticed that Applejack was glaring at her rather fiercely.

"Applejack? You trust me, right?" Twilight asked hopefully. If anypony trusted her, it had to be Applejack.

"Trust you?" The farm pony repeated, snorting derisively. "Ohh no. I wouldn't trust ya for all the apples in Canterlot."

Twilight's heart sank. "But... why not? Why don't you-" She stopped herself. This was getting her nowhere. "Look, I can easily prove my identity. Ask me anything."

"No!" Applejack yelled. "How do we know you haven't done somethin' to the real Twilight? You could have used one of your fancy spells to read her mind!"

Rarity sighed, looking over at Pinkie and Fluttershy. "Chrysalis, we know that it's you. Thank you for helping Fluttershy, but-"

"Stop insultin' us with your lame tricks!" Applejack interjected.

"Applejack!" Rarity snapped. "Please let me do the talking!" She glared at the Earth pony, who huffed, then sat down.

Twilight stared at her friends petulantly. Rarity paused, returning the gaze thoughtfully. She acted like Twilight, but there was no way it could be her.

"Chrysalis, I want you to know that Fluttershy, Pinkie and I support you." She glanced over at her friends. Fluttershy nodded, but Pinkie was staring at the floor. "We believe that you should be given the benefit of the doubt, as we told you yesterday. But after attempting to deceive us, I can't say that we trust you."

Twilight's posture sunk. "You're convinced that I'm not me. Why are you so sure?" Rarity walked over to her tentatively with a half smile, half grimace on her face. She held Twilight's gaze for just a little too long.

"You made a mistake." Rarity said simply. She reached out and tapped Twilight's side. "Twilight doesn't have wings. You already knew that though, you saw her at the wedding." The dressmaker stood there, staring, unable to make sense of it.

Twilight groaned. "Oh hoof! Is that what this is about?" She shouted. She had completely forgotten to hide her wings. The appendages glowed and merged back into her sides.

Everypony gasped.

"Perhaps that is Twilight." Rarity mused.

"And perhaps my flank is green." Applejack spat. "More fancy tricks! I'm done. Hoof over the Elements. Now!"

Twilight sighed. With a spark of her horn, four necklaces levitated over to their bearers.

Rarity was deep in thought. "She didn't flash green..."

"What?" Applejack asked. Rarity raised her head.

"Do you all have the right necklaces?" Fluttershy and Pinkie nodded. Applejack grunted.

"You know which is which." Rarity mused, turning back to Twilight. She approached the lavender unicorn slowly.

"You didn't flash green." She repeated. "The Changelings flash green when they transform."

"It's a spell." Twilight began. "Princess Celestia told me that the Changeling Queen is after me, so she allowed me access to a complex shapeshifting spell. She told me to flee if the Queen attacked, to slip away into the crowd. Nopony knows how powerful the Queen is, and considering that she overpowered the Princess, I couldn't fight her directly."

Twilight stood up and smiled hopefully. Her friends looked much more convinced now. Even AJ was beginning to look doubtful.

"Princess Celestia has given us permission to use the Elements of Harmony. We have to be prepared this time, girls. We stick together, ready anytime. Right?"

Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie nodded. Applejack shuffled her hooves begrudgingly. "Right!" They chorused.

Rarity and Fluttershy ran over and enveloped Twilight in a giant hug. Applejack followed, leaning in halfheartedly. Twilight frowned as she met Pinkie's gaze. The pink pony hadn't moved. She sat there, looking up with a mournful expression on her face.

"What a relief!" Rarity exclaimed.

"We're sorry Twilight." Fluttershy agreed. Once the group hug ended, she pouted.

"I don't like this." The pegasus said. "We should be able to trust each other."

"Ah!" Twilight chirped. "That's the good part. We can use the Elements as identification. Girls, do you remember when we fought Discord? He attempted to take them off you, but they wouldn't budge. Each necklace is enchanted. It's impossible to remove unless you want to remove it."

"So if we're not wearing our necklace, it's not us. Oh, that makes me feel much better!" Fluttershy cried, nuzzling Rarity happily.

"So." Rarity had a mirthful grin on her face. "Twilight, do you really have wings now?"

"Yes, I do." Twilight grinned back, manifesting her wings once more. "Neat, huh?" She wiggled her wingtips at Rarity. "In fact, I'm able to morph my entire body, just like the Changelings. And now I need to go find..."

Twilight's entire body glowed gently. Her stature shrunk slightly, and her horn retracted into her skull. Her mane bristled as swathes of color ebbed through it, and her coat tingled as it too was changed. The girls gasped. They were now looking at an exact mimicry of Rainbow Dash.

"Oh my! You look just like her!" Fluttershy cheered.

"Woo..." Pinkie murmured.

"Fair, fair." Rarity muttered, her tone playfully aloof. "But can you imitate her voice?" She challenged, leaning in and wiggling her eyebrows at 'Rainbow Dash.'

"Hmm, I'm not sure..." Twilight spoke in a strange mix of hers and Rainbow's voices. She held a hoof to her throat, vocalizing as she tuned her voice.

"Aaaaah oooooh eeeee... testing... How about this?" She asked.

Rarity tilted her head and grimaced. "It sounds rather... strange, dear."

"I hope you're not going to go confusin' us now with pranks." AJ grumbled. Twilight quickly reverted to her unicorn body, giggling.

"Maybe..."

"Rarity chuckled. "It's all in good fun, darling." She walked over and hugged AJ. "Twilight, I was going to suggest that we all go out for breakfast. How does that sound?" Rarity enquired, glancing around the group. Everypony agreed except Fluttershy, who shook her head nervously.

"Oh no, I don't think I could go if Rainbow Dash is going to be there..."

"Huh? Why not?" AJ asked.

"Oh." Twilight giggled a little at the memory of Fluttershy's raunchy dance with Rainbow. "Don't worry about that." She reassured.

"We should all be ready to leave in about twenty minutes." Rarity said. "You should be back by then, Rainbow can't have strayed far."

Twilight nodded. "Don't let anypony else in, okay?" Her friends nodded back, and she turned and cantered out the door.

She thought that the sound of dripping water would drive her insane. It echoed incessantly, coming from somewhere unseen, somewhere distant. Each little drop hitting the cold stone floor made her tense up further and further. Where was it coming from? A pipe? Somewhere outside?

Cadence sighed, shifting her weight slightly. The bed she was lying on wasn't that bad. It smelled a little musty, but at least it was clean. She tried to distract herself by preening an itchy spot on her wing.

Her ears pricked up at the sound of approaching hoofsteps. The sharp clops of a Guard echoed down the corridor to her cell, and one of the nondescript white, golden armor-clad unicorns strutted into view. He walked over to Cadence's cell with a smile on his face.

"Oh." The alicorn said glumly. "Have you come to take me to trial?"

The guard grinned as his body disappeared in a flash of green light. A moment later, the Queen of the Changelings stood in his place.

"Hello Cadence. Did you miss me?"

"You... you came back for me?" Cadence gasped. Chrysalis reached through the bars and touched her shoulder.

"Of course. I couldn't leave you behind. We're friends." She said, smiling. Cadence frowned.

"Are you here to break me out?"

"Well, I'm not here for the fresh air." Chrysalis grinned.

Cadence's gaze dropped to the floor. "... I can't go." She mumbled, ears drooping.

"What?! Why not?" The Queen protested. "If I can get you away from here we'll be able to work something else out. If you stay, you'll just be put to trial!"

"Yes. Chrysalis, I have to stay. I have a home here, I can't just run away like you do. I have to face my crimes. Running away now will only make things worse." Cadence sighed, slumping against the bars.

"Oh really? Says who?" The Queen said.

"What?"

"If we escape, we can devise a plan to clear your name. The only trial Celestia will give you is an instant banishment." Chrysalis couldn't help but sneer.

"You're wrong." Cadence muttered, shaking her head. "She wouldn't do that to me. And she couldn't do it to Shining Armor. He'd be so upset if we were separated, and she'd be putting the integrity of the entire Royal Guard at risk. Shiny is the best Guard-Captain since Constant Vigil. She can't just replace him, and I mean too much for her to just send away. Celestia cares about me." Cadence stated firmly, nodding.

"Does she really? As I recall, she barely listened to your speech in the ballroom. As soon as she was released, she ushered out her little unicorn pet and turned on us. Don't you remember what she said? She wanted to banish you right there and then." Chrysalis shouted, leaning forward.

"No. She was just angry, she wouldn't actually do it. Anyway, Luna is vouching for us. It'll be fine." Cadence declared, taking a deep breath. "And what do you mean 'little unicorn pet?'"

"I'm talking about that little lavender unicorn she loves so much... Twilight something." Chrysalis smiled.

"Twilight Sparkle. And don't you dare insult her in front of me." Cadence snapped, glaring dangerously.

"Well I suppose she's not that bad. I was impressed that she managed to see through my ruse at the wedding. And she is rather cute..." The Queen purred, tapping her chin with a hoof.

Cadence stared at her blankly.

"Anyway." Chrysalis shook her head. "Come with me. You're a foal if you expect mercy from Celestia. Being noble won't help you. I can." She offered a hoof to Cadence.

Cadence stood there, mulling over the choice. "No." She eventually decided. "Thank you for trying, Chrysalis, but this is something I have to do."

"Very well." Chrysalis muttered stiffly. She took a moment to look Cadence over. "Are you scared?"

"Yes." Cadence murmured. "Of course I am. What I've done is serious, and I have no idea what Celestia might do."

"Well... Don't worry." Chrysalis said awkwardly.

"So where have you been hiding?" Cadence asked, opting to change the subject. "What do you do all day?"

"I've been planning. I was going to break you out of here. Now? I'm not sure."

Chrysalis buzzed her wings idly, looking around. "It feels strange, having nothing to do." She said. "I've always looked after my Changelings, spending my days making sure that they're all fed, and searching for places for us to stay... Now that I don't need to do any of that, I... I'm bored." She exclaimed, tilting her head.

"Well, remember the bits I gave you? Have you used any of those yet?" Cadence asked.

"The bits? No, I haven't." Chrysalis muttered, furrowing her brow. "You'll have to tell me again how they work. I exchange them for... what?"

"Anything. I gave you more than enough to last a few days. Why don't you try living like a pony for a while?" The alicorn suggested.

Chrysalis drew back, stunned by the uncouth suggestion. "Live like a pony?" She repeated.

"Yeah!" Cadence nodded vigorously. "You could stay in a hotel, go get something to eat and drink..." She mused, gazing at the ceiling as she reeled off suggestions. "Oh! Have you picked a disguise?"

Chrysalis nodded, morphing into her pony form.

"No, that won't work at all." Cadence muttered, holding a hoof to her chin as she looked the Queen over. "You need to choose either the wings or the horn. Ponies will notice if you have both."

Chrysalis's wings disappeared with a flash. "How is this?" She asked.

"Good. It's funny being taller than you all of a sudden." Cadence remarked. "Why-"

"She's down here!" A voice called from down the hallway.

"Oh clop!" Chrysalis cursed. She whirled around, reverting to her Changeling form. Her horn glowed.

"Chrysalis...?" Cadence called softly. The Queen cast her a forlorn glance, then took a deep breath and steeled herself for battle.

"No, no! Please don't hurt them!" Cadence begged.

"She's here!" Three unicorn Guards clad in golden armor rounded the corner, staring down their adversary.

"Wait, stop! Don't hurt her!" Cadence cried frantically, reaching through the bars. The Guards faltered momentarily, casting her a confused glance. Chrysalis seized this opening, firing a burst of concussive magic at them. With all three blasted off their hooves, she made a break for it.

All three Guards recovered in midair, teleporting backward as the Queen galloped underneath them.

"No! Stop it! Please stop fighting!"

Chrysalis's hooves skittered as she ground to a halt, attempting to dodge. One Guard seized her with his magic, holding her aloft while the other two charged up a spell each. Chrysalis growled as her horn flared.

The Guards fired.

Chrysalis roared.

An intense blast of green magic blinded Cadence, filling the room with brilliant light. The force blasted off her hooves, throwing her body into the far wall. She sunk to the floor, unconscious.

Twilight couldn't wipe the grin off her face if she tried.

This is going to be so great! Rainbow will go wild!

She was just brimming with excitement. Rainbow was going to be so happy, and it made Twilight feel... good. She and Rainbow had become so close over the past few days. She was close with her other friends, of course, but it was different with Rainbow. The pegasus had opened herself up to Twilight, stripped back the tough exterior and let her in. Twilight knew that she still felt a little uncomfortable, but she wasn't pulling away. She wanted it too.

With a few too many awkward flaps, Twilight managed to move herself forward onto the cloud. Hooves setting down, she quietly trotted towards her friend. Rainbow lay there, curled up in a particularly cushy corner. She looked so... peaceful.

I'll have to prove my identity quickly. I don't want to scare her.

Twilight shuffled over to the sleeping pegasus, making sure to spread her wings. With a quiet giggle, she leaned over to whisper into Dash's ear.

"Raaaaaainbow..." She singsonged quietly. "Raaaaaaaaaaiinbooow..."

Rainbow groaned, writhing a little. Twilight had to pull back to avoid her swinging hoof.

"Nnng... sleeping..."

"Raaaaaiinbow! Wake up little pony!" Twilight cooed, a little louder this time.

With a flick of her tail and a snort, Rainbow awoke. "Who wha? Mm busy sleeping..." She grumbled, rubbing her eyes. Twilight stood there grinning, wings stretched open. Rainbow yawned, then looked up at Twilight groggily.

"Good morning Rainbow." Twilight purred affectionately.

"Oh, hey Tw-"

That did it. Rainbow's blank, incredulous look set off a fit of laughter so strong that the unicorn nearly collapsed. Rainbow shrieked.

Twilight's fell to the ground giggling as the pegasus tackled her. She had expected a hug. She had expected Dash to laugh, start spluttering incredulously, or maybe even guffaw and tell her how silly she looked with wings.

Rainbow punched her.

Twilight screamed. Her eyes flew open as pain seared through her cheek. Dash was snarling.

"No!" The pegasus roared defiantly. Twilight looked up at her. She was quaking. Her teeth were gritted, and her eyes squeezed shut. She was growling, overcome by rage and... grief?

"NO!"

Twilight tried to say something, but was cut off as Rainbow punched her again.

"AAAGH! Rainbow!" Twilight cried, trying to cover her face with her hooves.

Driven by instinct, Twilight's horn sparked, and she pushed Rainbow away. Twilight took a few seconds to compose herself, panting, then winced as her cheek throbbed.

"Rainbow?" She called, looking up at the enraged pegasus. Their eyes locked as Dash tackled her. Twilight's head hit the cloud, and she cried out in a mix of fear and frustration.

"Please, wait! Let me-"

"Where. Is. She?"

"Rainbow, please sto-"

"Where the buck is she? What did you do to her!?"

"Rainbow, it's me! I'm Twilight! I can explain!" She cried desperately. Anguish tugged at the corners of her mouth as she tried to placate her friend. This was bad. Seeing Rainbow so mad at her made her feel stupid. She had become so caught up in her little surprise that she had put aside any thoughts about what Rainbow might think, who she might think Twilight would be.

Rainbow's nose was mere inches from Twilight's. She fixed the unicorn with an intense glare, panting aggressively.

"Wrong answer, Changeling." She growled. "You got out. Everypony knows. I knew we couldn't trust you."

Tears began to well up in the corners of Twilight's eyes. The pain, the aggression, the hate... from her closest friend, no less—this was worse than anything in her nightmares. She turned her head away, letting out a quiet sob as her eyes squeezed shut.

A little voice in the back of Rainbow's mind was screaming at her. Slowly, she started to notice just how well the Changeling was mimicking Twilight's personality. Dash felt a little remorse for making it cry, but that was washed away by the churning sea of worry over Twilight's safety. Chrysalis didn't strike Rainbow as a coward though. Would she really lose face after a few punches?

The thought that she could be attacking her best friend made Rainbow's blood run icy, but that only made her angrier. She was certain this thing in front of her was a Changeling, and it was playing her emotions like a lyre. It couldn't be Twilight. It had wings. It had stolen their Elements of Harmony too. It had done something to Twilight, and now it was coming after her! What reason could Twilight possibly have for wearing the two Elements like that? Rainbow needed to find her friend. Now. She had to keep pressing, but doubt softened her voice and stayed her hoof.

"You listen to me, Changeling." Rainbow muttered, glaring at the stricken mare under her. "I care about Twilight Sparkle more than... than any other pony in Equestria. If you've done something, anything to hurt her, I swear I'll rip you to shreds." She inhaled deeply, glaring.

No reply. The mare just lay there, looking away.

"You're going to tell me where Twilight is. Now."

Twilight was frozen. There was nothing she could say. She lay there under Rainbow, bruised and teary. She couldn't bring herself to meet the pegasus's gaze. It hurt too much.

A few seconds passed, and Rainbow's resolve wavered. Icy shards of panic danced around her body, threatening to strike as soon as she faltered.

"Your... your lame disguise doesn't fool me. I know Twilight, and she doesn't have any bucking wings." Rainbow cried, the first notes of panic beginning to seep into her voice.

"P-princess Celestia summoned me to the throne room." Twilight mumbled, taking a ragged breath. "She told me that the Changeling Queen is after me, so she gave me a shapeshifting spell. She wanted me to be able to protect myself..." She raised her head ever so slightly, looking up at Rainbow out of the corner of her eye. As soon as their gazes met, Rainbow knew. She knew that she was looking into Twilight's eyes. She knew that she'd just assaulted her best friend. She saw all kinds of things in those eyes. Fear. Confusion. Vulnerability...

Rainbow stood there, frozen. She didn't know what to think. She didn't want to think. She didn't want to accept what she'd just done. Her body started shaking, and she suddenly became aware of her throbbing pulse.

"... Wings...?"

"The spell." Twilight squeaked. Said appendages glowed, disappearing.

The pegasus felt dizzy, like she was falling. Her body tumbled and wavered, and for a second, she felt weightless. Then, everything changed, and her body stopped. There was an impact in her chest that felt real enough to knock her backwards.

It was enough to make her scream. The reality of the situation came crashing down like a ton of bricks, burying, suffocating her. Without even thinking, she turned. Spun around to escape. Tripped over her hooves. Fell onto the cloud. Rolled, bucked, kept going. Scrambled away. Reached the edge. Put as much space between herself and Twilight as she possibly could. Part of her wanted so desperately to run, to hide her shame, but she couldn't move. She stood there on the edge of the cloud, looking at her friend. Twilight was lying there shaking, eyes squeezed shut. She had reached out with her magic and imprisoned Dash. The pegasus howled as she was slowly dragged, kicking and screaming, back to her victim. Twilight stood, wiping her eyes, and sighed as she held Dash in place.

"No! No! Get off! Get off me!" Rainbow thrashed wildly. Twilight walked over to her friend, folding her ears away from the frantic screams.

"Rainbow?" Twilight murmured. The pegasus let out a feral howl, struggling uselessly. Twilight swiveled her around until they were face to face. The unicorn's eyes pleaded silently. Rainbow averted her gaze, wishing she could punch herself.

"Rainbow..." Twilight whispered. "Please don't leave. We can fix this."

Dash clenched her eyes shut. She had to stifle a sob.

"No we can't. I'm a monster."

"Don't... don't say that Rainbow. You were trying to protect me." Twilight's eyes were getting misty again. She couldn't get the image of Rainbow's face out of her mind. They had to fix this. "That's what friends do."

"No! I'm not a friend! I'm... I'm... I hurt you! I-"

"No Rainbow! I forgive you, you're my best friend and I know you'd never do that to me!" Twilight sobbed, grabbing Rainbow by the shoulders. The pegasus refused to meet her gaze. She'd stopped struggling. It only made the horrible pain in her body worse. She slumped, quaking as violent sobs wracked her body.

"Rainbow look at me." Twilight pleaded.

"... lemme go..."

Twilight tackled Dash onto her back, pinning her down.

"Look at me." Twilight panted. Rainbow kept her eyes squeezed shut. Her mind screamed at her, commanding her to get away, but then something broke through the noise. She gasped as she felt Twilight's gentle hoof on her cheek. The unicorn turned her head to face her own. Slowly, Rainbow opened her eyes, looking at the sky behind Twilight.

"Rainbow..." Twilight's voice was soft. Gentle, but insistent and... calm. Taking a deep breath, Dash obeyed. What she saw made her want to burst into tears. There was no anger in Twilight's eyes. No hate. All Rainbow saw was concern, and... forgiveness. Twilight never stopped forgiving, but Rainbow wasn't sure that she wanted her to this time.

"I'm a monster..."

"No you're not." Twilight said simply.

"How can you even say that?"

"Because it was my fault! I should have known that you'd be paranoid!"

"I beat you up."

"Because of my own mistake!"

"No! I still shouldn't have done it! I wasn't sure that it wasn't you!

"Do you really care about me that much?"

Rainbow froze. She bit her lip, looking away. "I..." Her heart thumped in her chest. Breathing was becoming difficult. She looked back up at Twilight, covered her mouth with her hooves, and let out the tiniest whisper.

"Yes."

"You care about me more than any other pony in Equestria?" Twilight felt a smile tugging at her lips.

"If something ever happened to y-" Twilight cut her off with a gentle hoof.

"A monster wouldn't care about me like you do, Rainbow."

Rainbow choked back another sob.

Twilight didn't know what more she could say. She lowered her body onto Rainbow's, wrapped her forelegs around the pegasus's neck, and pulled her into the tightest hug she could muster.

Rainbow trembled as Twilight held her tightly. In her stricken state, she kept her hooves at her sides, not trusting herself to touch Twilight again. She felt another painful stab in her heart as Twilight's feathery wings wrapped around her.

When Rainbow finally calmed down, Twilight stood up.

"Twilight... You can't forgive me for this. Not-"

"No, I can't." Twilight cut her off. "Because you've done nothing to need my forgiveness." She stated, nodding with finality. Rainbow's eyes widened.

"But... but I hurt you." She argued, raising a tentative hoof to Twilight's face. Glancing at the hoof, Twilight made no move to pull away. Rainbow swallowed as she reached up and brushed over the bruise on Twilight's cheek.

"It's really bad." Dash murmured. Twilight furrowed her brow in response, thinking. She turned her gaze back to Rainbow, and her cheek began to glow. Idly, Twilight noticed and admired how the soft light reflected in Rainbow's eyes. She smiled despite herself. If this worked...

Rainbow gasped as the light ebbed away. Twilight was smiling down at the pegasus with not a scratch on her. The bruising had been completely healed.

Awed, Rainbow reached up and traced a hoof over Twilight's cheek.

"See? I'm all healed." Twilight exclaimed. She wasn't sure what to say. Knowing that Rainbow cared about her that much, it made her feel warm inside. It was possible that she now felt even closer to Dash. She gazed down at her friend, smiling warmly. Neither spoke as they gazed at each other, unsure of what to do next.

A battle raged in Rainbow's mind. Feelings and emotions clashed. Twilight had forgiven her. After what she had done, Twilight didn't even think about running away.

Twilight's nose was so close to Rainbow's. The pegasus felt her pulse quicken, and that familiar flustered feeling began to return. Twilight was right there, inches away. She wasn't moving. Rainbow licked her lips nervously. They... they were tingling. Was that anticipation?

I... I want Twilight to kiss me...? Now? But...

Rainbow's heart skipped a beat as Twilight lowered her head. She was going to do it!

Oh clop oh clop oh clop.

Rainbow's eyes fluttered shut as she felt the corner of Twilight's lips touch her own. They brushed against hers and...

Twilight was nuzzling her cheek.

After a few seconds, she pulled back. "See? It's fine." She reassured. Twilight shuffled backward and turned away. She felt herself wince as soon as her face was hidden. Her cheek still throbbed sharply.

Rainbow lay there for a few seconds, dumbstruck. It had almost happened. Her stomach churned. She wanted to feel Twilight's lips so badly... If only she had the guts to say something. But what if Twilight said no? Did she feel that same way, or was she just being affectionate?

Shaking herself off, she climbed to her hooves. Twilight was sitting on the edge of the cloud, gazing down at the city below. Rainbow slowly skulked over and sat herself down next to the unicorn. She looked away, both hating and finding comfort in the silence. She had to stifle a gasp when she felt Twilight's wing over her back.

"Do you want to talk about last night?" Twilight asked.

"Last night?"

"Rainbow..." Twilight turned to look at her, rubbing her foreleg thoughtfully. "You seemed uncomfortable when you woke up this morning. I understand that you don't like sappy stuff, but it means so much to me when you open up and share your feelings."

"It does?"

"Yes! Last night, when we were in bed? That was big of you. Nothing bad is ever going to come of you being honest with me... and with yourself."

Twilight reached over and lifted Rainbow's wing. She pried it open with her own and held it, interlocking their feathers. Sighing contentedly, she looked at her friend with a happy smile. Her tender gaze made Rainbow's heart flutter.

"I..." She turned her head away. "I care about you too, Rainbow."

Rainbow's heart jumped into her chest. "You mean..."

"Yes." Twilight whispered. "B.F.F.s? Best friends forever?"

Best friends? Rainbow thought. I guess it's a start...

"B.F.F.s" Rainbow agreed. Twilight cheered, leaning over to nuzzle Dash. She sighed, resting her head on a blue shoulder. Rainbow could feel herself welling up a little.

They sat together for a few moments before Twilight broke the silence.

"We should head back. We're all going out to breakfast, and the girls should be ready to go by now. By the way, Fluttershy is really embarrassed about what she did to you last night, so if she's avoiding you, that's why."

Rainbow chuckled. "I bet she has a massive hangover."

"Yeah, she does." Twilight giggled. "Oh! Your Element!"

With a spark of her horn, Twilight took off the Element of Loyalty. It levitated into her awaiting hooves, and she reached over and did it up around Rainbow's neck.

"There. Now let's go."

A Canterlot Breakfast

Twilight and Rainbow Dash flew back to Canterlot Castle in silence. They descended, landing outside the doors without crashing or stumbling.

"Hey! A perfect landing!" Twilight exclaimed.

"You've learned how to fly pretty quickly." Rainbow noted. "... I still can't believe you have wings now." She felt her face contort into the beginnings of a smile. She rubbed her foreleg, thinking back on that brief moment she and Twilight had shared.

"Neither can I." Twilight agreed. "I'm still getting used to them."

Rainbow glanced around, shuffling her hooves. "So uh... You said shapeshifting, right? What made you decide on wings?"

"Well, the Princesses have always made me a little envious of flying, but the main reason was..." Twilight hesitated briefly, giving Rainbow a shy smile. "Well, the main reason was you."

"Me?" Rainbow squawked.

"Yes. Last night you told me that you're lonely during your night flights. If I have wings, I can fly too. Now we can go together!" The unicorn exclaimed, wiggling her wingtips at Rainbow.

It baffled her, how quickly Twilight had bounced back. It had barely been ten minutes since... it had happened, yet there she stood, cheery as ever. The pegasus turned away, trying to control her blush.

"You mean... You mean you did it for me?" Rainbow asked quietly.

"I thought it'd make you happy if we could go flying together." Twilight replied. She shuffled a little closer and gave Rainbow a quick winghug, trying to make eye contact.

"That's..." Really sweet of you... "That's really cool of you, Twilight..." The pegasus sighed. What she had done to Twilight weighed heavily on her conscience, and she had a feeling that this uncomfortable feeling hanging in the air wouldn't be leaving her any time soon.

... But this was Twilight. If she couldn't forgive Rainbow, nopony could. No, Rainbow knew that the struggle for forgiveness would be waged largely in her own mind. She knew that she'd be vying for Twilight's favor until she felt as though she'd made up for what she'd done.

Rainbow suddenly realized that she had spent the last few seconds staring at the ground. She whipped her head up and attempted to think up a reason for her lapse. Twilight's smile faded to a small frown when their eyes met.

"Um..." Rainbow stammered, looking away. "I'll wait out here." She took off, seeking refuge on a nearby cloud.

Twilight sighed as she watched Rainbow fly off. I should have been more careful... Shaking her head quickly, the mare hollered her reply up to the cloud. "Okay! We won't be long!"

Twilight turned to the large double-doors behind her, coughing into her hoof. She stepped inside and closed the doors behind herself with her magic. Once her eyes had adjusted to the lower light, she noticed Rarity sitting with Applejack on their bed. The dressmaker had snuggled up behind her marefriend, and was brushing her blonde mane carefully. She jumped a little when Twilight entered.

"Oh good, it's only you, dear. Did you find Rainbow Dash?"

"Yeah, she's waiting outside." Twilight replied, looking back at the door. "Are you all ready to go?"

"Well, Fluttershy is in the bathroom tending to her mane, and... I think Applejack and I are ready." Rarity declared, examining the brushed mane before her. With a satisfied nod, she nuzzled into it, wrapping her forelegs around AJ.

"I just hope you didn't make me look all frou-frouey." Applejack grumbled, looking back. Rarity leaned in and kissed her, giggling.

"I think your mane looks beautiful, Applejack." Twilight said, smiling at the pair.

"Beautiful?" Rarity protested. "Just beautiful? Why, her mane could be-"

"Neat." Applejack shot in, cutting off the dressmaker's gesticulations before they got out of hoof. Rarity shot her back an annoyed frown, then let out a whimsical sigh, holding a hoof to her forehead. Twilight, as witness to all this, couldn't help but giggle to herself.

"So, how long have you been marefriends?" Twilight asked.

"Since last hearts and hooves day." AJ replied, a touch of boastfulness in her voice. "Rare, wanna tell her?" AJ grinned as Rarity's eyes lit up.

"Oh! It was so romantic, Twilight." Rarity swooned, beginning to gesture wildly. "I had thought that I would have to endure another hearts and hooves day alone, but then Applejack came for me, sweeping me off my hooves like a true gentlemare!"

The dressmaker swayed a little before collapsing backward onto the bed with a happy whimper. AJ rolled her eyes at Twilight, chuckling.

"I sure did. Had the whole thing planned out a few days before, in fact. I took her out for a dinner date, someplace real nice, then we went for a walk along the river outside Ponyville." A smug grin appeared on the farm pony's face. "I think I did a mighty fine job of wooin' this one." She gestured backward, nodding, then crossed one foreleg over the other.

"Mmm, you certainly did, darling." Rarity sat up and stepped off the bed gracefully. She smiled as Applejack joined her, and they both stood there, smiling at Twilight.

"You mustn't tell Rainbow Dash or Fluttershy though, dear." Rarity whispered, leaning forward.

"You haven't told them?" Twilight tilted her head. Applejack frowned.

"We were goin' to make an announcement to y'all." The Earth pony grumbled. "But you kinda ruine-"

The bathroom door opened, and Fluttershy stepped out. Everypony went quiet. She looked at her friends, noticed the silence, and wilted.

"Oh, I'm sorry... I'm not interrupting am I?"

"No, of course not, dear. Are you ready to go?" Rarity asked, walking over.

"Yes, but... you all stopped talking when I..." Fluttershy shrunk back, mumbling into the floor.

Quickly making her way over to the pegasus, Rarity leaned down and spoke in her carefully cultivated 'reassuring Fluttershy' voice. "Applejack and I have an announcement, but it's a surprise. We were talking to Twilight about it. Nothing to worry about, dear." She tilted Fluttershy's chin up with a gentle hoof and smiled warmly.

Rarity's reassurance did little to reassure Fluttershy. The pegasus stood up, hiding behind her mane. She eventually peeked out and returned Rarity's smile wistfully. "Oh, sorry..." She mumbled, tracing circles on the floor with a hoof.

"Fluttershy, stop apologizing." Rarity turned and walked back over to the bed.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled again, following behind. A second later, she gasped. "Oh no, I'm sorry!" Her eyes widened as she realized that she'd apologized again. "Sor-"

Rarity stopped the avalanche of apologies with a well-placed hoof. "It's really alright, dear." She insisted.

AJ chuckled. "Heh, only you could apologize for apologizing." She flashed Fluttershy a friendly smile.

"... sorry..."

"Aww, buck up, girl." Applejack exclaimed, ribbing the pegasus playfully.

"Yes, let's all go have breakfast." Rarity agreed. "I take it you're ready, Fluttershy? Your mane looks wonderful."

"Um, yes." Fluttershy replied quietly, gazing down at Rarity's hooves.

"Alrighty the-" Applejack was interrupted by a particularly loud rumble of her stomach.

Rarity gasped in mock disgust. "Honestly!" She admonished, poking AJ's stomach with a hoof. The Earth pony chuckled sheepishly, fiddling with the brim of her hat. "Heh, just a slight hankering." She offered. Her excuse did little to appease the dressmaker, who threw her a sharp glare.

Rarity arched an eyebrow when Applejack blew her a raspberry. Twilight giggled.

"If y'all are ready, let's go. This ain't gonna fix itself." Applejack gestured toward her own stomach. Both unicorns nodded their agreement, and Fluttershy squeaked as she was herded out the door. Twilight put on her saddlebags and followed, shutting the doors behind herself. As soon as Fluttershy was outside, she groaned, crumpling to the ground.

"You alright, sugarcube?" Applejack asked.

"Nnng, it's too bright! Somepony turn it down!" The pegasus wailed.

Applejack chuckled, flipping off her stetson. She plonked it onto Fluttershy's head and pulled the brim down over the pegasus's eyes.

"How about that?" She asked. "Better?"

Fluttershy paused, experimentally cracking open an eye. "Oh, much better." She breathed a sigh of relief and stood up. "Thank you." She mumbled from somewhere beneath the hat, her sheepishly grateful smile only half visible.

All set, they departed. Rainbow flew down to the group, remaining aloft. She fiddled with her hooves subtly as they walked along.

"Hey guys." She said plainly.

"Good morning, Rainbow Dash." Rarity replied.

Fluttershy squeaked and hid behind Applejack. "Mornin' RD. You were up bright and early." The farm pony remarked.

"Yeah, I just felt like going for a morning flight." Dash chuckled. She landed and fell into step alongside the group, hanging back slightly. Twilight huddled close to her as they walked, only to be shooed away by Rainbow's wing. "Not now!" The pegasus mouthed silently, glancing around to make sure none of their friends had noticed. Twilight pouted at her, but obliged.

"So uh..." Rainbow began, looking around. "Are we meeting Pinkie there, or what?"

Everypony froze.

"Oh my." AJ groaned.

"Pinkie's not here?!" Twilight squawked.

"Please tell me we didn't leave without her!" Rarity cried, turning on the spot and running back to the room. She burst inside, biting her lip as she began searching. Fluttershy was all too happy to fly back inside, away from both the harsh sunlight and Rainbow Dash. The yellow pegasus quickly spotted Pinkie from her high vantage point - she was lying on her bed.

... Or rather, she had sunken into her bed. The party mare lay sprawled flat, hidden by the bedding around her. Her colors were dull and muted, and her mane as flat as a sheet of fabric. Fluttershy was by her side instantly, shooting down and landing on the bed.

"Pinkie?" Rarity called. She sounded mortified. Pinkie raised her head.

"Oh no..." Rainbow gasped, holding a hoof over her mouth.

What are you still doing here?" Applejack cried. "Why aren't you comin' to breakfast?"

Pinkie blinked. "Come to breakfast?" She repeated, genuinely confused. "Why would you want me to come to breakfast?"

"Because we invited you, sugarcube?" Applejack leaned forward. Pinkie sagged, lowering her head back down to the sheets.

"But..." She whimpered. Twilight thought she had heard the pink pony stifle a sob. "But I'm not a good friend. And I'm bad company today... and gloomy... Why would you want me to come?"

Fluttershy shuffled closer and draped a wing over her pink friend, a guilty frown on her face.

"Of course we want you to come." Fluttershy spoke in her softest, kindest, most earnest voice.

Pinkie finally made eye contact. "Even if I'm not going to be laughing, or smiling?"

"Yes." Fluttershy nodded.

"Pinkie..." Twilight stepped in. "We're not going to turn our backs on you just because you're sad, or you made a mistake. We're your friends. Remember what I said about sticking together?"

Pinkie looked around at all of her friends' faces. They nodded. She slowly pulled herself off the bed and stood there, trembling. Her subdued posture and flat mane made her look tiny.

"Would you like to come to breakfast with us, Pinkie Pie?" Fluttershy asked, extending a hoof.

The pink mare stood there for a few seconds. Then, without warning, she ran forward and threw her forelegs around Fluttershy, burying her face in the pegasus's chest. Prompted by a quiet sob, Fluttershy returned the hug.

"Oh my..." She murmured, stroking Pinkie's mane gently. The sound of the perpetually bubbly mare sobbing so openly and severely made her friends want to cry too. When Pinkie pulled away, there were tears streaming down her face.

"Please." Pinkie cried, staring at the floor. "Please give me another chance, Fluttershy. You're such an amazing friend, and I don't wanna lose you..."

"Another chance at what?" Fluttershy squeaked, hovering somewhere between confused and mortified.

"At being your friend! I know I broke your trust last night, but-"

Fluttershy cut her off with a sharp glare. "Pinkie Pie! How could you even think that? Of course we're still friends!"

"... we are?"

"Yes." Fluttershy replied, nodding her head. "I'd never do that to you." She wrapped a wing around Pinkie, and pulled her into a hug. The Earth pony leaned in, closed her eyes, and released a ragged sigh of relief.

"You're the best, Fluttershy..."

Rarity noticed a few strands of her pink mane beginning to curl.

"Ah good, there's a free table." Rarity gushed, galloping over to stake her claim. Her friends followed, taking a seat around the big round table.

"And outside, too! Who would want to sit inside on such a beautiful day?" The dressmaker mused to nopony in particular.

"It certainly looks nice." Twilight commented, glancing around.

"Yes, I came here almost every day during my last visit to Canterlot." Rarity explained. "It really is quite a charming little place. Such wonderful decor..." She trailed off, craning her neck every which way as she admired the stylized facade.

"We've gotta get some menus." Applejack looked around, rubbing her grumbling stomach.

"The breakfast menu is here." Rarity picked up a little menu card sitting in the middle of the table and levitated it to AJ. They both leaned into each other as they read.

"Oh!" Applejack perused the menu with Rarity, commenting on some of the choices.

"Yes, it's quite delicious."

"Wow, they have that here?"

"Indeed. It's simply divine!"

"Look at the price of this one though! Land sakes!"

Rarity giggled, waving a hoof. After passing the menu around, she turned to Pinkie with a bubbly smile on her face. "I think that Pinkie Pie should have the largest stack of pancakes they have." She suggested, grinning playfully.

Pinkie glanced up at her, biting her lip. "Well, I do like pancakes..."

"With blueberry jam, perhaps? And lashings of whipped cream? Ooh, and maple syrup! Perhaps we could share them, darling?" Rarity prodded Pinkie gently, maintaining her encouraging smile.

"Um, actually..." Fluttershy spoke up. "I think I'll have the pancakes too." She paused, then grinned at Rarity sheepishly. "You just made them sound really good..." She said, before turning to Pinkie. "Would you like to share them with me?"

A tiny smile graced Pinkie's lips. "I'd love to share some pancakes..."

Rarity let out a sudden "Ooh!" as she remembered something. "Beverages!" She chirped. "The latte here is simply to die for! Would any of you like to have one? I know I certainly will."

"Nah, I'll have an apple juice." Applejack shook her head.

Rarity frowned. "Apple juice? Again? It's always apples with you!" She ranted, whacking Applejack's shoulder with a hoof. "Have something else!"

"Nah." The Earth pony replied cheekily. "I feel like something refreshing. Besides, I always try the apple juice when we go out."

"Exactly my point! I'm surprised you don't look like an apple by now!" Rarity grumbled, crossing her forelegs. "Why, I'd say that you never try anything else!"

Applejack grinned slyly, leaning in close. "Well I have been eatin' a lot of cherry recently..." She whispered. "That doesn't count?"

Rarity turned bright red. "Well... Um, yes alright. I suppose apple juice will be fine." She cast her gaze downward, mumbling. "...I just think you'd like the latte."

AJ considered for a moment. "It's that good, huh? Okay then, latte it is!" She declared, nodding. "I guess it can't be too bad if my-if you like it. I mean, it can't hurt to try it."

"I think I'd like a latte." Fluttershy said slowly, looking back and forth between the two.

"I think I'm going to have a hot chocolate." Pinkie mused to herself, licking her lips.

"I think I'll have a hot chocolate as well." Twilight said, placing her hooves on the table neatly. "Rainbow?"

The pegasus sighed. "Yeah... A hot chocolate would be really good." She turned a salt shaker idly, preoccupied with her thoughts.

"Oh!" Applejack exclaimed, turning to Rarity. "If Pinkie and Flutters are sharing pancakes, we can go halves in the blueberry pie!"

Rarity nodded. "Alright, but only if you leave some pie for me." She said, flashing a cheeky grin at the farm pony.

"Hmm..." Twilight muttered. " I feel like blueberries, but I don't want pie or pancakes..."

"I could go for something with blueberries." Rainbow agreed.

Rarity glanced down at her menu, then grinned at the pair. "The two of you should share a kiss." She suggested.

Twilight's ears pricked up. "Huh?"

Rainbow had to suppress the urge to shoot out of her seat.

"The blueberry kiss." Rarity declared, levitating the menu over. "It's a pastry, similar to a croissant, but big enough for two. They fill it with blueberries and drizzle warm ice cream over the top." She bat her eyelids seductively as she watched their reactions.

"Ooh..." Twilight reeled in her seat. "That sounds amazing." She turned to look at Rainbow with a playful smile on her face. "What do you think? Wanna share a kiss?"

"Uh, yeah. It sounds good to me!" Dash replied loudly, chuckling. After finally forcing the lump in her throat back down, the pegasus resumed her idle turning of the salt shaker.

Across the table, Rarity noticed Rainbow's downtrodden expression. She studied the pegasus carefully, glancing at Twilight. Applejack tapped her shoulder, then leaned over and whispered something into her ear. Rarity smiled at her and nodded.

AJ cleared her throat. "Girls, if I could-"

She was cut short as one of the waitresses approached the table, levitating a pencil and pad along with her. "Okay, are you girls ready to order anything?"

The waitress paused, grinning as she noticed Rainbow Dash. "Oh wow, hello again." She purred, leaning over her. "Rainbow Dash, was it? We meet again."

Rainbow's four friends shared confused glances as she sunk into her seat, groaning.

"And these must be your friends!" The waitress observed. She then leaned in, whispering to Dash almost secretively. "The offer is still open, you know..."

The waitress hadn't noticed Twilight sitting right there in front of her. She also hadn't noticed that Twilight was scowling at her. Wings and horn flaring, Twilight yanked the waitress's head down to her eye level, fixing her with a dangerous glare.

"I told you to leave her alone."

If the waitress's eyes had bugged out any harder, they'd have shot out of their sockets. "Oh clop, your marefriend is a princess?!" She squeaked, looking back and forth between Twilight and Rainbow. She pointed a shaking hoof at Twilight, spluttering. "B-but you were just a normal unicorn last night! You didn't even have wings!" She cried, struggling frantically.

Twilight blinked, disengaging her magic. The waitress scrambled backward, bolting into the restaurant as though her life depended on it.

Princess?

"... What the hay just happened?" Applejack wondered aloud, head cocked to one side.

"Marefriend?" Fluttershy repeated slowly.

"Sorry about that, girls." Twilight sighed. "I guess I should explain. Rainbow and I went to a bar last night, and these two mares were giving us a hard time. Apparently, they don't know how to take no for an answer!" She snapped, thumping a hoof on the table.

Rarity and Applejack exchanged glances, grinning. "Did she say marefriend? You two?" They asked, brimming with excitement.

"No! No, of course not." Twilight exclaimed, waving a hoof. She didn't notice Rainbow slump, but Rarity did. "We were just pretending to get them off our backs. It was Rainbow's idea."

"Here she comes again." Applejack warned.

The waitress returned reluctantly, offering a half-smile. "Okay, my boss says I have to serve you, so uh... would you like to start off with some drinks? ... On the house?" She suggested, almost pleading.

Rarity looked around the table. "Yes, I believe we're ready to order beverages."

Half an hour later, the breakfast had nearly drawn to a close. Five plates were empty, and five stomachs full. Only Fluttershy was left, a few pancakes remaining in her stack.

Applejack downed the last of her latte as she listened to Rarity recount a story about a recent customer at the boutique. When the dressmaker had finished, Twilight stood up, letting out a satisfied sigh as she stretched her legs. "It's my shout, okay girls?"

"I'll come with you." Rarity hopped out of her seat and followed Twilight. Once they were both inside the cafe, out of view, Rarity pulled her aside.

"Twilight, I... I wish to make a request of you." Rarity muttered, shuffling her hooves.

"A request? What kind of request?" Twilight asked. A few moments passed as Rarity hesitated, rubbing her foreleg idly.

"Well..." She frowned, shifting her weight from hoof to hoof. "You and I both know that Applejack is a capable fighter. She's the strongest Earthie mare I know, and I feel safe around her most times. We can both handle ourselves in a fight, but... Oh my, there really is no polite way to put this." The dressmaker looked up at Twilight, biting her lip. "She's just an Earth pony."

"You mean she can't use magic?" Twilight's tone held no apprehension. Rarity sighed, somewhat relieved.

"Indeed. Chrysalis is a powerful foe, and despite whatever strength we may have... I fear that a time may come where I must defend her, or indeed any of our friends, and we'll simply be overpowered. I'm not as strong as you, Twilight. Magic has always been your forte, but I'm sick of being nothing more than a bystander. I want to be able to protect our friends when the time comes." She swallowed. "Could you teach me some combat magic?"

"Teach you?!" Twilight's face lit up. "Oh my gosh oh my gosh, yes! I'd be happy to! Of course I can teach you, Rarity!" She cried, hopping up and down.

Rarity smiled as she watched Twilight go up and down and up and down. She chuckled. That had gone much smoother than she had expected.

"Shall we begin this afternoon?" The dressmaker suggested.

"Yes! Yesyesyes." Twilight paused, taking a few seconds to plan. "Hmm, I had nothing planned for the rest of the day, so it should be fine. I'm almost certain that the Canterlot library keeps the same catalog as ours, so I should be able to find copies of the books I have on the subject here."

"Excellent, now wait here while I go pay."

"Okay!" Twilight nodded, still planning. She took a moment to glance around inside the cafe. The decor was warm and inviting, and the lighting was slightly subdued. It made the place feel somewhat cozy. The scent of coffee was rife in the air.

Despite its size, the cafe was bustling with activity. There were ponies everywhere, and Twilight suddenly realized that she didn't know a single one of them. If somepony wanted to spy on her, or hay, even ambush her, she was completely vulnerable. She didn't exactly blend into the crowd, considering her current appearance.

Hang on, why did I come in here again...?

Twilight gasped. "Rarity!" She galloped over to the counter just as her giggling companion turned around.

"Too late, my dear. It's already done."

Twilight grumbled. "Okay, thanks."

"Well, I did invite all of you." The dressmaker reasoned.

"I guess..." Twilight admitted. "Hey, it's a shame about your announcement."

Rarity shrugged. "Another time, perhaps." She mused. They returned to the table, sitting down and waiting while Fluttershy finished her pancakes.

"I'm sorry for taking so long." Fluttershy mumbled through a huge mouthful.

"Think nothing of it, dear. Sitting here under the morning sun is rather relaxing, take as long as you need." Rarity said, her friends nodding their agreement.

Then, Applejack belched.

The sudden expulsion startled even her, escaping before she could even realize, let alone stifle it. Twilight's eyes widened. Rarity gasped. Fluttershy squeaked as she accidentally buried her face in her breakfast. Even a few other patrons turned their heads.

"Oop, mighty sorry about that, ladies." The culprit offered apologetically. "Always a sign of a good, hearty meal though, huh?" She attempted, elbowing Rarity, who only stiffened. Rarity was not impressed.

Applejack grumbled as she looked around at her friends, settling on Twilight's accusatory glare. The newly-winged pony had the slightest hints of a playful grin on her face.

"Hey, I didn't mean to let it out like that." The farm pony protested, her eyes elsewhere. "I didn't—Hey, lookie there, it's your brother!" She blurted mid-sentence, pointing somewhere behind Twilight.

Said mare just crossed her lavender hooves over her chest. "Ohh no, you're not getting out of this that easily." She assured, fixing her gaze on her gassy friend, who was still looking over Twilight's shoulder in an attempt to sway attention from herself. "Look at what you've done to Fluttershy!" Twilight waved her hoof at the pegasus, whose nose was now covered in a sticky layer of maple syrup

"Certainly not." Rarity agreed, looking back and forth between the two. "That was simply..." She paused. "Simply horrendous, Applej... oh my." She trailed off, her gaze now fixed on that same place over Twilight's shoulder.

With a curiously raised brow, Twilight turned to look. Several meters down the street, an irate stallion was yelling obscenities at Shining Armor and another Guard, who were apprehending a mare that looked to be his wife. A small crowd had formed, corralled by curiosity but still keeping to a safe distance. Shining Armor yelled something, and the stallion relented, still glaring. The mare was ushered over to the middle of the circle, and the Guard-Captain lit his horn, scanning over her body. Twilight recognized it as her disguise-revealing spell. Shining Armor nodded sharply, and the mare was released.

They continued on, marching down the street in the direction of the cafe. Twilight waved to her big brother as he passed, managing to catch his eye. Her wings burst open as she ran over to greet him.

"Twily!" Shining Armor gave her a quick squeeze. "I'm glad you're okay. How did your meeting with the Princess go?"

"Not at all how I thought it would." Twilight admitted, frowning. "Princess Celestia is worried. She told me that the Changeling Queen is looking for me."

"Yeah, I heard about that. Be careful, okay?"

"I will. We have the Elements of Harmony, so we should be safe."

Shining Armor nodded slowly, looking her body up and down. "Twilight?"

"Yes?"

"Why do you have wings?"

Twilight's stomach flipped. "Ohmygosh, it's me B.B.B.F.F! I can explain, I'm so stupid, I keep forge-"

"Twilight, it's okay." The Guard-Captain smiled reassuringly, then reached down and caressed her cheek with a hoof. "Just explain what happened, I'll listen."

Twilight relaxed, then took a breath. "It's a shapeshifting spell the Princess gave me. The wings are just a small part of it. Princess Celestia told me to run if the Queen found me, transform and blend into the crowd."

Shining Armor's eyes bugged out. "Wow..." He said. "I know about that spell, and I have to say I'm a little surprised that she'd give it to somepony outside the Royal circle. You know, tradition and all."

"So was I." Twilight frowned, then looked up at him. "Wait, you're not doubting my identity?"

Shining Armor just smiled. "I know my little sister." He stated. Twilight leaned in and nuzzled him.

"Hey, stop that. I am on duty, you know." He whined, grinning. Twilight poked out her tongue.

"Anyway, it's a good thing I found you. Princess Luna has requested your presence this time. I'll have my Guard escort you up to the castle when you're ready."

"What happened to your regular Guards?" Twilight asked. "Spearshot, Bolt Cracker, and..."

"Shinespark. The Changeling Queen attempted to break into the castle. They were all injured when they apprehended her."

"Did she get away again?" Twilight asked grimly.

"I'm afraid so. She's still on the loose, so keep your guard up."

"I will. Let me just tell my friends before I go." Twilight ran over to the table, then returned with Rainbow Dash by her side.

"I'll see you later, Twilight." Shining Armor nodded to his pegasus Guard, who saluted.

"Sir!"

Shining Armor saluted back, then galloped off.

Soup, Secrets, and Shaking Walls

She recognized it instantly. Sharp, but not rushed. Heavy, but not obnoxious. Cadence scrambled to her hooves as soon as she heard the unmistakable hoofsteps. Only one pony walked like that.

Shining Armor was coming for her.

He smiled as soon as their eyes met, then held up a set of keys and twirled them emphatically.

"Hey Cadence."

As soon as the gate was open, Cadence shot out and grabbed him in the biggest hug she could.

"I came as soon as I had a chance." He said, returning the tight embrace.

When the hug ended, Cadence took a step back and smiled wistfully. "Hi Shiny."

Shining Armor leaned in and nuzzled her; she knew what it meant.

"Yeah." She sighed. "I'm just really glad you're here."

"Let's get you out of here." Shining Armor turned and led the way. He nodded as he passed the keys back to one of the guards that was stationed at the entrance.

"Sir!"

The couple walked in silence. Shining Armor took Cadence into the nearby park. The walk felt good; she was beginning to get cramps in that cell, and the fresh air was wonderful. She smiled when she recognized the feeling of moist dew on her fetlocks. Shining Armor looked back and grinned as he led her into a secluded spot. There was a table and chairs built into the course, and a bag sitting there on the table.

"Shiny, what is this?" Cadence trotted over and opened it curiously.

"Sorry, I know it's not much. I have to be back on duty in twenty minutes."

A bowl of soup to-go and a slice of crusty bread floated out of the bag. Cadence gasped. "Ohh, this is amazing! Thank you!" She leaned over and gave him a quick hug before tucking in vigorously.

Shining Armor took a seat opposite her, taking a moment to enjoy the down-time. After a few minutes, he cleared his throat.

"There's a napkin in the bag too, you know." Shining Armor grinned, tapping the corner of his mouth.

Oh, thanks." She said, chuckling. "So, what did I miss?"

"Well, you'll be pleased to know that Princess Luna is handling the case. Celestia gave her complete authority. The Changeling Queen has disappeared ever since she tried to break into the castle, and... that's it, I think."

"I hope your guards aren't hurt?"

"No, just a few cuts and bruises. They'll be back on the job in no time."

Cadence paused. "Wait... pleased to know? Why would I be pleased?" She asked, tilting her head.

Shining Armor's smile disappeared. He looked around, waving a foreleg uneasily. "Listen, we need to talk."

"What about?" Cadence asked, taking a bite of bread.

Shining Armor paused to take a breath. "A reign of tyranny." He quoted.

Cadence blinked. "Huh?"

"Reign of tyranny." He repeated. "Those were your exact words. I've been putting it off, but we need to talk about this." He frowned. "I need to know."

Cadence stopped eating. "...When did I say that?" She asked quietly. Shining Armor wasn't listening; he sat there, eyes squeezed shut, and rubbed his temple.

"Yeah, you walked into that ballroom and everything just went to Tartarus." He continued. "We could easily have pleaded coercion, but after what you said, I just don't know. I'm worried for you, Cadence. I mean, I was shocked. I had no idea you felt that way about the princess. All this time, you've never said anything, then all of a sudden you're working with a known enemy and accusing her of tyranny and xenophobia? What are we all supposed to think? And you never said a word about the Changelings. All those nights you came back from your walks, you'd been meeting with the Queen? I could've helped you. I just... Why? Why aren't you talking to me?"

Cadence started to shiver. "Shining, you're scaring me. What are you talking about?"

The Guard-Captain faltered. "Huh?"

Cadence ruffled her wings and looked up at him, her expression unreadable. "I don't remember what happened in the ballroom." She whispered.

"What? How can you not remember?" Shining Armor cried, leaning forward.

"I've been thinking it over again and again, and it's all just a blur." Cadence continued, staring at the table. "One moment I'm outside, and the next I'm standing in the middle of everything, about to free you and Twilight. I don't remember saying anything, and now you're telling me that I... a reign of tyranny? Oh hoof!" She cried, holding her head in her hooves. "No no no, that doesn't sound like me at all, I'd never say such terrible things to the Princess. That sounds like the sort of thing that Chrysalis would s-"

Cadence went quiet. Her eyes widened as the realization sunk in.

"Shiny, please tell me that you know that wasn't me." Cadence urged, reaching across the table for a hoof. "You know that I'd never say those things, right? I don't even think that about the Princess, I don't!"

Shining Armor just sat there gazing at her sadly.

"I checked you." He said. "No evidence of brainwashing. Nothing." He shrugged. "I confirmed it for the Princess. You saw the look on her face when I told her." He hung his head, letting out a weathered sigh.

"Listen, it's eleven-thirty. I have to take you back to-"

"NO!" Cadence sprang to her hooves, backing away. "Nonono, I can't go back there now! That trial is going to be my death sentence! I'll rot in that cell, I can't!"

"Cadence, please." Shining Armor stood up and walked around the table.

"No, there has to be a way to fix this." Cadence shook her head, backing away. "There... we need to find Chrysalis. We need-"

"We need to calm down. You have to trust me, I'm doing everything I can to track her down, but if you leave now, you'll jeopardize any chance you have. You need to go back." He said, holding out a hoof.

Cadence closed her eyes. "...I'm sorry." She whispered.

Without warning, a blast of blue magic knocked the Guard-Captain clean off his hooves. His head smashed into the ground as he fell to the grass, and he groaned, trying to regain his bearings. With a spark of his horn, he teleported back onto his hooves and looked around, holding his head.

"...Cadence?"

"She seems quieter than usual."

"Yes, that's why I want to talk to her." Rarity replied. She and Applejack strolled into their room, deep in conversation. "There's something going on between her and Twilight, I'm sure of it." Rarity continued, following Applejack over to their bed. "I'm not sure she'd be able to talk to Twil-oh my..."

Applejack had turned around, coming nose to nose with Rarity. Hunger shone clearly in her eyes; she didn't need to say anything.

"Applejack..." Rarity bit her lip. "We can't-I mean, here? Now? What if somepony walks in on us?" She murmured, backing away. "...again?"

"Nopony is going to walk in on us." AJ stated, herding her toward the bed.

"But-"

"Rarity, we've finally got some time to ourselves. Flutters and Pinkie will be gone all day." Applejack leaned in and nuzzled her. "Twi and RD are with the Princess." She continued, leaving a kiss on her marefriend's neck as she trailed up to an ear. "Aren't you pining for it too?" She whispered.

Rarity shuddered. B-but I..." She protested faintly, squeezing her eyes shut.

"Shh." Applejack pushed her onto the bed gently, and climbed on with her. Using one of her powerful hooves, she rolled Rarity onto her back, then leaned in and and kissed her lustily. The unicorn murmured something as their lips met, returning the kiss reluctantly. Chuckling quietly, AJ continued downward, nipping at her neck. Rarity had to stifle a gasp when she felt AJ's toned chest graze across her stomach, and a stray hoof trail down her side lightly, almost teasing. She found Applejack so hard to resist when she was like this. The Earth pony's breathing quickened as she worked. Rarity whimpered quietly, pushing at her shoulders.

"nnn... No, we'll be caught..."

"Not if we're quick." AJ countered. "Besides, I only need five minutes to make you scream."

"Applejack!" Rarity exclaimed, quite serious. AJ paused, arching an eyebrow.

"I... I'm sorry." The unicorn mumbled, looking away. "Rainbow Dash is coming. She'll be here any minute, I'm sure of it."

Applejack drew back, frowning. "And why would she be coming here? She's talking to the Princess." She asked, her voice holding a note of suspicion. Rarity averted her gaze.

"Because I asked her to. I wanted to speak to her as soon as breakfast had finished..." She paused to take a deep breath. "... so I asked her to come here as soon as she could."

Applejack blinked at her. "You asked Rainbow Dash to come here? Now?"

"Yes. You know how she is, Applejack. The Princess wanted to speak with Twilight, not her. She'll get bored and leave."

"Leave?" Now you're just being paranoid." AJ chuckled. "She wouldn't walk out on the Princess. You know that."

"I... I suppose..." Rarity admitted, fiddling with her hooves.

"At least we'll have the rest of the day to ourselves after your talk." Applejack muttered, leaning in for another kiss.

"Um... actually..." Rarity chuckled. "I'd planned to meet with Twilight after that."

AJ froze.

"I'm not sure what I was thinking." Rarity continued. "Everypony was so troubled at breakfast, and-"

"And now you're fixin' other ponies' problems." AJ snapped. "Darnit Rarity, I knew you'd do this!"

Rarity sighed, gazing down at the bedsheets.

"All I want is one day. One day, Rarity!" AJ yelled, throwing her stetson on the floor. "When are you going to start putting yourself first? Or us? We're supposed to be taking a break up here!"

Rarity looked up. "We are taking a break up here." She said pointedly.

"And yet we've got more trouble to deal with." Applejack growled, waving her hoof. "We can't relax with this Changeling business hanging over our heads. There's so much going on all of a sudden that we can't get a moment's peace, and yesterday was almost as bad as a branch in the darn cider press!"

"How so? Aside from the... 'Changeling business,' the rest of the day wasn't bad." Rarity sat up.

"How so? We were both tired after working yesterday morning. When we finally got a spare moment, the day was already over. We didn't even go out after dinner like our friends did. We ate, we made love, and we went to bed. We don't need to be in Canterlot to do that, Rare."

"Well maybe tonight we can do something special." Rarity suggested, smiling wistfully. "Just us."

AJ sighed. "I'd like that." She said, rubbing her foreleg. "You work too hard for this sorta thing. Hay, we both do. I know we can't just abandon everypony, but I'd have liked it better if we could spend some time together without the others, for a change."

"Actually, um..." Rarity turned bright red. "I wanted to speak to Rainbow Dash privately, and I'd prefer if you weren't there when I meet Twilight." She offered an apologetic smile.

Applejack took a step back, glaring incredulously. "So you planned out your whole day without me?"

"Not really the wh-"

"You know what? Fine!" Applejack yelled, stamping her hoof. "Fine! I'm leaving. I'm goin' right now!" She turned on the spot and stormed out the door, slamming it behind herself.

Rarity flinched. "Oh, how could I have been so thoughtless?" She lamented, sinking into the bed. "How-"

Applejack burst back into the room and ran up to the bed. Without a single word, she kissed Rarity. The unicorn, surprised at first, accepted the kiss gratefully. She felt AJ reach forward with a hoof, which she took in her own and held to her chest. Applejack stood there quietly, ending the kiss and giving Rarity a gentle, almost mournful nuzzle. Rarity wrapped a foreleg around her, frowning, and stroked her back gently.

Applejack pulled back and sat down. "I don't wanna fight, Rare." She muttered, gazing at Rarity with sad eyes.

"Neither do I, darling. I'll make this up to you, I pr-"

"Us."

"I'll make this up to us, I promise." Rarity smiled. Applejack sighed, resting her head on the bed. After a few moments, she spoke again.

"I'm sorry for yelling at you like that. I guess I was just looking forward to us finally spending some time together. After what happened to Big Mac last week, I've been working myself flat-out, and I guess it's made me a mite grumpy."

Rarity lit her horn and picked up the stetson, returning it to its place atop AJ's head. "Please don't apologize, darling. I must admit that I've been quite stressed recently as well. Business is starting to pick up at the boutique, what with the winter months drawing near. Ponies buying scarves and such." She explained, twirling a hoof. "I've had to start preparing earlier than usual. New designs to create, quotas to fill... I probably worry about it more than I need to." Rarity looked up. Applejack was gazing at her.

"I'll never understand how you run that place all by yourself." The farm pony mused. "I reckon you need to start hiring ponies to help out, give yourself a break."

Rarity flicked her ears as she thought. "But who? Nopony understands my designs as well as I do. I don't even know anypony who can make clo-"

"Nono, not to work on dresses!" AJ exclaimed, waving a hoof. "I mean just a general workhoof, somepony to help out and do oddjobs, cleaning, organizing, all that."

"Hmm." Rarity mused, not disliking the idea. "I suppose I could use an extra set of hooves around the shop. I'd have to find somepony that could handle the work though..."

Applejack adjusted her hat. "Well, what about Apple Bloom? She has about as much fashion sense as a diamond dog, bless her heart, but she's darn handy with a set of of tools."

"Apple Bloom? Heavens no! My poor boutique barely survives the weekly Cutie Mark Crusader sleepovers. I shudder to think what would happen if she were working while I had Sweetie Belle over. Just imagine the antics the two of them would get up to. Imagine what would become of my poor boutique!" Rarity cried, holding a hoof to her forehead.

Applejack grinned, and the two ponies shared a hearty chuckle.

"Listen, how about I cook dinner tonight?" AJ suggested, perking up a little. "Something nice. There's a huge market nearby, and I'll see what I can do about renting the castle kitchen for an hour or so."

Rarity licked her lips. "That sounds wonderful, darling."

Applejack gave her marefriend a contented smile. "I'll see you later, okay?" She turned to leave, but Rarity reached out and pulled her in for one last heartfelt kiss.

Luna paced back and forth, plagued by a headful of worrisome thoughts. The throne room shook gently, rattled by a steady, rhythmic thudding that came from somewhere else within the castle. The doors swung open suddenly, and Twilight Sparkle galloped in, flanked by a colorful pegasus.

"Princess Luna? You wanted to see me?" She couldn't decide whether to look at Luna, or stare dumbfounded at the shaking walls.

"Thank you for coming, Twilight." Luna replied. She walked over to her visitors with her ears slightly flattened, and an uneasy ruffle in her wings.

"Princess... what's going on? Why is the castle shaking? Is it Chrysalis again?"

"No." Luna muttered, looking away. "Twilight, I must apologize for burdening you with my own personal matters, but I am in need of your assistance."

"Of course, anything."

Luna paused. "If you could please follow me." She led them out of the throne room, walking at a brisk pace.

"I called you here because I wish for you to speak to Celestia on my behalf." She explained. "I am worried about her. She has been acting strangely ever since the wedding, and I fear that there is something troubling her. She refuses to speak to me when I bring attention to it, and she has been doing... strange things." The Princess finished uneasily.

"What kind of strange things?" Twilight asked.

"Sharing the metamorphic spell with you, for one. It is decreed that such a decision must be passed by all ruling parties. Celestia never told me anything."

Twilight tilted her head. "Then... how did you find out about it?"

"You have wings." Luna replied plainly.

Twilight mentally chastised herself for being so careless with her new powers, then noticed that the thudding had grown louder. They had reached Celestia's bedchambers. Luna fidgeted uncomfortably as Twilight and Rainbow stared at the doors, twin bewildered expressions on their faces.

"As for other examples... well, see for yourselves." She opened the doors and gestured them inside.

As soon as the doors opened, both ponies were bombarded by a blast of intense music. They reeled, taking a moment to steady themselves before stepping inside. Their ears folded back in a fruitless attempt to protect their tender eardrums from the aural attack, and they both stood there, gaping.

The bedchambers were beautiful. Vast, and adorned in a white-and-gold motif, the room contained an office on one side, and a lounge on the other. An ornate winding staircase lead into the room above, where Celestia's private bedchambers were most likely situated. Even on the lower level, the windows were far larger than any Twilight had ever seen.

The most unusual sight, however, was also the cause of the deafening noise. Twilight immediately recognized it as the oversized turntable and sound system used by the DJ at her brother's wedding reception. A white unicorn in dark shades stood behind it, busily mixing her cacophony. Vinyl records whirled around her head as she worked, her tongue curled over her lip as she busily turned knobs with her magic and flipped switches. Her head bobbed gently, matching the tempo of the music.

Princess Celestia was lying nearby. She had draped her royal form over a chaise lounge, her mane and tail cascading down to the floor like a colorful waterfall. She lay on her back with her head hanging off the lounge, eyes closed.

Twilight and Rainbow exchanged baffled looks as they galloped over to the princess. Twilight yelled as loud as she could. She could barely hear herself think over the noise. Celestia didn't hear her, and continued to kick her legs idly, lost in the music. Twilight groaned, glancing at Rainbow, then yelled again.

Nothing.

Rainbow reached over and poked the Princess in the side. Celestia flinched. Her eyes shot open, and she smiled when she recognized her guests.

Rolling off the lounge gracefully, Celestia stood up. She flashed a quick grin at her visitors before casting her gaze over to the DJ pony and igniting her horn. Twilight and Rainbow looked over and saw Celestia tug the mare's ear to get her attention. The DJ gasped, fumbling, and one of her records shot off sideways. She bit her lip and ran after it, but had unfortunately forgotten about her headphones. Rainbow had to stifle a giggle as she watched the mare fall backward, caught up by her head, then spring to her hooves. She retrieved her records, now sporting a deep blush, and rushed back over to her turntable, frantically flipping a few switches. The music quickly faded into silence, leaving nothing but the ringing in everypony's ears.

"Twilight! How wonderful to see you again." Celestia chirped, untangling her tail from her legs. "I must ask though, why are you in my bedchambers?" Her voice held the same jovial edge it usually did.

"Um..." Twilight hesitated, glancing sideways at Rainbow. "Princess Luna escorted us. She told us that she's worried about you, and asked us to speak on her behalf."

A moment of silence passed as Celestia looked out her window, a distant smile on her face.

"Thank you for asking, Twilight, but I'm fine."

"... uh, are you sure?" Twilight ventured, noticing the twitch of pain dart across her mentor's features.

"Very sure. I just have a headache." She explained, rubbing her temple. "I'll be sure to talk to Luna as well, I don't want her to worry."

"Well, okay..." Twilight muttered, frowning. She stood there uncomfortably, her mind urging her to press the matter, double-check, make sure. Her gaze drifted over to the turntables, and she noticed that the DJ was looking at her. The white mare gasped and ducked below her turntables when their eyes met, but tentatively peeked over a moment later.

"Now." Celestia exclaimed. "I don't believe that the three of you have met properly." She gestured for the DJ to come over.

She was short. That was the first thing that Twilight noticed about her. She was even shorter than Rainbow. She walked over slowly, almost cautiously, glancing out from under her teased fringe.

Celestia smiled. "I'd like to introduce you to Miss Vinyl Scratch. Vinyl, this is Twilight, my personal student and friend, and her close friend, Rainbow Dash."

"Hey there." Rainbow chirped, waving a hoof.

Vinyl smiled awkwardly, and returned the greeting in a hushed voice.

"As you can see, Miss Scratch is highly skilled in her trade." Celestia explained, draping a wing over her. "After hearing her talent at the royal wedding, I decided to appoint her as my official Purveyor of Wubs."

Vinyl giggled softly. "Princess..."

Celestia chuckled, grinning cheekily. "Is that not the right way to say it?"

"Wubs?" Twilight asked, tilting her head in confusion.

"You know, the music!" Dash prodded her. "Like what was playing at that place we went to last night."

If she were not in the presence of her mentor, Twilight would have made a chafing remark about how the noise her ears had just been subjected to could qualify as music. "Ah, that..."

Vinyl's ears pricked up. "Hey, you two go clubbing?"

Twilight and Rainbow exchanged glances. "I guess we do, yeah." Rainbow said, shrugging.

Vinyl traced her hoof back and forth along the ground, hesitating for a moment. "...I'm playing a set at this really nice bar tonight. Would the two of you maybe wanna come?" She asked hopefully, her voice a timid whisper, and her cheeks a deep crimson.

Rainbow looked at Twilight. The unicorn couldn't help but chuckle. Dash was champing at the bit, her eyes twinkling with excitement. Twilight rolled her eyes, and turned back to Vinyl.

How could she say no?

"We'll be there." She said, nodding.

"Wonderful." Celestia said, beaming at Vinyl. "Now, let me escort you all back to the main hall." She walked over to the doorway and stood by it patiently.

Vinyl ran over to her turntables and hurriedly packed up her records. She disappeared behind the huge structure, and with a sharp click, the speakers began to fold up. A pair of wheels popped out of the sides of the rapidly-shrinking box, and a harness on wooden beams ejected from what was probably the front. Twilight watched with fascination as the DJ pony galloped around to the harness, lifted it up with her magic, and shimmied backward into it. She looked back to make sure that everything was packed up, then looked over at the three ponies sheepishly before hauling her load out the door.

Rainbow gasped. "Hey, wait!" She cried, zooming after Vinyl. Twilight followed curiously, and Celestia walked out and shut the doors behind herself. Rainbow returned a few moments later, rounding a corner.

"She forgot to tell us where to meet her!" She explained. "Seven tonight at The Brass Horn. Don't forget."

Twilight chuckled. "Okay, got it."

The three ponies walked in silence as they returned to the main hall. Twilight needed to say something. She felt uneasy, as though she hadn't tried her hardest to help her teacher.

"Um, Princess?" She ventured. Celestia looked down at her, her face neutral. "If there's something you'd like to talk about... I'm here." Twilight smiled awkwardly, kicking a leg. "Especially close now, in fact, as I'm staying in the castle. Normally you'd have to write a letter, but nope, I'm right here, now! You can-"

"Twilight." Celestia prompted gently.

"Yes Princess?"

"Thank you, but I really am perfectly alright."

Twilight sighed softly. "Okay."

The heavy clunk of opening doors pulled Rarity's attention from her sketchbook. Rainbow Dash walked into their room, not too early, and not too late. Twilight was right behind her.

"Hi Rarity!" Twilight said, squinting a little as her eyes adjusted to the room's lower lighting.

"Hello, dear." Rarity replied, placing her sketchpad to one side and slipping off her bed. The pencil aligned itself against the upper margin as she approached her friends.

"Hey Rarity." Rainbow wandered in curiously, looking around. Her behavior of this morning had been most peculiar. Even now, Rarity could see something amiss. While Twilight stood there being her relentlessly cheerful self, Rainbow seemed almost reserved. She stood closer to Twilight, her head held slightly lower, and her ears flat.

"Hello Rainbow Dash." Rarity said, hopefully completing the round of greetings. She turned to Twilight, clearing her throat. "Twilight, if you could please excuse us, I wish to speak with Rainbow."

Then, considering Twilight's occasional naivety, quickly added, "Alone."

Twilight was immediately suspicious, and her eyebrows furrowed accordingly. "Talk? Alone?" She poked at Rarity with her gaze, only to be waved off by a white hoof.

"Yes. I wouldn't worry dear, it's simply a small matter that I wish to discuss with her."

Rainbow looked back and forth between the two unicorns, shuffling backward.

"Well, okay." Twilight said, a tinge of worry in her voice. She turned to Rainbow Dash and frowned. "Are you alright? Is there something going on?"

"Yeah, don't worry about it. I'm fine." Rainbow assured.

"It's not about before, is it?" Twilight pressed.

"That's enough questions dear." Rarity nodded curtly, interposing herself between purple and blue. "I shall meet you on the grassy field below our room in half an hour. Now leave us! Shoo!" Waving white hooves ushered Twilight out the door, and not another peep was heard out of her.

"So?" Rainbow began, fidgeting.

Rarity trotted over to her bed, indicating Rainbow to follow her. She cleared her throat. "Well, I couldn't help but notice that you've been acting strangely this morning. ... Especially around Twilight. Why so glum, Rainbow? You're not your usual bubbly self."

Rainbow looked away.

"I'm worried about you, dear." She explained, putting a hoof on Rainbow's shoulder. "If something is happening between the two of you that's troubling you, you should... I mean, is there anything you need to talk about?"

The dressmaker frowned when Rainbow scowled apprehensively, shimmying backward.

"What? Worried about me? Talk? I'm-"

"Rainbow Dash." Rarity interjected, holding up a hoof. "Please, you know you can talk to me frankly. I'm concerned, that's all."

Rainbow sighed. She stared at the floor for a brief moment before taking a deep breath. "Okay, but everything I say stays between us, right? You can't tell anypony."

"I'm insulted that you'd even suggest such a thing! Now, come on." She pat the bed, smoothing a space in the sheets for Rainbow's rump.

The pegasus climbed aboard gingerly, then sat down a short distance from Rarity. She sat stiffly, glancing around, then cleared her throat.

"... Okay, I guess I wanna ask you something." Rainbow muttered, rubbing the back of her neck.

...

"Well, ask away, dear." Rarity said, trying her best not to giggle; the bridge of Rainbow's nose had turned a light shade of red.

"...You know about this love stuff, right?" Rainbow asked, giving Rarity a sideways glance.

"Well, I've had my fair share of romantic experiences, yes." Rarity mused, bouncing her curls with a hoof. "You could hardly call me an expert on the subject, but..." She paused, blinking at Rainbow.

"Wait, love? You mean yourself and Twilight?" She exclaimed, leaning forward.

The change was instantaneous. One moment, Rainbow's face was its usual blue color, maybe a slight redness in her cheeks, and the next she was red as a tomato.

"No! ... I mean, I dunno, I think I might, but she doesn't really feel the same way. I don't think she does but I'm not sure, and I'd really like if she did, but I don't know how to tell and I'm not even sure what..."

The pegasus' words caught in her throat as she realized that she'd just confessed everything. Her hooves shot to her mouth and she shrunk back, mortified. Her stomach churned as she spoke her next words.

"And uh... you know."

Rarity squealed. "Oh my goodness, that's adorable! I knew that there was something going on, and I'm so glad you've told me, darling!" She threw her forelegs around Rainbow, squeezing her and bouncing excitedly. "You must tell me everything!" She cried, sitting back down and waving her hooves.

"Well, uh... There's not much to tell." Rainbow admitted, rubbing her side. "Nothing's happened."

Rarity smiled when Rainbow gave her an uncertain look.

"Don't worry about a thing, Rainbow Dash. I shall help you!" The dressmaker declared, shaking her hoof resolutely.

"Thanks Rare." Rainbow paused for a moment, then looked up.

"How did you know?" She asked, her posture relaxing slightly.

"Know what?"

"That you and Applejack liked each other?"

Rarity thought for a moment, tapping her chin.

"Well, there was no sudden realization. We were both spending a lot of time around each other, we enjoyed one another's company immensely, and I think we both fell for each other without even realizing at first. When Applejack made an overture, neither of us stopped to question it. It just felt natural, as though it were the right thing to do."

Rainbow's ears flopped. "That's cool, but how is it supposed to help me?"

Rarity raised an eyebrow. "There are no rules or answers when it comes to love." She pressed a hoof to Rainbow's chest. "You have to go by what you feel in here."

The pegasus looked away. "I was actually hoping that you could give me some advice." She murmured, her voice wavering. "I-I've never done this before."

Rarity frowned. "Well, I'm not quite sure what to tell you, dear. On the one hoof, I could tell you that you should tell her how you feel as soon as you can. The longer you leave it, the more time you have to overthink it and start doubting yourself. On the other hoof, you could be rushing into this too soon. You do have a tendency to act before thinking, dear. You might not be in love, per se..."

Rainbow drew back. "Might not be? What? How do I tell?"

The dressmaker tilted her head, smiling. "How does she make you feel?"

"Well..." Rainbow began, swallowing a lump in her throat. "I feel happy around her. I really like seeing her smile, and... when I get close to her, my heart starts to pound, like I'm running a race. I get sweaty hooves, my mouth goes dry, I can't focus..."

An awkward silence stretched the seconds out. When Rainbow finally looked up, Rarity was gawking at her.

"Dear Celestia, Rainbow, you're in love! How long have you been sitting on this? You have to tell Twilight how you feel. You simply must!"

"You really think I should?"

"Absolutely." Rarity gushed. "Don't leave it another day."

Rainbow's gaze drifted sideways as she thought to herself.

Rarity knew what she was thinking. "But don't rush off and tell her right now. You must find the right time. A quiet moment alone, for example."

Rainbow sighed, hanging her head. "But what if she doesn't like me the same way?"

Rarity put a hoof on her shoulder. "I wouldn't worry too much, dear. It's fairly obvious that Twilight feels something for you."

Rainbow's head snapped up like a rocket. "It is?"

"From what I've seen, yes, definitely. The two of you have been almost inseparable recently, and for a pony that values her solitude as much as Twilight, that's quite unusual. And I've seen the way she looks at you now, too."

A smile crept its way onto Rainbow's lips. "...Awesome."

Then, as Rarity's words sunk in, her smile grew wider and wider until she abruptly sprang off the bed, cheering loudly.

"Aw yeah!" She cried, throwing her hooves into the air.

Rainbow executed a tight backflip that narrowly missed the overhead light, then flew over to the door and kicked it open. Grinning elatedly, she flew back to Rarity, hugged her, then dived backward, waving as she glided out the door headfirst.

"Thanks Rare!"

Luna Investigates

There were two items on Luna's to-do list for the day. One, to find out what was troubling her big sister, and two, to investigate the Changeling affair.

The first item was of much greater importance to the Princess of the Night. Dealing with it was her top priority, which is why she now stood in her sister's bedchambers. Sneaking in had been easy; Princesses do not need to sneak, you see. They only need to make sure that their elder sisters do not catch them in the act, and Luna was a careful pony.

Luna cast a glance over the room for the fourth time. Everything seemed to blend together neatly. There was nothing obvious, nothing that stuck out and said 'look at me first!' She frowned, silently cursing her sister's near-obsessive level of neatness. There were a few stacks of paper on the desk before her - probably political documents of some sort. Any pressing matters would be at the top of the pile, so that would be the best place to start. Perhaps 'Tia was worried about something to do with her duties? Maybe the Changeling invasion had caused unrest in the government?

...

Luna's head drooped. She groaned.

In the space of a mere two minutes, Luna had reduced her sister's bedroom to a warzone. Desks had been moved. Belongings had been inspected and thrown aside. Documents had been strewn. Even the bedsheets were in disarray.

Only when she had double-checked everything with a fine-toothed comb did Luna notice the mess she'd made. Her only acknowledgement was a quiet "hmm." The current state of her sister's personal space only fueled her determination further; she had come this far, it would be pointless to leave without finding what she was looking for.

At last, Luna found something; a document with Celestia's written notes all over it. She grinned triumphantly, holding it up and taking a moment to revel in her success.

A quiet thump came from beyond the doors. Luna flinched. She wasn't expecting anypony to come in here for at least twenty minutes.

... A moment of silence passed, and Luna decided that she was safe. It was probably just the guards taking their position outside the chambers, she reasoned. Satisfied, she turned her attention back to the document just in time to see it fall and disappear under the bed.

"Nay!"

Luna bent over and scooted forward, trying to catch the note before it escaped her clutches. It took her eyes a few seconds to adjust to the darkness beneath Celestia's bed, but she spotted the note almost immediately. It was right there, a few centimeters away. She reached forward, chomping at it and stretching her neck as far as she could.

She grumbled to herself as she tried to push forward, her hooves failing to find purchase on the smooth floor. Fed up, she sparked her horn and shoved the bed away. Finally, her mouth caught the edge of the paper, and it was hers.

"You know Luna, I just don't understand how you can have such a shapely rump and a pudgy belly on the amount of exercise you do."

"Mmph!"

Luna's hooves scrabbled on the smooth floor as she pulled herself out from under the bed. She bumped into something then spun around, wide-eyed.

"Thhfftsh!" She frowned and spat out the document. "Sister!"

"Hello Luna." Celestia replied, oddly calm.

Luna swallowed. "Wha-what are you doing here?"

"Well, these are my bedchambers." She surveyed the room slowly. "Are you looking for something?"

The Princess of the Night drew back. "Well, I-nay, sister! You see, there was, I mean, I-"

"Luna."

"Fine!" Luna sighed. "I was looking for clues. Something that might tell me what's bothering you."

Celestia tilted her head. "Bothering me?"

"Yes, 'Tia! I am certain that you are hiding something from me." Luna grumbled, stomping her hoof. She looked around the room, trying to locate the document she had spat out. She couldn't see it anywhere, but there was an odd dome-shaped metal container on the table behind Celestia. That hadn't been there earlier...

"What, for example, is THIS?" She shouted, running over and tearing the lid off dramatically.

"That? That's my lunch."

Luna blinked. "... because it smells absolutely delicious!"

"Really?" Celestia walked over. "I thought you hated pea and barley soup."

"Well, I... I suppose I um... Haven't tried it properly?" Luna offered, squirming.

Celestia smiled. "Why don't you try a bowl? We can share it while we clean up this mess." She suggested, ladling the soup into a set of ornate porcelain bowls.

"Thank you, but I think I'll pass." Luna muttered. "I didn't come here for soup."

Celestia floated a bowl over to her. "Please, just try a spoonful."

"NO!" Luna cried, stamping her hoof. "I don't want any soup, Celestia!"

Celestia set the bowls down and turned to face her sister. She pricked her ears, saying nothing.

"I hate it when you do this." Luna continued. "There is obviously something wrong, but instead of talking about it or doing something to allay my concern, you brush it under the rug and pretend as though everything is fine!"

Luna looked up at her sister. Her ears drooped. "Please, 'Tia. Let me in. I've told you that you can confide your troubles in me. I want to be there for you, as well. Even if you cannot tell me what perturbs you, simply talking about it might help."

Leaning forward, Luna sighed as she nuzzled into her sister's soft ivory coat. "Please don't make the same mistake I did all those years ago. We promised to be more open with one another, to share our fears and feelings. Don't you remember that, 'Tia?"

"Of course I do, Luna. I just..."

Any resolve Celestia had left crumbled when she saw Luna's doe eyes. "... Very well." She sighed. "Come, take a seat." She walked over to her bed and sat down. Luna smiled, then turned around and picked up the bowl of soup. She gave it to her sister, then sat down with her.

"What I'm about to tell you is a secret that I've never divulged to anypony." Celestia shuddered. "It is a terrible secret, a blemish on my past that I would very much like to forget."

"Now, try firing one through that ring line."

Rarity curled her tongue around her lip as she took aim, pointing her horn at the ring of violet light that Twilight had conjured. She lit her horn, and a tiny shower of sparks illuminated her face.

Twilight frowned. No horn bolt. She watched as Rarity clenched her teeth, tensing up as she pushed her head forward.

"Remember, it's not a physical action." Twilight reminded. "Pull your magic back in on itself, wait for it to amplify, then push forward."

Her coaching only made Rarity tense up further. Grunting now, Rarity stood up straight and pulled her head backward. Her magic pulsed around her horn, and a vein pulsed in her forehead. Finally, she released a huge sigh, exhaling her frustration as she slumped.

"Oh for goodness sake, why is this so difficult?!"

"Here, watch." Twilight shuffled around and stood next to her. She closed her eyes and lit her horn. Inhaling deeply, she raised her head and thrust her chest out, then cracked open an eye to peek over at Rarity. She was following along. Twilight then exhaled, allowing her head, ears, tail, and body to relax and droop. A violet bolt fired off as she breathed, which hit the ground ahead of her and sent dirt flying.

Rarity watched the dirt display with dismay. "Show off." She grumbled.

Twilight drew back. "What? No no, I'm not showing off! I'm showing that you can be physically relaxed while performing the spell! You're having trouble because you're trying to force it physically."

"Please dear, it was just a joke." Rarity took a deep breath. "I'll try again."

She closed her eyes and inhaled. Magic pooled around the base of her horn. Twilight grinned as she exhaled, and a cobalt bolt of magic rocketed from her horn.

Rarity gasped. "Did i...? I did! I did it!" She squealed, pointing at the bolt and hopping. "Look at it... oh no."

The mares held their breath as they watched the bolt's flight path. It was heading right for a couple of fillies playing nearby. Twilight bit her lip as the bolt inched closer and closer. Finally, it whizzed over one of the fillies' heads, passing mere inches above.

"Phew, that was a close one!" Twilight chuckled.

"I'll say." Rarity agreed. She pouted. "Look though, they didn't even notice it!"

"Well, I'm uh..." Twilight offered, looking around. Her ears pricked up as she caught sight of something.

"Hey look, it's Rainbow Dash!"

Rarity looked. The blue pegasus was indeed heading straight for them. She was holding a small box with a string handle in her mouth, which she placed on the ground once she landed.

"Hey guys." She said, rubbing her head.

"Rainbow Dash?" Rarity blinked.

"...yeah?"

"What are you doing here? I asked you not to disturb us!" She hissed, blushing slightly.

Rainbow shrugged. "Well, you said you'd only be half an hour. Thought you'd be done, so I came looking."

"It's been half an hour?"

"Yep. What were you two doing, anyway?" Rainbow asked, looking around.

"We were practicing magic!" Twilight jumped in, clapping her hooves.

"Twilight! ... oh fine, yes, she was giving me lessons."

Twilight nodded. "Rarity's just learned a new spell."

Rainbow raised an eyebrow. "Lemme guess, the horn bolt?"

Rarity blinked. "Why, yes. How did you know?"

"I saw it." Rainbow shrugged. "I was flying over the park looking for you two, when I spotted some random bolt of magic shoot by. Figured I was heading in the right direction." She said, poking her tongue out cheekily.

"So, dear, what's in the box?" Rarity asked.

Rainbow faltered. "Oh, it's uh..."

"Never mind." Rarity cut in. "We're finished anyway. I should go find Pinkie." She turned to Twilight. "Thank you again for the lesson. Why, I feel as though I'll be blasting beasts in no time!" She said with a twirl of her hoof.

"You're welcome." Twilight smiled.

"Oh!" Rainbow squawked. "Rare, wait. Pinkie's back at the castle. Make sure you open the door from a distance." She warned, grinning sheepishly.

Rarity gave her a withering look. "I see."

Twilight approached as she watched Rarity leave. "So what's in the box?" She asked, poking it with her nose.

Rainbow looked around, rubbing her foreleg. "Uh, can we do this up on a cloud?" She picked up the box and took off, ascending into the haze above.

Twilight followed. She had to resort to levitation and a bit of frenzied flapping to make it up to the cloud that Rainbow sat upon. The pegasus waited there with the box in front of her, eyes lowered.

"It's for you."

The box felt slightly heftier than Twilight had expected. She vaguely recognized the emblem on the box, but couldn't place it until...

"Oh my gosh! My favorite chocolates!"

Twilight sat there for a moment before looking up. "How did you know about these?"

"You told me about them sometime back in Ponyville." Rainbow explained. "I saw the shop while I was looking around, remembered, and got you a box."

"... I did?"

"It's an apology." Rainbow continued, ruffling her wings. "For... you know, before."

Twilight set the box aside, frowning. "Rainbow, you're not still ups-"

"I can still see your face." Rainbow muttered, looking away. "What I did to you was disgusting, and I... I can't unsee it."

Twilight hadn't been expecting this. She sat down. "But we already made up. You don't need to apologize!"

"I made you cry." Rainbow shuddered. "I put a bruise on your face. I saw how hurt you were, how..."

"Darnit Twilight!" She shouted, squeezing her eyes shut. "How can you just forgive me like that? Why can't you just be mad? You're acting like... like what I did was nothing. Like I insulted you by mistake, like it didn't even matter!"

"It doesn't matter!" Twilight cried. "You saw something, and reacted. It was heat-of-the-moment. I know you didn't mean to hurt me!"

"That's no excuse!" Rainbow yelled. "I hurt you! I, I've never done that before. To anypony. You can't just say that everything's fine and you're not upset after something like that." Her shoulders slumped. "... Please. I need... just tell me if we're not okay."

She hung her head as a sob wracked her throat. "It was so wrong, but I don't know how to fix it."

Rainbow sat there, choking on her tears silently. Each sob stung Twilight's heart. It was unbearable, seeing Rainbow so upset. Twilight reached out and put her hoof to Rainbow's cheek, bringing the pegasus' eyes up to meet her gaze. Rainbow made no effort to hide her tears.

"I'm proud of what you did." Twilight stated.

Rainbow bit her lip. "You can't be." She shivered.

"I am. We both know how powerful Chrysalis is, yet you were willing to take her on when you thought that I might be in danger. It was wrong of me to surprise you like that, which means that this is my fault, not yours. You have nothing to apologize for. You were just... you, Rainbow."

Twilight couldn't help it. She smiled, gazing into those magenta eyes fondly as she stroked her cheek. Rainbow pouted, searching Twilight's eyes for an explanation.

"You're fiercely protective of me and the girls, and I know that I can count on you to be there when we need it most. You're the most reliable, wonderful friend I could ever ask for, so don't you dare apologize."

That coaxed a little smile out of Rainbow.

And that was all Twilight needed. The pain in her heart evaporated instantly. She almost felt a tinge of accomplishment; she had done that. She had soothed Rainbow's tears, and made her smile again.

All too soon, Rainbow broke their gaze. She frowned, fiddling with her hooves, and opened her mouth a few times.

"... Listen Twilight, I-"

"Shh. I know what you're trying to say." Twilight said, putting a hoof to Rainbow's lips. Rainbow flopped an ear questioningly.

Twilight paused to take a breath.

"You're scared. You've opened up to me, and now you're vulnerable. If you make some horrible mistake that might jeopardize our friendship, it'll drive a wedge between us, and..."

Twilight faltered when Rainbow folded her ears away from her words. She reached over and caressed Rainbow's shoulder, trying to quell her shuddering.

"Rainbow, look at me." She urged softly.

"Don't say it."

"I'd never do that to you. Never. We've come too far for something like that, and I care about you far too much to..."

Twilight sighed, wiping a stray tear from Rainbow's cheek. "I just don't want to see you hurt." She admitted. "I don't care if you made a mistake and punched me. I healed a few minutes later. What upsets me is what this has done to you. I've never seen you like this before, and I'd hate to ever see you like this again. You don't need to be scared, Rainbow. Nothing will ever drive us apart. We-"

Whatever Twilight was going to say next was cut off when Rainbow tacklehugged her. She nuzzled into Twilight's chest with a soft whimper, hugging her as tightly as she could.

"Thanks, Twilight."

"PFFs have to stick together, right?" Twilight whispered, returning the hug.

"Yeah."

Rainbow sighed.

She wanted to be more than PFFs.

"You know the details of the Changelings' feeding practices, correct?"

Twilight was almost galloping. "Yes, Princess?" She replied curiously. In the time she had spent in Canterlot, Twilight had learned one thing about Luna; she walked very quickly when she was in a hurry.

Twilight was lost in a swirl of unorganized thoughts, tearing after Princess Luna without looking where they were headed. Where were they headed? She already knew the answer, but didn't want to conclude that it was so, not while there was still doubt.

Secondly, why had Rainbow seemed so... sad? Had Twilight missed something? Something that would be glaringly obvious to somepony else? They had made amends, shouldn't she be relieved? Now that she thought about it, Rainbow looked as though she was about to say something just before Twilight noticed Luna's call. Seeing her cutie mark etched into the sky with magic had alarmed her somewhat, and her confused blurting had probably interrupted whatever Rainbow was going to say. Twilight frowned. She'd have to ask Rainbow about it later.

Although, it wasn't like she'd have had the chance to ask if she'd picked up on it at the time anyway; Rainbow had almost insisted that she go check out the cutie mark. Said mark was nothing more than a light construct, probably intended to draw attention. There was a trail of magic leading back to ground level, where Princess Luna stood waiting for her. Citing urgent business, she had whisked Twilight away without a second thought, leaving Rainbow behind.

Luna fell silent as they approached the ballroom. She finally came to a stop outside the doors, then turned to Twilight and bowed her head.

"It is with much displeasure that I ask this of you, Twilight Sparkle, but I am left with little choice."

Twilight shivered. "Ask what of me?" She asked, throwing an anticipatory glance through a nearby window. She couldn't see anything other than carpet.

Luna turned to the doors. "In light of information that I have become aware of only just recently, I am expediting the trial date." She explained. "As such, it is necessary to question the Changeling soldiers themselves sooner that I would have liked. ...As they are our responsibility, at least until the trial, they must also be taken care of."

Twilight swallowed. She wasn't a fan of where this was going.

"They must be fed." Luna stated, flapping her wings emphatically. "Nopony else trusts them as I suspect you do, and I... I am not sure I have enough love within myself to feed them all." Luna lowered her head. "So... will you help? I will be here at all times to protect you."

Twilight bit her lip. She was scared, of course, but she couldn't let that stop her. Feeding one Changeling had been fairly safe, but a whole horde? She looked in the window. I guess there aren't too many of them...

She turned to Luna and nodded. "I'll do it."

"Thank you, Twilight. Now, I will undo the encapsulation enchantment, open the doors, and take you inside. You may then proceed whenever ready while I stand guard."

Twilight didn't wait. As soon as Luna opened the doors, she walked in and approached the horde. They were gathered in the center of the room, loosely grouped. They looked reasonably healthy, from what Twilight could see. Most were asleep, but some sat together, and appeared to be chatting idly.

One of the larger Changelings spotted her and sprang to his hooves. Helmet-framed eyes narrowed as he approached Twilight.

"Where is Princess Cadence?" He asked, eyeing her curiously.

... That was a good question, actually. Luna's face bore no answer. Twilight chuckled, rubbing the back of her neck. "She's uh... busy! Doing her laundry! Yes!"

The Changeling just raised an eyebrow.

"I'm Twilight Sparkle." She said, holding a hoof to her chest. "I'm here to help with uhh... feeding?"

The Changeling looked mildly surprised. "Very well." He stomped a hoof on the tiled floor, stirring the others.

Twilight winced as they all gathered around her. Luna just nodded when she looked over, ruffling her wings as they both watched the Changelings. A few yawned, most were mumbling something... one was tired, one recognized her, one was hungry. They were... surprisingly equine. Not at all like she had imagined them to be.

Once finished, the large Changeling directed them all to the side of the ballroom. Twilight sighed, slightly relieved now that it was over. Luna walked over to her, smiling.

"Are you alright, Tw-"

"Hi!"

The ponies jumped as a member of the horde zoomed over on its wings, smiling cheerily.

"Thanks for that. I feel much bette-"

"Speedy!"

The helmet-clad Changeling paced over, glaring, and pushed Speedy aside. He cleared his throat deeply.

"I am Big Tooth, interim leader, and this is Speedyshoot." He announced, turning to said Changeling. "...who should be over there with-"

"I'm his friend." Speedy explained. "Who, in case you forgot, sa-"

"Alright, alright." Big Tooth snapped, holding up a hoof.

Twilight studied the Changeling curiously. She had never considered whether Changelings had genders. But this one, it was-no, she was smaller than most of the others. Her form was more feminine, her gossamer wings were more rounded, her fangs were crooked...

The bright smile on her face was what Twilight found most odd. She had never seen a Changeling smile before.

... At least, not like that.

"Now, if I may ask, where is our Queen?" Big Tooth snapped.

Luna bowed her head. "She is currently negotiating asylum for your kind."

Twilight had to press her lips together to stop herself from blurting.

Luna approached Big Tooth, holding herself formally as she regarded him.

"I must ask you a series of questions." Luna began, flapping her wings pointedly. "It is my intention to gather evidence to be presented at the forthcoming trial, so it is of the utmost importance that you answer truthfully."

Big Tooth narrowed his eyes, nodding slowly. "...Very well."

Luna turned to her left and began to pace idly. "Your presence in Canterlot a week prior. What was the reason your Queen gave for this?" She turned quickly, leaning down and forcing the question onto Speedyshoot.

The Changeling shimmied backward, her eyes wide. "Oh! Umm, ahh... we were hungry?" She murmured, throwing a sideways glance at Big Tooth.

"Now wait just a minute!" Big Tooth bellowed, stepping in between the two. "I represent my species in the Queen's absence, all ques-"

"I'm asking her." Luna cut in, freezing him with a stern glare. She ignored him when he growled at her, fangs bared.

"And what was your imperative?" Luna continued, turning back to Speedyshoot. "What were you instructed to do once your invasion had succeeded?"

"Umm, feed?"

Luna narrowed her eyes. Speedy chuckled.

"Well, uh, the soldiers were instructed to neu-neutralize any resistance to protect the rest of us." She explained, buzzing her wings as she spoke. "We didn't really get any specific orders aside from that." When Luna's probing gaze didn't let up, she quickly added, "Honest!"

"Stop this." Big Tooth cut in, glaring up at Luna. "You could easily ask our Queen these questions, if you could. But you're not."

He took a step forward.

"Where is our Queen?"

"I will not repeat myself."

Luna glared at him. Her gaze bore into him, yet there was no anger on her face. Twilight shivered. The air felt thick. Heavy, choking.

Big Tooth glared right back. He paused, searching. No, I know what this is." He said slowly. "You want me to say that we were taking hostile action, don't you?" He sneered. "You've imprisoned our Queen, and now you're looking for a confession!"

The horde shifted behind him, muttering amongst themselves worriedly.

"Let me explain something to you." Big Tooth growled, closing the distance between himself and Luna. "We were not taking hostile action. Fear and panic hinder our feeding abilities." He said simply. "You will not get a confession. How dare you prance in here and make such accusations. You know nothing of our kind, nothing! This little trial of yours is a joke, and you are detaining us unjustly. Where is our Queen, mule?"

Luna bristled. Twilight's legs couldn't hold her up anymore. She had never seen anypony speak to Princess Luna like that before, and her response... Twilight wouldn't want to think about it. That was the stuff of nightmares.

She always felt as though she were walking on wobbly ground around Princess Luna, even though a part of her knew that she was being overly-cautious. The Princess always had a certain... presence about her. She seemed to fill a room by doing nothing more than stand there.

Yet, that Changeling stood there somehow, staring her down. Snarling. Yelling at her.

Luna stood there at her full height. Her awe-inspiring wingspan bristled. Even her mane seemed to expand. For several long, torturous seconds, she glared into him. He glared right back. Speedy turned and ran back to the group.

Luna closed her wings.

"Very well, then."

She turned to leave. "Come, Twilight. We have what we need."

Twilight's heart skipped a beat, and she shot forward, racing for the doors.

Luna turned back, casting one last gaze over the horde as Twilight scurried out. She resealed the building, then walked away.

"Thank you for coming Twilight." She said, smiling down at the shaky unicorn in an effort to ease her. "I have one more task for you. The trial shall be held tomorrow at midday. Please inform your friends, I would prefer the Elements of Harmony to be present."

"Yes, princess." Twilight murmured.

"Now, I must leave. There are matters to which I must attend. Farewell."

Just a cuddle

At some point during the night, Twilight realized that she was awake. She felt her ear twitch a few times, then noticed a sound.

Rainbow was whimpering quietly. Nnng... musta woken me up.

Suddenly, the pegasus's head rolled her way, bumping into her nose.

"Ow!"

"Ahh, no! No!"

"Rainbow?"

"No no no, get away!"

"Rainbow, wake up." Twilight whispered, rocking her gently.

"Stop it! No!" Dash's breathing became frantic, and she was waving her forelegs, as if batting away something terrible.

"Rainbow!" Twilight urged, louder this time. Rainbow stopped struggling abruptly, inhaled sharply through her nose, then slowly brought a hoof to her face, groaning.

"Rainbow?" Twilight felt her jump at the sound of her voice, then stiffen. She turned her head slowly, looking back.

"T-twilight? Where... wha?"

"I think you were having a nightmare. Are you okay?"

"Right, yeah." She mumbled, relaxing as she got her bearings. "I'm fine!" She snapped suddenly.

"Are you sur-"

"Yes! I'm sure!" She replied sharply, batting Twilight's hoof away. Their bodies were still huddled together. There was just enough moonlight for Twilight to make out Rainbow's hoof tracing lines in the sheet. She smiled, letting a few seconds pass.

"Alright then. Goodnight Rainbow." Twilight whispered, reaching over and hugging her tentatively. Rainbow made no move to push her away this time.

To the unicorn's surprise, Rainbow reached up and held the lavender hoof to her chest. When she spoke, her voice was small.

"I was scared."

Twilight smiled. "Shh, you're okay now, right?"

"... yeah." Rainbow mumbled. Twilight nuzzled her sleepily, yawning.

...

"...'night Twilight."

When she thought that Twilight might have fallen asleep, Rainbow began to shift herself closer, sliding her body deeper into the embrace of the mare behind her. She worked slowly and quietly, trying to keep Twilight from noticing what she was doing.

Twilight noticed. Darn.

Dash felt the hoof pull her in closer. Twilight didn't say anything; she just cuddled her.