Twilight sat on the steps of the stage, with her head in her hand, crying, while in her head the word of her brother, her friend, and her mentor kept coming back to her.
'If I were you, I wouldn't show up to the wedding at all.'
'Come on girls let's go help the princess.'
'You have a lot to think about.'
Another sob escaped Twilight, 'If only I hadn't accused Cadence. If only I had asked Shining Armor. I wouldn't have lost them. I was wrong.'
'No you weren't
Twilight's head jerked up, "Who's there?" Her eyes then widened as the shadows moved and formed a large stallion, with three mares behind him. Two of the mares were her age, while the other looked a bit older than her. Twilight did not know this one, but the other two were, Trixie and Lightning Dust. However something was different about them. Trixie wore a black cape and outfit, while Lightning Dust had metal wings and a black suit with green highlights. The third mare was a rasberry colored unicorn, although her horn didn't match the rest of her body, being a crystal instead. She also had a scar over one eye.
Finally, the stallion was a unicorn with wide shoulders. His horn, odly enough, was red and curved. He wore iron battle armor and a flowing red cape. His eyes were red and slitted, but they showed compassion yet cruelty.
"Who. . . Who are you?" Twilight asked.
"Starswirl, Gusty, Sombra. I have used many names in many lifetimes," the unicorn said.
"He currently goes by Sombra," Trixie said.
"King Sombra," Lightning Dust added, "of the Crystal Empire."
"The Crystal Empire?" Twilight asked, "None of the books I've read mention anything about. . ."
"Of course they wouldn't," Sombra said, "It vanished a thousand years ago. And little miss Sun-Butt has covered up anything about ancient threats long ago."
"But why?" Twilight questioned. Sombra merely waved a hand in a dismissing manner.
"To cover up her own mistakes: Luna feeling neglected, turning someone to stone, interfering in private business of other countries. Doesn't quite make her look like a wise and loving ruler now does it? But we have strayed from the conversation at hand long enough. I am here to offer you a spot on my group, I am in need of another follower, and I'm also here to tell you, you were right. That pony was evil."
"Cadence is evil?!"
"No, no. Not Cadenza. That was a Changeling, a Shape-shifter, who has taken the place of her. I have no idea where the real Cadenza is, but the Changeling would. We would help you free your old foalsitter, but you must join us for that to happen. Besides, what about justice? They Abandoned you. Your older brother, your friends, who promised to listen to you, even your mentor. This is the era of corrupt politicians, greedy nobles, blind rulers, un-loyal friends, and foolish siblings. We strive to fix this world and everything in it. Will you join?"
Twilight thought about that, about her friends and family betraying her, about an evil shapeshifter kidnapping her foalsitter, about Celestia's mistakes. Twilight had always seen Celestia as a wise, loving, perfect teacher, but now it seemed that she was none of those things. Her rage built inside her, she was the Element of Magic, she was the one who knew Cadence the best, she was the one who didn't act out rashly, like Rainbow Dash. How dare they betray her.
Looking up, she said to Sombra, "I accept."
"Excellent," Sombra said grinning. With a flick of his wrist her clothes changed, from the basic business attire she usually wore to something a bit more suiting for her new role.
"Perfect," Sombra said, "Now to deal with Canterlot's pest problem."
* * *
'Cadence' walked down the hallway toward the room Twilight said to meet her in. She said she wanted to apologize for her accusations. 'Cadence' smirked, Twilight would be sorry after she got done with her. She opened the door and saw Twilight looking out the window. Twilight didn't look at her, but her ears turned toward her, showing she knew she was there.
'All to easy' 'Cadence' walked up behind her ready to strike her down, when Twilight spoke.
"Where is Cadence?" At that the in-poster froze.
'She knew!'
"How? How did you find out?"
"I had some help." Before she could ask more a metal wing stabbed through her stomach, forcing her to reveal her true form. Twilight turned around.
"Now, this can be painless or painful, depends on you. Where is Cadence?"
"I-In the caves underneath C-canterlot," Chrysalis stuttered.
"Thank you," Twilight said, enrapturing the changeling's head in magic, before snapping her neck. Lightning Dust lifted her wing, with Chrysalis on it, over to the window and threw her out. The reason they had picked this room was, it was on the backside of Canterlot, so Chrysalis's body fell all the way off the mountain.
"Lightning, Tempest, go get the captured princess and meet us in her chambers," Sombra ordered, reappearing with Trixie and Tempest.
"Yes, sir," Both said as Sombra used his magic to send them to the caves. He then turned and headed to Cadnce's room, Trixie and Twilight right behind him. Sombra had cast a cloaking spell on them and the others, so no one saw them walk down the hallway.
When they got to Cadence's room, Sombra cast a Limbo spell on the guards, freezing them in time, before entering.
"Everything is set, so now, we wait."
A few minutes later, they heard Lightning yell from outside.
"Hey! We got the princess, and she's a hottie."
"Shush, Lightning, We're supposed to be quiet," Tempest scolded.
"Sorry." Trixie quickly opened the door, letting them in. Tempest and Lighting had Cadence wrapped around their shoulders. Cadence was only in a cause, apparently, Chrysalis needed her clothes.
"T-Twilight?" Cadence asked, looking at her, "You have to stop her. She's . . ."
"Don't worry we stopped her. In fact this never happened."
"What do you mean, 'It never . . .'" Before she could finish, Lightning Dust slammed Cadence's head into a nearby corner of a table, knocking her out, after which Trixie cast a forgetting spell.
"Lightning!" Twilight yelled.
"What? We needed her to look like she had a concushion, and what better way that hitting her head on the table?"
"You could have killed her!"
"But I didn't."
"Cease," Sombra ordered, "While I wouldn't have done it that way it get's the job done. Let's get out of hear and continue your training."
"Yes, sir," The four mares said in unison.
"From now on you are my servants, the Four Horses of the Apocalypse!"
