The Invasion

I am told that many of you viewing this story would like to know more about Yours Truly. Sincerity is often the mother of such statements, yet unbridled flattery may also land in the same category. Nevertheless, I shall endeavor to tell you something about myself. I am a light brown stallion, and I look somewhat like my brother, though I’m not as tall or thin. I have a yellow mane that stops just short of my shoulder. It has become somewhat darkened over the years, but it still retains its color to the point where one could identify it. My cutie mark is one of a quill with an ink well beside it. I received it the day I wrote and published my first short story, about a beautiful mare who is also an adventurer. It’s something like Daring Do, though with an injection of the romantic word.

Ah, romance. I have always been keen on the subject. Its beautiful fragrance dances through my nostrils every single time I am allowed to write about it. I feel surrounded by warmth and a very strong gentility. Forests of love foliate their way through my mind, leaving it cocooned within leafy shrouds of happiness. Oh, yes, “shrouds” often speaks of some kind of predestined doom. But there is no doom where true romance is concerned. There is only that wondrous sense of thrill that manifests within one’s self until you are forced to move your hooves and mouth with joy. There’s just something about writing a novel where a stallion and mare fall for each other. It creates the kind of out of body experience that you don’t get with any other genre.

But enough about me, let us continue with the venture that I have been asked to relay to you. Let’s see….where was I? Oh, right!

I had just finished my business at the quill store. As I emerged, the beautiful small village seemed so lively. The hustle and bustle of preparing for Princess Twilight’s wedding had completely overtaken the town. My excitement may have been tempered by a love for Twilight that would never be realized, but that didn’t mean that I had any right to ruin anypony’s day. So, I smiled as I trotted along towards the Castle of Friendship. It was the epicenter of everything surrounding the romantic occasion. Twilight was staying there until the big day, and word around town was that the press were having to be forcibly removed from the lawn. It was also the home to a dear friend of mine: Starlight Glimmer. In fact, she had helped me get settled after I first moved to Ponyville. You could say that she was the first friend I made upon arriving.

“Starlight?” I called as I entered the main hall after showing the security guard my clearance pass, “where are you?”

“Over here, Trundle!” Starlight called as she popped out from behind some boxes. She then trotted up and gave me a very warm hug. “I wasn’t expecting you today.”

“Well, I was just on my way home from Author’s place, and I thought I’d drop in. How’s Twilight?”

Starlight looked at the ground. It became apparent that the bride-to-be was not in the best of constitutions. I thought about leaving and returning later, but as I turned to go, Starlight put a hoof on my shoulder. I looked up and saw that her eyes were wide and worried. Obviously, she needed a friend during this time, so I decided to offer my services. I grasped her in another embrace, and I could feel her smiling down my back.

“It’s so good to have a friend like you, Trundle Hoof,” she said, “but, honestly, I’m fine. The princess is fine. Spike’s fine. We’re all…fine.”

“Your mouth says that you’re fine, but your eyes speak a different language,” I said.

“Oooo…a new line?”

“Eh, I’m working on it,” I said, blushing, “but, seriously. You seem to have two different expressions.”

“Oh, Trundle, Twilight’s wedding is a disaster!” Starlight suddenly blurted, “Rarity is continually changing the dress because she thinks it’s terrible, the decoration pony quit, the Cakes don’t know if they’ll have the cake done on time, and the musicians won’t work for anything less than 300 bits!”

“How much is in the budget for them?”

“250.”

“Ouch.”

“Oh, Trundle!” She wailed, “what am I gonna do? Twilight should never have picked me for a wedding planner!”

“Hey, hey, hey,” I said, trying to be as soothing as possible, “it’s okay.”

“No, it’s not!” She exclaimed as she fought back tears, “Twilight’s counting on me to make her special day…well…special! Only, I can’t think of how to do it.”

“Do you need some help?” I asked honestly, “because, I’d be happy to help with the nuptials of somepony I hold so dear.”

Starlight smiled at me and nodded. I was thrilled. At least now, I’d get to be close to Twilight before the day arrived. I wanted to show her that I could be happy for her, even though on the inside, I was fighting a losing battle. Starlight turned and led me up the nearby staircase towards Twilight’s old room. A small wave of something that I couldn’t quite describe coursed through me. I was excited, because I would get to be more involved with the wedding than ever before…yet…I was also saddened by the same thing. I couldn’t unwrap my own feelings, and that scared me. But, I put this problem aside for the sake of my friendship with the princess.

“Twilight?” Starlight called, “are you available?”

“Always,” came the cheery voice of my beloved princess. Then, suddenly, there she was, radiant as ever. She wore a wedding veil atop her beautiful purple locks, and her body was encased in a sea of white. Behind her, Rarity raced around with pins, a measuring tape, and various other items that fashion designers use. Her magical aura floated around multiple things at once, and she kept poking and prodding at Twilight, even as the royal pony spoke with us.

“Trundle Hoof!” She exclaimed when she saw me, “it’s always wonderful to see you, my dear friend. Now, then, what can I do for you?”

“Well, Trundle here says that he’d like to be more involved with the wedding. I could take him on as assistant planner.”

“I think that’s a splendid idea-OUCH!” Twilight exclaimed as a clothespin found her flank.

“Sorry, darling,” Rarity said, “but this dress is just…in need of so many alterations!”

“Don’t trouble yourself so much, Rarity,” Twilight said, “take your time. The wedding’s not for four more days!”

“FOUR DAYS?!” Rarity cried, “oh, I don’t now how I shall ever get this done on time!”

The drama queen once again wore her crown as she collapsed in a heap on Twilight’s bed and began sobbing. I gently stepped around the future wife and trotted over to where she lay. Her body was crumpled up like a discarded tissue, and I had to gently put a hoof in the middle and pull so that she resembled the pony that I knew. I bent down and smiled at her, trying intensely to pour on the same kind of charm that my sibling possessed. I knew of her affection for him, so I attempted to use his zing with mares, hoping it ran in the family.

“Come on, Rare,” I said, “it’s gonna be okay.”

“No, it won’t!” She cried, “the dress is pathetic! It’s one of my worst creations ever! Oh, how I wish I could bring back the magic that I put into Princess Cadance’s wedding dress!”

“Sh…sh…” I said, running a hoof through her mane. “it’ll all work out. I mean, the dress looks fantastic to me!”

She suddenly sat up, angered at my compliment. “Fantastic?! The dress looks fantastic?! Can you not see that everything is absolutely horrid about it?!”

“But, Rarity, it’s just a white dress. I mean, it’s the same as any bride would wear.”

“That’s just it! I’m Rarity, fashion designer to the stars! I can’t make just a plain white dress! It needs to be sophisticated, fashionable, unique…it needs to be MEEEEEEE!”

With that, the designer crumpled up in a heap of tears once again. I tried my hardest to comfort her, but she wouldn’t budge. She continually wailed about how supposedly mediocre the dress was. But when I looked at it, I saw that it coated the most beautiful pony in all Equestria. So to say that I marveled at the dress would be an understatement. Yet it seemed that all Rarity cared about was the gown, and not the pony in it. I suddenly saw an opportunity to teach a friendship lesson and impress Twilight.

“You know, Rarity, a hundred years from now, nopony’s gonna remember the dress.”

She sniffed and looked at me. “They won’t?”

“Of course not.”

She welled up and suddenly burst into a waterfall of weeping. “THAT’S BECAUSE IT’S PATHETICALLY AWFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUULLLLLLLL!”

“Oh, for heaven’s sake,” Twilight said, “Rarity, pull yourself together. Trundle’s right. Anything you put together is gonna be fantastic, and everyone will-“

“YOUR MAJESTY!” A guard screamed as he burst into the room.

“What is it, Squire Knight?” Twilight asked, racing over to him.

“Ex-Princesses Celestia and Luna have sent word from Silver Shoals, ma’am,” the guard barked, “there’s gonna be an attack!”