Since When am I Faust?

Chapters

Chapter 2: Meeting the Moon.
Chapter 3: Midnight Revelations.
Chapter 4: Day With Amore.
Chapter 5: Wayward Negotiations.
Chapter 6: Through The Cavern.
Chapter 7: A Wedding not gone well.…
Chapter 8: Battle of Canterlot
Chapter 9: Recovery Days
Chapter 10: City Charade
Chapter 11: Family Reception
Chapter 1: The Mare in the Mirror.

Chapter 2: Meeting the Moon.

Chapter 2: Wedding Preparations

Since When am I Faust?
Chapter 2: Wedding Preparations

It had been nearly a week since my arrival in Equis, and I've been enjoying my time here a lot more than I thought I would. Currently, I was settling myself in for the night. I had decided to take up residence back in the room that I first woke up in. There was a strange familiarity that I just seemed to enjoy.

Looking out the window, I watched as the sun slowly lowered over the horizon. Then I watched as the moon rose into the sky. The deep blue sky was accented with a vibrant purple glow. I could feel my heart swelling with pride for the two mares, a pride that undoubtedly came from Lauren. I let a soft smile make its way onto my face, and I nodded in approval.

I let my head flop down onto my pillow and fell asleep quite soon after. However, much like every night since arriving here, I didn't dream.

Sometime later, I found myself slowly rousing from sleep. The reason being; I felt a shifting around in the bedsheets and heard nearby breathing. I rolled my head over to the side and saw Celestia. She was cuddling against my side and taking a portion of my blankets. Startled, I jumped back in surprise and accidentally knocked Luna off the other side of the bed. We both tumbled down to the floor with startled gasps.

What the hell. Why are they in our bed!?

Once Luna hit the floor, she shot herself out of the dream realm and back into reality. She leaned down in a defensive stance with her horn readied for any possible attack. She looked around the room. Furrowing her brow, her eyes settled on me.

I was just sitting on the ground with a stupid look on my face and a blanket draped over me. My hair was everywhere, and I gave an awkward smile.

As soon as she realized that it was just me, Luna calmed down. The Princess smiled softly and sat herself down beside me. Luna breathed a little sigh of relief and leaned her head onto my shoulder. I could feel my heart flutter as she did this, but I was unsure whether it was my reaction or Lauren's.

I smiled and returned the gesture by leaning my head against her. With a chuckle, I whispered, "You two startled me."

Luna fidgeted slightly and bit her lip. She then looked up to me with her big wide eyes and said. "We thought it would be good to catch up on old times... do you... do you want us to go back to our quarters...?"

Oh, my heart is going to explode! Must... suppress... the HNNGGG!

(What?)

Never mind... Inside joke

I smiled, "No, it's fine, Luna. I just, I was just surprised. There's no need for you to change and go back to your portion of the castle."

The night princess gave me a soft smile and leaned in just a little bit more so that she cuddled up beneath my chin. "Thank th-you, I love you, mom."

Suddenly, I saw a little filly; and it was Luna; she was walking up to me with a blue flower in her mouth. A voice spoke out, "Oh my, Is this for me?" And the little filly giggled, "Yesh momma, I got it because I wuv you..."

Then as quickly as the image was there, it was gone. I was back in reality. My heart filled with pride, and joy, and love, and sorrow. All those vast mixed emotions felt as if it was crushing my heart.

You okay over there, Lauren?

(...)

Lauren?

...Hey, Lauren?

(HNNGGG!!!)

We ended up just sitting there for a while, both of us enjoying each other's company. I tried to hold back the tears from my shared emotional state with my passenger, and Lauren didn't want this moment to end.

Eventually, though, Luna leaned back and glanced at the time. The clock showed that it was nine twenty-two. Following her gaze, I, too, ended up looking over to the clock. It was a big wooden grandfather clock that sat against the wall. An ever soft ticking filled the silent air. Letting my curiosity get the better of me, I turned to Luna and asked. "So, around what time do you two change shifts anyway?"

Luna looked back to me and then over to the sky. She paused almost as if she was trying to think of a proper response. Her lips shifted around slightly as she thought of an answer. After a couple of seconds, she turned to look at me and asked,

"Would t-you like it to be day?"

I held in a chuckle at Luna's question and the visible frustration she had with herself for falling back into using thou's. Ever since I arrived in Equestria and Luna saw that I spoke with modern everyday speech, Luna had decided to begin speaking in current terms. It was a comical process. Looking at her in the eyes, I smiled and reassured her, "No, that's not necessarily; the night is quite comfortable. I just wanted to know when the switch was. Every time I wake up, it's already morning."

Luna's face seemed to brighten at this, and a spark of joy seemed to return to her eyes. "Oh, in that case, Tia and I each get twelve hours. And when we switch, the clock resets."

I tilted my head to the side. It was different than earth's setup. But for here, it certainly made a lot more sense. Looking at the clock again, I realized that it was still about three hours away from sunrise. Nudging Luna with my wing, I said, "Hey Lulu, what'd you say about the two of us heading to the kitchen? I kind of feel up to a late-night snack."

Luna looked over to Celesta, who had just begun to snore, then looking back to me, she gave me a nod. We both got up and silently made our way out the door. Traveling on the tips of our hooves to not wake Celestia from her sleep. As we walked into the second story hallway, I quickly noticed how no one seemed to be around; it was kind of sad. I'd have to see about spending some more time with Luna during the night.

We walked along until I found myself face to face with my new worst enemy... the spiral staircase. I took one step down, then another, then another. On my fourth step down, I slipped on the inside edge.

"Son of a... ahhhhhh!"

Once again, I had been bested, and I fell. I tumbled down the stairs until I landed sprawled out on the main floor.

"Ow... this is already getting old..." I groaned. Not too long after I landed, I looked up and saw Luna coming down the stairs. When she got to the bottom and saw me sprawled out, she covered her mouth to try not to laugh. A few snickers still got through, though.

Standing up, I gave a huff and blew a lock of hair out of my eyes. Not enjoying being laughed at, I spotted one of the nearby mannequins, and I levitated the helmet off it. The next thing Luna knew was a helmet had been tossed on her head. Somehow, it landed on her perfectly, and the built-in enchantment instantly made her look like every other male soldier that we'd see walking around the castle.

This, of course, was my turn to laugh. Luna looked at me in surprise and then down at herself. Shaking her head and rolling her eyes, she returned the helmet to its place on the mannequin.

"Honestly, Mother, you're such a foal."

"I am not! I'm just spirited."

Luna finished readjusting the helmet and then looked back to me with a mischievous smirk. "Spirited, you say? I would go with mischievous. After all, a pony only needs to look as far as the throne room's new paint job to see your character."

"One time! I make a mistake one time, and everyone is harping on it! How was it my fault that the noble knocked himself out bowing? How was I supposed to keep my concentration while I was too busy laughing?!"

Luna let out a chuckle as she continued to torment me with my past mistake." Sorry mother, but it is humorous. The way Cadance and Tia looked with a black coat, all I could see was their eyes."

"Yeah, and I'm still pulling dirt and dust out of my coat..." I mumbled. "Well, Could be worse though; Cadance had her mouth open..."

That got a loud, "Ha!" Out of Luna. She then proceeded to cover over her mouth and stifle her giggles.

"Whatever, let's just go get something to eat," I grumbled, and this earned me another round of quiet giggles from the Princess.

We rounded the corner and entered the main hallway that stretched through the castle. I walked beside Luna, but at the pace we were going, I quickly got bored. So, I nudged her with my wing and gave her a wink. "Race ya," I said and started into a full gallop. Luna took a second to comprehend what I said as she just watched my running form leave her side. Then she gave a grumpy pout.

"Hey, that is not fair! Thouest started early!" Luna complained and gave chase.

Despite my head-start, I soon found myself being overtaken by the taller mare. Her height was giving her an unfair advantage in running speeds.

"Awww... Damn your long legs!" I cursed.

Luna looked back at me and stuck her tongue out. "Haha, see you at the Kitchen, Mother."

My eyes widened, "Luna! Look where you're going!"

"Huh?"

(Crash!)

As Luna looked back towards me, she had trailed off to the side slightly. One of the many small table sets along the stretch of the hallway. Her body rolled over the table and sent a bowl of flowers flying into the air.

Her body rolled into a ball as she became like a rag doll. She tumbled on the ground and let out a groan. Luna laid on the ground, dazed, confused, and wondering what just happened.

I walked up to her and made sure she was okay. She still looked fine for the most part; in fact, Luna seemed more surprised than she was hurt. Glad that she was okay, I left her to collect herself and continued toward the kitchen.

I approached the door and pushed it open in a nonchalant manner. But as I did, I saw a flicker of green light. The light was accompanied by a familiar sound of flames flowing upward and dancing through the air. The air smelled of ozone and seemed alive with some type of energy.

Now, I had only seen the first season in its entirety, but I had watched enough on my own to know what that green flame could most likely be. Not that I'd ever let my sis find out about that... but still. Taking a deep breath, I took another step into the royal kitchen; as I did, I spotted Lillybreeze trying to make a hasty retreat through the other door.

"Stop," I said, and she froze. Turning to look at whoever gave the command, Lillybreeze laid her eyes on me. And as she did, I watched as dread covered her face. The Queen of Equestria had caught her. While I had my little stare down with my maid, Luna managed to pick herself up from the hallway floor. She trotted over to my side and looked over my shoulder at what was going on. It felt like she was trying to read into the situation.

Lifting my wing to block her path, I said. "Luna, if you don't mind, could you wait out here for a moment? I need to talk with Lillybreeze." My voice was stern and cold, and it unintentionally drew, even more, fear from the maid in front of me.

'My daughter' stared at me for a moment in bewilderment, then slowly, she obeyed and made her way back into the hallway. I walked inside the kitchen and closed the door after me. Once I was alone with my subject, I turned my attention back to Lillybreeze. Somehow she sank even more under my gaze. I did my best to give her a soft smile. Then reassured her, "It's okay, I'm not mad at you. I just want to talk."

The maid looked up at me with pleading eyes then back to the kitchen door. At seeing her concern, my frustration spiked, and I punched the door. My actions earned a muffled cry of pain from the other side of the wall as Luna undoubtedly felt the door hit her. I let out a sigh. "Let's continue this elsewhere."

Taking in our surroundings, I looked for the closest place to talk privately. So we walked into the connected Dining Hall just outside the kitchen while being followed by my hesitant maid. Once inside, I locked the doors with my newfound magical ability to keep from having interruptions. I felt kind of sad for the form of the poor mare shaking in fear.

Standing in front of her, I reached down to her quivering form and raised her chin with my hoof. "It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you, but could you drop your disguise for me and tell me your real name?"

As soon as I stated both of my requests, she began violently shaking with fear. She crouched down and covered her head. "I-It's P-Princess Adorilin."

I nodded, "Hmm.. nice name. What brings you to Canterlot Ador-el-lin?" A flash of green flames covered the shivering mare. Revealing a small changeling queen barely the size of myself. Her hair was more blue than green, and she had surprisingly fewer holes than I'd expect. The changeling didn't reply, and looking at her eyes; I saw that she was terrified.

She probably didn't even hear me. I moved closer, and she backed up a bit. I stopped and breathed out, lightening my expression; when I saw her eyes soften slightly, I continued forward. She slowed her retreat just enough for me to put a forearm around her. At first, she froze up and closed her eyes, but with a few gentle strokes, she calmed down just a bit, not enough for a conversation, but enough for now.

"There, there..." I said as I stroked her mane. I felt some of the tension that she had, had lightened, but it was only slightly. She was breathing heavily, and her mouth was quivering. Then to my surprise, she started to answer my previous question. Her words came out almost as a whisper, and her voice was trembling, "I-I came t-to warn about my mother," She whimpered, "She wants to attack Canterlot... and I... I said we shouldn't..."

Her expression became downcast, and tears slid down her cheeks, then she looked up at me. "And I... I was thrown out of the hive..." She whimpered; her two-tone voice came out as a faint whisper. After hearing her story, my heart went out to her, and I hugged her using one of my wings. She was still shaking as I tried to soothe her pain, and I rocked back and forth ever so slightly. I continued to stroke her mane with my hoof and gave a few soft words of encouragement that everything was fine.

She whimpered, biting her lip, then she grabbed my forearm and buried her head in my chest. Her quiet whimpers went unrestrained as she cried out. I could hardly imagine what she's been through after leaving behind all she's ever known, but even so, she came here. Wrapping my other arm around her, I sat there, letting her cry herself out.

We ended up sitting like that for a few minutes as she cried. Her tears staining my coat. When she calmed down, she pushed herself out of my embrace, and I looked at her with a soft smile.

"Feeling better?" I asked. She nodded and wiped her eyes.

I smiled and put a hoof on her shoulder. "Adorilin, thank you for telling me. I know it was not easy for you..." I helped her up and began making my way to the door. Looking at her, I wiped her tears and said, "I would like to talk later and get to know you better, but for now, I'd suggest that you head back to your room. Otherwise, Lulu is getting involved in some way or another..."

Adorilin gave a quick nod and put on her disguise once more. With a short bow, she turned and walked toward the door. When she reached it, she stopped, and she turned to face me with a bewildered expression and asked, "Does this mean that I'm still your maid?"

I gave her a light chuckle. "Yes, for the sake of keeping your disguise believable, I think that's for the best."

A bright smile made its way onto her face, and her eyes shined. "Okay, thank you!" She said with a happy smile and left. Lauren quickly took control of our horn and unlocked the door to the kitchen in the other room. To which I could hear Luna fall in and make some noise. I couldn't help but laugh to myself.

As I walked back into the kitchen, I saw an expectant Luna waiting for some type of explanation of what everything was about. The damp spot on my coat from her tears didn't go unnoticed by the Princess of the night, and she raised an eyebrow. Following her gaze, I looked down. When I spotted it, I shook my head and looked back at Luna.

"She was crying, so I tried to comfort her. She's fine now." I said, then I turned my attention back to the kitchen cupboards.

"So, I was locked out why...?" Luna asked.

I ignored her question made my way to the cupboard, looking for something to snack on. "So what would you like for breakfast? Or would it be considered dinner in your case?"

The night princess continued to stare me down for a few more seconds, and then she decided it was a futile effort. "I already got my food." She said, gesturing to her plate of mixed greens.

"Alright, then it's just me. (Apple pie and cinnamon, second fridge to the left top drawer.) Thanks."

Luna looked at me with a scrunched up confused face but quickly shook it off. Taking another bite from her salad, she finished her food. She gulped it down and then asked, "How did th… Arrrgh... How did you know where the food is? Normally attendants get us our meal."

Didn't she just get food?

(Well, I guess she has been here longer than us...)

...Good point.

I set the plate of pie on the table. And I kicked the fridge door closed with my rear leg. Looking at the plate, I felt a mild sense of disappointment because only one slice was left.

"Well, when I arrived here last week, I was kinda hungry. So I ended up clearing out the cupboards on the left side of the kitchen over there."

Luna gave me a slight grin and continued to eat her meal. Then suddenly, she attacked. Using a fork, she aimed for my pie. I saw it coming, though, and defended my meal with my arm. With a quick chomp, I stuffed the pastry into my cheeks and stood on my hind legs, waving my arms in victory.

“Theh pie is min Lwna! Itsh all mine! Muahaha!”

My goofy display was interrupted by the sound of the door opening. I looked over to them with my cheeks ballooned out and pastry crumbs on my muzzle. My hair was everywhere, and my pose was ridiculous. Standing in the doorway was the head chef and the rest of the kitchen staff. They all had a look of shock and discomfort. A few moments passed, and I returned to standing on all fours. The awkwardness in the air was becoming suffocating.

Luna looked between the kitchen staff and I. Sighing; she shook her head. "Mother, please swallow your food. You look like an idiot."

"Awww Woona, datz wude!"

Later in the day, Celestia was busy attending to her duties, and Luna was catching up on some sleep. So I was bored. Lauren had suggested that I try reading a book, but I wasn't keen to stay inside all day again. I wanted to get out and explore. So that's exactly what I did.

Cadance was walking in the courtyard overlooking the Castle grounds. As she walked, she was going over a shopping list and checking things off. "And... done, looks like everything is pretty much set to go." She said to herself.

"Cadance!"

The pink alicorn looked up from her clipboard to look around, wondering who had just called her name. She seemed a bit lost, but then she spotted me running out the castle door to meet her. As I ran over, she smiled and greeted, "Oh hi, Lauren, how are you?"

"Alright, just a bit bored. I don't have any duties to attend to, so I've just been waiting around. How about you?"

Cadance bumped against my shoulder. "Actually, I just finished up with what I had planned. Would you like to do something together?"

My eyes lit up. "Sure!"

"Okay, what would you like to do?"

That question actually kind of stumped me. I wasn't expecting to get this far. I put my hoof against my chin and looked upwards in thought. "Hmm... Oh, I know, how about cashing in on those ten bits and getting free ice cream!" I exclaimed.

Cadance just looked at me with a stare that said 'really?' And deadpanned. "Lauren, 'you' always get free ice cream. Besides..." Cadance looked to me and then down at herself and breathed out a laugh. "Does it look like I have any bits on me?"

I looked at her, and sure enough, the only thing she had with her was the clipboard. I laughed in defeat. "Alright, alright, but I still want my ten bits."

Cadance shook her head with a slight roll of her eyes. "Noted. Now what?"

I was thinking of going, exploring, or visiting the city, but before I could voice that opinion, Lauren suddenly took control. She looked Cadance in the eyes, with a solemn face, and tapped her hoof on Cadance's shoulder. She gave a nod, and then a big wide grin made its way onto her face as she shouted, "(Tag your it!)" and then started running.

Cadance raised an eyebrow, and she grinned in disbelief. "Seriously, Lauren?"

Lauren just started running in place as she turned to look at the pink pony. "(One thing that you will learn when you get to be my age, Cadance, is that there's nothing wrong with being childish.)"

Cadance grinned and lowered herself to the ground, playfully waving her tail. "Oh, I have no problem being childish! But you should learn a little more about a pony before challenging them to tag, especially me!"

I was suddenly given full control again. And I was not so sure about playing this game with her anymore. She suddenly launched herself towards me like a missile. I ran.

...So, why tag exactly?

(Simple, it's good practice for your coordination. I figured that if you have enough practice, your dumbass will stop throwing me down the damn staircase!)

"Oops…"

I looked to see if Cadance was still behind me and was startled when I saw her right on my tail. She had a goofy grin on her muzzle and crazy eyes. "Challenging me to tag was a bad idea~" She sang.

My eyes bulged out in surprise, and I ran faster. It didn't work, though. I felt like I was in some sort of horror movie where no matter how fast I ran, I could never get away from her.

I decided that if I couldn't outrun her, then I'd evade her. So, running up to one of the park benches, I lept and used it as a springboard to jump over the nearby hedge. I landed and kept running, as I ran I heard the sound of Cadance landing. She was once again right behind me and closing the distance. In an effort to evade her, I suddenly turned to the left and then shot to the right. Cadance went left and dug her hooves into the ground when she saw me change direction. I rounded the corner of one of the hedges and dove into some nearby bushes.

I held my breath as I looked through the leaves to see if she followed me. I saw a flash of pink run by, but then there was silence. From my vantage point, I couldn't see anything, and I held my breath in wait.

"You're going to have to try harder than that if you want to lose me," Cadance whispered. My ears twitched as I felt her breath brush against them. I felt a chill go down my back and leaped out of the bush, running to get away. "Wahhh!"

Cadance simply stayed in the bush, laughing at how freaked out I was. As I glanced back, I saw her head peeking out from the bush, "I'm going to get youuu~" she said in a sing-song voice.

"Noooo!"

"Here I come~" She was now out of the bush, and her wings were unfurling.

"Stay away!" I cried. But she didn't listen. As I glanced back once again, I only got to see Cadances smiling face before being tackled to the ground.

We fell in a heap, and once we stopped tumbling across the garden floor, I found myself lying on my back. Cadance was in a similar position, and we were both out of breath from running. My sides were aching, and my heart was beating loudly in my ears. Cadance was breathing heavily and just staring up at the sky for a moment before she reached up and touched my shoulder, "Tag…" She breathed out.

I laughed, "Alright, you win…"

I couldn't see her because I was facing the sky, but I could somehow sense her smile in recognition. Then she started chuckling to herself.

"I haven't played that game since the first day I met Twilight…"

"Oh yeah?... and how long... did she last?" I asked.

"Didn't… even make… a minute, and I gave her a head start…"

I just laughed. We stayed like that, looking up at the clouds for a few minutes as we caught our breath.

Tilting my head upward, I looked at where we ended up. Surprisingly we were lying in the grass just in front of Discords statue. When I saw that, I rolled over, stood up, and walked over to it.

For one thing, he was damn big. I didn't have much to compare him to, but I'd guess he would be close to twelve feet tall. Cadance got up as well and walked over to my side. She draped a wing over my back, and I felt a pang of sadness well up inside of me. Cadance looked at me, consolingly and asked, "You knew him?"

At Cadance's question, I felt Lauren take control. Her eyes began to water, and she looked down and nodded. "(Yeah… Yeah I know him.)"

Looking up at the statue, Lauren blinked her tears away and spoke with a quivering voice "(H-Hello Discord, it's been a while… I'd hoped that we would reunite under better circumstances... I just wanted to thank you for protecting Tia and Lulu for me while they were growing up… I know they didn't always see it that way. Thank you... Discord.)"

Lauren lowered her head with a bow and then gave me back control. I stood up straight and looked at the statue; my breathing was shaky, and I simply stared, trying to deal with the sudden bursts of emotion that I would get from my passenger. I looked over to Cadance, and her face was covered in shock. She then collected herself and smiled sheepishly. She moved her wing back and forth on my back, much in the same way that someone would rub someone's shoulder to try to comfort a friend. "You okay?" She asked.

I looked at Cadance and gave a bittersweet smile. "Yeah, I'm okay... Come on, let's go…bystanders are starting to stare."

The two alicorns walked away, not knowing where to go, and unbeknownst to the two of them, a tear appeared on the statue.

Cadance and I walked alongside each other for a few minutes in silence. We simply continued down the pathway with no real destination in mind before we found ourselves looking up at the Canterlot royal library. I glanced at her, "Want to take a look?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "Sure."

I ran up the stairs and trotted up to the door. I tried to pull the doors open, but they didn't budge. Again and again, I tried to pull open the door, but it was to no avail. Cadance walked up and raised an eyebrow and then walked past me and pushed the door open. Gesturing inside.

Damn it!

The two of us walked inside only to find the library abandoned. It was the same as it was after twilight left in episode one. Near the shelves on the far side of the room laid a present box skewered through by a dragon's tail. Books were littered along the floor, and papers decorated the desks. It made me feel somewhat sad to see the state of the place. I liked libraries.

"I must say this is a little different than I thought it would be. I'd, at least, expect someone to upkeep the library."

Across the room, Cadance had almost automatically started cleaning up. "Twilight used to keep this place tidy, but then she moved to Ponyville." Cadance then turned to look at me, "Have you met Twilight yet?"

"No, but I've heard a lot about her."

(Not really)

Okay, not really, but if I said I watched her, it would come across as a little creepy…

(Fair enough.)

Cadance had cleared a desk at the back of the room. She sighed in defeat as she looked at the rest of the mess. "This is going to take forever!"

I suddenly felt Lauren take control, and she looked over at Cadance with a soft smile. "(No, not really; I used to be a writer way back when Celestia was just a filly, and this is nothing compared to the messes I had to clean up. Here, I'll show you a little trick I cooked up back in those days...)"

Her horn began to glow red, and nearly all the books, papers, pens, and inkwells, lifted and were put away. They all moved to their places simultaneously, and I was personally impressed at how she did it without any strain or lack of order. The amount of concentration that she must have had would need to be astronomical. She just put away at least two hundred and fifty books!

Cadance's mouth was agape at the display that Lauren just performed. "H-how?... T-that was amazing!"

"(Oh, thank you, Cadance.)"

"You said you used to do stuff like that all the time?"

"(In the past…Yes, nowadays I can manage to do it successfully only about half the time.)"

Hey!

By the time the two of us managed to finish cleaning the library, it was nearing dusk. Cadence decided to wipe down all the tables and guard rails. For some reason, she refused to let me do the dusting. So I filed away the loose pieces of paper. We couldn't remember why we started cleaning, but both of us felt satisfied with our work once the job was done.

With nothing to do, both of us found a few books to read. Cadance found herself a romance novel, and I was studying fire magic. Looking at the lounge on the second floor, I saw Cadance sitting on one of the couches in front of the fireplace. I looked at the fireplace and opened the flue. I then tossed a few logs into the fireplace and tried one of the fire spells I had just learned. A small flame appeared but quickly died out. Thankfully Cadance was too engrossed in her book to notice my failure. It was embarrassing.

Hey, Lauren. Can you give me a little tip on how to do this…

(Try thinking more about how you get fire rather than just the result... Don't burn down the building.)

Nodding, I tried again. My horn lit up, and I tried to think of the process of how I would get the desired result.

Okay, let's see, I need fuel, oh I know I'll use Hydrogen, I'll take that out of the air. Then use the oxygen to sustain the flame, and I just need to add a spark…

(Alex NO!)

Luna was raising the moon and watching as the houses' lights were going out one by one. She looked on as the darkness overtook the world. Suddenly, a burst of fire roared out of the chimney of one of the nearby towers. There was a resounding boom, and it was soon followed by a wind that blew against Luna's coat. Straightening up a little, she looked at the city from her balcony. One by one, the lights across Canterlot started turning back on, and Luna couldn't help but laugh to herself as she rolled her eyes. "Oh, mom..."

I was upside down plastered against the wall, my white coat now black from soot, and some bits of hair curled up from the heat. Cadance didn't even look up from her book. "Oh, thanks, Lauren. I was starting to get cold." She said.

"No problem…" I coughed. A small puff of black smoke escaping my muzzle. My body then fell off the wall, and I landed on my head. I fell behind the couch Cadance was sitting on.

"Oww…"

I laid there on the ground, wallowing in pain for a little bit. I wasn't sure how long I was there, but I soon heard the door to the library open. Looking up, I saw Luna walk through the door. She looked around and then saw me on the floor.

With a half-lidded stare, she walked over to me. "I knew it… The only pony who could wake up the whole city would have to be you."

I groaned as I looked up at her, "What can I say? I try my best." I coughed up another puff of smoke.

Luna just stared at me, and then she looked to the hearth of the fireplace. It was stained black from the blast. She looked back at me and burst out laughing.

The next morning I woke up lying on one of the couches. I looked down at myself, my fur had somehow healed, and someone had tucked me in for the night. I was under a big purple blanket with a starlike pattern. I glanced over at Cadance, who was asleep on the couch beside me. I noticed she must have fallen asleep while reading her book because she was still holding it in her arms. I grabbed her blanket and pulled it up over her head, so just her horn was visible. There was no real reason why; I just found it funny.

I wiped the sleep from my eyes with my front hooves and took a deep breath. A moment later, I heard a bell, and my equine ears began to swivel around instinctively. They rotated around until they managed to catch the sound of a door closing and hooves trotting along the first floor. To be honest, that was one of the things I was having the most difficulty with when it came to adjusting to my new situation. Sure, I could handle a different world, different species, and even a different gender, but those ears... they just seemed to get under my skin more than anything else. Weird...

"Your Highness! Are you here?" A familiar voice called out from the first floor. I looked up from my position on the couch and over the balcony. Looking down, I saw my three attendants, Lyra, Minuette, and Lillybreeze, walking in. They all looked around the place in hopes of finding me while they carried snacks in their magic. They all looked like they had packed up for a picnic. A picnic that I was sure had enough food for more, at least, they'd have to make it that way.

"Up here. The second floor." I called out; my voice was still dry and had the occasional crack at specific points in my speech.

"Alright, be right up!" Lyra yelled.

I began to slide off the couch and folded up the blanket I was using. Lillybreeze was the first to reach the top of the staircase, and when she did, she paused for a brief moment. She then tackled me with a bone-crushing hug. One of which I decided to return. To my surprise, tears started to collect in the corners of her eyes. And she trembled in my embrace. She buried her head in my chest as her sobs of relief drenched my coat.

"I-I...We were so worried when we discovered that you weren't in your room. I thought somepony took you!" At this point, I was slowly stroking her mane. I was hopelessly trying my best to comfort the small disguised Proto Queen. At seeing her sorry state, I began to feel a pang of guilt. I decided to make a mental note to let somepony know where I was when I went out. At least, during the time before the wedding, whenever it was going to be.

"I'm sorry, I didn't tell you. I merely forgot to inform anyo-pony that I was here. In fact, how did you find me here?"

"We went and asked Princess Luna for any information on your whereabouts," Minuette said while putting down a plate of trays at a nearby table.

Lyra walked up to me and scratched the back of her head with a hoof. "Yeah, she kinda didn't enjoy Lilly shaking her awake for an interrogation. But at least, we found out where you were and are now able to have breakfast together."

I nodded my head in response. Then I caught a whiff of the warm cinnamon buns waiting at the table. Insanely my mouth began to water, and the feeling of hunger made itself known to my senses. I let go of Lilly and stared intently at the mouth-watering food. Finally, my stomach let out a loud growl, ordering me to feed it.

"So um... is it ready?" I asked briefly, pointing to the food display.

"Mostly, we are just waiting for the coffee to brew at this point," Lyra stated with a nod. I clapped my hooves together in anticipation as I waited for the coffee to arrive. When it did, we made our way over to the small lounging area and grabbed our food. Lilly served the coffee to everyone, and we enjoyed talking to one another. I found myself smiling softly as I looked at my cinnamon bun and my new friends.

"So, what plans do you gu-irls have for today?" I said, taking a sip.

Lillybreeze was the first to speak up. "I have no plans. My job is to be your maid, and everything I've been directed to do has already been done. At this point in just waiting for your direction." She said; I nodded to her answer and then turned to my other visitors to hear what they had to say on the subject.

I looked over to Lyra and patiently waited for her to finish chugging a mug of coffee. "Ahhh, that's good stuff." She wiped her mouth. "Oh, right plans… Well, Minuette and I will be helping out with a wedding rehearsal we're supposed to go to. We have to go within a minute or two, but we wanted to make sure we said hi."

I smiled and took another sip. "Well, in any case, thanks for passing by," I said; I then took a bite of my cinnamon bun and asked, "Swo, wh wddin ih it?"

(Please swallow your food...)

I gulped and tried again. "Sorry about that... Whose wedding is it?"

All of my attendants turned to stare at me in shock. "You mean nopony told you!"

"Told me what?" I asked.

Minuette threw her arms out to the side. "Princess Cadence is getting married in two days!"

The room seemed to freeze as my initial shock overcame me. My coffee cup fell to the ground shattering as my concentration on the levitation spell all but disappeared. I felt as if my heart had stopped, my blood quickly went from mildly chill to ice-cold, and the hair on the back of my neck stood tall. A few seconds passed as the tension in the room started to grow. My attendants all began to look at me with worried expressions. Lilly was the next one to speak up.

"Hey, Princess… you alright?" My statue-like state yielded no response for my maid and instead furthered her growing concern.

"I think we broke her," Lyra stated, leaning into my line of sight and waving her hoof as to get my attention. She continued doing this until I pulled myself out of my stupor.

I suddenly got up and ran over to the couch. Throwing off her blanket, I yelled at Cadance, "Hey butt face! Why didn't ya tell me ya were getting married in the next few days!"

Cadance groaned as she stirred from sleep. She looked up to me and raised an eyebrow.

"Butt face? Really Lauren?"

(Really Alex?)

"You heard me..."

Cadance shook her head and slowly got up. She seemed surprised that she was still in the library but paid it little mind.

"Coffee first." She said.

Minuette Poured her a cup, and the pink alicorn gladly accepted it. She took a sip, "So what is this all about..." She groaned.

I don't think Cadance is a morning person.

Lyra was the first to get over her initial shock that the pink alicorn was in the room and spoke up, "We were telling Lauren about how we are supposed to be attending your wedding rehearsal in the next ten minutes."

Cadance's ear lifted as Lyra said this, and her eyes shot open. She quickly gulped down her coffee and jumped up onto her hooves.

"Oh, no, nonononono! I'm late! And I'm a mess! I got to go! See you later, Lauren!" She jumped off the balcony and glided to the first floor, and ran out the door.

Lyra looked over to Minuette. "Do you think we should follow her?" Minuette just nodded, and the pair got up and ran for the door, both waving goodbye as they left the library.

"Well, I guess it's just the two of us then..."

(Three of us.)

I rolled my eyes as I took another sip of my coffee. I then noticed that Lilly was staring at me. Putting down my cup, I looked back at her and said, "Yes?"

"Huh? Oh, nothing... it's just well when you heard about the wedding you looked shocked, but your emotions showed you were more panicked and fearful. I was just wondering why you would be scared of Cadence getting married?"

I gave a half-hearted chuckle to her question. "I'm not scared of Cadence getting married. I'm all for it. But..."

"But what?"

"I'm scared of the day she gets married and how close it is."

"Um... why?" She raised an eyebrow.

My gentle smile disappeared, and my face became one of complete seriousness. "Because that's when your mother strikes."

As the day got closer to ten in the morning [human time], the pedestrians got a small shock as they saw a small alicorn running through the streets along with a unicorn mare that was dressed in a maid uniform.

"So what you're saying is my mother's already here!?" Lilly breathed.

"Afraid so. I was waiting for a shield to appear in the sky before keeping a closer eye on it, but I forgot one thing about being in a bubble."

"What's that?"

"You can't see the edges."

"So, you didn't notice the purple hue in the sky?"

"Okay, I don't get out much either; give me a break," I grumbled.

"Fine, but how do you know for sure my mother is going to attack the day of the wedding?"

"Let's just say I've got a good source of intel."

"..." Lilly's head dropped a little, probably trying to figure out my source but to no avail. Her face contorted into frustrated frowns as she kept on coming up with empty conclusions.

"Listen carefully, okay," I said sternly in an attempt to get her attention.

"Hmm yeah?" Her head shot up, looking at me.

"Stay out of this dispute between your mother and me," I ordered.

Shock made it's way across her face, and she ran a little faster to come up beside me. "What, why? I can help."

"Because I don't know how things are going to turn out... and I want to keep you as safe as I can. Plus, if something happens to me, I need someone to alert Tia and Lulu."

Silence once again fell on us as we ran to the castle grounds. Lilly seemed to be wanting to say something but was having trouble getting her words out. Her inner turmoil was clearly shown on her face, and it wasn't too long until she finally spoke up.

"A-Are you going to kill my mom?"

The question startled me, and I nearly stumbled onto my face as my knees buckled for a second. In the time I had spent here in Equestria, I hadn't thought of that possibility. To say the least, I was hesitant to answer, but I didn't know how bad things were going to get in the next few days. If it came down to it, I knew that if I couldn't, Lauren would do what needed to be done.

"... I'll see about finding a way to work together. But if she refuses to accept it and tries to harm my people, I'll do whatever is necessary to keep them safe. But, I'll do everything in my power to avoid that outcome."

She looked at me with saddened eyes, and her head hung a little lower. "...Thank you."

As we arrived at the castle, I found myself panting. Running back from the library while talking does a number on one's lungs. As I slowed down to enter the palace, I couldn't stop the unsettling dread I felt. Both of the guards at the entrance greeted me with a nod.

"Princess."

(It's Queen, but whatever.)

"Yes, hello. Um... sorry, could you help me out with something?" I said, looking at the guard on my right. I waited for his response with minimal patience.

"I don't see why not. What do you need, your highness?"

"Where is the wedding rehearsal taking place?"

"I believe it is in the wedding chapel on the east wing of the castle."

"Ok-gotta-go-thank-you-bye!"

Jumping up in the air, I fanned out my wings and pushed them back. The result was me accelerating forwards through the large double doors at speeds that only left a blur in my wake. The guards formed their attention back to Lillybreeze with a questioning look on their faces. To which the newfound attention began to make her uneasy. Slowly she began to enter the castle gates, walking backward with an awkward grin stretched across her muzzle. "Yeah.. she gets like that..." She then turned and ran to try to catch up to the white alicorn.

My speeding form tore through the halls like a bullet. Dread gripped at my guts as I got closer to my destination. While rounding a corner, I found myself having to quickly side-step Prince Blueblood as he was berating a castle staff member. He turned to me and scoffed, "I beg your pardon!"

"Granted! Gotta go. Bye!"

I continued running, and I found myself going a little too fast to make the next corner. So I jumped up and used the wall to help change my direction. I ran sideways along the middle of the wall for about ten feet before I had to glide back down to the ground. Once my hooves touched the floor, I skidded to a stop. I found myself standing right in front of the two large double doors to the wedding hall.

The door to the hall was slightly open, and from inside, I could hear a feminine voice ordering around what I could only assume to be more servants. Most likely, a wedding planner. I took a few more deep breaths as I tried to calm my rampant breathing and burn in my chest. After a moment of catching my breath, a voice from the hall began to rise in anger.

"My apologies Princess Cadence." The pony, whom I was assuming was the wedding planner, frantically tried to explain something but was quickly interrupted.

“It is Princess Mi Amore Cadenza!” She scoffed.

"I'm so sorry, Princess! I was unaware of those changed details."

"Then you prove yourself useless for my purposes, you're fired!"

As I sat there, I noticed the sound of approaching hooves. I quickly stumbled away from the door and did my best to put on a calm demeanor. Even though the outward expression I held was somewhat normal, my heart was racing extremely fast, and the pounding beat was the only sound I could hear clearly. The large door opened to reveal a pink alicorn being followed by an entourage of ponies. Seeing me, 'Cadance' paused for a moment and gave me a cold stare. "What do you want?"

"Oh, um..."

Think dammit!

My internal pleading yielded no results for ideas. In all my zeal for coming to protect Cadence from Chrysalis, I forgot to make up an excuse for coming to check on her in the first place!

Come on, think of something brain!!!

(Just leave it to me, kid.)

And there was my salvation; I assumed the co-pilot position as my passenger briefly became the driver. Once she took over, our heart rate immediately slowed, and Faust's attitude became quite gleeful. Like a small foal-er-child prancing around in the joy of life.

"(Cadance, I came here to invite you to tea.)" She spoke almost in a sing-song tune, and we jumped around on the spot, trying to make the 'I'm joyful' facade as convincing as possible.

"I'm busy," 'Cadance' harshly replied, giving us the cold shoulder as she turned to leave. She didn't get too far, though, before a smaller alicorn blocked her way.

"(Aww.. but you promised!)" Lauren whined, stomping her hooves in a stationary trot as she threw a childish tantrum.

"I what?" 'Cadence' looked at us with a confused expression.

"(Come on, please...)" Faust pouted and gave 'Cadence' the biggest puppy dog eyes this body could muster. She held her expression like that as her lip quivered. After three or so seconds, the fake Princess gave in.

"Oh, okay, fine. But only thirty minutes. Where and when shall we meet?" Cadence said with an angry scowl.

Yes, success!

"(My room has a balcony with a nice view of Canterlot. We'll meet there when the clocks say six.)"

The fake alicorn nodded in agreement, and then we both made our separate ways. Her going to the left, and I or this body, to be more precise, to the right. After we walked a little way down the hall, I regained control.

Lauren, that was awesome!

(I have my moments.)

As I was walking, I spotted some pink at the end of the hall. Taking another look, I saw that it was Cadance, Lyra, and Minuette. They were all running to the wedding hall. Cadance had just finished getting cleaned up and was running late.

She saw me give a wave, and she ran over to me. "Did I miss the rehearsal?" She asked, panting from running across the castle. I put a hoof on my chin in thought as I looked upwards.

"Hmm, Yes, and no... I guess..."

Cadance tilted her head in confusion, "Say wha...?"

I looked at her and feigned ignorance, "Another pony who looked just like you took your place. I must say she did not do a very good job. She was just too much of a bitch."

(Language.)

I rolled my eyes and continued. "Anyway, next time you hire a stand-in, get one that acts the part." Cadance's eye twitched as I said that, and Minuette and Lyra were lost entirely with our conversation.

Looking at the Pink mare, I mentioned how I had invited the imposter to tea during the middle of the day. I suggested that she come by, and we can discuss the situation. Cadance agreed, and we set off to my room to get things ready.

As the hours passed, I managed to set up a nice spot on my balcony for my appointment with the Queen. I also wrote up a peace treaty for changelings and ponies, and it was waiting patiently to be revealed from my bookbag. While I was getting ready, Lilly decided to stop by and gave me a few pointers on changelings and their culture. She also mixed up a brew of love in gel form diluted in hot water. It was the only type of tea that Changelings liked. She looked over the treaty and gave me her strong approval. After that, she left, so she wouldn't risk bumping into her mother when she came.

The snooty Cadance arrived while I was setting up some small snacks on the table. She knocked at the door and walked inside. From where I was on the balcony, I was able to spot her mixed emotions of disgust and curiosity at seeing my room. It was probably too old of a style for her tastes.

"Hello. Are you here?" She called out.

"Out here, 'Cadence,'" I called back as I trotted over to my balcony door so she could see me. When we made eye contact, I called her over with my hoof. I stayed in view just long enough for her to see me, then I turned and walked back out of the door. Hesitantly she followed me onto the deck, but as soon as she walked through my french doors, she paused. Her mouth was slightly agape at the view. I smiled at her awe.

"Come on, don't just stand there, sit, sit." My hoof motioned to the seat across from me.

The changeling in disguise hesitated for a few moments, but then finally, she gave in to my gesture and sat down. Seeing that she was seated, I lifted the teapot and poured her a cup of tea. 'Cadence' took the cup from my magic with her own and gave the cup a good sniff. As soon as she did, her head shot up with wide eyes.

"What type of tea is this?" Her voice was quite urgent.

"Oh, you know, just a little something made with a little love. I hope it's too your liking." I said as I took a sip of my tea; to be honest, it was coffee. The Cadance across the table from me became very serious, verging on anger. "How did you get this?" She demanded.

"A friend of mine, she said it was the only type of tea Changelings like, so I got it to try to make a good impression," I stated. I rested my head on my forehooves as I watched my guest process the information.

"Good impression? You said we were friends."

"Well, yes, Cadence and I are friends." I traced the rim of my cup with my hoof and then looked across the table. "But, you are not Cadance."

As if on cue, the pink alicorn came flying around the castle and landed on the balcony. She took a moment to stare in shock at her double, then once she got over her initial shock, she made her way over and sat beside me.

"You trust a drone to do one job…" The changeling huffed, talking to herself. She then gave me a cautionary stare. "If you know that, then why keep me here? Why not turn me into your oh so precious Princesses?" She sneered. Cadance just raised an eyebrow and then raised a wing; there was no reaction from our guest, so she just shook her head.

"Well, the reason is, I have a proposition for our two races. You see, it's been brought to my attention that Changelings had hit a rough patch when it came to acquiring food. So I thought that I could make a treaty between us that allows a symbiotic relationship. So we could live together in harmony." At this point, I pulled out my peace treaty and handed it to her. "Please read it over carefully and let me know if there is anything I left out." The Queen snatched my work out from my magical aura. She then read it over, giving it a quick inspection. After several seconds passed, she looked up at me with a blank stare and burned the paper.

"Hey, I worked hard on that!" I wined.

Chrysalis narrowed her eyes and sneered. "Do you think that I would stoop so low as to sign a contract with my meal? Does a dragon have dealings with swine or a shark with a fish?"

"Well, actually, pilot fish help sharks by..." I started but was interrupted as the changeling stood up. "You consider us equals, don't you? You ponies... WELL, WE ARE NOT!" She stomped her hooves down to emphasize her point.

Collecting herself, Chrysalis began walking around the table, and Cadance and I found ourselves to be walking in the opposite direction. Almost as if the table would do anything...

"Please, if we can't work something out, then at least leave my kingdom alone. I'm trying to avoid a war." I pleaded.

The way Chrysalis contorted Cadance's features when I said that seriously creeped me out. She lifted her front legs and slammed them on the table. She stared me in the eyes. What she saw was, youth, inexperience, and fear; the same went for Cadance. She licked her lips and growled. "But war is what you will get! My fellow Changelings and I will devour this land until there's nothing left of it."

"Then you will die stupid," I said, placing myself on the other side of the table. "Don't harm your people by doing this. Let us work together, and both sides can benefit." I pleaded again. But my plea's fell on deaf ears.

Her horn just lit up, and I heard a yelp. Turning to look behind me, I saw Cadance sink into the ground.

"Lauren…" She called before disappearing completely. I turned back to Chrysalis. "Hey! Bring her back right now!"

In return, I only got a half-lidded stare, "You're irritating." She said, and I suddenly found myself beginning to sink. It was as if the ground had suddenly turned into slime. I slowly descended, hanging off the table, trying to stay up, but I couldn't hold on, and I disappeared from view.

The next thing I knew, I was gasping for air as I woke up on a stone floor. It was dark, damp, and smelled heavily of minerals. Looking to my side, I saw Cadance lying on the floor next to me. I quickly got up to check her for injuries and was glad to see that she was fine.

Looking at our surroundings, I was able to see that we were in a cave. My eyes were still adjusting to the low light. Glowworms hung from the ceiling, and they illuminated the room with a soft blue glow. The light bounced around as it was reflected off of the crystals in the walls. A flash of green caught my attention, and I turned to see a large wall of crystals. They glowed with a green light.

I took my place standing tall in front of Cadance’s unconscious form and watched as Chrysalis walked into view. She was still disguised as Cadance. She looked at me and laughed. “Oh my, it's about time you got up. I’ve been waiting for an hour.”

I gave a half-hearted chuckle as I looked up at her. “Yeah, guilty, I've had a bad habit of sleeping in late since I arrived, so sorry about that. Now, what'd you bring us down here for?”

She looked to the side and inspected her hoof. ”Well, you know that I'm not Cadance; this is just pest control. You know how it is...” She said casually.

Then her smile turned devious. "And the best part is the extermination!" I didn’t get a chance to speak as her horn began to glow, and I saw the roof of the cave illuminated in her magic. That's when I realized that there were hundreds of crystal shards pointing down. Chrysalis made the cave shake with a tremor, and those shards rained down.

With no time to think, I dove and threw my body over Cadance. I tried to cover our bodies with my wings as the crystals hit. Lauren put up a barrier to shield us, but whatever transport Chrysalis had used to get us down here had weakened us considerably. Several shards bounced off of her barrier, and the shield did take the brunt of the ceiling caving in, but a larger rock broke through, shattering our defense. All of a sudden, a bunch of the crystal shards hit me. They went into my back, and one large crystal impaled my leg. I screamed in pain, and blood began to strain my white coat. It was at this moment that Cadance woke up.

She looked up in confusion only to see my tearful eyes and my teeth clenched as I fought off the pain. She looked around at the cavern and all the shards of crystals falling from the ceiling. Once she was able to think clearly again. She looked up at me with horror-stricken eyes.

“Don’t worry. I won’t let her hurt you,” I said with a weak smile. A tear made its way down her cheek, and the tremors shaking the shards off the ceiling faded. I fell onto my side breathing heavily. With my consciousness slowly fading and my head aching from Lauren’s magic barrier, I turned to look at Cadance and grinned. “Totally...not inviting... her... to the next… tea party…” I said, chuckling to myself, and then I passed out.

Cadance leaned up and looked at the other alicorn. “Lauren, Lauren! Please wake up!” The white alicorn was not in an excellent state. Shards covered her back and her wings. For the first time in her life, the pink pony felt something… something unknown, it burned in her heart and boiled in her blood.

Anger. Cadance got up and stood face to face with her double. There was a seriousness in her eyes and determination in her heart. “You just made a BIG mistake!”

The Changeling scoffed, “Oh look, one survived. Well, no matter, I got rid of the annoying one, I’ll be back before too long. It certainly wasn’t worth the wait the first time anyway.”

With a flash of her horn, she was gone, and Cadance was left growling at the wall. Her horn flared up, and she stomped her front hooves into the ground. “Arrggghhhh!!” She screamed and blew the wall apart with magic. Cadance just sat there panting, filled with frustration and anger towards the bug. She had stolen her fiance, her identity, and hurt her friends. She would pay. Those thoughts raced through her mind, but then out of the corner of her eye, she saw the other mare in the room.

A light returned to her eyes, and Cadance's anger subsided. She turned to the other alicorn, and her heart felt crushed, and tears threatened to come out. Feeling overwhelmed, Cadance stopped, held her chest, and took a deep breath. She then started tending to Lauren’s injuries the best she could.

Chapter 3: Midnight Revelations.

Chapter 3: The Royal Wedding

Since when am I Faust?
Chapter 3: The Royal Wedding

I clenched my teeth as Cadance pulled another shard from my back. She had been at this for a while now, easily over an hour from what I figured. When I had woken up, Cadance filled me in on some details and gave me some time to adjust to my situation. When I was ready, she started pulling the shards out.

It was not fun. While she was helping me, our only source of light was Cadance's horn. She used that as a surgical light as she worked, pulling them out one by one like thorns from a cactus. I had the job of pouring the water from a stream she found on my wounds. The cold water was surprisingly soothing to the touch, but it did nothing to nullify the pain.

She spat the crystal out of her mouth and looked to see how many were left. "Okay, Lauren, two more, but these are a little larger," Cadance warned.

I nodded and gave a quiet, "Okay…" as I tensed up and waited for her to pull the next one. This one was in my wing. As she bit down on it, I clenched my teeth. I tried to keep my cries to a minimum, but the sudden jolt of her pulling the shard back through my wing was painful enough to make my knees buckle.

"Aarrgghh!" I yelled out, and I collapsed to the ground. My body was shaking, and my heart rate sped up. Gritting my teeth, and I shut my eyes as I prepared for the next one.

Cadance spat the shard out and looked me over, "Alright, last one." She said, inspecting it, tapping her chin as she tried to find the best way to pull it out. Although it was only a moment, for me, her pause felt like an eternity. I waited in anticipation for her to grab the next one.

With my body quaking, I scrunched up my face and pleaded, "Just get it over with already!"

Cadance sighed and grabbed the last one pulling it out with a sudden jolt. The sickening sound as it left my flesh was enough to make my stomach churn. I covered my mouth and screamed as the pain shot through me again. I hammered the ground with my foreleg and waited for it to subside. I was breathing heavily, and my coat was damp with blood, sweat, and tears. It was gross. My heartbeat also rang through my ears. Looking up from the ground, I turned and looked at Cadance with a weak smile.

"Thank you…" I breathed. My voice was quivering, and my whole body was shaking.

I was glad that my torment was over. But as I looked up at the cave system, I knew this was just the beginning of my day. Taking a deep breath, I tried to stand. As I did, my legs began to shake, and they gave out under me. With a yelp, Cadance ran to my side and helped me up. I was thankful for her help. I draped my wing over her back, leaning on her for support,

"Come on, Cadance, let's get out of here,"

We moved slowly across the room, and I was limping because of my rear leg. Making our way towards the hole Cadance had made. There was a soft light in that direction. When we made it over there, I noticed the rubble from the wall that fell. I tried to trek my way up the slope, but I slid and fell, landing on my stomach.

Cadance gave a concerned sigh and pulled me closer as she helped me up the rubble. By the time I had made it to the other side, I was panting.

"You alright, Lauren?"

"Yeah... I'll be… fine." I gasped.

Cadance gave me a look of concern. But she decided to listen to me, and we continued moving. With her help, I limped my way about ten feet from the opening. Then we both heard an odd sound.

The room we came from suddenly became illuminated with an emerald glow. I began to feel nervous because I knew I couldn't protect Cadance, or myself, in my current state. The two of us looked back with tired eyes, awaiting whatever the green glow would reveal. It stayed there a moment longer, and then the light began to die down. When the light was gone, our eyes had to readjust to the low light of the cave. We stared forward, and out of the darkness, we saw a dim purple light appear.

"Hello… is anyone there…" A young female voice called out.

We could tell that she was afraid and unsure where she was, and I felt myself sigh in relief. My heart went out to whoever was trapped with us, but I was glad that Chrysalis had not come back to finish what she had started. As for who was down here with us, I was confident I knew who it was, but I was reluctant to trust that it wasn't a trap to lure us in.

Cadance looked at me, and her face said it all. She was nervous, and her eyes were asking if she should respond. I hesitated, weighing our options. I gave her a weak smile and nodded, holding her tighter with my wing. The two of us turned back to the room. Both of us ready for whatever faced us.

"Over here!" Cadance answered, and we heard our new guest walk across the room. The two of us listened as she climbed over the rubble. Small rocks fell as she rose. Our eyes had been slowly readjusting to the darkness. Then we saw her walk into the light. Cadance tilted her head in confusion as she recognized the mare before her.

"Twilight?"

Twilight's eyes widened, and the purple unicorn instantly leaned down, getting into an attack position. The light from Twilight's horn brightened and was accompanied by a charging sound. My eyes went wide as I realized what was happening. I turned, yelling, "Get down!" As I pushed Cadance to the ground.

We fell, narrowly avoiding the beam of magic Twilight had shot at us. As I hit the ground, I slid on a wet stone and fell into a crevice, my body becoming hidden in the shadows. I grit my teeth as my wounds reminded me of their presence. Weakly I leaned up from the ground and looked at Twilight, only to see her charging up another spell.

"Stop!" I cried out. My voice was weaker than usual. But with the effort that I put into it, I was able to reach Twilight over the sound of charging magic. She turned her head and looked in my direction, noticing me for the first time. The light from her horn just barely illuminated my face.

"The one who sent you down here was an imposter. This is the real Cadance," I explained, pointing at the pink alicorn. Twilight raised an eyebrow at my explanation; she looked over to Cadance.

"Prove it!" She demanded.

Cadance glanced at me and then looked at Twilight. She put a hoof to her chest and took a deep breath, calming herself down before approaching the angry mare. Cadance walked forward, and Twilight backed up slightly. Her horn flared up, ready to fire if Cadance tried anything. The pink pony looked in her eyes and gave a weak smile. Then she started dancing.

"Sunshine, sunshine, Ladybugs awake." She reached out and fist-bumped Twilight, "Clap your hooves…"

"And do a little shake…" Twilight finished, looking at her hoof. She looked back up at Cadance and smiled. She then leaped onto the alicorn in a warm hug. "You remember me!"

Cadance smiled, "Of course! How could I forget the filly I loved to sit for the most." The two enjoyed the hug for a moment longer before laughter could be heard from the cavern ahead. Green flashes were appearing and disappearing away.

The two ponies noticed the flashes of Chrisyilis's retreat. They separated their hug and nodded to each other. "We have to get out of here!" Twilight exclaimed. Cadance ran over to my side and helped me up.

The pain was manageable now, but I was still limping as I walked. Even so, I hobbled as fast as I could. When Twilight saw me walk out of the shadows with Cadance, her eyes shrunk at seeing my injuries.

" Oh, my goodness! What happened!?" She said as she quickly ran over to support my other side.

Glancing down at her, I noticed how the purple unicorn was a little shorter than me. I breathed out and gave a sad smile. "The cave fell in, and my magic was temporarily low."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that…" Twilight said as she glanced down for a moment understanding the consequences of the situation. She also noticed how she was somewhat drained since sinking into that portal.

"Thank you, and I'm glad you are willing to help me out here now. I appreciate it." After I thanked her, I let my other wing drape over her back. This let me shift my weight off of Cadance a little more. My action caused Twilight to glance at my wing. Then she looked up at my horn. Her head then spun around again as she looked back at my wing. She did this several times as her mouth bobbed open like a fish. I chuckled to myself, and from my side, I could see Cadance smiling to herself as well.

"Wha… bu...who... How? ... !?" Twilight stammered as she tried to pull the pieces together. Her eyes were wide open, and she stared at me.

"W-Who are you!?"

I looked at the unicorn and smiled, "My name is Lauren. I'm Celestia and Luna's mom. It's nice to meet you, Twilight." From my other side, I could hear Cadance quietly counting as she looked the other direction. Probably trying to hide her amusement. "And three, two, one..." She whispered.

Suddenly Twilight's head snapped to look at me, and she stopped in her tracks. To be honest, I almost fell over as she did. But I held onto Cadance with my wing, and the two of us continued walking. As we made our way down the path, we heard as Twilight's mind rebooted.

"Y-You're Celestia's MOM!" She exclaimed. She was almost in full freak out mode as she ran back up to my side.

"Twilight, calm down," Cadance said, looking concerned.

The unicorn was running in place. "How can I!? She's Celestia's mother! I have so many questions!" She then hopped in front of us and looked up to me, "Wait! Why have I never heard of you?"

It was at this point that I would have expected Lauren to take over. But, to my surprise, Cadance spoke up in our stead. She leaned forward so she could see Twilight and said, "Do you remember the time we went to the memorial fountain in the middle of Canterlot?"

The unicorn's eyebrow raised at the alicorn's question. "Yes? But what does that... Ohh..." Her eyes widened again as she stared.

Cadance smiled, seeing that the purple unicorn had remembered that day. She continued, "That statue, the one in the center of the fountain, it was made in honor of her. The mare who saved Equis from the darkness and led us to a better generation, Lauren, Faust."

I felt my heart flutter as she said this, and I smiled. It was fascinating to learn, even if it was only a small amount, just what type of person Lauren was before we met. On the other hand, I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to tease Cadance. Her speech was just too polished, like something you would read in a book. I looked at the pink alicorn and raised an eyebrow as a grin plastered itself on my face. "You did your research after my return, didn't you?"

Her eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed red with embarrassment, "Well, I was curious..." She said, looking away sheepishly. I hugged her tighter with my wing. Then, I let my head lean over and rest on her, "I'm glad." Cadance smiled and returned the improvised hug.

Meanwhile, Twilight returned to my other side, lost in her thoughts. A moment later, she turned to Cadance, "But, I thought that story was just a legend," She said this as she glanced up at me.

"You would be surprised at how many stories will turn out to be true," I smiled, and I found it all the more amusing as I thought of my own situation.

The unicorn looked down, contemplating this thought, and the three of us continued walking in silence. We came across a ravine at the bottom of the cavern, and Twilight teleported us all across. Afterward, she had to rest for a minute because transporting Cadance and me put a lot of strain on the unicorn. While Twilight recovered from her headache, I took the opportunity to sit down and relax.

Ahead of us, Cadance was looking around for a pathway we could use. Just as my muscles began to relax, she came around the corner and directed us to a minecart. It was filled with rocks, and it was on a track that spiraled down.

At the end of that spiral, the tracks turned upwards, facing an exit blocked off with boulders. The two mares looked at one another as if contemplating whether or not they could make it. They took rocks out of the minecart and looked over at me expectantly.

"Well..." Cadance said, indicating for me to get in. My heart sped up at the very thought, and I desperately called out to my passenger for help.

Lauren, I don’t want to go on the cart!

She didn't respond, but I could feel that she felt the same way. I looked around, hoping to find any other alternative route, but there weren't any. Reluctantly, I lifted my front leg and leaned forward; an unsure expression dawned on my face, and I hesitated. Looking down, I observed how the track had collapsed a long time ago; and I had no desire to be thrown into that pit. I just couldn't bring myself to get into this death trap.

My hesitation worked against me, though, because as Twilight finished removing all the rocks, my still form made it easy for her to place me in the cart. I was shaking my head furiously, and Cadance climbed in front of me. Twilight grabbed the back of the cart and pushed to get it going.

Its rusty wheels slowly broke free from their corrosion, and with a sudden jolt, we were off. Spiraling down the track, the two of us in the cart leaned to the right, trying desperately to keep the cart from derailing. Meanwhile, Twilight had grabbed onto the back of the cart and was trying to keep from being thrown off. As we neared the bottom, the track straightened out, and the cart rocketed down towards the broken part of the bridge.

"Ahhhh!" The three of us cried as we launched into the air. Despite the pain, I unfurled my wings and used them to glide. Cadance and I also grabbed hold of Twilight, and the three of us watched as the cart fell into the abyss.

Twilight sighed in relief, and the three of us landed on the other side. I didn't mean to, but once we were over solid ground, I tried to let the purple unicorn down gently. My arm gave out, and she tumbled into the ground. Meanwhile, I skidded on shaky legs and collapsed, sliding to a halt while lying on my stomach. Cadance was the only one out of the three of us to have a graceful landing.

I stretched, letting my joints pop and slide into place. I was so looking forward to getting out of here. Groaning, I pushed myself up from the ground. From our new vantage point, we could see some light flowing in from the ceiling of the cavern.

Lauren, are we able to take everyone this time? I don't want to put Twilight under too much strain.

(I would, but taking three of us requires a lot of concentration. In our state, we could miss it. I won't risk that.)

"Okay." I nodded. Then looked up, "one more..." I whispered out, looking at the light. Cadance walked up, and I draped my wing over her back. Thankfully, I was no longer bleeding, but my muscles were still aching. Seeing the light of day filled the three of us with hope. I pulled Twilight in, partially for my own support. But I also wanted to include her in the hug I was giving Cadance. The three of us stood on the ledge huddled close together.

Twilight looked at Cadance, "Ready?"

"Ready!" She nodded. Then the unicorn looked at me, "Lauren?" I smiled and gave her a firm nod but said nothing.

"Okay, then." The purple mare looked directly at her target. Twilight's eyes narrowed, and her horn shined bright. There was a sound like charging electricity. And, the light from her horn quickly expanded and enveloped the three of us. With one quick poof, we were gone.

We appeared on the other side, and I clutched the unicorn tightly to keep her from falling over. Twilight brought a hoof up against her head and massaged her temple. The sudden headache was taking its toll on the pony.

Suddenly, the sound of falling pebbles caught our attention. From the cave's exit, we saw three mares emerge. It was the three bridesmaids that followed Chrysalis around. It felt somewhat unsettling watching the faces of Lyra and Minuette staring at us with those wicked smiles. I did not recognize the third pony; she was an off-white cream color, and her mane was deep pink. Twilight stepped back, as did Cadance.

"Why are they here?" The unicorn exclaimed.

I stood up straight and faced our adversaries, "They're Changelings." Cadance walked forward to stand with me. We both stared down the trio approaching us, and I continued, "They are creatures that take the form of someone you love and feed off of your love for them."

I finished my explanation, and the pink mare looked disgusted. A frown made its way onto her muzzle. The trio approached us. Lowering their heads, they said with a hiss, "You're not going anywhere." As they spoke, they bared their teeth. They obviously forgot that they were wearing disguises because it looked more silly than threatening.

Cadance huffed, tossing her mane to the side, "Yeah, right!" She said, and her horn lit up with a bright pink hue.

A nearby boulder suddenly broke free from the ground. It was flat on one side and round on the other. Cadance then threw it at the three, and it swept them all up against the wall. There was a sudden cry of complaints from three as they realized they were trapped.

"Come on, that won't hold them for long!" Cadance said, and the three of us began making a run for the exit. We could hear the sound of wings from behind the boulder as they tried to push it off of themselves. We ran up the pile of small stones and found ourselves to be climbing out of a dried-up well. To our surprise, it was in the castle gardens. Cadance helped pull me out of the well, and the three of us made our way to the castle. I was still slowing them down, but this time I was able to take more of my weight as the two supported me.

When we got close to the castle, the guards at the doors took one look at me and began taking immediate action. They ran over and got two patrol guards to escort us through the castle. Castle staff and nobility were stunned to see the three of us walking through the halls. I was just glad that my coat had dried off by this point. As we walked up to a triple intersection in the hallway, Twilight and Cadance began pushing me to the right. "Girls, the wedding hall is this way!" I said, starting to struggle. They kept pushing. "You're going the wrong way!" I yelped, trying again.

Cadance didn't look at me. She simply stared forward to her destination and said, "We are going to the wedding hall. You, on the other hoof, are going to the hospital."

My head spun around as I looked at her, "But isn't that too far to go and come back to stop the wedding in time?"

It was now Twilight's turn to speak up, "Actually, Celestia had a medical wing installed when she moved to Canterlot. She did this in case a visitor or a castle member got hurt."

"Huh..." I looked down. I was a little disappointed to be shooed out of the action, but I understood their reasoning. Besides, it was as if there was already a silent agreement between the two mares and the guards escorting us, one that I had no say in. They directed me down the hallway towards the medical ward.

When we entered the hospital wing, and when the receptionist saw me, she threw her arms up with a shriek. Slamming her hoof on her intercom, she yelled into a mic, "Code red! Code red! Princess in need of medical attention, all ponies on deck!"

As she said this, we could see doctors running back and forth from behind the receptionist's desk. They panicked, hurrying to get their medical equipment ready. Papers and clipboards flew in the air and littered the back room. A moment later, the whole medical staff suddenly burst through the door. I was amazed they didn't fall.

They were all shocked at my state when they saw me, and I gave them a weak smile. The doctors swarmed me like piranhas and carried me into the back. As they did, I looked back at the two who had helped me get this far and waved. They waved back at me and then turned, running out the door.

It was strange; now that I knew I was being taken care of, a part of my mind had clicked. And I was suddenly able to feel just how bad I was.

"Oww..."

It was nearing the middle of the day when both the bride and groom stood before Celestia. The alicorn gave the couple a warm smile and began the ceremony. "Mares and gentlecolts, we are gathered here today to witness the union of Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor..."

The wedding was going smoothly, and Celestia managed to remember all of what she had to say for the ceremony. Before this, she had been going over her cue cards several dozen times. There were even days where she would bring them to Day-court with her. She would put an invisibility spell on them to spare the feelings of those who would come to visit her, but she still wasn't listening to what they said.

As she spoke, there were some things she found to be off. One thing that stood out to her was that her mother wasn't there. In the past, she had known Lauren to be forgetful at times, but this just wasn't like her. Another thing Celestia found perplexing was as the ceremony continued, Shining Armor seemed to be stiff, almost robotic. His odd behavior was especially evident when the couple's said their I do's. The captain spoke in a monotone voice, and he stared, almost as If he was looking past her.
Before she knew it, Celestia was making the announcement, "Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, it is my great pleasure to pronounce you…"

"Stop!" A voice rang out through the chapel. With a gasp, everyone turned to face the pony who spoke. There, standing in the back of the hall. The guests present gasped in shock as they turned to see none other than Twilight Sparkle, standing in the doorway. She looked over at Celestia with a serious expression on her face, one that yielded no arguments.

"Ugh! Why does she have to be so possessive of her brother!" 'Cadance' huffed, stomping the ground. As she did this, Celestia turned her head and looked at the pink pony with surprise.

"I-I mean, why does she have to ruin my special day," The changeling stammered, playing the 'poor me' act quite well. She even ended up squeezing out a few tears.

"Because it's not your special day! It's mine!" A similar voice rang through the wedding hall as Cadance, the real Cadance, stepped through the doorway. Once the crowd saw the two identical Princesses on either side of the hall, the ponies looked back and forth in shock.

Even the changeling sputtered at seeing Cadance. "What? But how did you escape?

Twilight stepped forward, "We traveled up,"

"Hmph. Clever. But you're still too late." The changeling declared triumphantly.

"I-I don't understand. How can there be two of 'em?" Applejack asked. The rest of the audience nodded, silently agreeing with the orange pony's confusion.

Keeping her eyes on her double, Cadance explained, "She's a changeling. She takes the form of somepony you love and feeds off of your love for them!"

The 'Cadance' on the stage smirked at the accurate but straightforward evaluation. With an evil grin, she hunched over and was suddenly engulfed in flames. Through the green fire, the audience watched as the silhouette grew larger and larger. Then as quickly as the fire appeared, it wisped away into nothingness. Standing in her place was an unknown creature. It was as tall as Celestia, if not taller, and its body was black with a shell resembling an insect's body. Its legs were long and riddled with holes. She looked the crowd over and began to laugh hysterically.

"Oh, my! You should see your faces!" Chrysalis laughed as she walked across the stage; she continued. "Yes, I am a changeling. And as Queen of the changelings, it is up to me to find food for my subjects. Equestria has more love than any place I've ever encountered. My fellow changelings will devour so much of it. We will gain more power than we have ever dreamed of!"

"They'll never get the chance! Shining Armor's protection spell will keep them from ever even reaching us!" Cadance stated with confidence.

Chrysalis stopped and chuckled a little bit at Cadance's comment. She then looked at the alicorn and smiled with a sly grin. "Oh, I doubt that. Isn't that right, dear?" The changeling turned to look at Shining Armor. He was wearing a very distant expression on his face and a monotone, "Mm-hmm." escaped his lips as he nodded.

Cadance looked at her betrothed with worry and turned back to the Queen with an angry scowl. She ran forward, closing the distance between her and the Queen.

"Ah, ah, ah. Don't want to go back to the caves, now do you?" Chrysalis warned.

Cadance halted her approach and frowned at the changeling in frustration. Satisfied with the alicorn's reluctant obedience, the Queen continued her explanation, returning to the stage to use Shining as a prop of some sort. "Ever since I took your place, I've been feeding off Shining Armor's love for you. Every moment he grows weaker, and so does his spell. Even now, my minions are chipping away at it."

She tilted her head and directed attention to many black dots banging against the shield above Canterlot. Everyone who saw this began as an uneasiness fell upon them.

Smirking, Chrysalis pushed on towards the punchline as she lifted Shining's head with her hoof. "He may not be my husband, but he is under my total control now. And I'm sorry to say, but he is unable to perform his duties as 'Captain of the Royal Guard!"

Excitement began to fill the changeling, and her wings began to buzz, hovering her above the stage. "Soon, my changeling army will break through. First, we take Canterlot. And then, all of Equestria!" The changeling boasted.

"No, you won't."

"W-What!?" The changeling stammered, looking behind her. Standing there stood Celestia and Luna, and both looked prepared for a fight. Chrysalis stepped back; she had somehow forgotten about those two.

Celestia stepped forward, "You may have made it, so Shining Armor isn't able to perform his spell." She lunged at the changeling and the two locked horns, "But that does not mean we are defenseless!"

Celestia pulled away from the Queen and flew high above the stage. Her horn started to glow a brilliant gold, and she fired a beam of magic at the changeling. Chrysalis responded with a beam, and the two trails of magic collided in the middle. The collision's resulting force blew back a few ponies and decorations as they both struggled to overpower one another.

While this was happening, Twilight looked up at Luna with a confused stare, "Princess Luna, I thought you would be sleeping by now." The alicorn just looked down at the unicorn and smiled, "Young Twilight, I would never miss my niece's wedding. No matter how tired I might be..." She finished by wiping her eyes and giving a yawn.

"Aww, that's so sweet..." Cadance cooed.

Back at the battle between Celestia and the changeling, Chrysalis screamed as the golden beam neared her head. "Ah...ah ugh Ahhh!" Then suddenly, she glared up at the Solar Princess with a smirk. "Good acting, right!?"

"What!?"

Chrysalis's beam of green magic suddenly shot forward to the surprise of everyone, easily overpowering Celestia. The alicorn watched in shock as the beam quickly overpowered her own. Right before it struck her, Celestia dove down and dodged the attack; she came around spinning in the air and delivered a flying kick to the changeling while she did.

Chrysalis flew into a nearby pillar. She shook her head and zipped out of the way before the Princess embedded her hoof print into the structure. The audience had moved to either side of the hall, letting the princess battle it out in the middle.

The changeling landed on her hooves, sliding backward as she avoided another attack from Celestia. The white mare flew towards her target and shot multiple blasts at the changeling while. Chrysalis dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the shots, only to be bucked across the room as the Princess passed by.

Furiously beating her wings, the Queen caught herself in the air just before being thrown out the window. She dove to the ground facing upwards, and Celestia passed over her. As the two were over the top of one another, Chrysalis shot a beam at the Princess at point-blank range. There was a resulting boom, and the audience was forced to shield their eyes from the blinding flash.

Once the light died down, the Princess laid on the ground, motionless. Her feathers were burnt, her fur was charred, and a look of pain was on her face. The changeling looked down at Celestia and then glanced at her hooves. She smiled an evil grin. "Haha! I've become even more powerful than…"

"You're not done yet!" Luna interrupted as she shot the changeling out of the air. Chrysalis spun in the air and landed on all fours, glaring at the Princess.

"But I've still won!" She hissed through her teeth. At that moment, the shield over Canterlot shattered, and the attack began. "Time's up anyway, and my work here is done."

Luna snorted and shot rapid beams of magic from her horn. Each bolt was hitting their target with enough force to shake the room. On the other side of the room, Chrysalis was being pushed back, and her shell would crack with each blast of Luna's barrage.

Chrysalis zapped Luna with a bolt of lightning with a grunt, and the alicorn was thrown across the room. As Luna flew through the air, she maneuvered herself to land on the wall; she used it to rebound and shot herself at her target. She came face to face with the changeling and then vanished. A moment later, Luna appeared behind her and blasted the bug across the room with an explosion.

Chrysalis flailed her limbs around as she was blasted away, and she hit the wall above the double doors to the wedding hall. Shaking her head, she wiped her cheek and stood up on the wall with a hiss. From near the ceiling, the changeling then glanced at Shining Armor and over to the Princess. A sly smirk made its way onto her face, and she dropped to the grown feigning defeat, "Damn it." She cursed, and with a flare of her horn, Shining Armor began to sink into the ground. His distant gaze was utterly unaware of his surroundings.

Cadance let out a yelp as she ran up to Shining, and she tried to hold onto him. Despite her best efforts, she couldn't keep him up, and he disappeared from view. Now that her insurance was guaranteed, the changeling vanished in a cloud of green flames. She vanished a mere moment before Luna blasted a beam of magic that rocketed through the castle. It shook the castle's foundations when it hit the end of the hallway, and the alicorn grunted in frustration.

"She got away…" Luna growled, then she turned and looked at the guests. They were all huddled up against the wall. Cadance was standing with Twilight and her friends, and just outside the windows, Canterlot was under siege.

She walked up to her older sister and looked down at her. "Tia, are you alright?"

"Yes, Luna, I'm just a bit stunned. I wasn't expecting her to be that powerful."

"Will you at least try not to underestimate our enemies next time? You have always had a bad habit of that sister."

Celestia smiled and stuck her tongue out at her sister, and Luna rolled her eyes. "Sister, I will go and search for the Queen. While you recover, stay here, and protect these citizens." Celestia nodded to her sister's words and lifted herself into a position where she was still on her stomach, but she was sitting upright. Luna then turned to Cadance, Twilight, and her friends and said, "The seven of you, go retrieve the elements of harmony to defeat the Queen. Time is of the essence, so everypony move out!" They nodded and ran out the door.

Luna sighed and yawned. She was too damn tired for all this crap. She walked over to the doors and looked back at the citizens still cowering against the walls. "All of you are to stay here. The situation is being dealt with as swiftly as possible." With that, she shut the doors and began her search for the changeling.

As Luna ran down the hall, from the ceiling above the door, the changeling smiled, "She took the bait."

Running through the halls, Lyra, Minuette, and Lillybreeze made their way to the castle's medical wing. They had just received a letter from the castle staff, it didn't specify any details, but they were told to be there as soon as possible. The two mares panicked as they saw what happened to the shield around Canterlot and all the stage creatures pouring in.

There was the sound of a battle outside, and not too long after they received the letter, the castle shook.

Lilly was the one leading the group as they ran. She looked stressed and worried. The other mares had some trouble keeping up with her. While they ran, they came to a three-way junction in the hallway. The three mares slowed down and nervously checked down the aisle, the coast was clear, and no one was headed in their direction. They turned into the hallway and walked about partway before they saw Princess Luna running their direction.

Minuette held out her arm and called out, "Princess Luna!" But, Lilly quickly swatted her arm down and hushed her friend. This was confusing to the two others, but the disguised changeling could feel that something wasn't right. There was a presence in the room, one that she was all too familiar with. The maid looked at the Princess and saw that she was eyeing the three of them with caution. Then out of the corner of her eye, she saw a glint, just for a second, but it was enough,

Lillybreeze suddenly ran towards the Princess, and Luna automatically got into a defensive stance. What the alicorn didn't expect, though, was for the maid to jump at her and shout, "Look out!"

Luna loosened her stance just enough for her to be knocked down as the maid collided with her. An incoming beam narrowly grazed them as they fell, and a small crater was on the stone floor where the beam impacted the ground. The two looked up, and from the shadows, the Queen emerged, and the maid stepped back. Lillybreeze had hoped never to see her mother again. She suddenly regretted staying in the castle for as long as she did.

Luna stood up and got into a defensive stance, blocking the castle maid with her wing. "The three of you get out of here; I'll handle this."

Lyra and Minuette were eager to listen, but as they turned to leave, they stopped and looked back at their friend. Lillybreeze hadn't moved; instead, she stood up straight and looked at the Queen.

Chrysalis had also been staring at the maid. She was seething with rage, now it all made sense, how that red-maned runt had called her out, how she had gotten ahold of the special changeling tea. The Queen bared her fangs as she walked forward.

Both Lyra and Minuette were calling their friend, but their words went unheard. Luna used her wing to separate the maid from the changeling, but she was caught off guard when the maid stepped forward. "Hello, mom, it's been a while." She said and let her disguise fall. If her friend made any noise from the shock of seeing her true form, she didn't hear it. Adorilin was wholly focused on the changeling standing directly in front of her, livid as she pieced it all together.

"You!" Chrysalis hissed, "You were the one… The one who got them to put up a protection spell. The one who told that runt about me. The one who threw a wrench in all of my plans! It's all your fault... All of it was YOU!!" She hissed and shot a beam at the smaller changeling. Adorilin hopped to the side, trying to dodge, but the shot still grazed her.

As Adorilin winced from the new injury, she saw a larger bolt coming right for her, and the Proto Queen flinched away, scrunching up her eyes, and waited for the impact. It never came through. She slowly opened her eyes and was surprised to see a blue shield in front of her. She looked up in confusion and saw Luna smiling at her. She looked at the alicorn as if to say, 'but why?' And Luna breathed out as she hardened her gaze on the Queen, changeling in front of the two.

"You are saying that this one here has been our ally. Then she is under my protection." The Princess of the Night declared, and a wave of power rolled off the alicorn.

Beside her, the young changeling looked down as if contemplating something, and then she turned to the two cowering mares at the end of the hallway. She could feel the fear that they now had for her, and it made her feel sad, but Adorilin also knew that if they stayed here, they would either get in the way, or get hurt, or both. Sighing, the Proto-Queen got up and stepped towards her friends, "The two of you should go. I'll help Princess Luna here. As for, well, what I am… I will explain later." She said.

Minuette was about to respond, but a glance from Luna told her just to listen. The blue mare then pulled Lyra down the hall and onwards to their original destination. Now it was just the one pony and two changelings in the empty hallway. Luna lowered the shield and got ready for battle.

Chrysalis just looked at her daughter with disappointment, "And are you going to fight me, Adorilin?"

The Proto-Queen looked down the hallway to where her friends had left. Then with a determined expression, she looked back to her mother with a determined smile, "To save my friends, I'll do anything."

Sighing, the Queen shook her head and looked her daughter in the eyes, "Then, as an enemy of the hive. I will have to kill you," Chrysalis said with a sad frown.

"I know," Adorilin said, her gaze unfaltering as her mother planned her demise. Suddenly Chrysalis launched at her daughter and slammed her hoof into the ground where her daughter stood. Adorilin jumped upwards at the last moment and flew above her mother. The two shot at each other, and their attacks met in the middle.

The proto Queen landed on the ground behind Chrysalis, and Luna shot at the changeling Queen. The beams hit Chrysalis and caused small explosions on impact; this made Chrysalis lose her footing. As she stammered in place, Adorilin jumped forward and slammed into her mother, sending Chrysalis into the wall.

The Queen bared her fangs and blasted a barrier around her, throwing Adorilin away. Luna shot a beam at Chrysalis, and she returned with her own. It quickly overpowered the blue alicorn and exploded on impact. The resulting force threw Luna against a pillar, and she struggled to move. Chrysalis was breathing heavily from that last attack, but she was quickly regaining her strength. Standing up straight, the changeling grunted and looked at her daughter. "You've gotten better."

Adorilin grinned, "Well, you did get Pharynx to teach me everything he knew…"

"That I did. If you had decided to join us, we could have easily killed another alicorn or handle the rest of them with ease. It's a shame; I had hoped you wouldn't be like your older sisters." Chrysalis said, and a disappointed smile made its way onto her face.

Luna's head shot up at hearing the phrase 'kill another.' "Wait, what did you say?... Kill another alicorn? You don't mean... no... you didn't!" Luna's pupils shrunk in the realization of who the Queen was referring to, "You couldn't have!" The alicorn pleaded, and the proto-queen beside her was struggling to understand what the two were talking about. She thought back to why she had been summoned to the hospital in the first place. Suddenly everything clicked in her head, and she shared Luna's horror-stricken expression.

"Oh, yes, that runt with the red mane. She was easy enough to deal with." The changeling smirked, enjoying the expressions they had as she confirmed their fears.

"Nooo!!!" Both the Lunar Princess and the Proto-Queen shouted. Adorilin dropped down weak in the knees out of grief. On the other hand, Luna suddenly found herself teleporting directly in front of Chrysalis. Her head pointed down at the changeling. "How dare you... How dare you kill my mother!!!" She growled through her teeth.

Chrysalis tilted her head to the side, "Mother?"

Rapid beams of magic then began to fire from Luna's horn. Each bolt was hitting their target with enough force to shake the room. Her cries echoed through the hall as she wept for the parent she barely knew.

Despondent thoughts raced through her mind, and the tears rolled down her cheeks. She should have been there; she could have changed things; she had only just got her mother back after all this time. All this time that she was alone and that hole in her heart had ached. Now that it had been filled, to have it ripped away from her again, it felt worse than death to Luna.

Flashes appeared in her mind, images of that horrible night. The night that her mom woke, both her and Tia up in the middle of the night. The day that she held the two of them and cried, the day she looked back at them with pained eyes and walked out of the room, only to vanish from her life for centuries.

A pain of grief, and anger, welled up inside the alicorn. And through her tears, she glared at the changeling who had stolen her mother from her. Luna manifested a dozen translucent swords and sent them at the changeling.

"Dammit! That hurts!" Chrysalis yelled as she blew up the ground that Luna stood on. The alicorn was thrown across the room and into the wall. It didn't do very much, though, because seemingly a moment later, she was back in the changeling's face, staring at her with eyes filled with pure hatred. They shifted slightly, and her eyes became slits like a dragon, and she breathed heavily through her fangs. Chrysalis looked at the alicorn with raised eyebrows, "Well, this is interesting…"

A large blue ball of magic began to form above Luna's head. She made sure to locate the insect through her blurry vision of tears; then, she threw it with a mighty roar. Upon impact, dust and debris flew through the room, and a thick black smoke loomed over the blast zone.

Luna dropped down to her knees and wept. Her magic had been exhausted. Her body was at its limit physically, and she was so tired she was struggling to keep her eyes open. Her anger towards the Queen subtly changed into sadness for her mother. Adorilin came up to her side and put a hoof on her shoulder. She could taste the sadness, and it was like breathing in humid air that filled her soul with sorrow.

From the end of the hallway, the thick cloud vanished at a burst of power from Chrysalis. And much to the frustration of the two, Chrysalis's wounds seemed to be disappearing before their very eyes. The changeling smirked at the two with a smug smile. "A good effort, you two, but as long as I'm connected to Shining Armor, I can use the love he supplies to heal my wounds. Though I must say, I didn't expect this much resistance to occur. And you, dear princess Luna, your power seemed to continue to grow with your anger. Well done, you certainly are much more a warrior than your sister. But, for how long can that hatred last... before you fully return to being Nightmare Moon?"

To add emphasis to her point, the changeling levitated a silver platter over to the night Princess. Luna's eyes shrank in shock once she saw her reflection, and the remaining tears in her eyes rolled down her cheeks. She then looked down at her hoof to see that her coat had gone pure black. Her mane had lost its form and flowed around her head like a fine mist.

This was the final nail in the coffin to the alicorn's psyche. Luna's heart suddenly felt like it had turned to ice, and her will to fight quickly withered. She slumped down to the ground to begin sobbing, muttering to herself about failing her subjects, herself, and her mother. She laid on the ground with her hooves over her head. She stared at her tears that fell to the ground. Her grief made her all the more tired.

Chrysalis looked down at the Princesses shivering form with a look of pity. "Such a weak creature... held captive by your emotions."

The Queen then shot a powerful bolt at Luna, but Adorilin quickly jumped in front of the blast and took the blow. The proto-queen winced in pain as she stumbled in place, but she remained firm and guarded the Princess. She stepped forward so that Luna was a little distance behind her.

"Oh? So you want me to kill you first?" Chrysalis sneered as she advanced towards her daughter. The little proto-queen felt compelled to retreat as her mother closed in, and she stepped back, second-guessing herself. The thought of her friends that she had made and her resolve to protect them flashed in her mind, and she breathed out dejectedly.

Stomping on the ground, Chrysalis spoke in an authoritative voice, "You rebelled against me and the hive."

Zap!

Adorilin cringed as her mother struck her with a bolt of lightning. Her knees buckled in pain from the shock.

"You Conspired with our enemies, giving them information to try to thwart my plans!"

Zap!

"Ahhh!" The little changeling cried as another strike hit her. This one threw her back a few feet, and she twitched on the ground.

"You are dead to me." A steady bolt of lightning struck the proto-queen. The sound of electricity echoed through the halls, and Adorilin cried in pain as the electric bolt moved through her body. She was on the ground now, struggling to crawl away from the monster she had once called mom.

"Now, sweetheart, goodnight." Chrysalis grinned, and her horn started to glow with a threatening hue of green. Luna and the Adorilin weakly looked up into the face of the crazed changeling. Above her head, a ball of green light began to grow, and electricity arced around it.

Regaining her wits at the last moment, Luna tried to put up a shield; but she had already used up everything she had in her barrage. With the last bit of her power, she made a shield. It was barely formed, and then it fizzled out into nothing. That last little bit of effort was her limit, and she now has a splitting headache and blurred vision. As she laid there, her coat regained its blue hue, and her features returned to normal.

Adorilin tried as well to put up a barrier, but she couldn't concentrate or think straight as her body convulsed from the lingering electricity moving through her body. She looked up at Chrysalis and saw that the Queen had finished building her ball of death. Chrysalis looked down at the changeling with an evil smile, and it only faltered when she glanced up for a moment.

"Huh?"

BLAST! FFFFFFHHHHHHOOOOOOPPPPPPHHHHHH!

Light was all Adorilin could see, as golden flames had exploded into the hallway, and they hung over her, and Luna, like a warm blanket rushing past. Instinctively the proto-queen covered her head and shut her eyes as the roaring fire shook the room.

After three seconds, the flames suddenly fell apart and vanished. Adorilin slowly opened her eyes and was surprised she was unharmed. The sound of footsteps drew the attention of both Luna and Adorilin. They looked up at who stood beside them and were stunned to see who was standing there. Tears of pain and anguish gradually became tears of joy, and smiles began to form on their faces.

Chrysalis was kneeling on the ground in her charred state, and as she looked up, a gurney slammed into her face, throwing her back. She tumbled, rolling into a ball with the hospital bed, before catching herself on the ground. The bed continued past her a little way, and the changeling looked towards the source of the attack.

Standing behind the Princess stood an off-white Alicorn. She had a crimson mane, and it flowed in an unfeeling wind. Her wings were covered in bandages, and she had a burgundy blanket over her back like a cape. She was staring directly at Chrysalis with a look of determination and rage. The changeling felt her confidence waver ever so slightly. Something was off, and it was telling every sense in her body that danger was approaching.

Ignoring the changeling, the alicorn knelt beside the two on the ground and gave them each a reassuring smile. Lauren lifted Luna's chin and wiped away her tears. "(Shhh, everything's okay now. You did well, Lulu.)" The blue alicorn's lip quivered, and her eyes shined as tears threatened to come out. With a sudden pull, she clamped onto her mother's leg for a hug. Lauren smiled and stroked her mane, Luna was shaking, and she gripped her mother's coat almost pleadingly. As Luna held onto her leg, Lauren smirked and ruffled the proto-queen's mane, reassuring her that everything was fine now. All the stress and anxiety that the young changeling had built up suddenly came crashing down on her, and she broke down into a blubbering mess.

Doctors and nurses ran into the room, and a moment later, Lyra and Minuette followed. They looked up at the holes covering the walls, the bits of ceiling that laid on the ground, and the soot that lined both sides of the hallway. All of them stared in shock and awe at the destruction. Then they saw the two on the ground, several nurses freaked out at the sight of the Princess, and others were more concerned with the two unknown creatures.

"My gurney!" One cried out, and the rest of the doctors raised an eyebrow at him. The one closest to him smacked him in the back of the head. "...I mean, oh my gosh! Are you two, okay!?"

The off-white alicorn was still facing the changeling, but turning her head slightly, she looked back at the doctors out of the corner of her eye. Gesturing to the two below her, she said with an authoritative voice, "All of you, help these two."

A doctor made a move to protest about the teenage changeling, but a fiery glance from the mare caused him to gulp and back down; he nodded and got to work obeying her command. The rest of the doctors hurried into action. They began treating the two on the ground, giving them bandages, magic stimulants, and other basic treatments for their injuries.

Glad that they were taken care of, the alicorn sighed and refocused on Chrysalis. The changeling had just finished healing herself, and she was preparing for a fight, pawing at the ground. The alicorn frowned and vanished in a flash of light. A moment later, she reappeared standing in front of the changeling Queen and stared her down.

"Now, as for you... There's someone who wants a word with you." Her words were calm and collected, but there was an undertone of venom in her voice. Chrysalis growled at the pony, opening her mouth to speak.

"Not here." The alicorn cut her off.

Suddenly a pillar shot out of the wall and blew the changeling through the exterior of the castle. Chrysalis flew through the air and landed in a heap in the central courtyard near the fountain. Several drones fighting royal guards in the area stopped as they recognized their Queen on the ground. Time seemed to freeze for them, and silence hung in the air as they waited for her to get up. Shakily, Chrysalis got off the ground and stood, healing herself from being blown through the wall. The alicorn teleported down, standing in front of her. Chrysalis got into a fighting stance and flared up her horn, ready for a battle.

The off-white mare slowly blinked, and as she opened her eyes again, a wave of power washed over the area. She stared into Chrysalis's eyes, and the changeling flinched. What she saw was no longer a young, inexperienced pony hiding her fear. No, now, she saw something completely different. Her eyes, they were ancient, full of experience, and bursting with confidence. A flame had been lit, and it burned just barely below the surface.

Chrysalis, although armed and ready for battle, found herself stepping back from the mare. There was a change in the pony that just made her feel uneasy. It was as if she had become a different person from a moment ago. Her power, the way she walked, but most of all, those ancient eyes.

Chrysalis caught herself retreating and shook her head to regain her composure. She grit her teeth and stared up at the sky and silently called the nearby drones for assistance. As she received a response from the hive-mind, she looked at the alicorn with a half-lidded stare. She dusted herself off and scoffed at the pony, "Don't think that just because you got a few hits in means that you have the advantage over me."

As she spoke, the nearby drones assembled themselves behind her, ready to engage. They all charged their horns, and on the Queen's command, all the changelings began to fire at Lauren. Chrysalis grinned and charged her attack. She shot a large beam of magic at the mare, and it exploded on impact.

The resulting smoke clouded their vision, and they waited in silence for the dust to clear. A soft breeze carried the smoke away, revealing the alicorn standing with the blanket she had tied around her neck. It had been swung around and held in the air in front of her. It glowed in her telekinetic grasp and showed a few dark spots from where the blasts made contact.

"H-How!? All my troops! And my own power! T-That blast was strong enough to defeat Celestia!" Chrysalis stammered, and the group behind her moved back slightly as they heard the last part of the Queen's rant.

Lauren's nose twitched at the mention of her eldest. She stretched her neck from side to side, chuckling to herself, "(Kids these days… none of you understand magic. You have no imagination, no ingenuity, and no sense of when you should keep your mouth shut.)" As she finished speaking, the venom in her voice made some of the royal guards who had been observing feel uneasy. Lauren's hair began to defy gravity, and a wind of power radiated off the mare.

Chrysalis's eyes widened, and she fired a blast at the pony. Lauren tossed the blanket off herself. It hardened in her telekinetic grasp, becoming like steel, and she deflected the oncoming attack with it. The blast flew into the air and away from Canterlot, dissipating through the air. The changeling shot another, and another, and another. Each one was tossed aside by the mare.

Finally, the changeling shot a large beam at the pony. A moment before it hit, she wrapped herself up in the blanket and let it carry her away. The beam just barely missed her, and it blew up the concrete where she had stood.

Lauren circled around, zipping through the courtyard. She unwrapped herself and dropped down, planting a solid kick onto Chrysalis's side. The changeling shot into the water fountain, blowing it up, and bits of it flew through the air. Lauren landed on the ground, and with a flash of her horn, the water spraying out became ice. It grew and wrapped around Chrysalis, encasing her.

As they saw this, the horde shot at Lauren in an attempt to defend their Queen. The alicorn disappeared from her spot and appeared behind the floating platoon. She narrowed her gaze at the horde, and that flame in her eyes reappeared. "(My turn.)"

The drones felt power rise in the atmosphere around them, and some began to retreat. The alicorn's horn lit up, and three magic circles formed in the air. They looked like vertical red disks, and they were as high off the ground as her snout. She blew into the first disk with a nonchalant expression in the same manner as someone would blow out a candle.

The air reverberated into a strong gust of wind, through the first multiplying several times over through each layer. As it reached the last one, the air displacement caused a shockwave, and it blasted the drones away in gale-force winds.

I watched as the shockwave carried the drones in front of me away. Lifting my hoof, I shaded my eyes and whistled as I watched the last one disappear from view. It was then that I noticed I was back in control.

Hey Lauren, you okay?

(Yes, Alex, I was just careless with my time limit. However, I have an idea of how to win, but I'll need you to buy me some time to figure the spell out. Just be careful, we have a little bit of mana left, and the magic stimulants the doctors gave us won't last much longer.)

"Okay…" I nodded and looked up at the fountain.

The cocoon of ice exploded with a flash of green light. The Queen shot into the air with a scream of anger. While up there, she looked down, searching for me. We made eye contact, and Chrysalis snarled at me. Her horn lit up, and a buzzing sound echoed through the city. Rising from the buildings behind her, I saw thousands of drones leaving their post converging on the central courtyard. Chrysalis took her place in front of them.

She and her whole army bared their fangs at me, and royal guards on the outskirts of the courtyard ran inside to protect themselves from the horde. As they all assembled, Chrysalis snarled at me, "I'm impressed. I had no idea you had such power and tricks up your sleeve. But even you cannot take on all of us." She lifted her arms, gesturing to the whole army.

"Yeah, I'll give you that...," I said sheepishly as I looked at the thousands above me. The changeling smirked, and all of them began charging their attacks.

I tried to hold the same confident smile on my face that Lauren had before, but I was admittedly getting nervous. There were too many to try using fire; it would only affect about one-eighth of the group at best. And that was about the only thing I knew how to do at this point, other than basic levitation. The stress was starting to get to me.

As I sat there wondering how I could get out of this situation, no less how I even got into it, the castle doors burst open. Cadance and Shining Armor ran out with an entourage of royal guards. The pink alicorn looked up at the army of changelings, and she frowned. Looking down, she spotted me in the center of the courtyard. I must have looked to be in rough shape because rather than calling out my name or some other greeting, the pink pony yelled out. "Oh my gosh! Are you okay!?"

Before I could respond, maniacal laughter echoed through the courtyard. Chrysalis slowly collected herself and looked down at the pink pony. An evil grin stretched across her face, and she said, "She won't be."

Cadance narrowed her gaze and stomped her hoof on the ground, "You will not touch her!"

The changeling smirked at the pink pony, "Oh, what are you and your little troops going to do? Frown at me?"

Cadance glared at her, and speaking with a firm voice, she said, "We will defeat you!" Turning her attention back to Shining Armor, she looked him in the eyes and whispered the last part, "Together." Shining nodded, and the two looked into each other's eyes. They crossed their horns, and a spark began to arc between them. A moment later, a visible pink aura surrounded them.

As Chrysalis looked at the couple, she started to shake with both anger and fear. Not wanting to take any chances, she commanded some from the changeling army to split off and attack. They zoomed down in an effort to stop them from whatever they were doing.

My eyes widened, and I felt worry, wash over me. With a flash of my horn, I did the only spell I knew how to cast successfully, and flames erupted through the air.

FFFHHHOOOPPPHHH!

They covered the changelings, and their bodies fell to the ground before the floating couple. Their cries and shouts of agony broke the concentration that the couple had. The aura around them faltered, flickering in and out of existence. Then at the last moment, it flared to life. The protection spell quickly expanded, and it covered the city in an instant. There was a calm after the blast, and the couple floated back down, still looking lovingly in each other's eyes.

"Cadance! What the hell!?" I yelled, and the pink alicorn shook her head, looking over to me. I pointed my arm up, and her eyes followed. Above me, all the changelings were still sitting in place. The previously injured ones and those low on magic were now healed, and their energy fully restored. The others who were fine had found themselves energized.

Her eyes went wide, and she looked over to me with a shocked expression. "I don't understand. The protection spell should have cleared them out!"

I looked at the energized changelings and back to her with an irritated gaze. "Should have!?"

"I-I'm sorry!" She stammered.

"Ya should be!" I yelled back. I would have continued my rant, but the sky suddenly changed to a green hue. Looking up, I saw the armies attack raining down. My eyes went wide. "Eep!"

BLAST!

Residents on the farthest corner of Canterlot looked on as an explosion shook the city, and a mushroom cloud rose from the castle. Fear began to fill their hearts as some asked the question, "Did we just lose?" Others began packing their belongings, ready to flee the city before it's too late.

Cadance and Shining coughed as the area filled with smoke. Troops took their stations to protect the two, and they struggled to breathe. The pink alicorn held her breath, hoping that the white alicorn would suddenly jump from the smoke. But there was silence. A soft breeze began to carry the smoke away from the area. As it did, Cadance gasped as she saw a crater, and her heart sank. "Lauren!" Cadance called out, and she ran towards the courtyard. One of the guards tried to stop her and hold her back, but she shrugged him off, pulling away. He kept trying to pull her back from danger. He kept trying until Shining put his hoof on the guard's shoulder. The guard looked back, and his captain shook his head. With a silent understanding, the guard let her go. There would be no stopping her anyway.

No longer hindered by the guard, Cadance ran into the center of the courtyard and jumped through the rising smoke of the smoldering crater. The entourage watched as she became obscured from view and readied themselves for attack from the army above them.

Cadance stumbled down the crater's slope, over bricks, hot rocks, and other bits of earth. "Lauren!" She called out as she got closer to the center. Her eyes stung from the smoke, and she couldn't see very far in front of her. Through the smoke, she spotted the alicorn face down on the ground. "Lauren!" Her eyes lit up with worry, and she ran over, checking the mare for injuries. She was on a disk of broken bricks and concrete. From the looks of things, she had tried to shield herself at the last moment, but it broke under the brute force of the attack. Her wounds were mainly burns, but her other injuries from earlier had opened back up. She was unconscious, and if she was breathing, the alicorn couldn't tell. Cadance felt responsible for the amount of damage the mare had suffered, and she began to tear up. Her lip quivered, and a tear rolled down her cheek. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…" she whispered and hugged the mare.

The silence faded as the sound of buzzing got louder. Cadance looked up with pained eyes and saw a silhouette drifting through the smoke. Chrysalis hovered down and landed in front of the two. The changeling looked at Cadance and how she was holding the white mare. She grinned, glad that the alicorn was finally down. Walking forward, she slowly approached the two, and Cadance wrapped the white alicorn in her hooves, pulling her closer.

Chrysalis raised an eyebrow at the mare's defiance and smirked. In her opinion, the pink pony was no more a threat than an average unicorn. A green glow encased the white alicorn, and she tried to pull her free from Cadance's grasp. She didn't let go; instead, she held on and tried to sever the grip that the changeling had on her friend. Growing rather annoyed with the pink pony, Chrysalis shot at Cadance.

She flinched as the bolt hit her, and she fell back with Lauren in her arms, losing her grip as she tumbled on the ground. The changeling walked closer, and Cadance reached for the white alicorn again. Chrysalis grabbed the pink pony in her magical grasp and threw her against the side of the crater. Cadance yelped in pain as her back hit some bricks.

"Stay down." The changeling hissed. Then turned to the white alicorn, ready to finish her off. Her horn flared, and her evil smile returned to her face. Right before she fired, a brick hit her in the side of the head, and she turned with an irritated gaze at the pink alicorn.

Cadance shakily stood up, levitating a few more bricks and rocks behind her, "I refuse to let you hurt her any more than you already have." She said as she stared down the larger creature.

Chrysalis growled at the pony and walked over to her, towering over her. She flared up her horn, this time aiming at the pink pony. Cadance looked up, she was unmoving, but the changeling could see the fear she had in her eyes.

"The feeling is mutual, Cadance." A weak voice chuckled, cutting through their conversation. They both looked back, and the white alicorn, she was lying on her back, propping herself up with her arms. Chrysalis growled at the mare and stepped away from Cadance.

The alicorn smirked. "Gotcha." Chrysalis suddenly erupted in a vortex of flames. The blue fire danced across the changeling, and she hissed as she tried to escape them. With a flash of her horn, the changeling disrupted the flames, and they dissipated, vanishing into nothing. Her body was charred and covered in smoke, and her breathing was heavily labored. She grit her teeth as her shell hissed from the heat. She lit her horn, connecting her to the hive-mind. She had some unfinished business they needed to take care of. She snarled, ready to deploy her remaining troops to blast this place off the map.

Suddenly, the white alicorn vanished, appearing an instant later as she teleported directly in front of the changeling. She grabbed Chrysalis's face and pressed her horn against hers. She glared at the changeling, and Chrysalis's eyes went wide. She felt the pony use the direct connection to access the hive-mind. "(Checkmate.)," she said, and the changeling felt her blood run cold. The alicorn's horn began to glow, and a red sphere expanded outward to the city's outskirts. With fear-stricken eyes, the changeling looked at the ancient being in front of her and whispered, "Who are you?"

Lauren's eyes narrowed at the changeling, and with a firm voice, she answered, "(The Queen of Creation.)"

Chrysalis's eyes widened, and she stammered as she reared back, "N-No… not you... B-But, that was just a Legend!" She screamed as she began to lift off the ground. Her screams echoed through the courtyard as she and all her drones were suddenly pulled out of the sphere. They launched into the sky.

BOOM!

Thousands of changelings broke the sound barrier as they flew over the horizon. The citizens of Canterlot had to cover their ears as the air around the city suddenly became a torrent of booms.

Cadance was sitting not too far away and watched as the alicorn dropped to the ground in a heap. With panic quickly rising in her heart, she ran over. "Lauren. Lauren!" There was no response. Turning her head upwards, she began shouting, "Somepony get a doctor! Help! Someone!"

A moment later, Royal guards came sliding down the crater's slope, and Shining ran over to Cadance, embracing her in a warm hug.

As I laid there on the ground, face down in the dirt, the adrenaline wore off, and I could feel all the pain this body was going through. I felt like death. All my wounds had reopened, not to mention the new ones I got while facing Chrysalis's army. My magic was utterly spent. I didn't even have the strength left to blink properly. Cadance's panicked cries faded into nothingness, and all I could hear was a ringing in my ears. As I laid there, my sight slowly got darker, and I couldn't help but wonder one thing.

How did you do that?

(I modified a spell I made to keep Celestia out of the sweets pantry when she was just a filly.)

An image of the pink-haired filly running into a pantry and being pushed out by a force field suddenly flashed through my mind. I smiled in amusement and let myself drift off to sleep.

Author's Note

Well, that took a bit longer than I expected... I hope you all liked it. :derpytongue2:

Chapter 4: Day With Amore.

Chapter 4: Recovery Days

Since when am I Faust?
Chapter 4:Recovery Days

I moved my head slightly as I began to wake up from my slumber. I was lying on my side, and my face was buried in my pillow. I took a slow deep breath, and the smell of lavender filled my nose. As I slowly opened my eyes, blinked a few times to clear my vision. Turning over, I looked around at where I was. I laid in a hospital, but this hospital was one that I did not recognize.

The room was strictly built for functional purposes, rather than the flamboyant designs one would find in Canterlot Castle. The room was a large rectangular room with a small washroom on my left, and to my right, there was a large window overlooking the city. Looking towards the window, I spotted Celestia and Luna sitting on a couch. The two had fallen asleep, and Tia’s wing covered her younger sister in a soft embrace as Luna leaned on her big sister.

A small smile crossed my face at seeing both ‘my’ daughters sleep peacefully. It was comforting to know they were alright, and I sighed as a figurative weight lifted off my chest.

Looking at myself, I was relieved to see that most of my wounds had already healed. There were a few of the larger injuries that were still bandaged. However, from the looks of things, the doctors were now focusing on restoring my mana reserves. I wasn’t very fond of the magic stimulants they gave me. They made my mouth taste funny.

Leaning forward, I checked on my wings, they were still bandaged, and they ached a bit from most likely a few fractures, but they felt like they were getting close to being back to normal.

I breathed out through my nose as I leaned back in the bed. Shaking my head at the absurdity, my life has become over the past few weeks. Rolling over, I looked at the sleeping alicorns. Outside the window they were under, I could see the hustle and bustle of the city’s citizens. Several buildings were undergoing restoration from the attack, and off in the distance, I could see Canterlot Castle. I smiled, and with a soft voice, I whispered to myself, “It all worked out, in the end, didn't it.”

(Yeah, I guess it did.)

As I spoke, my ear lifted, catching the sound of the door creaking open. As I sat upright, the strain on my neck muscles began to take its toll, and the pain that I hadn’t realized I was going through slowly seeped in. My muscles were slow and reluctant to respond, and it felt as if I pulled every muscle in my body. I winced but forced myself to look over to whoever just entered. As I turned my head, I saw Cadance and Shining Armor enter the room. They looked tired as if they had been losing sleep, and they had brought a few drinks and a box of doughnuts with them.

I gave the couple a soft smile and struggled to pull my arm out from under the sheets to wave. Shining put the drinks and the box of sweets on the nightstand beside my bed. He moved a small bouquet of lavender flowers to the side as he did.

So that’s where the smell was coming from.

(It always was one of Luna's favorites.)

Cadance walked up to my bedside, “How are you doing? Are you feeling any better?”

I tried to speak, but on my first attempt at speaking at a normal volume, I found my voice cutting out and had air simply exit my mouth. Clearing my throat, I tried again, and my voice came out in a weak breath as I said. “I’m alright,”

While I spoke with Cadance, Shining Armor found one of the rolling bedside tables, and he took a doughnut, along with a small coffee, and put them on the table. He rolled it over to the left side of my bed, and as he put it in place, I lifted my arms to keep from being trapped under it.

Once it had been settled in place, I nodded at the stallion with a look that said, ‘Thank you,’ and reached for my coffee. I gripped the cup between my front hooves and took a sip. The coffee was sweet, with a fair amount of cream and sugar mixed in. Not my best cup, but I was far from complaining. I felt myself regain my senses ever so slightly as the caffeine enriched drink washed over my tongue. Placing the cup down, I glanced at Cadance and asked, “So how long has it been?”

She breathed out, looking at me with a smile. Her eyes had a melancholy look in them, and Shining had a similar expression. “It’s been about a week.” She turned her head. “ And those two have been here the whole time.”

I felt my heart flutter, and a warm smile stretched across my face. While I spoke with Cadance, our conversation began to stir Celestia from her sleep. As she woke, the white alicorn silently sniffed at the air, and Celestia’s eyes fluttered open. She shifted around as she tried to clear the fogginess from her mind. While she did, Tia heard a groan at her side. Looking down, the white alicorn saw her younger sister leaning against her side with a grumpy pout as she tried to stay asleep. Tia smiled and stroked her sister’s mane as she looked up and glanced at the rest of the room.

Tia glanced around the room, and she stopped as she observed the sight before her. She hadn’t expected Shining Armor and Cadance to be standing there when she woke up, but seeing them talking to her mother was even more unexpected. Tia’s eyes went wide, and they shined with tears. “M-mom…?” She croaked, a mountain of emotion had overwhelmed the mare, and she was struggling to hold it together,

I gave her a warm smile and waved, “Hello, Tia.”

Tears threatened to stream down her cheeks, and as she began to get up, she woke Luna. With a groan, the blue alicorn clenched her eyes shut as she tried to hold onto her slumber. It was useless, however, and with slow, groggy movements, her eyes began to open. She looked up at her sister with a grumpy pout. Celestia smiled at her sister and leaned down, saying, “Lulu, she’s awake.”

Luna’s eyes opened slightly as her head lifted. “She is?”

Wiping her eyes and giving her head a shake, Luna accepted her sister's hoof and stood up. As the two walked over, Cadance moved to the other side of the bed, allowing them some room to stand.

The pink alicorn looked over to her fiance, and with a nod, Shining Armor stepped out of the room. He had a look on his face like he had forgotten something.

Out of the two princesses, Tia was the first to arrive at my bedside. I reached out, and she readily took my hoof. Looking me in the eyes, she asked me, “How are you feeling, mom?”

I glanced away as I thought about it, then I refocused on ‘my’ daughters. I stretched my cheek to the side, giving them a half-smile, and said, “I’m alright, just a bit sore,”

Luna stepped forward, her eyes were filled with relief, but her eyes shined like Tia’s. “We thought we might have lost you again…” Her voice was low, and although it was subtle, I could see her bottom lip quiver as she said those words. Tia also lowered her head as she glanced down.

My heart ached. The pain and worry that I had put them through was tearing me apart, and despite my body’s reluctance, I found myself sitting up and wrapping ‘my’ daughters in a hug. As I did, I felt Lauren momentarily pull them closer, as she whispered, “(I’ll never let you girls go again. I swear it.)”

As she uttered those words, the two Princesses hit their limit, and they could no longer hold back their tears. While our embrace held like that for a mere moment, for those two, it was an embrace that filled their souls with a fire of love and hope. “Love you, mom.” They both said, and Lauren’s emotions welled up inside me, making my heart feel as if it would burst, and I hugged them tighter.

Cadance stood on the other side of the bed, smiling sweetly at the sight she saw. Looking at her fellow princesses, she suddenly really wished she had brought her camera with her.

As we pulled away from the hug, I looked at ‘my’ daughter’s with a shallow smile, and before I could say anything further, I heard the door open. The three of us looked away from each other and over to the door in front of my bed. As we looked over there, we saw Shining Armor, Twilight, and her friends enter the room. I reclined back in my bed as I watched them enter. Celestia and Luna stepped back from the bed, wiping their tears from their faces before all the guests could see them in such a state.

Out of the group entering the room, Rainbow Dash was the first to arrive. She zoomed past the others and hovered in the air above my bed. “Hey, lady! I saw your fight with the changeling army. You were so totally AWESOME!” The pegasus exclaimed, throwing her arms out. A moment later, her eyes suddenly shot open, and she was pulled down to the ground by Applejack.

I looked down and saw the orange mare tilting her hat with an apologetic expression, “Please pardon my friend, er, miss.”

“It’s fine,” I said.

But my words went unheard as Rainbow got up, rubbing her head. She turned to the farmer and said, “Hey! What the heck was that for!?”

“Cuz, you was bein’ rude.”

Before I could watch the argument progress any further, Pinkie’s head lowered into my view. I didn’t even see her move over here. She stood atop my bed and was leaning over me as she grabbed my cheeks.

“Ooh, so you’re the mystery pony? What’s your name? Do you like pastries, because I do. I mean, who doesn’t like pastries? Wha hey!...” Pinkie cried out as she was levitated off of me by Luna. With a half-lidded stare, the alicorn pulled a doughnut out of the box and shoved it into the pink mare’s face. It quickly vacuumed itself into her mouth, and she chewed it down with an ‘mmm’ sound.

Rarity rolled her eyes as she walked up to my bedside and put her hooves on the railing, “Well, yes. You certainly put on quite a show, darling. How did you do what you did with the cloth you had around you?”

As I glanced at the mare, I felt myself move without my intention, letting me know that Lauren was taking control. She sat up and smiled at the unicorn, “(I used the blanket as a base and solidified it with magic, it’s kind of like a reinforced shield spell.)” Lauren said.

Neat.

(Thanks.)

Our head dropped for a moment as I suddenly found myself in control again. Lifting my head, I glanced up and saw Rarity nodding with interest, and Shining Armor leaned closer with a notepad held in his magic. Cadance put a hoof on his shoulder, and he looked to the side with a blush.

Just then, Twilight had finished saying hi to Celestia and began walking over to see me. As she approached, Rarity stepped to the side to make room for her. Once the unicorn got to the side of my bed, her head tilted to the side, and her inner bookworm made her eyes shine with adorkable curiosity.

I waved tiredly and said, “Hey, Twilight.”

“Hi, Lauren,” She waved back, “You feeling any better?”

“I’m alright.”

She gave a satisfied nod, and then her eyes widened as a stray thought caught her attention. She shifted in place, and the expression on her face made her look as if she was contemplating whether or not to say something. Making up her mind, she leaned closer and asked, "If you don’t mind me asking, what was that last spell you used?"

I smiled and chuckled to myself, "Cookie shield."

“Cookie shield?” Twilight repeated, and her face contorted with confusion.

(You know, that’s not what it’s actually called.)

It is now.

Behind her, I saw as Celestia’s eyes went wide, and she started coughing on her second doughnut as it went down the wrong way. Luna ran over and started hitting her sister with a book until she coughed it back up. The two alicorns went unnoticed by the others in the room as they focused on me, but I felt myself hone in on the two as Tia found herself able to breathe again. Once I knew that she was okay, I sighed and spoke up with a chuckle, “Well, well, it appears Tia remembers that one.”

The two unicorns at my bedside looked back at the white alicorn who was still collecting herself. Celestia straightened up and walked closer, so she was standing behind the two at my side. While she did, Luna looked at her older sister with a grumpy glare and then back down to the doughnut’s remains on the floor. Reaching out with her magic, she grabbed it and threw the thing in a nearby biohazard bag.

Celestia stood looking at me and said, “Yes, I do remember, and unfortunately, I still haven't found a way to counter that.” Her stoic expression turned into a sly smile, and she lifted a hoof and looked to the side with her eyes. “But,~ It’s a good thing I have my own pantry now.~” Her words were drawn out and came out like a taunting melody.

(Ohhh, you want to play that game, do you?)

A feeling of mischief washed over me, and I grinned at the alicorn with a sly smile. I crossed my forehooves as I looked at her, “Well then, I'll just put it on this pantry,” I said, wiggling my eyebrows.

There were no words to describe the sudden dread that filled the eyes of the alicorn before me. As those words left my mouth, her eyes shrunk, her foreleg fell, and her mouth hung open. She leaned back with her body shaking, and I swear I could see her white face pale, “N-No, mom, p-please don’t!” She pleaded.

I put my hoof up to my chin, “I don’t know, Tia, you could stand to lose a few pounds. Maybe it would be worth it.” I taunted as I pointed at her flank. Luna laughed, and Celestia went beat red.

“Mom~!” The alicorn whined.

Cadance cursed herself for forgetting to bring a camera and silently banged her head against the wall. On the other hand, I laughed at the white alicorn and the looks she was getting from the six mares. Wiping a tear from my eye, I said, “Don’t worry, Tia, I’m only kidding...”

The princess slumped down, and her breathing was heavy. Luna smacked her with the bag of doughnut remains and walked away. When I had got the last of my giggles under control, I noticed the room had gone silent. My ears shifted around as I wondered where the noise had gone, and raising a brow, I looked at Twilight's friends. All of them stared at me with wide eyes and open mouths.

Rainbow broke the silence as she flew up and threw her arms out, shouting, “You’re Celestia’s MOM!?”

Nodding, I looked up at the pegasus, “Yep, and I even have some embarrassing stories to prove it.” I glanced at ‘my’ daughters as I said those words, and they both had an expression of worry.

As I reclined in my bed, my expression softened, and I muttered, “But that’s a story best left for another time.”

Both princesses breathed out a sigh of relief, and Cadance put down the notepad she had taken from Shining with a frown on her face.

I glanced over at Twilight with a smirk, “I’m surprised you didn’t tell them earlier.” Reaching forward, I took another sip from my coffee and watched all the attention on Twilight.

She looked around at her friends with a sheepish expression. “I wanted it to be a surprise.” She said as she shrugged her shoulders.

Applejack took her hat off in amazement and muttered, “Well, I’ll be…”

I smiled and tried to imitate the warm tone Lauren would sometimes use at seeing all their shocked faces. Leaning my head forward, I said with a bow, “It’s a pleasure to meet all of you. Please call me, Lauren.”

“Oh, oh, oh! I’m Pinkie Pie, that’s Rarity, this is Applejack, and that’s Fluttershy, you already know Twilight! And this is Rainbow Dash.”

Rarity’s magic enveloped her friend as she once again loomed over me. The pink pony was placed down on the ground, and as she floated through the air, Pinkie threw her arms out, “Weee!”

“A million apologies, your majesty. What she means is we are pleased to meet you as well.”

I smiled, “It’s quite alright, Rarity. I’m just glad that despite the events from earlier, you are all okay.”

Twilight nodded and lifted a hoof, “Yes, well, we did find ourselves in a bit of a tight spot at one point. But then, Celestia and the guests from the wedding arrived. They helped us escape from the swarm.” The unicorn looked over at Rarity, and she nodded her head.

“Yes, Darling, and by the time we had returned from the vault, the battle was already taking place outside. It was quite a sight to behold from the upper floors, but once we had gotten down to the courtyard, or what was left of it, the battle was already over.” Rarity finished, and she looked over to her friends.

It was heartwarming to hear the admiration and care they had for Lauren and me without really knowing who I was. I was about to speak, but a knock at the door made me hold my tongue. The door opened, and three mares, along with a small filly, walked in. I stretched myself up to take a look, and as I did, I saw it was Lyra, Minuette, and Lillybreeze. A smile made its way onto my face, and I waved them in.

Twilight looked at Lyra and Minuette, and her eyes widened as she recognized her old friends. They waved to each other, and my three attendants approached the foot of my bed. I was glad to see the three of them together, even after witnessing the revelation that Lillybreeze was actually a changeling. I grinned at them and said, “So, it looks like you three have made up...”

Lyra was the first to speak, and she rubbed the back of her head, “Well, yeah, it was nerve-wracking at first. But now that it's been a few days, I think it’s actually kind of cool knowing she’s one.” she said, and Minuette nodded seconding her friend’s opinion. Then she looked at the others in the room, and realization seemed to dawn on her face.

While Lyra shrunk back, a bit concerned for her friends' safety, I looked from the confused faces of the six element-bearers; to the calm and understanding expressions on the faces of the three Princesses and the Captain.

With a nod, I looked over to Luna, “I’m assuming that you’ve brought the rest of the princesses and the Captain of the guard up to speed on Lilly?”

Luna nodded and stepped forward, “Yes, I discussed it with them on the night you were admitted to the hospital.”

I smiled, “Good, and you, Adorilin, how are you doing? Last time I saw you, you had some fairly bad injuries.”

The maid rubbed her head and looked at the ground, awkwardly, “I’m doing okay now, but during the battle, the doctors were uncertain of my chances. Thankfully, some sort of wave washed through the area, it felt saturated in love, and it healed my wounds.”

I glanced over at Cadance, and Shining and the two let out an audible, “Heh…” As they looked away.

I looked back to the foot of my bed as I felt something bumping against it. At the bottom of the bed where my attendants stood, I saw a tuft of hair jumping up and down. “I wanna see, I wanna see!” A youthful voice called, and Minuette saw the look of curiosity wash over my face. With a grin, she reached down and lifted the small filly. She was a blank flank with violet eyes, a white body, and a light green mane. She looked at me with wide eyes filled with curiosity and wonder.

“Oh, and who might you be?” I said.

“I’m Penny!” She shouted with her arms up, and the rest of the mares in the room giggled at the child’s antics. Minuette set the child down on the end of my mattress, and Lilly gestured to the filly with a smile, “Mrs. Faust, Princesses, I'd like to introduce you to my little sister, Pennilia Alternate. I was able to bring her from one of the camps made in the mountains outside Canterlot.”

I smiled and leaned forward, “Well, it certainly is nice to meet you, Penny.” The child smiled, and I continued, “But will you grant me the honor of seeing your true self?”

The filly’s eyes widened, and she looked at her elder sister with a worried expression. Lilly looked at her younger sister and assured her, “It’s alright; she’s friendly.”

The child was hesitant, and she took some time to glance around, looking at the others. But a reassuring hoof from her sister calmed her down. The filly nodded, “Okay…” she said, and with a brilliant flash of emerald, both changelings in the room dropped their disguises.

Twilight, her friends, stumbled back in shock, and Dash jumped into an attack position. The six mares looked ready to pounce, but before they could do that, I shouted, “Hold it!” Getting their attention, they all looked over to me. I raised my eyebrows and waved my hoof, “It's okay. They’re with me.” The group gave me a confused stare and hesitantly straightened up.

Rainbow hit her forehooves together and pointed at Adorilin, “Alright, fine, but only because the Princesses mom says so. But I've got my eye on you…” Dash warned.

The teenage changeling ignored the pegasus's threat and looked over to her sister. The nymph was trying to catch Lauren's tail as she moved it back and forth.

“Whatever...” Adorilin said to herself. Compared to what her mother had put her and her sister through, Rainbow's words were but an empty threat.

As the pegasus looked at the changeling's disregard for her comment, she frowned. Shrugging it off, she joined the other mares. She landed beside Applejack, who was looking around in confusion. “Hold on, ain’t they a threat?” She said, pointing at the two as she saw everyone else settling down.

I sighed and looked over at the group of friends. Giving a warm smile, I said, “No, Adorilin, here was the one who warned us about the incoming invasion, giving us a chance to prepare. That’s why the shield was up in the first place.”

Luna nodded and looked at the farmer, “Yes, and during the battle, she even risked her life nearly dying in the process to protect my own.”

Both Lyra and Minuette nodded, confirming what the princess had said. But the mares were still on edge. Fluttershy looked like she was about to leap out of her own skin. Shining also seemed to have trust issues, but that was understandable given his situation.

Cadance seemed to understand the situation but still had her guard up behind her smile. Looking at the others in the room and their discomfort, she shook her head and went to grab a second doughnut out of the box beside Tia. She opened it and found it empty. Looking up at the white alicorn, Cadance gave her a half-lidded stare and said, “Auntie, that was a box of twenty-four. It’s been less than ten minutes. I’m beginning to think you have a sweets problem.”

Celestia looked down with a blush, “Sorry…”

Cadance shook her head and glanced over to the six mares, “I’m heading down to Doughnut Joe’s to get some more. Anypony else want to come?”

The six of them eagerly nodded and joined her as she headed for the door. With a glance, she gave me a wink, and I smiled softly as I understood what she was really doing. Shining followed the group out as well, and as he stepped out the door, he looked over to me and gave a nod. Then he stepped out, closing the door behind him.

Those two will make great parents one day.

(Yeah, I bet they will.)

While the group stepped out to a place they found to be more comfortable, the little changeling snuck over to the top of my bed. She stood tall with her arms above her as she declared, “Justice will be swift; justice will be painful; justice will be delicious!” Her little form then jumped on me, and she snuggled the top of my head.

I instinctively shook, and she slid down the front of my head and landed on my chest. I looked down at her, and she looked up at me. She gave me the biggest puppy-dog eyes I had seen since coming to Equestria. I smiled and said, “Oh, that's not fair, that's not fair at all! How am I not supposed to love you when you look at me like that!?” I wrapped the child in my arms and rubbed her mane.

The small changeling giggled at my comment, and then she gained a mischievous grin, “You're going to love me!” she stumbled forward and planted her face against my chest in a hug.

I let her stay like that for a moment before I picked Pennilia up and held her above my head. She threw her arms out like she was an airplane. I smiled and looked at the nymph, “Well, despite the circumstances and all the collateral damages, I’m glad I got to meet you, Penny.” As soon as the words left my mouth, the small changeling gave me a grumpy stare.

“Hey! I didn't damage anything!”

This time, all of the others in the room began laughing, and the only one left to be confused was Penny. I set her down on my lap and proceeded to stroke her mane. She enjoyed the attention for a few moments, but then a thought seemed to come to her, and her big eyes went from happy to inquisitive.

Taking this as something I should pay attention to, I paused and waited for her to say what was obviously on her mind. After a few seconds of looking around, her mouth slowly opened, and she asked the one question that I didn’t even know I had been dreading.

“Why did you send mommy away?”

The room froze, and the nymph stared at me with her big cat-like eyes and proceeded to tilt her head to the side. With a drawn-out sigh, a saddened look came across my face. “Well, first off, I didn't want to send her away. But...” I looked over to my good friend and previous maid for some help. She nodded to my silent plea and trotted over to the side of my bed so she could talk to the nymph face to face.

“She sent mom away because she was protecting me.”

Pennilia turned her head to look at her older sister in confusion. “But why would she need to protect you from mom?”

Adorilin now looked sad, and her head lowered as she continued her explanation, “Because mom didn't agree with changelings and ponies living in peace.”

Immediately the child on my lap got an understanding expression on her face. And her questioning stare vanished, “Oh, so she was going to make an example out of you. Okay.”

Celestia, Luna, and I were in shock. In my lap, the little child spoke about her mother killing to teach as casually as she would talk about the weather. Had she been a little older, I would have pressed onto the matter, but there was always the possibility at this age, she just didn't understand what she said.

The nymph, bored of the conversation, turned to hop off my lap. Approaching the side, she eyed the ground with caution. After all, my bed was easily three times her height, and with her standing on top of it, that would make it four. She continued to stare for a few more seconds before she gave a sad sigh and turned to face me and the others with a sheepish expression.

“Um, help...” she said.

Once again, us older ones gave way to her cuteness and smiled brightly as some giggled at her pouting face. Leaning forward, I lifted her into my hooves and proceeded to hand Penny over to her older sister. While I was doing that, one of the wires attached to me came undone, and one of the monitors started going frantic.

Adorilin quickly took her sister with her magic and placed her on the ground. And I fought with the wires trying to stop the loud noise before the doctors took notice. The room’s door clicked open, and thankfully before it moved any further, an emerald light flashed in the corner of my vision. The light reassured me that Adorilin was back to being Lillybreeze, and I felt a sense of tension leave me.

The door opened, and a stallion with a white coat and a stethoscope around his neck walked in. His head snapped towards the monitor, and he walked toward it. He quickly got all the wires back into their intended places, and then he turned around and looked at the filly in the room. His grumpy glare scared the disguised nymph, and she hid behind her sister's leg. Minuette stepped forward and looked the doctor in the eyes, “Dude, what’s your problem?”

He leaned forward to speak but then looked at the two princesses in the room. He held his tongue and stormed back out the door, muttering to himself about children playing with the equipment and whatnot.

The four of them stayed a little longer, but as they checked the time, they realized that they needed to leave soon, some to return to their duties at the castle, and others to run personal errands. Before they left, I thanked them for passing by along with Tia and Lulu. When Penny realized it was time to go, she looked at her sister with a frown and chirped, “Aww, but I didn't get my revenge yet.” And she leaped for my bed.

Lilly shook her head, rolled her eyes as she caught the kid in the air before she could reach me. “Come on,…” She said, as she lifted her little sister onto her back. The nymph grunted and bumped her forehoof against the proto-queen’s back.

As the group walked over to the door, Penny sat up on her sister's back, and she looked at me shaking her arm, “Mark my words! I will get my snuggles!” She shouted.

I laughed. She was just too damn cute for her own good. Waving as they left the room, I called out and said, “I look forward to it, Penny, bye-bye.”

“Bye.” She waved back and then leaned her body on the back of Lilly’s neck. Then they disappeared from view.

Author's Note

Hey all, the chapter's a bit short because I cut it in half, still working on the other section. Either way, I hope you all enjoyed it. 👍

Chapter 5: Wayward Negotiations.

Chapter 5: City Charade

Since when am I Faust?
Chapter 5: City Charade

It was nearing the end of the twelfth hour of the night, and as it drew to a close, the soft glow of sunlight began to shine just beyond the horizon. One by one, the birds around Canterlot began to wake. Fluttering through the air, they chirped and sang, letting out a musical tune as they greeted the dawn with their song.

It was around this time that the royal guards would switch shifts. While the sun began to rise into the sky, Celestia emerged from the shadows of the dawn. She ran in a hurry towards the castle gate. When she got close, her form came to a stop in front of Luna and Cadance. The two were waiting expectantly for the eldest alicorn, who was a little out of breath. Celestia breathed out, "Okay, that was too close, but I don't think Elayne saw me."

With a firm tone, the Lunar Princess suggested that they head out immediately, and Celestia quickly agreed. With a nod, the three princesses turned towards the gate and began walking. Tia's steps were slow and drawn out, and she struggled to stay awake.

Over the past week, Celestia hadn’t received a moment’s rest. Upon returning to Canterlot castle, the solar princess almost fainted when she saw the amount of paperwork waiting for her. The stack of papers covered her desk and dwarfed the size of Philomena’s cage. Much to her dismay, she spent the last few days working through the paperwork. She had to work both day and night to get through it, and when she did, she celebrated with a victory cheer. Later, during the same day, she learned that there was a three-week-long waiting list for Daycourt, to which she screamed out in frustration.

Luna didn't get a break either. Over the past few weeks, the residents of Canterlot were plagued with nightmares. Almost all of them were of the changeling swarm invading Canterlot. The sheer number of ponies who experienced such nightmares had her running through the dream realm like a mad mare. And as morning came, the lunar princess wanted nothing more than to rest. She was mentally exhausted, and she frequently yawned as she went about her day. With a curious glance, she looked over at the pink pony walking alongside her.

Cadance was trotting along with a skip in her step and a smile on her face, humming a happy tune to herself. She was inspecting her camera, making sure that it was in perfect working order. She polished the lens and then double-checked to make sure that she had brought enough film with her. With all her preparations complete, Cadance looked up towards the two sisters and asked, "So, who's Elayne?"

The Royal sisters, who were struggling to keep their eyes open, straightened up as they visibly shuttered. Just the mere mention of the pony's name was enough to raise the anxiety in their hearts. As the trio passed through the gate, a door could be heard slamming open in the distance. A moment later, the words, "Oh, there you are!" cut through the courtyard.

Celestia and Luna stopped as a chill ran through them, and the fur on the back of their necks stood on end. With strained movements, Tia and Lulu slowly turned to look back at the castle. Their eyes widened in horror as the dreaded secretary pushed up her glasses, causing them to shimmer. Elayne opened her saddlebags and pulled out a quill and a checklist.

Cadance smiled and waved at the pony, but the royal sisters looked at each other with worry. With a silent nod, Tia and Lulu turned to the waving pink pony. Grabbing her by the hoof, Celestia knelt and whispered into Cadance's ear, "Run!"

"What?" That was all the dumbfounded Princess could say before she suddenly found herself being pulled along by Tia. At seeing the trio suddenly run away, the secretary gave chase. She was desperate to hold them to the schedule she had planned out.

Following the three, Elayne ran into the city streets, waving her schedule back and forth as she called out to the Princesses. "Wait! You'll be late for the first appointment!" She shouted, but the Princesses didn't slow down. Instead, they seemingly sped up, and Elayne continued calling after them as her loud shouts echoed through the city streets.

Unfortunately for the secretary, she was not built to run very far, and she soon lost sight of the Princesses. As they disappeared from view, the secretary groaned as she looked down at her schedule. With a huff, she took out her quill and began trying to rearrange the appointments.

A couple of minutes later, from the perspective of a narrow alley, Elayne's form quickly trotted past. Celestia and Luna huddled against the wall, and they held their breath. Luna also covered over Cadance's mouth in an attempt to keep her quiet. The tension they felt began to fade, and as they keenly listened, no sounds hinted to the secretary's return.

Sighing, the two sisters felt a bit of stress lift off their shoulders. Luna let go of Cadance's face, and the pink pony furiously wiped the debris of dirt from Luna's hoof off her face. Grumbling a little bit, she looked at the other Princesses and grumpily asked, "What was that all about?"

Luna lowered her head slightly, "Sorry, Cadance, but for our plans to work, we needed to lose her. Had she caught up to us, she would likely give us work to complete while we were out."

The pink pony rolled her eyes as she held back a smile. "Oh, come on, auntie Luna, it can't be that bad."

"No, it's worse," Celestia said with a jolt, and Cadance looked up at the white mare. Then she noticed that the alicorn had lines under her eyes, and they were bloodshot from a lack of sleep.

Celestia shook her head, embarrassed by her sudden outburst. She stood back up and smiled softly at the pink pony as she gave a little yawn. "Elayne is a sweet pony, and she is good at her job. But she's a little too zealous when it comes to clearing her schedules. I- I just needed a break."

Cadance nodded, "Okay, that makes sense." She said, getting up and dusting herself off. Then she began walking down the alleyway. Looking back at the other Princesses, she laughed as they nodded off slightly. "Come on, let's go!"

The two sisters Lifted their heads and quickly followed after the mare. Walking onto another roadway, the three of them began heading in the direction of the hospital. Some of the residents who had already woken up looked on in awe, and confusion, as they spotted the three Princesses stroll through town.

A nearby clocktower began to ring, and Luna looked up, nudging her sister. With an understanding glance, Celestia nodded and lit up her horn. Beside her, the lunar princess did the same, closing her eyes and feigning deep focus.

The two sisters took the opportunity to rest their eyes. Up in the night sky, the moon was slowly enveloped in Luna’s magic. It turned blue in hue, and it began to drop down below the horizon. As the moon fell in the west, in the east, the light of dawn gradually grew within a minute, and a half Equestria was under the full light of day.

Afterward, they continued on their way, but soon after the sun rose, their ears perked up as somepony yelled, "Look out!" The three princesses lifted their heads and looked around, but there was nothing. Then, the trio suddenly caught a glimpse of a red-maned mare. She shot past and narrowly missed the tower. Tapping it on her way past, the pony threw her forelegs out and shouted. "Wooo!" Then she sped off as she began laughing to herself about something.

Celestia and Luna looked at each other with wide eyes, and with a stunned expression, Tia lifted her hoof and pointed at the sky, asking, "W-was that, mother?..."

Luna breathed out with a grunt and nodded her head with a faint smile. "Yes, sister, I believe it was..."

Looking up into the sky, Cadence scrunched her muzzle and silently pulled out her camera. She waited for a good shot, but then a stray thought caught her mind. She turned her head to look at the sisters and asked. "Didn't the doctors say that she needed to keep from flying so her wings could heal properly?"

The two sisters visibly twitched at hearing her question, and they simultaneously snapped their heads up towards the flying mare. "Mom! Get back here!" They shouted, then they took off running after her.

The regal mask that the ponies had come to know vanished, and they simply became two daughters chasing after their mischievous mother. Several residents getting things ready for the day exited their homes only to be confused at the sight of the two sisters running through the streets shouting at the sky.

If that wasn't enough, a sudden flash of light caught the resident’s attention. They looked over to the source only to find Princess Cadance fiddling with her camera. The pink mare clicked the flash button off and then looked up to see the other Princesses had left her behind.

Down the street, the two sisters unfolded their wings and prepared to take flight. As they took to the skies, Cadance's eyes widened as she stumbled with her luggage as she pulled her wings out from under her saddlebag. Running after the two, she called out, "Hey! Wait for me!"

It was the beginning of the first hour of the day, and I found myself watching Lauren speed through the streets. The restless mare had been struggling with staying inside for the past few days, and I finally agreed to her plea's to get some fresh air. Now that she was out, the alicorn darted in between houses and narrow streets. Stretching her limbs out, she gave a cheerful smile and asked me, "(So, what do you think, Alex?)"

This is both awesome and terrifying! Came my immediate response. If there were some sort of seatbelt or safety bar, I’d be holding onto it for dear life, but a wide grin would undoubtedly be covering my face.

She laughed as she detected the nervousness in my voice and nodded, "(Make sure to take notes, kid, because your flying lessons aren't going to be easy.)"

Really? You're going to teach me how to fly!? My excited voice echoed through our mind.

The alicorn grinned at my enthusiasm. "(Sure thing, but a fair warning, I'm a strict teacher.)"

Pfff, I don't care! I get to learn how to fly! I mentally did a happy dance, and the alicorn rolled her eyes at my childish behavior. As we neared the middle of the city during our morning flight, the alicorn’s eye began to twitch. Her vision became more strained, and a shared sense of alarm flowed between us.

Time limit? I asked.

Lauren gave an irritated grunt, “(Yeah, It would seem so. Sorry Alex, but I have to switch with you again.)”

With a disappointed sigh, I said, So I take it our chances of them not knowing we snuck out, are?...

“(Absolutely zero.)” The alicorn deadpanned.

Yeah, I figured... Ugh, we are so getting a three-hour lecture when we get back, aren’t we?

“(... Probably.)” Lauren shrugged. With a sudden change in our plans, Faust steered us to the right and dropped down between two buildings. Upon landing, the soft clacking of our hooves against the cobblestone echoed through the corridor. Looking around with a cautious glance, Lauren checked to make sure no one was around.

Once we knew that we were alone, she lit her horn. The reddish-orange glow lit up the narrow street, and the brightness grew like a flame. A moment later, there was a soft magical poof, and the glow of our horn went with it.

What was that? I asked.

The alicorn shrugged, “(Just a simple spell to make us look like a pegasus.)" She said this while walking towards a nearby window showing me our reflection. I looked us over, and sure enough, our horn was gone. While looking into the glass, the alicorn’s eyes began to twitch, and she gave a drowsy smile. “(Well, it looks like I’ve reached my limit for a bit, mind taking over?)”

"Sure thing," I said and then shook my head in surprise as I realized she had already given me control. Lauren had been really straining herself to stay with it while we were in the air, but on a side note, she was able to retain control for several minutes longer. So that was a plus. Still surprised at my reflection, I reached up and felt the appendage on my head. I pulled my hoof down and looked at it. “That’s so cool.”

(Thanks.)

I headed out, hoping to get back before our absence was discovered. Reaching the end of the alleyway, I had to stop and shield my eyes from the bright light. My eyes quickly readjusted, and as they did, I let out an inaudible gasp. Canterlot was a wonder in terms of architecture, and the fairytale sights were captivating. Like a tourist, I walked along with a wide-eyed expression and a curious smile. This was my first time visiting the city, and it was every bit what I was hoping to see. Lauren had been complaining to me about being confined to the hospital room this whole time, yet, now that we were out, I was probably enjoying it more than she was. I had been in Equestria for a little over a month, yet, this was my first time truly seeing the world I now found myself in.

Unfortunately for me, it didn't take long for me to get lost as I aimlessly wandered through the streets. Walking along, I passed by a bank, and a little further down the main street, I passed by what looked to be Canterlot's City Library. I gave a quick smile as I passed by as I wondered just how much time sparklebutt had spent her life in that building. Following the roadway, I soon found myself to be walking through a shopping district. Although it was still quite early in the day, it was already bustling with activity.

“Free samples, come get your free samples!” A voice called out, and my ears perked up as I heard that precious word. The promise of free food was always a nice one, but it also brought me a sense of hunger that I hadn't noticed until now.

I glanced around and spotted a food stand not too far away from me. Standing there was a young colt working with an older pony. It was most likely his father, and he had the job of calling out to attract customers. Unfortunately for him, most of the city ponies were in a routine of ignoring the sounds around them, and they continued on their way unaware.

While I stood a little ways off, I gave a curious smile and headed over. They had small skewers displayed on the tray of samples; they had mango slices and strawberries stacked on them. And they all had a light dusting of icing sugar on them.

Standing close by, I caught a whiff of the sweet snack, and my mouth began to water. I longed for something good, something sweet, really anything other than hospital food. Honestly, out of all the things that it could have been, why was bad food at a hospital an undeniable fact of the multiverse?

As I asked myself that question, I suddenly felt the urge to look up, and that's when I noticed that the colt had spotted me eyeing the snacks. He picked a skewer up in his magic and held it out to me, asking, "Would you like to try one, miss?" My ears twitched as I realized I had been caught, and with a sheepish smile, not thinking too much, I grabbed the skewer in my magic and thanked him sincerely. I then walked away without much more to be said, and the colt went back to work.

He called out, looking for others to try the treat, but then, a moment later, he turned around with a confused expression. Looking down the street, he tried to see the red-maned pegasus, but the mare was nowhere to be seen. "How did she do that?"

A little ways away, I walked into a round courtyard and sat down on a nearby park bench. Grabbing the skewer with my hoof, I gave it a try. It was very sweet, and the snack disappeared too fast. With a shrug and a disappointed frown, I tossed the stick in a nearby trash-can.

Reclining on the park bench, I looked at the bustling city around me as it came to life. The majority of ponies were out and about now, and I couldn't help but find the whole sight somewhat entertaining.

Through the street, I spotted a mare leading a group of children through the crowd of ponies. She was a green pegasus and sounded young. The group headed closer to me and stood a little ways away as they looked in my direction. The mare leading the kids then threw her hoof out in front of her and said. "Now, students, this is a very important pony. Does any pony who it is?"

I suddenly felt quite self-conscious and began looking around in confusion. Curious, I looked to the side, and out of the corner of my eye, I was a little surprised to see a statue of a mare in the center of a water fountain. Turning in my seat to look at the sculpture properly, I noticed it was an alicorn standing on her hind legs. Her head was looking down, and a somber expression was on her face. It stood at nearly twenty feet tall and had a large base. The statue looked familiar, very familiar...

I turned, facing forward again as I asked my passenger. Hey Lauren, is that you?

(I think it is...)

I took another glance at the tall, slender statue and then looked down at myself and my average height. I smirked and whispered."Wow, you got short in your old age."

'(Hey! I didn't get short. I just expelled most of my magic getting here. I was as tall as Tia before I met you.)'

So... You're like a balloon?

(I am not a balloon!)

I began to laugh, You're a magical pony balloon!

(I am not.)

Hey, if you take in too much magic, do you pop?

(Will you stop already.)

Using her admin privileges against me, the alicorn took over and bonked our head with her hoof. A moment later, I sat there holding my aching head as I gave a sheepish grin. "Sorry, ma'am."

In response, she gave an amused grunt, and I shook my head with a faint smile. Glancing back at the class of students, I listened in as they tried to guess who the statue represented. The colts and fillies threw out several guesses, but none quite hit the mark. Rather than a specific name, they would come up with generalities such as hope, harmony, rulership, and so on. The teacher clapped her forehooves together and thanked the students for their guesses. "Yes, all excellent answers. However, this statue is a representation of one particular mare. She is known throughout history as the Fausticorn."

(Faust-i-corn? That's what they're calling me?)

With a shrug of my wings, I glanced to the side, whispering, "Well, I mean, it kind of fits." I didn't get any response, but a wave of embarrassment washed over me.

Listening to the lesson, the teacher continued, "Some say that she’s the mother of the royal sisters, but no pony has been able to confirm it. Others say she was a contemporary of gusty the great. But one thing we do know is, according to the records of Starswirl the Bearded, she was the sole pony responsible for Equestria being what we know today."

As we listened, I found myself intrigued, curious about what musty have happened in the past. Then my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of laughing coming from the recesses of my mind. What's up?

(Haha! Starswirl finally grew a beard!) Came the giggling pony's response, and I shook my head, rolling my eyes with a smile.

The teacher then reached into her saddlebags and pulled out what looked like a camera. Pulling a tab at the corner, she wound the film roll inside and took to the air as she looked through the viewfinder. "Okay, class, everypony smile at the camera."

The class collected together and looked towards her with smiles stretched across their faces. Seeing that she wasn't going to be in the shot, I got up without really thinking and approached the mare. "Excuse me," I said, and the pony looked up from her camera. “Would you like me to take the picture for you?” I asked.

The teacher glanced at me with a bemused expression, and then a look of gratitude crossed her face as she realized what I was asking. “Oh, thank you,” She said, then gave me her camera. Running over to stand with her class, the pegasus joined the shot, and I quickly looked the device over, being that it was an older style model than what I was used to. Figuring it out, I aimed the shot and instructed the ponies to get closer together.

When I had everyone in the shot, I put my wing up as if to say, okay, stay there, then began counting. “Three... Two... One.”

Click!

The ponies let themselves relax, and the teacher made her way over to me to retrieve her camera. As she approached me, her head tilted slightly, and she said, “You know, you look so familiar to me.”

I raised my eyebrows, "I do, do I?"

"Yes, but I can't put my hoof on it. Do I know you from somewhere?"

"Yeah, I think maybe you do..." I said, giving back the camera. She gave me a confused frown as she continued trying to place me. I smiled, then turned to leave. I spun around, and, taking a step forward, I bumped into an agitated Luna. With a startled gasp, the teacher and her students quickly bowed, as did the rest of the ponies standing around us. Following the crowd's example, I bowed and gave my respects.

As I kept my head low, I felt the princess's gaze burn into me. She let a moment pass, then she stated, “Your disguise is pathetic. You only hid your horn.”

Oh, crap! Standing up, I looked at the princess with a sheepish expression and rubbed my fore-hoof against the other. "Hehe, hi Luna." My sudden casual demeanor caused the ponies around to look on with confused expressions, and they watched in anticipation as the Princess stared down the red-haired 'pegasus.'

“Yes, hello, It's so nice to see that you are getting your rest and are recovering comfortably." Her tone was slow, calm, and collected, and somehow it frightened me.

Straightening up, I looked around nervously, "Yes, rest... You know I heard that fresh air is perfect for one's recovery..."

Luna raised an eyebrow. "Oh, is that so?" She took a step forward, and I took a step back. Glancing to either side, I spotted Celestia and Cadance walking towards us with drinks in their grasp, and they shared startled expressions upon spotting me.

Onlookers became intrigued at the scene playing out before them, and my ears folded back in embarrassment. "Yeah, I-I also heard that running is good for one's health too..."

“Really?” The princess hardened her gaze, and I scrunched up my muzzle.

Then, with a sudden jolt, I turned and began running. As if on cue, Luna launched forward and tried to bite at my tail, but she missed. I managed to make it into the crowd of stunned ponies. My small form swerved quickly in between them. But then, a blue Alicorn parted through the ponies like walking through tall grass, and she said in an irritated tone, "Mom, you get back here right now!"

"No! Don't make me go back to that boring place!" I begged as I swerved through the crowds of ponies. Some protested as I pushed past them, but others merely stared in shock as the Princess chased after a pony. In my attempts to escape my coming doom, I turned a sharp corner and dove into an alleyway. While I ran through the center, Cadance and Celestia walked into view at the other end.

Jumping up, I ran on one wall and then hopped to the other as I vaulted over the two. The Princesses simply watched, drinking their shakes as I went past.

Luna had to skid to a stop to avoid running into the other two, and she glanced at her sister with an irritated frown. "Tia, will you please, stop stuffing your face and help me!"

The solar princess took a sip from her drink and then let out a sigh. "Oh, alright."

She lit up her horn, and a moment later, from down the street, a shout of, "Oh, that's bullshit!" echoed between the buildings. The alicorn in disguise was then forcefully dragged back to the group. "Ow ow ow ow! At least don't drag me by my mane~."

Thankfully she listened to my complaint, and Tia tossed me up into a bubble of her magic. I floated above the Princesses with crossed forehooves and a grumpy frown on my face. Looking down at Celestia, I grumbled. "You cheated,"

To which, Tia looked back at me. She took a sip from her drink, then stuck her tongue out, saying, "You never said there were any rules."

"Aww, man."

They dragged me back to the hospital, and the doctors checked over me for any further injuries. Thankfully there were none, and they had me discharged within the hour. By midday, I stood back in my room. I took in a deep breath, filling my nose with the scent that the room had come to know and love. It was a smell of parchment and expensive woods. I took a moment to acknowledge how comforting that mix had become to be.

Tia and Lulu were with me, walked past, and crawled into my bed. Their exhaustion finally catching up with them. Somehow seeing them like this seemed relatively peaceful, and I couldn't help but wonder what those two were like when they were fillies. The thought made me smile, and somehow I knew my co-pilot was smiling too. I laid down and took an afternoon nap as well.

It only seemed like a few minutes passed, but the sound of a click at the door. It woke me up, and I cracked an eye open, only to see the doors of my room burst open. I watched as thirty or more servants flooded into the room. “Your highnesses, you must get up! you need to be ready!” One servant announced. Their maids practically swarmed the two Princesses; the poor alicorns didn't even get to wake up before they were dragged out of bed. Both of them made a loud thud as they fell onto the floor. Sets of one or two unicorns straightened them up in their magic, and their royal regalia was slapped onto them. I watched, horrified by the swarm. They tossed the two half-asleep Princesses into two oversized chairs they had brought with them and then began their makeup attack.

I was so thankful that I hadn't been singled out yet, and I had no intention of being part of this. So while the maids were distracted, I scampered off the bed and found a spot at the end of the room. Unfortunately for me, all the doors and windows seemed to be blocked by the vast number of makeup artists. So I hid at the corner of the room, hoping that I'd remain unseen. I was confused. What was with this all of a sudden? Why were we getting ready? What was it for? I was so focused on the unanswered questions that laid in my mind that I didn't even notice my three attendants push their way into the room. They had a large suitcase with pictures of hairbrushes and other makeup products with them, and as soon as I saw it, dread-filled my heart.

"Oh, no." I glanced over the group swarming over the solar and lunar Princesses, and my heart skipped a beat in fear. Outwardly I did my best to hide any sense of discomfort, but it still didn't stop the hair on my neck from standing up. Along with a very goofy-looking changeling as she tried to hide her amusement. My expression may have been too easy to read for her to need to taste my emotions. To my relief, when they opened the bag, it was literally just a comb and a blow dryer. That, I could handle. But if there were any chance of me looking like Rarity when she gets all caked up in face products, I'd be running for the hills. So sitting down at the desk that Lauren had introduced herself to me at, I willingly let Minuette do my hair or mane, much to her enjoyment. It seemed that ever since I first met her, she was constantly glancing up at my messy hairdo. Perhaps this would make her happy. Still, though, what was this all for?

After a few minutes of pondering the question, I gave up on trying to figure it out myself and decided to ask Lyra in a hushed voice, “So, what's going on?” Quickly making a mental note, I noticed that I'd need to practice whispering in this body. Because as soon as the question left my mouth, a sense of tension hung in the air. It wasn't so much from my attendants but rather from some of Celestia’s makeup ponies. They turned unanimously towards my direction, and some glared at me harshly. It was as if they thought I was the most insensitive person on the planet.

What did I say?

(I don't know.)

One pony stepped forward, her face failing to hide any trace of disgust. “It's Cadence’s wedding day!” The pony said. Her tone was filled with contempt, and there was a sense of nobility in her voice that I noticed. Because the way she talked reminded me of a stuck-up ass. The room went silent. Those who had seen me, and have heard of me, turned in fright as they waited for some type of judgment to occur. And I waited along with them in anticipation. Because at that moment, I could feel Lauren take control, it seemed almost out of reflex on her part. She turned to the pony and gave a shallow smile.

“(Oh, I was uninformed. Thank you, young one).” She said. Her answer was clear and sweet. But for some reason, the others in the room refused to make eye contact. They vigorously continued to work, doing so as if they were trying to avoid getting noticed. Perhaps it was not so much the words she spoke but what she said with her eyes.

Someone needs a coffee. I teased but got no response. Instead, I found myself suddenly in control again. Turning back, I looked at my reflection. Minuette had just finished doing my hair. I still preferred the other way, but at the same time, I had to admit, she did a damn good job. While looking in the mirror, Lyra brought over a white box with crimson trim and set it on the table. Minuette and Lillybreeze went to open it, but when they did, they gasped in surprise. Both stepped back with grins on their faces, and I soon found myself lured in by my curiosity. Confused about what seemed to shock them, I walked over to see what it was. When I looked in, my nerves spiked, I was dreadfully hoping no one saw me blushing because it was severely embarrassing.

Inside the box, there was golden regalia with Faust's cutie mark. You ever have one of those moments when you're dying inside but can't show it because everyone else doesn't see the whole picture. That's how it was for me at that moment. Looking over at Lillybreeze, I could see a wide smug smirk stretching across her face again.

Fricken changelings, they pick up on every emotion.

(Aww, what's wrong, Alex? Is it too girly for you?)

Shut up, you old lady!

That struck a nerve, and we started to argue. The two of us were spouting nonsense and insults at each other. A vast internal war within our own mind. It must have looked odd from everyone else's perspective because I was fairly sure we had a blank stare into space right now. Unfortunately for me, I kept on forgetting that I was up against an experienced trickster, and I often fell for her traps. In this instance, she used the argument to focus on her and not the outside world. Lifting the objects out of the box and putting them on, she managed to slip everything into place as I continued to insist that we'd never wear it. It took me a second to notice she had once again taken control and was prancing around as if to get back at me.

I was both appalled and severally impressed that she managed to do that. Inside, however, I was struggling with the thought. I wanted to rip off the stupid crown and toss it to the side. On the other hand, part of me knew that would only make things worse. It was clear that a lot of effort was put into making these things, and the more I inspected the new outfit, the more guilt I felt for feeling ready to throw it aside.

I looked over to my three friends and gave them a warm smile, “Thank you all; please let the pony who made this know that I'm thrilled with it.”

(It's a miracle! He's becoming a mature human!)

Don't push it, Faust!

“Will do, Lauren,” Lyra said as she gave a salute before trotting or pushing her way out of the room in search of the artist. Looking at myself now, I was pretty much done other than a few small things. For some reason, it seemed as if for a single moment, everypony stopped making noise. And that's the time my stomach decided to growl in hunger. Honestly, why do things always work out like that? It's as if some idiot with no storytelling skill was in charge of these events. The ponies simultaneously turned to find the source of the sound, and they found me. They took their time staring. All as if they had seen an anomaly for the first time. “What!? I missed dinner last night, okay...” I tried to defend myself from their relentless gaze but to no avail.

Lillybreeze tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I wanted her to bring some food from the kitchens. I smiled and gave a quick nod. Little did I know how much I would have liked her to stay.

Not even two minutes after she left, a filly ran through the doorway. She and then erupted in a burst of green flames, and Pennilia jumped towards me. “Law-wen! You’re back!” She cheerfully said. A moment of silence passed as all the servants paled.

“I-I-It's a Changeling! Run!” One maid shouted. Mass panic among the servants spread quickly, and they all began to run around aimlessly as they screamed at the top of their lungs. The vast mob of chaos was so distracting that I almost didn't notice the nymph had run up to me and bonked me on the nose with a jump.

“Catch me if you can!” She taunted.

Now I know the proper thing to do would have been to calm down the servants and keep order in the castle, but... well, I'm not one to resist a challenge, nor do I ever do the proper thing. “Oh, it's on!” I exclaimed, and I jumped out of my seat and ran out of the room after the little rascal.

As we were running through the halls and acting childish, Pennilia kept on finding odd places to hide. Behind the curtains, on the ceiling, under the couch, and on my head. I don't even know how she managed to pull that one-off, but somehow she made herself almost weightless. Once the chase was on, but this time as we traveled through the halls, the commotion we were causing didn't go unnoticed. Two guards came at us with their spears drawn and a slight look of fright in their eyes. “Stop right there!” They commanded me.

The nymph and I stopped as they said, and I looked at the determination in the guard's eye. Deciding to play dumb, and I leaned against the wall with a nonchalant attitude. “Hey, what's up?”

The guard snarled. “Tell us what you have done, you beast!” He moved the spear forward to try to intimidate me.

I looked around with a dumbfounded expression on my face. Finding no other people or ponies for them to be talking to. I turned back to them. “You mean me?”

“Yes!” The guard answered. His friend closed in with his spear held ready. “Now, Changeling, tell us what you have done with the Princess's mother!”

I couldn't get the look of ‘what the hell’ off my face, and I'm sure neither could my counterpart. “(I'm right here, dipshit.)” She said. But It was safe to say that they didn't believe her. Instead, they tossed their spears against our neck.

“Don't play games with us. Do you think we're blind? I can see you scheming with your associate.” The guard took a glance down at the whimpering nymph, and I couldn't help but feel frustrated with his attitude.

With a mocking tone, I began to dramatically say, “Well, you've caught us. Playing tag with a child is obviously the evilest, most despicable, horrible thing I could do.” I finished off with my hoof over my head, emphasizing my performance.

The guard jabbed his spear forward, "So you admit it then!"

I dropped my arm and gave him a half-lidded stare, "You can't be that stupid..."

“They’re that stupid...” I said to myself, walking into the wedding hall. I had guards on either side of me, and Penilia sat on my back. We were both in shackles, and the guards led us in to present us to the Princesses. I glanced at the guests sitting in their seats and the wide-eyed shock that covered their faces. Twilight and her friends were stunned, speechless, and Luna was withholding her irritation at what she was seeing.

Bound and shackled in chains, the guards pulled me along and up to the stage. I looked off to the side as a blush of embarrassment passed through me. When Celestia caught sight of me, she put a hoof over her mouth as she tried to keep from breaking into hysterics. Holding back caused tears to appear at the corners of her eyes, and I gave a snort.

The two guards stepped forward and knelt in front of Tia's position on the stage. "Your Highnesses, we have found these two changelings in the castle. We have brought them here and are awaiting your command. What are your orders?" Shining Armor, who was standing in his position on stage, was on the verge of hyperventilating as he saw what his guards had done. Twilight was standing beside him, and she reached out, putting a hoof on his shoulder to calm him down.

With a bored expression, I leaned into view and said, “Yo, Shining, you mind helping me out with these morons?” I shrugged and motioned to Penilia on my back, "She's a bit scared right now." The said nymph curled up on my back and whimpered as she tried to hide in my mane. Her shackled hooves prevented her from getting a good grip, though.

The Captain was in the shakes as his frustration spiked, and his eye twitched. Gathering his wits about him, Shining put a hoof on his chest and breathed out, calming himself down like a certain mare had shown his sister. Sighing, he stood up straight and shook his head as he held a hoof against his head.

Looking down at his two troops, he said, "Thank you both for your efforts to try to keep the castle secure. I understand your position, although I am ashamed to say that you are both mistaken." The guards looked up at the Captain with confused expressions, then dread filled their souls as they realized what he was saying. Continuing his explanation, Shining said, "Under the authority of the royal sisters and Queen Faust, this nymph and her elder sister are here as refugees. They are no threat to us, and we are to treat them as everypony else. This was already covered in the meeting last week, so if you will, please release them."

The two guards looked back at me with fearful expressions, to which I smiled and waved my wing. They hurriedly ran over and began undoing the restraints. "We are so sorry!" They both said. I glanced up at Tia, who was obviously having fun with the ridiculous situations I always seemed to find myself in. Once Penny and I were free, the two guards almost ran out of the wedding hall. Their faces were beat red, and they took the shackles with them.

Shaking my head, I walked over and sat down beside Luna, placing the nymph in between us. The little cuddle bug looked up at the Princess and began playing with her mane. Luna smiled as she looked down at the curious child. A moment later, she wrapped the nymph in her wing. Penny let out a little chirp of glee, and then the ceremony began. Twilight looked over at her brother and adjusted his uniform with her magic. Then the birds began singing.

At the cue of the music, the doors to the wedding hall opened, and three crusaders skipped their way down the aisle spreading flowers around the room. Immediately after, everypony’s attention turned to the bride. Cadence walked with the music, almost dance with it. Her face shined a brilliant smile. Her eyes were purely locked onto Shining Armor and as she stepped onto the stage to meet him. Finally, after all the waiting, the two could now be married. Celestia teleported her cue cards away and thus began her part, “Dearly beloved, we are gathered here today to witness the union of Shining Armor and Princess Cadence.”

"Mares and gentlecolts, we are gathered here today to celebrate the union of the real Princess Cadance and Shining Armor. The strength of their commitment is clear. The power of their love, undeniable. May we have the rings, please?" Spike ran over and gave them the rings, and as they were placed upon their horns, Tia said, "I now pronounce you mare and colt, you may kiss the bride"

Shining and Cadence almost lept for each other as they shared their first kiss as a married couple. Confetti and sprinkles erupted from the ground, and Pinkie Pie was jumping for joy. Rainbow shot out of the window, and a moment later, the sky lit up with a multitude of colors, which was closely followed by a resounding boom.

I hadn't noticed it, but when Luna passed me a tissue, I realized I had been crying. I don't know if it was me or if it was my other half, but the tears and sheer joy I felt was something that made all the troubles from earlier worth it.

After the ceremony, when everyone was leaving for the reception hall, Tia walked out and spotted an out-of-breath pony standing not too far away from the double doors. With a sigh, the pony said, “I’ve been... searching for you... all day...”

Tia smiled at the pony. “Oh, hi Elayne, where have you been?” The secretary simply grunted and then collapsed in a heap.

Author's Note

Yes! It's done! THE CHAPTER IS FINALLY DONE!!! :raritycry:

You know what they say, ‘forty-second’ time's the charm. Thank you all for waiting, and for reading my story. I'll see you all next time. Till then, take care and stay safe!

Chapter 6: Through The Cavern.