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."

"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.