“Princess Cadance?” The annoying rainbow pony asked,

The Storm Weaver snorted, of course she was here.

“Rainbow Dash?” The amazing Cadance turned to look at her,

“Hey, how’s it going?”

“Hello. I’m doing good, what about you?”

With a huff, the Storm Weaver stepped away, despite its reservations against leaving Cadance, it didn’t want to deal with the ‘Rainbow Dash’ any more, especially if the pretty pink pony wasn’t going to shoo her away any time soon.

“I’m alright, just a bit surprised to see you here.”

“I could say the same…”

Their conversation faded into the rest of the crowd, leaving the Storm Weaver alone to do as it pleased. For the most part, Cadance had made it quite clear what it could and couldn’t do, meaning for now, the Storm Weaver would just wander.

Ponies, or more specifically pegasi, were everywhere, simply mulling around or going about their businesses. The Storm Weaver could feel every one of their steps through the cloud, it vibrated slightly with every little motion, in a crowd like this, the cloud was buzzing with activity. However that wasn’t the only way the worm could sense them.

They smelled… bad.

The sourness permeated the air, not enough to turn away, but it wasn’t very pleasant either. There was a reason the Storm Weaver typically didn't associate itself with ponies.

Nor did they taste very good.

Quite a few were staring, but the Storm Weaver couldn't care less. It just continued forward in search of something to do.

The smell of pony-food briefly overcame their stench, though the Storm Weaver was far from hungry. It had eaten a much better meal earlier, and pony-food always tasted off, lacking in substance, being too sweet or bland, and the miniscule proportions certainly didn't help either.

The Storm Weaver snorted, and moved past the food stalls. Somepony stopped to say something to it, though they were quickly ignored.

Ahead were some games, though they were pointless in the eyes of the disguised worm. It understood the concept of playing, just not in such a matter. Tossing objects at other objects, relying purely on chance, participating in gimmicks, and all for what? Some trivial prize? A sense of enjoyment over your own skills or luck? The Storm Weaver turned away, it didn’t want to play any games. Though… it could not remember the last time it even could play.

“Woah… Dude, nice costume.” A random pony stepped in front of the worm, stopping it.

It looked down at the fairgoer, tilting its head in confusion. Just as it was about to push past however, Cadance’s words echoed through its mind.

“I want you to at least try.”

The Storm Weaver grumbled, and began formulating a response. Speech was never an interest for it, while it could understand what the ponies were saying easily enough, it was responding that was difficult.

The pegasus in front of it made an exclamation; ‘woah’, then referred to the Storm Weaver as ‘dude’, a label of sorts. Finally, they commented on its ‘costume’, and the word ‘nice’ meant it was a compliment, no hidden messages detected.

What was a costume?

Cadance had said something earlier about a costume, and how this was a place where the Storm Weaver could get away with it. Was a costume something it took? Was it supposed to take something from this place?

No, there was a different meaning to her words. To get away would be to leave without repercussions, but to have done something that would incite them. Was a costume a deception? Were they deceiving the ponies here? If that were the case, then perhaps it would be best for the Storm Weaver to keep it up, so they could… get away. That meant it had to respond as if it did have a… costume.

“Thanks…” It responded, after a full minute of silently staring at the pegasus.

“Cool voice…” The pegasus said slowly, “I like it. It must’ve taken a long time to put that all together.”

The Storm Weaver clicked, of course the pony was continuing the conversation.

“Yes,” The worm answered, thinking, “Years…” So many years.

“Really?” The pegasus was taken aback, “Did you make it all yourself?”

Looking down at itself, the Storm Weaver clicked its mandibles together, “Yes.”

The pegasus drew closer, “Wow… What did you use? Foam? Wood? Plastic?”

Now they were asking about the material of its costume, the one it didn’t have. The Storm Weaver tilted its head, what was it made up of?

Blood, flesh, bone.

Happiness, sadness, anger, hatred.

Fear.

…Love…

What was plastic?

The pegasus was looking at it expectantly, so the Storm Weaver slowly nodded.

“Plas-tic.”

“Ah, that explains the smoothness,” The pegasus started walking around it, inspecting closer, “I see you’ve got a few knicks and scratches here and there, they look great, and your painting skills are amazing! I can’t see any brush marks or dull spots.”

“Thanks?”

“It doesn’t look very heavy either, though I guess on somepony as big as you it wouldn’t be. I like your prosthetics, I can tell you’re going for a very realistic look, points for accuracy too. Where’d you get your contacts? Wait!” They stopped rambling to gasp, “Are you using magic at all?”

“N-No,” The Storm Weaver carefully responded.

This was getting awkward, fast.

“What are you wearing underneath?” The pegasus asked, touching the worm on the side.

The Storm Weaver quickly pulled away, thinking of a way to end this.

“Oh sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. Is it insulated? Ventilated? Does it get hot at all? It must be awfully uncomfortable to have your wings bound underneath.”

“Goodbye.”

“What?”

“Good-” The Storm Weaver stopped, it had to say something before that to make sense. “I… have to… go.” It started again, “Goodbye.”

“Oh.” The pegasus said, stepping back,

The Storm Weaver huffed, then started to walk away.

“Wait! One more thing.” The pegasus called out, “Can I ask how you made your undersuit? It looks so seamless. Or your tail, how did you get it to look so life-like? It all looks…” They trailed off, “So real…”

The Storm Weaver turned around to stare at the pegasus.

“Goodbye.” It repeated,

“Hold on.”

It twitched.

“Who are you?”

The Storm Weaver tensed, “Goodbye,” It reaffirmed with a snort,

“No no no no no,” The pegasus shook their head, they stepped in front of the worm. “You need to tell me who you are.”

“No. I go. Goodbye.”

The pegasus did not move out of the way, instead it just stared the worm up and down. Their eyes widened.

“What are you…?”

The Storm Weaver lurched forward, slamming its two front hooves down in front of the offending pegasus. Immediately the air shifted, and the cloud around them trembled, every single pony nearby stumbled, then turned to stare at the display. The pegasus in front of the worm was knocked on their back, and they quickly scrambled to their hooves to get away. What was once a semi-private encounter now had an entire audience.

The deception was falling apart.

Cadance was going to be mad.

Whining, the Storm Weaver dragged a hoof across its muzzle. Then it shook its head, it could still handle this, it just had to… get away. The worm started forward briskly, the ponies ahead quickly getting out of the way. As long as it avoided the repercussions, then everything would be fine, and Cadance wouldn’t get upset at the Storm Weaver for messing up.

It stopped dead in its tracks.

It had messed up, it had affected the weather, after Cadance had expressly told it not to.

She was definitely going to be mad.

Picking up speed again, the worm continued through the crowds, the new faces barely paying attention to it in favor of wondering what had happened earlier. For the first time since it got here, the activity in the cloud settled to a stop, though the vibrations slowly returned in the next few moments.

The crowd thinned ahead of the Storm Weaver, and it followed the path of least resistance, making its way past ponies and stalls alike. Eventually it led to a clearing, with the edge of the platform visible just behind some… objects. There were hardly any pegasi around, with only a few individuals around.

The Storm Weaver slowed down, taking a moment to recuperate, it wasn’t used to moving like that. Then it spied its surroundings, making sure there were no angry Cadances or repercussions about. It would’ve sighed in relief, only for its eyes to land on the object in front of it.

Its helmet.

The worm froze, staring at its armor to make sure it was real. It carefully stepped forward, the visor seemingly staring back as it approached. It was effective, iconic, and useful, but the armor was never worn with pride. Even though it was only the helmet, it was what it represented that counted.

Servitude.

Letting out a long exhale, the Storm Weaver stepped closer, stopping right at the rope barrier. It doubted the helmet would even fit anymore, at least without changing first. The worm was glad to have shed it so long ago, for if it still had the armor today, it would only serve as a reminder of what is yet to come.

What is yet to come…

The Storm Weaver tensed, and its breathing quickened as it began to frantically look around.

There was no smoke, and more importantly there wasn’t any sign of master, there was only the ponies of the fair, and all they were doing was-

“There it is!” A call came from behind

The Storm Weaver growled as it turned around. The pegasus from earlier was approaching, along with several others, they came to a stop just in front of it.

“What are you and what are you doing here?” They wasted no time in starting a conversation.

The Storm Weaver grunted, the repercussions were here. Maybe it could still try to get away, though in a different manner than last time, the Storm Weaver would much rather deal with simple ponies than an angry Cadance.

What did she call this again?

“I… am…” The Storm Weaver began, “Learning experience.”

“Oh yeah? And what are you learning exactly?” The pegasus demanded,

The Storm Weaver tilted its head. Was it learning something? Maybe that’s what learning experience meant. Maybe it was supposed to take something from here after all. But what was it learning?

“Well?”

Ignoring the pegasus, the Storm Weaver went over all that it had been doing today. What was it supposed to be learning? It was walking around, talking, and acting like a pony, maybe that was it.

“Learning… how to…” It struggled to find the words, “Be… pony?” The worm tried,

“Oh?” The pegasus raised an eyebrow, “So what? You can pretend to be one and then eat us when you get the chance?” They turned around to get support from the others.

Apparently that was the wrong answer, as a few rallying cries came from the group of pegasi.

“No.” The Storm Weaver replied, frowning. It didn’t want to eat them, especially now, “Not… eat.”

“Yeah right, because you’re learning to be a pony just because you can.”

That answer seemed accurate.

“Yes,” it nodded,

“I don’t believe you.”

The Storm Weaver tilted its head, this pony had come to it, asked it questions, and it answered, what was not to believe? What did they want with it?

“You know what I think.” The pegasus continued, “I think you should leave, before things get messy…” They snorted, a few sounds of affirmation coming from their posse.

“Yes,” The Storm Weaver also agreed, “Goodbye,” and it simply walked past them.

Not even a second later the pegasus moved to stand in front of the worm.

“Maybe you didn’t hear me right,” They said, the rest of the group spreading out to surround it, “I said you should leave… the festival.”

The Storm Weaver stopped, and looked around at the pegasi preventing it from moving forward. They wanted it to leave the festival, a tempting choice, but then what would Cadance think? If it left now then she would be upset, even more on top of what she already would be.

“No.”

It stepped forward, though the pegasus did not move. Moving to the side towards a small gap, the Storm Weaver was thwarted once more as the group closed in around it. It clicked, pulling back towards the center of the encirclement.

It was a trap.

Though what could they do against it? They were all unarmed and unarmored, and even though it was seven against one, the Storm Weaver could kill them all, easily.

“You should reconsider.” The leader of the group said,

“And no hurting anypony either, that means keep your spines sheathed, or don’t have them at all, understood?”

Ignoring the pony once more, the Storm Weaver paused to think. It wasn’t allowed to hurt them, even if they were the aggressors, then it could only avoid them. The pegasi were making that difficult however, and as the Storm Weaver looked around at the seven surrounding it, it flexed its spines.

Cadance said not to hurt anypony, but she didn’t say anything about just touching or moving.

Sheathing its spines, the Storm Weaver moved forward once more, the ponies in front of it held their ground, only to be easily shoved to the side.

“Hey!” The leader shouted, “Stop that thing!”

Those that were behind quickly flew over, two landing up front with two more following on each side. They were hesitant to get physical as the worm continued forward, but they still drew closer and closer as they went.

A sudden pulling from behind caused the Storm Weaver to stop, and with a chirp of surprise it turned around.

“You’re not going anywhere,” The leader said, holding on tightly to its tail.

With a confused click it easily lifted the pony off the cloud, it took them a moment to register what happened, but by then they were already shaken off, and the Storm Weaver continued forward.

The two ponies up front stopped and held up their hooves, trying to block it once more. The Storm Weaver stopped, reached up with its own hooves, and pushed them away.

“Come back here!” One of them called out.

A moment later a pony landed on its back, wrapping their legs around its neck and awkwardly trying to wrestle it to the ground. With a screech the Storm Weaver stood straight up, then started trying to shuck the pony off. Another one came up on the side and latched onto its leg, spurring the whole group to try and dog pile the worm to the ground.

The Storm Weaver stumbled under the weight, but managed to keep standing. It grunted, then swung a leg out, knocking one of the pegasi off. Then it shook, forcing most of the others off as well, leaving just the one on its back. Reaching up, it pried the pony off of its neck and pulled them over its shoulders.

The pegasus scrambled up, looked up at the worm, cocked a hoof back, and slugged it in the face. The whole area fell silent, and the Storm Weaver rolled its jaw, unaffected by the blow. The pegasus however, winced and shook their hoof. The Storm Weaver then let out a low growl, causing the attackers to step back, except for the leader, who quickly ran up and bucked it in the side.

It stumbled, but didn’t fall, and a moment later the Storm Weaver snapped back at the pegasus, its mandibles coming dangerously close to their neck as it stomped down. They tripped backwards, falling square on their back, and the others struggled to find their footing.

It took the Storm Weaver a moment to realize what it just did, the stillness of the cloud returning once again.

It could no longer handle this.

Whining, the Storm Weaver ran past the now stunned ponies back towards the festival proper. The crowd readily got out of the way, most of which having just observed the confrontation.

“Hey!” The pegasus leader called out, attempting to follow the worm.

They were quickly lost in the crowd, the Storm Weaver quickly making its way through the festival, past the repercussions, past the staring bystanders, past the past with only one goal in mind.

It needed to find Cadance.

She could help, she could fix this. Even though she would be mad, it would be better to stop now than to make it worse later. The Storm Weaver just had to find her first, a pink pony in a crowd of vibrant and similar smelling ponies. It groaned, but continued forward nonetheless, at least Cadance was tall enough to stand out in a crowd.

Silence followed every step the Storm Weaver took. It seemed the festival had died, the ponies had all stopped what they were doing. Most, if not all, were staring at the worm as it went by. Whispers soon followed in its wake, and a couple ponies began to trail behind. If all those ponies wanted to confront it as well, then not only would it have to avoid them to please Cadance, but it would have to converse with them as well. Moving faster, eyes up and alert, the Storm Weaver tore its way through the crowd as it searched, a growing movement of pegasi behind it.

It wasn’t long before it was stopped, the crowd had come together to form a wall. The Storm Weaver paced around the clump of ponies, eager to pass through. Just as it was about to step in and force its way forward, it paused.

There was a child.

A small one, smaller than the two from before. It gazed up in awe at the Storm Weaver, a stuffed worm held in its hooves. The Storm Weaver, who’s hoof was hovering just above it, ready to step down at a moment’s notice, slowly pulled it back and tilted its head. They locked eyes, and stared at each other for a moment.

Of all the ponies, adolescents were the Storm Weaver’s most favorable. They always seemed so open and inclusive, and their shortcomings were always forgivable due to their lack of experience. Ignorant minds capable of unconditional love and unaware of the whole of reality.

How pitiable.

The little pony stepped forward, never breaking eye contact, it reached up, presenting the stuffed replica to the Storm Weaver. It carefully reached down and picked it up, inspecting it closely. Pink and purple fabrics were stitched together to form the body, with harder felt sewn on to make up the spines. Two beaded eyes stared outward aimlessly, giving the stuffed animal an odd look, though not entirely inaccurate.

A gift?

What was it supposed to do when it was given one of those again?

The Storm Weaver looked down at the pony and gave a crooked smile.

“Thanks…”

The child smiled back.

“Get away from that thing!”

The Storm Weaver whipped around, placing the stuffed animal on its back.

“Yeah! It’s dangerous!”

“It’ll hurt you!”

It was the pegasus from earlier, along with a much bigger group. They fanned out to block the Storm Weaver in against the rest of the crowd as it widened its stance. The child, spooked, scrambled between the worm’s legs and huddled under it. The action gave it pause, and did little to appease the forming mob.

“It’s got that kid!”

“Let them go!”

The Storm Weaver frowned, and tried to step away, but the little pony was adamant to stay underneath it. Clearly the others didn’t want it near the child, nor did it want to be near them either.

Ponies from the other side began to notice what was transpiring, and some joined in as they realized what was happening. The Storm Weaver turned in place, assaulted on both sides, it shuffled off to the side, the child refusing to break away as they moved. The crowd closed in around them, trapping them in the middle of the festival.

Snapping at any that drew too near, the Storm Weaver began looking for ways to alleviate the situation. Flying away was quickly becoming more and more appealing, but the consequences of doing so were ever present. Cadance was nowhere to be seen, which meant no easy way out either. It clicked rapidly, then looked down.

The child.

They were cowering underneath the Storm Weaver, shaking wildly and glancing around frantically. With a single motion, the Storm Weaver grabbed the pony and pulled them out in front of it. It then reached back, and the crowd grew agitated, only to calm a moment later as the Storm Weaver retrieved the plush from its back. It presented it back to the child, only for them to latch onto the worm’s leg.

It let out a surprised chirp, and the crowd went silent. The Storm Weaver moved its leg, yet the child remained wrapped tightly, squeezing the stuffed worm around it.

“No!” They protested,

“...Yes…” The Storm Weaver argued, “You… go.”

It held the child up, trying to get them to drop off. The crowd watched and waited, until one particular pony broke away to approach. Unabated by the situation, they reached forward and grabbed the child, pulling them away from the worm.

Something caught on one of its spines, and the plush tore as it was pulled away. The child dropped it, its stuffing spilling out across the cloud, a good amount of blood following after.

They screamed.

Cadance winced, “And then we showed up, and now we’re here.” She finished.

The worm gave a weak nod.

“Alright,” Cadance began, taking a moment to think, “I’m sorry.”

The worm tilted its head and chirped,

“I didn’t mean for it to go this way, what I told you and what I expected of everypony was wrong, so I want to apologize.” She answered, “You could’ve left at any moment, especially if things were this bad, and if ponies were attacking you first, then yes you could’ve defended yourself, even if it meant hurting them. Did you happen to see where the kid went after you-” Cadance stopped herself, “After the accident?”

The worm clicked and shook its head.

“Mmm…” Cadance pursed her lips, “Well I hope they’re alright, wherever they are.” She turned, “Hey Rainbow Dash,”

“Yeah?” She answered,

“What do you think?”

“Uh… I don’t know, I wasn’t really listening.”

“Not that,” Cadance said, “I meant what have you thought of so far?”

“Oh, then yes I’ve got something.”

“Go ahead then.”

“So, I know the worm has killed ponies, a lot of ponies, family members included. But I also know that he has saved ponies at the wedding and the empire. Yes he’s done bad, but also good. I mean we reformed Discord of all people, surely something like the worm is eligible for redemption.”

Cadance nodded, “You’ve got something there, we’ll just have to see if everypony else can understand that.”

“That’s one tall order.” Rainbow Dash said,

“But first.” Cadance continued, turning to the worm.

It tilted its head.

“You need a better disguise. We can’t have you standing out anymore, especially if everypony is going to be looking out for you.”

“How’s he going to do that?” Rainbow Dash asked,

“Well, he went from this to that already,” Cadance said, using her hooves to make a comparison. “Can you go smaller?”

The worm grumbled.

“Try.”

Magenta flames washed across its form, fading a moment later to reveal the same worm, only it matched Cadance in height.

“Keep going.” She commanded,

Another flash, and the worm shrunk further.

“Just a little more.”

More fire, and it was just barely taller than Rainbow Dash.

“Okay, that will work. Now we just need to get rid of your… features.”

“Pincers,” Rainbow Dash suggested,

Cadance nodded, “And spines.”

The worm blazed them away.

“Tail too,” Cadance said, stepping to the side to get a better view.

In a flash of fire it was gone, completely.

Cadance suppressed a smile, “No, you need a tail, make it like ours.”

The worm grunted, but complied, and a tail of scraggly hair poofed out of the flames.

“Good, now color. I have a feeling they’re going to be looking for anything pink.”

“Can you do green?”

“How about blue?”

“Yellow?”

“Orange?”

“Red and Black?”

Cadance frowned, and shot a look towards Rainbow Dash. “What about white? Try to blend in with the cloud,”

“What about a crowd?”

“Just try it.”

The worm clicked and erupted into flames again, they both watched as they extinguished, revealing an off-white carapace with only a twinge of pink and a slightly darker mane that retained a bit more of the worm’s original color.

“Looks nice,” Cadance commented, “Now all that’s left is your eyes.”

The worm blinked, then flashed once more, though its eyes didn’t change.

“Uh oh. Try again,”

Again, its eyes remained unchanged.

“One more time.”

A final flame, but the same pupilless, teal eyes never left.

“That’s going to be an issue.”

“What about this?” Rainbow Dash suggested, pulling out a pair of sunglasses, “Go for that albino look.”

“That’s hardly inconspicuous,” Cadance said,

“At least it’s not worm related,”

“Mm, you’re right, that might work.”

“Here,” Rainbow Dash passed the sunglasses over.

Cadance took them and carefully slotted them onto the worm’s face. It looked around cautiously as its view changed.

“Okay, now keep those on and stay with Rainbow Dash.”

She blinked, “What? Why? What about you?”

“I’m pretty sure everypony saw me up there with the worm.” Cadance explained, “I’m definitely going to be stopped and questioned, anypony with me will just be put under suspicion.”

Rainbow Dash nodded, “So what do you want me… or us… to do?”

“Wait here for a few moments, I’m going to go back up and hopefully draw everypony’s attention, then I want you two to head for the stage.”

“That’s on the other side of the festival!”

“I know, just… try to keep out of the crowd. I’ll try to meet you there so we can… make an announcement.” Cadance said, then she turned to the worm, “And if you get surrounded like that again, leave, I won’t be mad.”

The worm chirped,

“I know, but we can’t just leave without trying to make things right. I’m going up now, follow Rainbow Dash and listen to her if she tells you something. We’ll meet back up again soon.”

“Which way are you going?” Rainbow Dash asked,

Cadance looked around and pointed at the closest edge.

“There,” she turned around, “You two should go up over there after a minute, but if anypony drops down then just go.”

“Got it,”

They both nodded, then Cadance took a deep breath, jumping off the cloud a moment later.

“Catch you top-side,” Rainbow Dash called out after her,

Gliding over to the edge, Cadance flapped her wings to get up and over it, only to come face to face with somepony who was looking to do the opposite.

“Gah!” The mare stumbled back,

“Oh!” Cadance stopped, hanging off the edge of the cloud for a moment before pulling herself up.

She looked around, seeing that a majority of the crowd had made their way towards the edge, presumably to get underneath it.

“It’s you…” The mare said,

“Yes,” Cadance cleared her throat, “I am Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, can you tell me-”

“Where’s the beast?!” Somepony interrupted,

“Yeah! Tell us where it is!”

“It’s gone!” Cadance shouted, “I sent him away.”

“Where?!” Somepony else demanded, “I want to see that damned thing dead,”

“Me too!”

“Yeah!”

“EVERYPONY PLEASE!” Cadance called out, causing most, if not all of the nearby fair-goers to stop and gather around her. “If you would all just wait for a moment,” she continued, “I am going to make an announcement, and I will be addressing questions then.”

That seemed to please the mob for now, and with their attention now gathered, Cadance began leading them across the festival. It didn’t take long for those following to start asking questions again, though she ignored them, she had a speech to draft.

Off to the side, two figures crested the platform, and quickly began making their way towards the stage from the other side.

“Okay,” Cadance whispered to herself, “There’s the wedding and the empire, a thousand years in stone, weather machines maybe, and then…” She frowned, “Signus…”

Looking back, the mob had steadily grown as they traveled, those that were ahead quickly fell in line, and those that were behind most likely noticing the empty festival left in its wake. By the time they made it to the stage, nearly all of the festival was in attendance with a small amount trickling in every moment.

Cadance was off to the side of the stage, waiting for the band to clear off. Thankfully both them and the festival staff understood what was happening, and as the band worked the staff were keeping the crowd contained and non-violent.

There were a few torches, and there was one pony with a pitchfork, but it was quickly confiscated.

“We’re almost done,” One of the musicians said, “We left a mic up there for you.”

“Thanks,” Cadance nodded, not taking her eyes off the crowd.

This was hardly her first time addressing the public, even an angry public, however this time it felt a little more personal, on both sides.

Doing her breathing exercise, she stepped up on stage as the last of the band equipment was taken off. The crowd’s volume rose sharply as she appeared, there were some cheers, some heckling, and a lot of demands. Cadance continued towards the center of the stage, looking across the crowd, she managed to spot a cyan and a white figure close to the front, and did a double take.

Yes the worm didn’t look like itself, and yes its current look stood out in the crowd, but that was only because it was missing wings and a cutie mark. She nearly facehooved, how could they have forgotten something as simple as that? At least nopony else seemed to be noticing it.

Cadance came to a stop at the center of the stage, the whole festival eagerly awaiting her to begin. She tapped the microphone to make sure it was working, cleared her throat, and took a deep breath.

“Good afternoon pegasi of Cloudsdale,” She spoke loud and clear, “and any others that may be attending. It has come to my attention that there has been, and still is hostility in this festival.”

There were a few gasps of shock, though not as many as she was expecting.

“Allow me to preface this by saying that the sky worm this festival celebrates the defeat of one thousand years ago, is still alive.”

That elicited a much bigger reaction, a lot more gasps, but also quite a few boos. Cadance waited for the crowd to calm for a moment before continuing.

“As the caretaker of the worm, it is my responsibility to ensure not only that he does no harm, but that no harm comes to him.”

“Why are you protecting it?!” Somepony in the crowd demanded,

“I will be answering questions towards the end. I ask that you listen to what I have to say, as I may answer them in the process.” Cadance waited for a reaction, then continued when there was none, “I assume many of you know the general history of the worm, but that is not his whole story. Let me tell you how I know the worm…”

“I first learned of the worm when I was a little filly. Like many of you, I heard the story of a terrible sky worm that terrorized pegasi kind for three years, only to be stopped after a series of difficult battles. But that is not the whole story, nor where it ends. After being sealed in stone for a thousand years, it was only during my wedding and subsequent invasion of Canterlot that he was released. The first thing he did was come to my aid, and with his help, we managed to protect not only Canterlot, but all of Equestria from ruin.

“After that I learned more about him. I was scared at first, but over time I began to understand just what he is. We lived in Canterlot incident free, and when the Crystal Empire appeared a few months later, we were among the first to arrive and begin helping. Again, he was instrumental in the liberation of the empire I now rule. I cannot thank him enough, nor can the entirety of the Crystal Empire, and I know Canterlot appreciates him as well.”

Cadance concluded with a nod.

The crowd remained silent for a moment, processing everything she just said.

“So?! Are you expecting us to just forgive the worm after killing hundreds of pegasi?”

“I am not asking you to forgive him, I am only asking you to understand that he has changed. And yes, while he did kill many in the past, he has saved countless others in the present.”

“And what now?!” Another demanded, “This thing does good now so it can just walk around as if nothing’s happened? What of every single life this thing has taken? What do they get?”

Cadance sighed, “Do you have any idea what it’s like to spend a thousand years trapped in stone? To be thrust into an unfamiliar environment? To be fearful of not only for yourself, but for your loved ones as well? To be hunted by your own past? The worm has not gone unpunished for what he has done, and while you may not find that satisfactory, you will have to accept it.”

The crowd pondered her questions for a moment.

“Umm… Don’t you mean ‘haunted by your own past’?” Somepony asked,

“I do not.” Cadance said, “There are things from the worm’s past that are working against it, and I do not mean you.”

That sparked more activity in the crowd, and as she waited for them to calm back down, she made eye contact with the worm. She bit her lip, this wasn’t going as well as she hoped, but at least it wasn’t a disaster. Now she just had to keep it from becoming one.

“Come on up,” Cadance beckoned, speaking away from the microphone.

The worm tilted its head.

“It’s okay, just come up here.”

It began carefully stepping through the crowd, Rainbow Dash attempted to follow, only to stop as the worm leapt up onto the stage. It landed hard on the raised platform, the noise catching the attention of the rest of the crowd, they all watched as the white figure walked to stand next to Cadance.

“It shouldn’t come as a surprise to know that the worm is here, in the festival.”

There were a few gasps, but overall it remained quiet.

“This was supposed to be a learning experience, and I suppose we all learned something today. Do not be alarmed, the worm’s true form can be frightening.” She turned to it and nodded, “Go ahead.”

The worm gave a low chirp then erupted into flames. Ponies gasped as its form stretched and lengthened, quickly reaching the end of the stage and wrapping around behind Cadance. Giant mandibles shot out and its body swelled in size. When the purple flames died out, the worm took up most of the stage, hovering just above it.

Shock rolled across the crowd, and there were a few screams, but overall they remained collected.

“I want you all to look, and see that the worm is not the same as he once was. You do not have to like him, but I will not tolerate any aggression towards him, nor will I tolerate any unwarranted aggression from him. That is my guarantee.”

“How can you guarantee that?!”

Cadance looked in the direction of the demand, then she looked towards the worm.

“Sit.” She commanded,

The worm coiled up and set down on the stage.

“Lay down.”

The worm put its head down, flattening its curls against the floor.

“Speak.”

“C A D A N C E.”

“Does that answer your question?” She asked,

“Why does it listen to you?!”

“Because he loves me, and I love him.” Cadance didn’t miss a beat, “Coming from the Princess of Love who is married.” She paused for emphasis, “You should know what I mean. He’s saved me, and I’ve saved him. I trust him with my life, and I trust that he has changed. I give you my word that nothing like what happened one thousand years ago will ever happen again. Can all of you accept that?”

Silence, Cadance looked over the crowd as the last echoes of her question rang out. They began to talk amongst each other, yet there was no definite response. A minute passed, and Cadance’s hopeful look started to fall.

“I can!” A familiar voice spoke up.

Heads turned as Rainbow Dash took a step forward in the crowd, standing defiantly. Cadance gave a small smile.

“I can!”

Surprised, Cadance stared in the direction of the new voice, it wasn’t anypony she recognized, but they took a step forward as well.

“I can!” Another voice, Cadance looked, and it was the cloud candy vendor from earlier.

“I can!”

“I can!”

Her smile grew wider as more ponies stepped forward.

“I can!”

“I cannot!”

Everypony turned to look, and a different pony stepped forward. Cadance didn’t recognize them either, but a click from the worm indicated that it might.

“I cannot!” Another voice called out.

“I can!”

“I cannot!”

“I can!”

“I can!”

“I can!”

“I cannot!”

A chorus of voices followed, and though hard to make out, it sounded like the majority could indeed accept what Cadance was saying. She gave a half smile, it was unfortunate that there were those that could not, but that was the case with most situations like this. It was still disheartening to hear just so many though.

Silence soon filled the air once more as the majority finished voicing their opinions. Cadance waited a few more moments for any stragglers before speaking again.

“Verywell.” She nodded, “Then let me say it was never my intention to interrupt this wonderful festival, and it was never my intention to incite such negative feelings in those that attend. I hope that should I step away now, we can continue this momentous occasion, regardless of who is in attendance.”

Waves of agreement were returned back to her, and Cadance smiled fully.

The puppet surged forward, spiraling across the stage as it danced back and forth. Its rapid undulating motion expertly carried out by the team of puppeteers underneath to the fast paced beat of the drum. The music picked up, and so did the dance, the streamers lining the sides of the puppet billowed outwards, and it started slithering through the air. There was a flash of light, a crack of thunder from a metal sheet, and fake clouds were rolled across the stage, an unseen fog machine tying the whole thing together.

“Think you could dance like that?” Cadance asked, chuckling lightly.

The worm chirped and tilted its head.

“You’re right, you would be much better.” Cadance laughed,

She let out a sigh, then looked up at the stars. This year’s festival had gone… alright. An okay start that led to a disastrous middle which eventually fell to a long unwind. Items were bought, liquor was acquired, the injured child was given proper medical attention, food was eaten, apologies were received, gifts were given, heckles were ignored, and now, they sat where an angry mob once stood, watching the impressive performance in front of them.

“Definitely could’ve gone better,” Cadance said, “But I’m not complaining.”

Rainbow Dash snorted from off to the side, but otherwise kept quiet. Cadance gave her a side eyed look, but kept her smile. She was the only pony sitting close to them anyway, with all the others staying a sizable distance away. Though it was a little disappointing, it was expected, and it gave the worm a break from all that happened today.

“Just wait till Shining hears about all he missed,”

To Be Continued…

Author's Note

I've noticed a pattern, and I'm sure you all have too. Unfortunately I will not be writing a chapter with each of the mane six. I might've if I properly planned for it, but I have not, however there is one more chapter that includes an element bearer, you'll just have to wait and see which one.

I'm sure you can understand why I've been hesitant to write a large portion of worm-o-vision. Explaining the thought process of a stoic and seemingly unintelligent character is difficult. From my point of view the Storm Weaver is simple-minded but wise with a big temper, which is always an interesting aspect to work with.

Almost to 100,000...