“Ca-dance”

Cadance’s eyes shot open, and she quickly looked around to find out who called her, only to realize something terrifying.

“Oh no. No no no NO NO!” She shouted, quickly getting up off the ground.

She was back in the crystal caverns, the vibrant walls once again acting as her prison.

“Ca-dance,” the voice said again, echoing throughout the room.

“This can’t be real.” Cadance said, quickly running back and forth, trying to find some sort of exit, “This can’t be real.” She repeated.

“Ca-dance,” the voice mocked her.

She knew that voice, she knew it well. It was only the one that taunted her relentlessly while she was trapped down here before. It was the voice of the changeling queen.

“No!” Cadance shouted, “This isn’t real. You’re dead!” and with a great leap, she jumped across a ravine in the cave system, and began running blindly down whatever pathway she could find.

“Ca-dance,” the voice taunted again.

Ignoring the searing pain in her hooves and legs, Cadance continued running, trying to escape, but the maze of crystal before her was unyielding, and soon enough Cadance found herself back within the room she woke up in.

“Ca-dance,” the voice said again, but this time it was accompanied by the chime of crystals.

She froze, every visible surface within the crystal cave flashed, before her own face once again appeared, on every single crystal.

“Ca-dance,” each one spoke, the chorus of voices forcing her to cover her ears.

“NO!” Cadance tried to shout, only to be drowned out. “STOP!” She backpedaled, only to bump into a large crystal behind her. Turning around, she only came face to face with herself.

“Ca-dance,” Her reflection said, louder than the rest.

It scowled at her, then it started to change. Cadance watched in horror as her reflection’s hair and fur lost its color, turning a dull grey, with clumps and patches beginning to fall off. Her skin beneath turned pale and wrinkled, and seemed to sag and stretch over her face. Cadance tried to look away, but found that she couldn’t, her whole body was locked in position, and she was forced to watch as her reflection decayed right before her eyes, the ever present chorus behind her chanting her name. Chunks of skin and tissue slopped off of her face, revealing pitch black chitin below, her eyes glazed over, with green fluid pouring out of every orifice.

“Ca-dance,” It sputtered and spat as more strips of skin flaked off.

When it was over, only the changeling queen remained, and Cadance watched as it reached forward, actually passing through the crystal wall trying to reach her. Cadance immediately took a step back, and tripped over the uneven floor, landing in a heap. She curled up and closed her eyes, covering her head, trying to drown out the constant chanting of her name.

Then it stopped, and absolute silence fell over the cave, but Cadance didn’t dare open her eyes once more.

Step

Splat

Laboured breathing could be heard, along with the small drips of some liquid falling to the floor.

Step

Splat

It coughed and retched, and the loud splashing of vomit could be heard.

Step

Splat

It was getting closer, Cadance curled up tighter, trying desperately to ignore the approaching entity.

Step

Splat

It was right on top of her, so close that Cadance could feel its uneven and hot breath. More drops of liquid splashed down, a few specks landing on her, which soon started to sting. Then it heaved, and vomited once more, right next to her. Cadance felt the warm liquid begin to surround her in a pool.

Then it started to burn.

In an instant, Cadance’s eyes snapped open, and she tried to jump out of the pool, only for it to hold onto her. It was sticky, far stickier than it should have been, and it held her in place. Panicking, Cadance whipped her head back, only to come face to face with the dead, soulless eyes of the changeling queen.

“Ca-dance,” the two toned voice emanated from somewhere within its body, not even bothering to speak with its mouth, not that it could’ve.

It only had half a face, with the other half not even being there. There was no bone, only pulsing green guts. Part of the lower jaw was missing, with the long green tongue hanging limply off to the side, dripping a mix of saliva and blood. The damage continued down the body, with a wicked gash travelling all the way down its torso. Its left leg was torn apart, leaving only a few strands of sinew to awkwardly drag across the floor as it walked, leaving a green trail wherever it went.

Cadance desperately wanted to look away, yet she couldn’t, the green goo was still holding her in place. She was forced to confront the walking corpse in front of her. It let out a low hiss, and inched closer to Cadance’s face. She pulled and pulled and pulled, trying to free herself, or at least put some distance between her and it, but the goo held strong, and continued to burn.

As a last ditch effort, Cadance raised her head up as high as it would go and screamed,

”HELP!”

Everything stopped, the corpse, the reflections, even the burning sensation, Cadance could see them all look up at the ceiling in anticipation.

The ground started to tremble, just like it did before, only this time Cadance couldn’t move, the goo still prevented her from doing so in the slightest. Small stones and crystals were already being jostled, and the intensity was only increasing.

Then the reflections began to laugh, it started with some giggling, then others joined in with chuckling, until finally every face in the cavern was erupting with laughter. By now larger chunks of crystals were beginning to break loose, some falling frighteningly close to where Cadance was stuck, prompting her to try even harder to free herself and find some cover.

Then the corpse started to laugh, causing Cadance to stop and stare at it. It was a deep, guttural laugh that rasped out of it. The cave continued to shake relentlessly, and the once solid rock and crystal walls started to buckle and crumble. Rock dust flooded the area, with Cadance caught in the middle of it, it stung her eyes and nose.

Pebbles soon rained down upon her, and Cadance looked up. The ceiling was moving, crumbling, falling apart. More large chunks down, shattering across the floor all around her, peppering her with chips and debris, but she could only look up.

“Ca-dance,” The corpse spoke a final time, right as the ceiling collapsed.

Both were buried under several tons of rock and crystal, crushed to death and redeath.

…

…

…

“Ca-dance,”

…

…

“Ca-dance,”

…

Cadance awoke with a start, and immediately sat back up in her bed to frantically look around. She was met with the same white hospital room she had fallen asleep in earlier. The lights were still off, and the machine to her side was still silent, it was completely quiet.

“It was…” Cadance paused to catch her breath, “A nightmare?”

Only the silence of the night answered her.

With a sigh of relief, Cadance flopped back down on the bed. Never in her life had she had a nightmare like that before, it was terrifying. Putting a hoof to her chest, she realized her heart was racing. So she took a few moments to pace herself.

“Ca-dance,”

Her breath immediately caught in her throat. It was the voice, the same one in her nightmare, the changeling queen’s voice. Cadance didn’t dare move a muscle, lest that monster would come out again, though if it did, she would be ready to leap into action immediately. She did not want to get stuck in that goo again.

There was a shifting, like something was getting up off of the floor, but there was no heavy breathing, nor the periodic drips of ichor.

“Ca-dance,” something said at the foot of her bed.

Straining her eyes, Cadance looked down, and was met with glowing blue eyes, a piercing gaze, despite the lack of pupils. It was certainly a frightening face, but one that brought back faint memories.

“Oh…” She said, sitting up fully, “It’s you.”

“Ca-dance,” The worm, in its pony form, repeated, rising up from its position. When Cadance’s eyes adjusted more to the darkness, she could see it was actually taller than her at its full height, though it was a bit shorter than Princess Celestia herself. Still, the rather intimidating figure approached her bedside.

“Ummm…” Cadance said, pulling back a bit.

The worm didn’t seem to understand what she was conveying, and eventually sat down right next to her bed. It leaned forward and laid its head down on the mattress, much like a dog.

“Hungry,” the worm mumbled.

“Oh,” Cadance stopped, “Uhhh…” She looked to her bedside table, but any food she would’ve set aside earlier had long since been taken away by the hospital staff. “Uh sorry… I don’t have any umm… food.”

The worm trilled, which sort of sounded like a sigh. Cadance stared at it for a moment, then cautiously moved her hoof over to it and gently set it on its head in an attempt to comfort it. She wasn’t able to feel much through her bandages, but Cadance was not expecting to feel a sort of pulling sensation. She stopped, and immediately retracted her hoof, but the only thing different was the small amount of dirt now smeared on her bandages. The motion also caused the worm to look back up at her.

“What was that?” She asked,

“Hungry,” was all the worm responded with.

Was it… feeding off of her? Like her life force? Like a vampony? She had heard of vamponies before, even read an awful romance novel with a horribly unfortunate name about them, but the worm didn’t seem very vampiric, in fact it even existed in the sunlight. Cadance tentatively reached over and set her hoof down on the worm again, and soon felt the pulling sensation return.

It didn’t hurt in the slightest, and after a few moments the worm stopped, seemingly finished with whatever it was doing. Though Cadance didn’t feel any weaker, at least not what she could tell. Perhaps the worm wasn’t consuming her life, rather something else, but what? It wasn’t like she could just ask it.

Cadance paused, and looked towards the worm, which was very much capable of speech.

“Uhh,” she began, “Are you still hungry?” She asked.

“No,” the worm answered.

“What uhh… What did you eat? Cadance asked.

The worm took some time to respond, probably trying to find the right word.

“L’ove,” it said, seeming to have some trouble pronouncing it.

“Love?” Cadance repeated. The worm had fed off of her love? Like a changeling? Had the worm also copied the changeling’s ability to feed off of love?

The worm just chirped.

“Huh,” Cadance said to herself, and she silently stared at the worm for a few seconds, then she slowly began petting the worm again, which it seemed to very much enjoy, despite it already having its apparent fill.

The next few moments were spent in silence, with Cadance in extreme thought, mostly regarding the worm, and what to do with it. She watched as it simply enjoyed the gentle movements of her hoof, and that made her realize something. The worm wasn’t just a rampaging beast, it was an animal, albeit a very strange one, but an animal nonetheless. One that could feel love and compassion, as well as fear and anger. Sure it was dangerous, but it was only lashing out against those nearby because it was scared, and maybe a little angry. But that all changed because of Cadance, now that she was here, the worm had calmed considerably, and while it was still incredibly violent, it was only to protect her.

Cadance’s thought process was interrupted however, as the sound of hurried hoofsteps quickly approaching came from behind the door, and only a moment later the doorknob was enveloped in a deep blue glow.

The door was thrust open, and Princess Luna quickly stepped inside the hospital room.

“Cadance! Cadance!” She called out in a hushed shout, and immediately noticed that she was already awake. Princess Luna then took a moment to catch her breath, and continued. “Cadance, I desperately require your assistance. The worm is loose, and I am currently unable to find it, would you per chance know… where… to… find it?” She trailed off, having just noticed the figure sitting at her bedside. “Who is that?”

Cadance looked from the very disheveled Princess Luna to the worm, then back at Princess Luna. “This is the worm.” She gestured to it.

Princess Luna stopped, “That is the worm?”

Cadance nodded. “This is the worm.” She repeated

Princess Luna stared at them for a moment, “My goodness, I was told it had obtained the ability to change its form, but I never expected it to be so drastic.” She squinted in the darkness, “Or so unsettling,”

“Yeah…” Cadance agreed, trailing off a bit.

Princess Luna then cleared her throat, “Right, anyway, I assume everything is taken care of then? Especially since you have the worm under control.” She said, “I must thank you for acting so swiftly in this matter, as I do not know what else I could’ve done to resolve this.”

Cadance just stared at Princess Luna as she said all of this, “Uhh… Actually,”

It was at this point that Princess Luna realized just how unlikely for what she said to have actually happened.

“Wait… You didn’t call the worm here?” She asked,

“No.” Cadance admitted, “Actually I think it just came to me. In fact I think it even woke me up from my nightmare.”

“You were having a nightmare?” Princess Luna asked in surprise, though she quickly regained her composure, “Well I am terribly sorry for not coming to your aid sooner, I was a bit preoccupied.”

Cadance looked at Princess Luna with confusion, “I thought you came here for help with the worm?”

“I did.” She answered slowly, “But I also came to help deal with your nightmare,” Princess Luna tacked on quickly

Cadance continued to stare at her incredulously.

“Aaannd...” Princess Luna continued, “To maybe… talk to you?”

“In the middle of the night?” Cadance asked.

“Well…” Princess Luna trailed off, “My schedule doesn’t usually permit me to visit during the day, and since you are already awake I was thinking we could possibly talk a bit… You know… about things.” She explained.

Cadance decided not to press the issue with that logic, and simply let Princess Luna continue.

“Or you could go back to sleep, should you want to do that. I have no issue with leaving you be for the rest of your night” She finished.

“Okay.” Cadance said after a moment, “Let’s talk. Besides, I’ve been asleep for enough time recently, and I don’t think I can go back to sleep just yet after a nightmare like that.”

“Excellent,” Princess Luna said, “Then should we start with your nightmare? I do specialize in dreams after all.”

“Uhh, sure.”

Princess Luna smiled, “To start, what was it about?”

“Umm…” Cadance began, trying to remember what had happened. “I was back in the crystal caves, and the changeling queen was there, calling my name, and no matter which way I ran I would always end up in the same area.”

“Hmm, that doesn’t sound too bad,” Princess Luna commented,

“There was more to it.” Cadance said, then continued, “Eventually I was surrounded by reflections of myself, with each one chanting my name, taunting me. Then I was confronted by the queen, who was disguised as me, but that didn’t last for very long…” Cadance trailed off as she recounted the details.

Princess Luna’s expression slowly changed as Cadance went on, but she didn’t interject with anything else.

“I tried to back away, but I tripped, so I closed my eyes and tried to wish it all away. Then It appeared,” Cadance finished.

“It?” Princess Luna asked.

“The changeling queen.” Cadance answered, “Or at least… it was. She was dead, yet still moving, a walking corpse. It vomited this… burning… goo stuff on me, and I tried to get away, but I was stuck.”

“And then what happened?” Princess Luna asked with morbid curiosity.

“I called for help. Just like I did before” Cadance replied, “But then the laughter started, everything in the cave seemed to laugh at me. Then the ground started to shake-” She paused to sniffle, “And I was caught in a cave in, crushed under a thousand pounds of rock and stone.”

…

“Oh my,” Princess Luna began after a moment, “It has been a long time since I have heard of anypony having a nightmare of that caliber.”

Cadance nodded slightly in understanding, “Does it mean anything?” She asked.

Princess Luna put a hoof to her chin, “Well, nightmares such as the one you described are typically common after traumatic events. Considering it has really only been three days since the invasion, I’d say it is safe to say you might be experiencing some form of trauma.”

“Well what can I do?” Cadance asked,

Sighing, Princess Luna continued, “There is no easy way to deal with trauma, Cadance, such things take a long time to recover from. Luckily you have friends and family to help you deal with it.” she said, then glanced at the worm, “Even the worm can help, as it does seem very affectionate towards you.”

Cadance looked down at the worm as she continued to stroke it, and after a moment of thought she spoke.

“I think I’m going to keep it,”

“I’m sorry?” Princess Luna asked, not expecting the change in subject

“The worm,” Cadance clarified, “I want to keep it. Celestia made it my decision, so I am deciding now.”

Princess Luna stared at her in shock for a moment, “Are you certain?”

“Look at it,” Cadance said, prompting Princess Luna to do so.

They both watched as the worm breathed, the gentle rises and falls coinciding with the audible inhales and exhales.

“It is so much more than just a monster.” Cadance began, “Sure it is dangerous, but I can tell that it feels love, and sadness. It doesn’t feel right for me to condemn it, especially for all that it has done for me, and for something that happened so far in the past.”

Princess Luna looked at Cadance with uncertainty, but also with a modicum of understanding, “I see… Well, if you are confident in your decision, then I will not oppose it.”

Cadance looked back towards Princess Luna, “Thank you.”

It was then that Princess Luna noticed something, “Also, Cadance, you appear to be bleeding.”

“Huh?” She asked, confused, and quickly checked herself, only to immediately notice the large red splotch on her bandages, one that was increasing in size. “Uh oh,” Cadance said, she must have nicked one of the worm’s spines while she was petting it, she didn’t even feel it.

“Are you going to be alright?” Princess Luna asked with worry.

“Umm…” Cadance said as she undid a bit of the ample bandaging further up her leg and reapplied it over the small cut. “I should be fine,”

“If you say so,” Princess Luna said, “However I do believe I should take my leave now, the night is still young, and many of my duties still need to be attended to.”

Cadance frowned, “Okay then…”

“Are you fine with watching over the worm for now?” Princess Luna added, “Proper accommodations will take some time to be made.”

“Uhh…” Cadance looked towards the worm again. It had closed its eyes, and appeared to be sleeping, or possibly just resting. “I’m okay with it.”

“Excellent, then I bid you farewell Cadance.” Princess Luna said as she walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.

That made Cadance realize something.

“How did you get in here?” She asked the worm.

The worm did not respond, which prompted Cadance to look around the room. Her search ended fast though, as she spotted the rather large hole now present in the ceiling, along with the small pile of rubble on the floor, both of which Cadance and Princess Luna failed to notice during their conversation. A cool breeze passed through the room, and Cadance pulled her covers back up, taking extra care to not smear blood on them.

The worm appeared unfazed by this, and it simply continued to lay there. Its rhythmic breathing served as a sort of comfort for Cadance as she also laid down. Surprisingly, sleep came rather fast for her, and soon enough both of them were fast asleep, with no more nightmares to be had.

The hospital staff were certainly surprised to see the worm at least, and even more so at the new skylight, but they were most surprised to find the additional laceration that Cadance had somehow suffered during the night. Luckily, none of it was too serious, so Cadance was able to simply get a few new dressings, and move into another room, which happened to look exactly like the first one. Of course the worm closely followed her the entire time, which made the staff a little uneasy, but Cadance made sure to prevent any incidents from happening.

Soon after though, her list of visitors increased by one, as one very familiar pony arrived.

“Shining Armor!” Cadance called out.

“Cadance!” He responded, practically running across the room to get to her.

As they embraced, Cadance cringed at the touch, sucking in a breath, “Ow…”

Shining Armor immediately pulled back, “Oh sorry, I didn’t hurt you did I?”

“I’m fine,” Cadance said, “It’s just a little nerve damage.”

…

“Nerve damage?” Shining Armor asked, shocked.

Cadance smiled, “It’s only minor. The doctor said I could be hypersensitive while I heal.”

“Sooo…” Shining Armor began,

“So be gentle,” Cadance answered.

“Alright,” Shining Armor said slowly, and he carefully caressed Cadance’s face, “So how are you?”

“I’ve been better.” Cadance began, “But sitting around in this hospital is much better than being stuck in that cave.”

“Glad to hear it,”

“What about you?” Cadance asked, “What have you been up to? How have you been?”

“Where do I start?” Shining Armor wondered. “Cleaning up this whole mess has been a pain. Ponies are still in a panic, the press is going wild, and the guard can only do so much.” He complained, “I’m just glad I’m not in charge of repairs.”

Cadance huffed, “Okay, but how are you?” She reiterated.

“Oh! Uhh, I’m alright I guess, a bit tired, and confused. I’m still trying to make sense of some things, but I feel a whole lot better now that I’m with you again.” Shining Armor said, “The real you of course,” He added on

“I’m glad to be with you again too,”

They drew closer together, and kissed. Weeks of separation seemed to be undone in mere moments. Cadance ignored the throbbing pain from being touched, and the two of them simply held each other for what seemed like hours. However, as with most good things, they don’t last forever.

A short trill coming from their side caused the both of them to stop and look. There sat the worm, with what could be considered a curious expression, though it was hard to tell. Cadance was relatively used to the sight by now, but Shining Armor was not, and he quickly pulled back.

“Oh!” He nearly shouted from surprise. “Who is-” Shining Armor stopped, a look of recognition began to show on his face, “Is that? That worm thing?”

“It is.” Cadance answered.

“Is it safe?” Shining Armor asked.

“Uhh…” Cadance said, “Probably.”

“Probably?” Shining Armor repeated worriedly, tensing a bit.

“I know the worm won’t hurt me on purpose.” Cadance stated.

“Okay…” Shining Armor said slowly, “What do you think it wants?”

Cadance looked back towards the worm, which was just staring at the two of them blankly.

“It might be hungry.” She suggested

“Hungry.” The worm repeated.

Shining Armor shuddered, “That voice.”

Cadance frowned, “Do you recognize it?”

“I don’t know…” Shining Armor trailed off, “It sounds familiar, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard it before, yet something in the back of my mind knows it.”

“Mmm, well it was the changeling queen’s voice,” Cadance said.

“That explains a lot,” Shining Armor said, “I don't think I like it too much.”

“I’m not too fond of it either.” Cadance admitted quietly.

The worm tilted its head in confusion, then it chirped once, and repeated itself, “Hungry.”

“Uh, what does it eat?” Shining Armor asked.

“Actually…” Cadance began as she beckoned the worm towards her, which it immediately obliged. She then hugged it, making sure to not touch any of the spines, and soon enough the pulling sensation from before returned. A moment later the worm was finished, and Cadance pulled away.

“What was that all about?” Shining Armor asked.

“I think it can eat love.” Cadance finished, “Like a changeling.”

Shining Armor grimaced, and looked towards Cadance with worry, “Is that healthy? For you?”

“I have no idea.” Cadance said, “But it doesn’t hurt, and I don’t feel any worse.”

“Well, if you are okay with it…” Shining Armor said slowly

Cadance laughed a bit, “You’re adorable,”

Shining Armor blushed, but kept his wits about him, “And you love me for it.” He retorted.

“You’re right,” Cadance said, “I do.”

The moment she said that she paused, then realization dawned on her.

“Oh my goodness!” She blurted out.

“What?” Shining Armor asked,

“We still have to get married! The wedding! The invasion! Everything! We aren’t actually married yet!” Cadance exclaimed.

Shining Armor stared at her for a moment, then he started to laugh.

“That’s what you're panicking about?” He asked, still chuckling.

“What?” Cadance asked, almost offended

“Cadance,” Shining Armor began, using a more serious tone. “Just because we aren’t married doesn’t mean we aren’t together. We can still have a wedding, just later… After all of this blows over.”

“Promise?” Cadance asked.

“Promise.” Shining Armor replied sincerely.

“Okay, and we better have a great honeymoon afterwards.”

“Don’t test your luck,” Shining Armor said.

Cadance just laughed, and the two embraced each other again.

“So how long can you stay?” Cadance asked, still holding Shining Armor

“I still have a few hours.” He replied, “I was told not to overwork myself, especially because I’m technically recovering as well.”

Cadance pulled back, “From what?” She asked worriedly,

“Mind control, I’m being monitored to make sure there are no lasting effects.” Shining Armor answered.

“Are there any?”

“None so far,” Shining Armor said with a smile, “Though it is a great excuse to avoid doing work.”

Cadance scoffed, “Oh you.” and lightly slugged him in the shoulder, though she probably felt it more than he did.

Shining Armor laughed, but then a more serious expression came across his face. “Though there is somepony else I would like to see here.”

Cadance also stopped, “Your sister?” She guessed.

“Yes,” Shining Armor said,

Cadance sighed, “I would like to see her too, even if she isn’t awake.”

Shining Armor nodded, “Are you able to walk?”

“No, I’m not actually, could you go get me a wheelchair?” Cadance asked,

“Sure, be right back.” Shining Armor said, and with another quick kiss, he left the room.

Once again Cadance was left alone, or rather, left with the worm. She looked towards it, and much like a dog, it looked back, devolving into a sort of staring contest. Through the worm’s piercing gaze Cadance noticed one thing, there was no innocence behind those eyes.

Thankfully, Shining Armor returned quickly, and Cadance was able to break away from the little contest, with no clear winner. She carefully got out of the bed, and gently set herself down on the wheelchair, allowing Shining Armor to push her. Cadance didn’t need him to, but it was nice to have him so close.

The two made their way down the pristine corridors of the hospital, with the worm trailing a bit behind them. It was a fairly large hospital, being in Canterlot after all, but apparently both Cadance’s and Twilight’s rooms were close together, or at least they were, until Cadance had to move to a new one. Their trip was stopped however, as five familiar ponies appeared before them in the hallway, they all stopped at the sight of the trio.

“Oh hello, you must be the real Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.” The white one greeted, bowing slightly.

“Ahem,” Cadance awkwardly began, “I am… Though just Princess Cadance is fine.” She paused, “Are you all Twilight’s friends? I recognize you from the wedding.”

The orange one, Applejack, Cadance believed, spoke next. “We are, and we just came from her room.”

Cadance’s smile faltered, “How is she?”

“She is…” The white one continued, looking down, “Still asleep… But the doctor said she should be waking up soon.”

“Yeah, and when she does, we’re going to throw her an apology party.” The pink one joined in.

“An apology party?” Shining Armor asked.

“Um, yes, we all feel terrible for what happened.” The yellow one said.

They all nodded.

Cadance was confused, “Why are you apologizing?”

That certainly got a reaction out of the group.

“For not being loyal!” The rainbow one exclaimed,

“For not believing her.” Applejack said,

“For not trusting her.” The white one added.

“Yeah, if it wasn’t for us, Twilight wouldn’t have gotten hurt in the first place.” The pink one finished, her mane drooping.

They all looked down.

“Wasn’t the changeling queen the one who put Twilight in harm’s way?” Cadance asked, specifically avoiding mentioning the cave in.

“We’re the reason she confronted the queen alone in the first place.” Applejack said, “If we were there then… well… Ah don’t know what would’ve happened.”

Cadance looked over them, and remembered what Princess Celestia had told her earlier.

“I think it’s a great idea to have an apology party,” She began, “I know there are several things I would like to apologize to her for. Could I possibly join you all when it happens?”

“Sure ya can Princess,” Applejack said,

Cadance smiled as the rest nodded.

“Thank you.”

“Ca-dance” An increasingly familiar voice came from behind her.

The reaction was instantaneous.

“AH! Monster!” The pink one shouted

“It’s the queen! Get her!” The rainbow one exclaimed, prompting both Applejack and the white one to drop into defensive stances.

Just as they were about to leap into action, Cadance nearly fell out of her chair as she waved her hooves in an attempt to stop them.

“WAIT!” She shouted, “This isn’t the changeling queen!”

There was a momentary pause, then Applejack spoke, “Oh yeah? How do you know that?” She demanded.

“I-” Cadance paused, she knew for a fact that the worm wasn’t the changeling queen, but the others didn’t. “Because…” She tried again, but her indecision didn’t seem to help the situation. “Because this is the worm.” Cadance finally said.

Another pause.

“The worm?”

“Yeah,” Cadance confirmed, “At the wedding… It was the one who…” She trailed off.

“Wait…” The rainbow one pieced together, “That is the thing that took out the queen?”

“Yes,” Cadance nodded rapidly.

That calmed the group down a little bit, but also created some confusion.

“Why does it look like that?” Applejack asked

“And why does it sound so similar to that dreadful queen?” The white one added.

Cadance looked back to the worm, which was just standing there, taking in all that was happening. “Because, uh… It may have taken some of the changeling’s abilities, and when it took out the queen, it… might have taken her voice.” Cadance explained.

A small gasp was heard from the back of the group, and Cadance could see the yellow one from earlier hiding behind her friends.

“Oh my…” The white one trailed off.

“Alright, but what’s it doing here?” Applejack asked.

“It just follows me around,” Cadance answered simply, “I think it likes me.”

That seemed to satisfy her curiosity.

“Does it have a name?” The white one asked.

Cadance paused, and looked back towards the worm again, “Not one that I know of.”

“Speaking of names…” Shining Armor took over, “What are all of yours?”

“Oh how impolite of us!” The white one exclaimed, “We haven’t introduced ourselves yet have we? Well, I’m Rarity.” She began

“I’m Rainbow Dash!”

“I’m Applejack,” She tipped her hat

“Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie!”

“And she’s Fluttershy,” Rarity gestured to the last pony in the group, she gave a small wave.

Shining Armor nodded, “Well I’m Shining Armor, though I’m sure you knew that already.”

“And you know to just call me Princess Cadance,” Cadance concluded.

The rest nodded as well.

“Well it was nice meeting the real you Princess,” Applejack said, “But we should best be headin on our way.”

Cadance gave a slight nod, “I understand, it was nice meeting you guys as well.”

Shining Armor pulled the wheelchair to the side to better allow the other group to pass by, each one giving a small goodbye of their own. Cadance waved them all off, and as they turned the corner and disappeared, she was left with just one question.

“Do you have a name?” She asked, turning to the worm.

The worm was just staring straight ahead, not paying attention in the slightest. Cadance cleared her throat, which caused the worm to look at her, letting out a short chirping sound.

“Do you have a name?” She repeated.

“Name?” The worm mirrored.

“Yes.” Cadance affirmed,

The worm snorted, and shook its head.

“Was that a no?” Shining Armor asked,

“I don’t think so…” Cadance replied, she looked back towards the worm, “What is your name?” She asked.

The worm turned its head away, and avoided looking directly at Cadance.

“I don’t think it wants to tell you.” Shining Armor deducted

Cadance frowned, but continued, “Please?” She tried.

The worm gave Cadance a cursory glance, then continued to ignore her.

“Maybe it doesn’t like its name?” Shining Armor suggested,

Cadance hummed, “But why?” She wondered.

Shining Armor just shrugged, and continued to push Cadance down the hallway. She didn’t object, but the question still lingered. However, they were soon back on track to Twilight’s room, with the worm following a bit further behind than it did before.

Upon arriving at Twilight’s room however, Cadance and Shining Armor were met with a horrifying sight.

Lying there on the hospital bed, covered from horn to tail in bandages, was Twilight. Three of her legs were in casts, each one held up with supports. There were a multitude of tubes and lines hooked up to her, and obvious neck and back braces lining her whole body. Her jaw looked to be wired shut, with wiring and metal bands encompassing her muzzle. Only a select few parts of her weren’t covered, with only patches of fur showing through the sparsest of spaces, but the most notable thing were her eyes, and the obvious tear streaks surrounding each one.

“Oh my Celestia!” Cadance blurted out, and she quickly wheeled herself up to the bed, with Shining Armor close behind.

“Twily!” He exclaimed,

She was still unconscious, with only the heart monitor and ventilator showing she was still alive. The rhythmic sounds clashing with the baseline beeps.

Cadance felt tears start to overwhelm her eyes, and a quick look to her fiancé showed a similar reaction.

Guilt.

Princess Celestia had told her not to blame herself, but that was all Cadance could do right now. She leaned down close, careful to not put her weight against Twilight.

“I’m sorry,” She choked out

To Be Continued…

Author's Note

What an annoying little experience.

Dialogue is either my bane, or my forte. Sometimes I can do great things with a conversation, and other times I can barely have ponies say goodbye. Sorry for the lower quality, but I was in a dash to get this finished, and I really didn't want to add much more. This is probably going to be the last 'filler' chapter right now, I really want to continue the story, so look forward to that I guess.

Hope you enjoyed.