The next few days leading to the royal baby shower had been boring.

Twilight was stuck signing paperwork and making sure that the documents that Celestia sent to her would be done before the Royal Baby Shower. It was a repeating task of flipping the paper, reading its contents, and deciding whether or not to deny or approve of what was written. After the first full day of working, it started to become a tiny bit boring.

Normally, Twilight would happily do paperwork all day. That's what she had done when she was a little filly, absorb everything that she could know through books and lectures and find more ways to do that again. There was quite a huge difference between then and now, however. Twilight now had a close-knit group of interesting ponies who were too good at convincing others to ditch work.

Her friends would often swing by the castle for tea or something that sounded incredibly dangerous and fun at the same time. She would put aside the paperwork for them to either stop them from doing said danger or join them in doing the danger.

The experiences were a blur for the most part. At the end of the day, the only things she would forever remember were the jokes and the laughter at the end of the day when they were finished. Twilight didn't know she could feel so much fun while accomplishing so much work in the span of a few days. However, that last part was more so due to a certain pegasus that came by.

Instead of taking her out to do something, Rainbow Dash would visit for a long chat and catch up with some of the books that the both of them were currently reading. The pegasus would fill in silences when Twilight would take small breaks in her work, she would entertain her with what she read or tell her stories from her time at the Wonderbolts—especially now that they were doing so much work with the royal ceremony creeping closer.

Twilight couldn't fathom how the pegasus could find the time in her "crazy schedule", as she pointed out, to be able to visit her and just... talk. It was something she didn't know just how much she appreciated outside of the crazy and danger that her other friends brought.

Granted, Fluttershy wasn't the most dangerous nor the craziest out of the bunch and some circumstances were similar to how she and Dash usually spend their time. The difference being... Twilight didn't know the difference. For the lack of better words, she didn't want to admit it just yet. Maybe at the end of the day, it was just different when she was with Rainbow.

Nevertheless, Twilight appreciated the mare more than she ever thought she could. She would always find herself finishing faster with her by her side.

'Maybe it's a side effect? Stand next to the fastest mare alive and she would give you a speed boost?' The thought made her giggle.

"What's so funny, Twi?"

She looked up at the slow grin that started to form on Rainbow's face. Today the mare wore her Wonderbolt uniform to the castle. The suit clung to her like a second skin, looking tighter than any of the clothes she'd seen Rainbow wear. It fit her like a glove, looking so much in her element that Twilight didn't believe that the pony was only accepted three years ago.

She turned her attention back to the papers and responded, "I thought of a funny joke."

"Oh yeah? What is it?"

"Not telling," She said with a playful shake of her head.

The effect was immediate on Rainbow. Her wings flared and the complaint was barely kept from the back of her throat. Knowing this would happen, Twilight could already feel her laughter bubbling up that she hid from the mare.

Rainbow stood from her designated spot and started pacing back and forth and complaining about the rules that come when you joke around. When asked where she got this information from, the mare replied. "Pinkie has three volumes of it in the bakery."

"I don't think that's a good sou..." She trailed off when Rainbow Dash gave her a dubious look and in that moment she understood what she meant. "Okay, maybe she is a trusted source."

The information let sit in the air for a while as they stared at each other, a conversation unsaid but from the collective giggles that followed after told enough of a story for the both of them.

With the same destination in mind, the group of friends decided that it would be best that they went to Canterlot at the same time. There was a small smquabble about where the other four would be staying for the night. Because Rainbow Dash and Twilight would be staying at the Wonderbolt's HQ and the Canterlot castle, respectively. Their argument didn't last long as soon as it reached Twilight's ears where the princess used her authority to let them stay in the castle with her.

Applejack tried to convince her otherwise but Twilight shut down the argument as soon as the mare opened her mouth. A princess' command is sound and true after all.

With their proximity, save for Rainbow, they were able to run into each other despite being busy with the preparations for the Royal Baby Shower. Twilight would often find Pinkie Pie in different costumes each time that she saw the mare and it would never fail to make the alicorn chuckle, it didn't help that the costumes grew more random every time.

Applejack would be seen early in the morning, going to help Big Mac and the servants with transporting the apple cider shipment as well as making sure that everypony in the castle was doing alright. It's safe to say that the mare had already captured the hearts of the castle's servants a long time ago.

Fluttershy would be seen in the courtyard practicing together with the birds, often singing random melodies for either warm up or to pass the time. Twilight thought that it was a shame that some of those songs wouldn't be sung at the actual event but she appreciated it whenever she caught wind of it. It wasn't that hard if the melodies echoed throughout the whole castle, becoming its show to be mesmerized.

Rarity would come by lunch and make sure that the dresses were just right for them, in that time the two would be chatting amiably about whatever it would be that came to mind. Despite not being there, Rainbow still found the time to show off in the skies where she and the rest of the Wonderbolts practiced, a sonic rainboom sometimes dispersing the nearby clouds now and then. It wasn't noticeable to the citizens, but Twilight saw it every time.

Three days before Sunday came, Cadence and Shining Armor finally arrived. Citizens all over Canterlot and visitors from the different parts of Equestria welcomed the royal couple with welcome hooves. It was like the actual event had started as soon as they came; everything was starting to come together with the whole city being painted in the colors of the princess and her husband.

The air was buzzing with excitement. Everywhere the eyes could see were ponies jumping for joy as they waited for the event to start.

Twilight couldn't find the words best suited to describe the feel of today's events. There wasn't a single pony that didn't smile as they took in their surroundings. Banners, balloons, streamers, and anything that could be hung were there, painting a beautiful hue on the ground that they walked. The clothes that the ponies wore were color coordinated, making the crowds look like a symphony of what's to come in Cadence's womb.

It was an event for the ages. A princess alicorn was having a foal! Even Twilight couldn't believe it when she received the letter that told her the news. It was not that it wasn't possible, it was just something that didn't happen that often, if ever.

For example, Luna had been banished for a thousand years, there were still some aspects that the princess was getting used to outside of royal courts. Cadence had only found somepony she wanted to spend her time with now. Twilight hadn't thought of foals or love until recently. Celestia had been the last princess that had this kind of celebration before but that was centuries ago, most ponies weren't alive at that time.

Speaking of Celestia, Twilight found that the alicorn was the first to arrive at their designated seating in Canterlot Square. The whole place was revamped to fit in the four thrones of the princesses and one throne for Prince Shining Armor. Other tables would hold important ponies of Canterlot's nobles as well as Twilight's best friends. The square was extended to one of the hanging cliffs for a platform that Twilight could guess what was for. The catering tables were set aside for now to give more space in the middle for ponies to stand.

Twilight gave Celestia a small nod as she sat to her left, "Your dress looks gorgeous, Princess," She greeted while waving toward the ponies that had arrived early for the event.

"I wouldn't have expected anything less from our dear Rarity." Celestia turned to look at Twilight, her even smile growing at the sight of her student, "Haven't I already told you to address me without my title? It's been a long time since you were coronated. You're royalty as well, Twilight."

"It's a hard habit."

"If you say so," Celestia said.

She turned back to the venue to find more and more ponies filling in the large space in front of them. Pegasi were seated on the cloud bleachers around the square, the unicorns and earth ponies were by the physical bleachers and those who wanted a more close-up experience were standing in the middle.

Most of the ponies from the middle came up to the princesses' stand to greet Twilight and Celestia, some more enthusiastic than others.

While chatting with random citizens, a familiar voice rang through from the side, "Twilight!"

Immediately recognizing his voice, the alicorn stood from her throne and trotted over to give her brother a big hug. "Shining Armor! It's so good to see you, I've missed you, brother!" She leaned away, shining a beaming smile toward the stallion, "Congratulations on the foal!"

He chuckled as he made sure that there wasn't a single strand from her hair decorations out of place. The gesture didn't go unappreciated as Twilight fixed a rose on his suit that she tampered with her hug. "Thanks, Twily. I missed you too. Rarity outdid herself with your dress."

A small blush took over Twilight's face, "Yeah... although I think it's a bit too revealing to wear for a baby shower."

By revealing, she meant just how low the neckline went as well as the slit on the long floor-length fabric on her hind legs that wouldn't surprise her if she accidentally flashed somepony.

The smile on Shining's face grew darker, his horn flaring with magic when he side-eyed the group of busy ponies off in their own words as they waited for the event to start. "I don't think anyone would want to try that in front of me."

All the comedy died in Twilight's throat when she saw the look in her brother's eyes. She pressed her hoof to his face and turned his head away from the crowd while harshly whispering, "You wouldn't do such a thing!"

"I'm simply suggesting that they keep their eyes to themselves if they don't them gone by the end of the day."

Twilight couldn't believe what she heard. The embarrassment turned the red in her face in a much deeper color and she added with another whisper, "Shining Armor!"

Pink magic enveloped the white stallion, dragging him from beside Twilight to sit on his chair. Cadence gave her husband an affectionate rub on the face before approaching Twilight, "I take it he was starting to get things too far? He's been so much more... protective... since we found out we were having a foal."

Twilight pulled her sister in for a hug, "I'm honestly not surprised. I'll be sending you prayers before I go to bed, I don't even want to think about the possibilities where he could get more violent!"

"Hey!—" Any complaints were stopped by the presence of a pink zipper on his face. Finally taking the hint, he shook his head while taking the zipper off and started chatting with Celestia.

"Congratulations on the foal, Cadence," She said as she broke off from their hug. "I got a few gifts for the both of you. You should be able to find one of them in your rooms by the end of the event."

Cadence raised a suspicious eyebrow, "Oh..?"

Immediately understanding the unsaid question, Twilight turned around with her cheeks dusting in pink, "It's not like that!" Her harsh whisper was enough to convince the princess of love that it wasn't like that.

The two princesses went to their respective seats as they waited for the rest of the important ponies to come join them for the event.

Applejack and Rarity arrived at their spots a few moments later. They had greeted Twilight and the rest of the royals at their thrones and chatted for a couple of minutes before one of the servants directed them to their seats. It was clear that as soon as they sat, they were off to their world.

Fluttershy arrived next, staying a while longer by the throne to chat with Twilight and congratulate Cadence and Shining Armor for their foal. Her presence when she joined Rarity and Applejack seemed to have popped the little bubble around the two lovebirds, including her in their conversation, and looked like a headache to deal with from afar. If formalities didn't exist, Twilight would have joined her friends and chatted with them before the event started.

Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie wouldn't be arriving before the start as they were too busy getting last-minute preparations in for their performances later. It did sadden her to not be able to see her two friends before the event but the excitement to see what was in store was too large to ignore.

The sun darkened, catching the attention of all of the ponies in the area. A shadow could be seen that blocked the little sunlight that pierced through the clouds. Wings spread wide and her mane beautifully acted as faux stars in the temporary night that she created.

"Oh, sister..." Twilight heard Celestia from beside her, her eyes never leaving the beautiful presentation of Luna parting the clouds with her magic as she descended from the air.

Princess Luna stood in the middle of the podium throne area, wings spread wide as she held a proud stance in front of their people. The stomping started from the ponies in the middle before it bled through and affected the bleachers and the pegasi above.

Twilight felt soft material appear on her ears and after a glance to the side, she found that they were ear muffs cast by Princess Celestia.

"PEOPLE OF CANTERLOT AND VISITORS FROM ALL AROUND EQUESTRIA! IT IS MY HONOR TO STAND BEFORE YOU AND LET THE FESTIVITIES OF THIS ROYAL BABY SHOWER BEGIN!" Luna's royal canterlot voice reached the ends of the city and echoed forevermore to the surrounding structures. In a much quieter voice, she added, "Let's get this party started!"

Even if the ear muffs were for Luna's loud declaration, they helped muffle the large shouts and cheers from the ponies all around them that followed her welcoming. She was more surprised by the fact that the closest ponies looked happier to have heard the loud opening for the event, she couldn't help but think if they were masochistic enough to want to lose their hearing.

As soon as the ear muffs were dispelled, her eyes were on immediate attention to the skies where a few Wonderbolts did a pass and a maneuver, further stoking the flames of the crowd's hurrah.

Twilight only felt a little disappointed when she didn't see a familiar rainbow mane in the line-up.

The opening ceremony went off without a hitch. Cadence and Shining Armor coming to the front to give their thank you speeches as well as express their excitement for the coming few months. A beautiful presentation then followed from Celestia's magic that showcased an extremely heartwarming video that talked about appreciation and love of family. A video that Twilight personally worked on herself as one of her gifts for her brother and sister.

The tearful hug that the three exchanged elicited another set of yells from the crowd. This event was looking up to be one of the best they've ever experienced.

The openings went by quickly after that. It was finally time for the bigger performances to start; coming up first was the Wonderbolts putting on a show that urged Twilight to write a book about its beauty.

The maneuvers were something that could only be described as 'one filled with love'. They had this professional and cool air about them, every movement was done with precision and would have been difficult for even the more skilled flyers. There were innovative animations with how they played with the smoke trail that their teammates would leave which made for a new experience while watching them.

One mare was missing from the team, however, and the anticipation for her upcoming arrival was enough to have Twilight at the edge of her seat.

It wasn't hard to see her coming in to join the performance, her rainbow trail decimating the smoke all around, highlighting her ascend to the sky at fast speeds before exploding at the very top with a beautiful rainbow following her wake.

By her arrival, Twilight was mesmerized. Her eyes never strayed from the pegasus once in the remaining time of her performance. Ever since she had arrived, the crowd grew silent, no cheers could explain the excitement everyone felt as they watched the most beautiful show that the Wonderbolts had ever made.

The small platform at one of the edges of Canterlot Square was where the Wonderbolts ended their show by piling on top of one another in a pyramid while Rainbow Dash created a congratulations skywriting, signed with another sonic rainboom at the end.

The applause was deafening by the time Rainbow landed at the top of the pyramid.

The crazy schedule felt like an appropriate description to be able to pull off those moves. Again, Twilight couldn't help but wonder why it took so long for the Wonderbolts to recruit her and her beauty.

Before going to join Applejack and the others on their dedicated chairs, Rainbow Dash approached the throne room. The mare was profusely sweating, Twilight had never seen her look winded, tired, and incredibly happy all at the same time. There were dozens of ponies trying to lay a single hoof on her but were held back by the royal guards. Despite the continuing screams, Twilight heard every word being said to her by the pegasus.

"The first one was for you."

The pegasus turned to the rest of the princesses with a respectful bow before congratulating Cadence and Shining Armor for their foal. As she walked away to join the rest of her friends, the tips of her tail had sparks of magic, an effect present after she created two consecutive sonic rainbooms.

Twilight didn't know her face could heat up in such a way. There should be a name for the way her heart felt like beating out of her chest and followed Rainbow to the chairs to tell her just how awesome she had been, pamper her with praises, and stroke her ego to no return. It should be made a crime to make a princess blush like so. Yet at the end of the day, Twilight felt contented beyond belief that she even got to witness that wonderful performance.

Her adoration didn't last for long before the others around her had moved on from the showing and were now conducting a raffle among the crowd. Their enthusiasm was immediate, and while not the same as the awe from earlier, the anticipation was there enough that it had everyone in their hooves.

Twilight would nod and wave whenever she could but no matter how much she wanted to shelf it for later, the image of that sonic rainboom and the sincere look on Dash's face kept coming back to her mind. There would be a disaster now and she would be thinking about how she wanted to ki—

"Oh, look! A butterfly!"

Her sudden outburst had made the princesses beside her, Celestia and Cadence, turn to her with a silent question on their faces.

Twilight cleared her throat, gently pushing away the butterfly in front of her with her magic, "Excuse me, Princesses. I must have drunk something weird earlier."

Her excuse seemed to have further stroked their confusion, sharing a look so obvious that she could feel the judgment of the nobles that noticed.

The events that came after felt like a blur to Twilight. Her focus split between her friends on the sideline and whatever gossip Cadence could tell her in the small moments where they could chat freely. She still had fun with the events though, there were more than enough random citizens who were hilarious as soon as they would be handed the microphone. Everything was going splendidly.

It was nearing sundown when Celestia stood from her throne, the masters of ceremony handing her an extra mic after announcing her name and leaving the stage.

The tall alicorn cleared her throat into the instrument, her voice echoing all over the speakers around the venue while testing whether or not it was working. There was a small round of applause to welcome the princess at the front. The smile on her face couldn't have grown more than it already was.

"Thank you to everypony who has managed to take the time to join us in today's joyous celebration. It has been my honor to have planned and hosted this event to offer as one beautiful gift to you, Princess Cadence and Prince Shining Amor, I hope it is to your liking?"

The princess of love didn't hesitate to happily nod in contrast to her husband's controlled nod. The two were cute enough that the audience let out a coo, prompting a blush to form on the two royals.

"Our festivities are yet to end, however! While I know some ponies are excited to taste the delicious food catered by none other than the Element of Laughter, Miss Pinkie Pie, there is still one more event to kick us off into a night for the history books. I'm sure that we've all heard of the rising popularity of a certain theater production?"

Twilight cast her version of Celestia's ear muffs on her own the moment that the crowd seemed to have broken the sound threshold with their screams. It was more akin to the cries from the river of Stynx than anything else by that point. They had more enthusiasm for the theater show than the Wonderbolts' performance earlier, piquing Twilight's curiosity. If there was something even more amazing than what Rainbow and the rest of the Wonderbolts pulled off, she wanted to know.

"Without further ado, let's all give it up for Evergreen Dreams Theater!"

The ponies didn't have time to welcome them in with applause. Pinkie Pie descended from one of the tall buildings near the town square, everything dimming around them save for the spotlight that focused on Pinkie's movements.

Music started to play in the background, one that climbed and faded in volume depending on the kind of performance and atmosphere Pinkie's performance gave. Colors and even more ponies started to emerge from the darkness, growing in radiance when the light reached them.

For some reason, the ponies stationed in the middle were teleported to a special place in the side bleachers, their cheers muted behind the bubble that surrounded the audience. From a glance, Twilight recognized it as a spell that didn't let sounds out while amplifying the voices of the ponies performing, it was an amazing show of magic. Everything from this production was a great show of magic.

Pinkie's presence would continue to light up the colors dimmed by darkness as she danced and flourished however she pleased in the now-empty space of Canterlot Square. The happy tone of the music grew quieter as she neared the end of the dimmed area.

Confetti flew in all directions as a sword 'pierced' through the mare's neck, killing her. An evil presence trotted into the scene, taking Pinkie's body and hauling it over its back as it began destroying everything that lit up until only darkness remained.

The music silenced as the evil stood alone in its misery, the limp body of Pinkie staying on its back. For a moment, it stood there, waiting for something to happen, waiting for another colorful distraction. Twilight watched it grab Pinkie from its back, her vibrant pink color the only thing visible in the whole place. The evil touched her cheek, immediately recoiling back when Pinkie bit its hand.

The pink mare jumped away from the evil, her presence growing flowers on her hooves the more she stepped away from it. The evil tried to follow but stopped when the color it destroyed earlier came back to life and were now preparing weapons in retaliation from it.

They would go back and forth from then. The evil would try to grab Pinkie but the colors and ponies she revived would stop the evil only for them to die and wither away when he neared. Pinkie was slowly coming closer to its grasp.

The music climbed higher and higher, reaching heights that Twilight could feel in her bones as she watched them move along the stage with a sense of urgency and grace. It was mesmerizing to watch them perform.

Pinkie was finally caught as soon as the music reached its climax.

The moment they touched, everywhere one could see lit up in beautiful harmony. The shadows receded and the supporting ponies started going on with their lives like they didn't just fight some sort of battle. Yet as everything moved on around them, Pinkie and the evil remained in the center, frozen in their world. Their eyes never left one another no matter the events that surrounded them.

Twilight didn't even realize that the other ponies had left the stage. The surroundings remain colorful but the buzzing of the other characters is now gone.

The shadows on the evil's face started shifting away, revealing the tearful eyes of none other than Coloratura.

A piano piece started accompanying as the tears in Coloratura's face spilled one by one until it became unstoppable. The two ponies grew close, recognition on their faces as they took in the presence of one another. Pinkie Pie pulled her in for a tight hug the moment the dam broke loose and the first sob was heard. The piano was now gone, replaced by the loud sound of an orchestra.

The colors surrounding the two ponies ebbed and flowed, showing different hues and saturations at the same time. It was a dizzying process yet Twilight didn't take her eyes off of the performance one bit.

The presentation ended as the lights all around them dimmed and the ponies were brought back to the middle of the venue. Pinkie Pie was on the seat next to her friends while her other collaborators were nowhere to be seen.

Twilight could admit that it was a beautiful showing. The comedy of the story Pinkie told the other day held nothing in its funny aspect in the emotional rollercoaster that it brought to this performance. Her mind ran through the possibilities of what the ending could mean, who the evil was and why didn't it kill Pinkie the moment it touched her.

"Beautiful..."

She heard her brother speak from her left, her eyes widening to see the two of them had been brought to tears.

Upon noticing his wife's cries, Shining Armor grabbed the handkerchief from his pocket and personally took care of wiping away her wife's tears, careful not to ruin her makeup. Cadence smiled at Shining in gratitude. The sight melted Twilight's heart the more she stared at the two lovers and how they cared for one another, with Cadence returning the gratitude to her husband.

Cadence turned to Twilight after a jut from Shining Armor's chin. "Pinkie Pie is an amazing actress. I've never seen a performance quite like that."

"Me neither. The production for this is insane."

She recounted the magic that was being cast. She doubted that a single person was able to do such feats but even if it was a collaborative effort, it was as impressive as it was creative. She had never seen magic being used in such a way before. It made her giddy at the prospect that she had not thought of magic like that, the potential for research tingling at the back of her mind, telling her to try it out now.

"I've seen their first performance when they were just starting. I saw the potential in their storytelling, so let's just say that I had multiple talented magic users who were ostracized by the rest of Canterlot for their 'useless' quirks. They've grown so much since the last time I saw them," Celestia said with a smile that could rival the sun in itself with its pride.

Twilight would have responded if not for the cerise eyes she caught staring at her. Eternity seemed to pass as they held their gaze, the smiles on their lips slow-forming yet warm.

Discord felt a kind of fear overcome him that he had never felt before. He didn't know what compelled him to come to the gates of Tartarus. The words came to him like the wind on his face and it was enough to convince his very being to go to it.

He hasn't seen this entrance since his conception. He avoided this place like a plague strong enough to make him sick, everything about being there was wrong.

"I shouldn't be here..." He found himself saying.

All it took was one step back for the memories to come assaulting him. Thunder rumbled in the skies as dark clouds clumped up without the help of the weather ponies. Screams similar to that of the Wendigos echo around him, the gates of Tartarus coming closer and closer even though he was a step further from the place.

"No... No!" He started, his breath stuttering behind his pace, making breathing difficult as he shut his eyes as tightly as he could. The more he continued to stare at that thing, the more the forgotten memories came back to him. The logical thing to do was to close his eyes and avoid it. He shouldn't stare, he shouldn't remember the destruction of his own body. Those memories were supposed to be forgotten, he made sure of it! HE MADE SURE OF IT!

This was a sign. He knew that fact deep in his bones. It was a day he'd dreaded, a day he wished to never experience again in his life.

He was coming.

He woke up to the chaotic land that he called his own, the beating of his chest the only thing he could hear for hours, and the whispers of a warning coming back to him like a freight train.

Author's Note

I was reading up on the wiki and I read that Applejack is an amazing baker, she made the cake for Cadence and Shining Armor's wedding! It's giving me ideas (Don't ask why I'm reading the wiki instead of watching the series)

Thank you for reading Chapter 2 of TiMF: To Protect from Harm! Constructive criticism and feedback would truly be appreciated in the comments down below :]