Chapter 7: Conflicted Feelings (Part 2)

Catania arrived at the room where she had been told Cadance and the others were and knocked.

"Who art thou?" Luna's voice called.

"It's Catania."

Twilight's magic opened the door for her. Entering, she saw a doctor looking over Cadance. Luna, Onyx and Twilight smiled as she walked over to stand beside them. They waited until the doctor finished.

"Well, she's just suffering from a mild case of malnutrition, moderate exhaustion, and slightly severe magic depletion. She'll be fine, since it's nothing a good rest and a steady diet won't cure." He said.

Luna sighed in relief. "I thank thee, doctor."

"Just doing my job, Your Highness," he said modestly. He turned to Cadance. "I want you to take it easy until your wedding, and even for a bit afterwards. Try to refrain from any period of heavy activity, light activity is fine. And please, Princess Cadance, unless absolutely necessary, DO NOT cast any major spells or teleport anywhere by your own power. Again, minor spells and levitation is fine."

"I'll admit a rest sounds nice right now." Cadance said as the doctor finished his instructions.

"Then I will escort you to your suite and leave you in Shining's hooves." Onyx said. Cadance noted how he seemed to force out her fiancé's name, but said nothing. She nodded and, as they left, Onyx called back, "I'll meet you back home." With that, they were gone.

The three mares exchanged looks and began to head for Catania's home.

---

As they walked back, Cadance looked at Onyx, whose face was stoic, giving nothing away.

"Lieutenant Onyx?" She asked.

He looked down at her, being several inches taller. "Yes, Princess?"

"Why was Tani so…tense?"

He looked forward again, unsure of how much, or even what, to say. Remaining silent, he tried to think of a way to explain it without revealing exactly what happened…and Shining Armor's part in it."I was not present for it, but before my wife and Twilight found you, something happened at the rehearsal. I don't know exactly what." He said. It wasn't a lie, since he really didn't know exactly what happened…more like a partial truth. "Whatever happened, though, caused some…hard feelings on both sides."

"Should I ask my aunt and Shining?"

"That would be wise." He looked up. "Speaking of Princess Celestia and Captain Armor…" Cadance turned to see her other aunt and fiancé walking towards them. Onyx bowed. "Princess Celestia." Rising, he saluted the captain. "Captain Armor."

Shining nodded at Onyx. "Dismissed, Lieutenant." Onyx nodded, and walked back the way he came. Shining Armor looked at Cadance. "Cadance, I—that is, we—have to tell you something. But, first, let's go to your aunt's study."

She nodded and followed them. Once there, Celestia closed the doors as Cadance asked, "So what happened at the rehearsal?"

Shining looked nervous. "You see, we were unaware you had been replaced with…her," They all knew whom he meant. "And thought you were suffering from pre-wedding stress."

"That doesn't explain why Catania was in such a tense mood." Cadance interjected, growing impatience. "Please, get to the point."

Shining sighed. "Cadance…the only ones who knew you weren't yourself were Catania and Twilight. When Twilight tried to warn us at the wedding rehearsal, I thought—we all did—that she was being too possessive of me, since we hadn't seen each other in so long. Because of that, I reprimanded her and told her to forget about being the Best Mare and to not even show up at the wedding."

Cadance felt her eyes widen in shock. "Wh-what?" She gasped. "B-but how does Tani fit into this?"

Shining began to pace. "When I told Twilight she shouldn't even show up to the wedding, it caused her to snap. Now that I think about it, we're just plain lucky she didn't have a shockwave then and there. In any case, she snapped at me for putting you over my sister. I was angry enough to throw her out of the wedding as well."

Cadance couldn't believe what she was hearing.

"I am to blame as well, Cadance. I told them they had a lot to think about…but really, it was us who had much to think about." Celestia sighed. "Apparently, Onyx had an argument with Shining Armor afterwards. As a result, he was forced to guard your replacement. Sometime during that, he must've convinced Luna of the truth behind Catania and Twilight's words, because she tried to make me stop the wedding. Regretfully, I didn't listen…and it nearly cost us dearly."

"I—I—I can't believe this…How could you do such a thing?!" Cadance cried out. "They were just trying to protect you all! You know them, or at least Twilight, as well as I do!"

"I know, but we weren't aware that you were the changeling queen in disguise." Shining Armor protested. "I'd give anything to take back what I said to Twilight, but I can't. I'm already feeling guilty from Catania's talk! She did a good job of making us feel worse than dirt, I'll give her that."

Cadance's eyes were filling up with tears as her heart ached for Twilight. Knowing how much she loved her BBBFF and her mentor, she knew Twilight had to be hurting badly emotionally. At Shining Armor's comment about Catania, she did manage a slight smirk. "So that was why she was so tense…Good for her." An angry Catania was not a pony you wanted to tangle with.

"Cadance," Celestia said quietly, walking over to her niece and placing a wing over her, "you have to understand that the changeling queen fooled us all. Twilight said so herself, as you will recall." Cadance nodded. "But we all know the hurt we caused Twilight is unforgivable, and if we had listened to her and Catania, none of this would've happened. But it's in the past now. All we can do is ask for your forgiveness. And what happened at the rehearsal will not happen again, we swear on our lives."

Cadance was silent for a few moments. Then, she sighed. "You did teach me that sometimes forgiving and forgetting is the best course of action, Auntie Celestia. So I forgive you for what happened. But," she turned and looked her fiancé dead in the face, "while I do forgive you as well, know this, Shining Armor: I refuse to marry you unless Catania is the Mare of Honor and Twilight is the Best Mare again. No Catania and Twilight, no wedding. The choice is yours."

Shining Armor met his fiancée's eyes and knew she wasn't joking. He knew to take that statement seriously, since he was the one to tell both unicorn mares not to bother to even show up. Now his wedding rested on whether Twilight and Catania would forgive him and re-accept their positions.

As he looked down at the floor, Cadance began to leave. "I'll be in my room if anyone needs me. I am rather tired after all this excitement." She said. Looking at Shining Armor, she said, her features softening, "Remember, Shining, I love you, but I want your sister and our friends to share our happiness with us."

With that, she left. Although the doors closed normally behind her, it seemed to let out an angry, echoing slam.

---

Alright, I lied…here's how Cadance feels. NEXT chapter is Twilight, I swear by Luna's moon!