Mr. Cake whistled as he finally got the last tray of cupcakes from the oven. The sweet smell of velvet cupcakes tempted him to no end, as this was all because of a rare special order that was recently received. He felt slightly envious, as he rarely had the chance to make his own batch of velvet cupcakes dude to his lack of consistent carving. It was funny how he only cared for sweets the moment they were presented to him.

“Hmm…maybe I have enough time to whip up another batch?” he wondered aloud. As he placed the tray of cupcakes on the table, another thought occurred. “Or maybe I should ask Pinkie-”

“YOU CALLED???”

“AHHHH!”

Mr. Cake nearly fell backwards as Pinkie’s sudden cabinet entry nearly cost him a heart-attack. He clutched his chest before he resumed his proper breathing patterns. “PINKIE!” he said with anger.

“YES?” she asked, completely oblivious to his annoyance. “Did a letter come from me???” she asked, showcasing excitement.

“What? No, I wanted to see if you could help me with baking something…”

All the potential joy and excitement soon drained from her expression, instead now showing depression. “Oh…” She lowered her head in sadness as she helped him up to his feet again.

Mr. Cake’s anger vanished as he could tell what was on her mind. “I am sure you’ll hear from Raúl and Adalricus soon Pinkie. Just stay optimistic will you?”

“But it’s been sooooooo long!” Pinkie Pie whined, leaning her upper body on the table.

“It’s been 2 days,” Mr. Cake remarked.

“That’s still ‘sooooooo long’!” Pinkie cried.

“Look I am not an expert on geography but chances are that they’re still traveling at the moment. Hell they have just arrived at their home as we speak,” Mr. Cake pointed out.

“But I don’t like to waiiiiiiiit!” Pinkie Pie whined. In all honestly she had never been so impatient before other than the time Rainbow Dash went to the Wonderbolt’s academy. As she walked out of the kitchen and headed out the door, it suddenly opened.

“Pinkie-” Applejack said before ceasing her movement. “Sorry bout that!” she then said.

“Oh, hey AJ…” Pinkie Pie smiled, feeling slightly better. “What’s up?”

“Oh I was just wonderin’ if you heard from Raúl and Adalricus at all,” said Applejack. “To be honest, Rainbow Dash and Twilight have told me that Fluttershy has been isolating herself and stuff…”

That immediately humbled Pinkie into worrying about her friend. “B-B-But when was the last time she actually left her cottage? I mean, she has to take care of her animals, right?”

Applejack frowned. “Doesn’t seem like recently; she ain’t really all for leavin’ her home and stuff. Hell we tried to invite her to Sugarcube Corner just so she could clear her head from the drama that happened not too long ago.”

“Well maybe we can just talk to her about stuff? Heck I am feeling as much pain as her and I didn’t think to even connect with her…” Pinkie Pie frowned from the guilt that filled her. Then an idea popped in her mind. “You know what, I am going to see her right now!” With that, she suddenly rushed past Applejack and headed towards Fluttershy’s home.

Applejack leaned against the wall as Pinkie’s sudden exit took her by surprise. “Woah she’s fast-” Applejack finally regained her balance as she poked her head outside to spot Pinkie running in the distance. “How the hell is she that fit when all she eats is sweets???”

“Tell me about it; she has a high metabolism!”

Applejack blinked as she finally acknowledged Rainbow Dash’s arrival. “Hey,” said Applejack with a smile. “Came to talk to her as well?”

Rainbow Dash shook her head. “Nah, I was just flying by while completely bored…” Rainbow Dash sighed as she lowered her head. “I feel kinda bad for how I acted,” Rainbow Dash confessed. “I didn’t realize just how much they meant to Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie.”

“Eh you shouldn’t feel too guilty Rainbow. I mean, you were just looking out for Fluttershy and stuff,” said Applejack.

“Yeah but that was because I thought that they were trying to harm her! But I was completely wrong,” Rainbow Dash remarked with annoyance. She walked past Applejack and entered Sugarcube Corner before adding, “I wish that we never found out until after Adalricus told Fluttershy… Seems like things would have been less chaotic…”

“Well there’s no guarantee that it would have Rainbow…” Applejack frowned as she followed Rainbow Dash.

Meanwhile…

“That wasn’t how I wanted things to turn out ok?”

“I am not saying that you were trying to kill him, but you should have used something less lethal!”

“His power broke my own protective shield Cadence; I didn’t think that he would attempt to do something so suicidal! I mean, the fact that he tried to penetrate that barrier by just walking through it wasn’t something that you would expect from a changeling!”

Princess Cadence gave Shining a stern look as she held her arms crossed. Both stood just outside the throne room of Celestia and Luna who were speaking with Twilight for nearly 5 minutes. Cadence had just heard the news and was shocked to learn who was present and who was greatly affected by the series of events. Yes, Cadence knew that Shining wasn’t the type of pony who would be ruthless even to the worst of their enemies, but she couldn’t help but be disgusted with what happened.

“Still…for Chrysalis to have a child…? And Sombra is the father…?” Cadence shook her head repeatedly. “I would never think that they had a relationship together…” Her face actually grew a shade of red from the very idea.

“Well Discord did say that the two of them met at a certain point. Apparently Changelings becoming pregnant for a royal heir takes quite a long time. At least, that’s what he said about the royal queen.” He paused for a moment. “He didn’t even say how old she was-”

Shining was interrupted as the doors to the throne room suddenly opened without warning. Twilight and the two royal sisters walked out with neutral expressions until they acknowledged the royal couple.

“Shining!” said Twilight with a smile.

“Ah, forgive us. We were not expecting you two to be here waiting!” Princess Luna said with a surprised tone.

“It’s quite fine your highness,” insisted Shining.

“What brings you here?” asked Princess Celestia.

This time, Princess Cadence stepped forward. “Well I just learned about what happened in Ponyville and I am quite concern with the situation that is occurring now. This ‘Raúl’ said that nothing should occurred between our two species and that he would contact you correct?”

Princess Celestia gave a slight nod. “I trust him to let us know if anything was on the rise. Why do you ask?”

“Well has he contacted us yet?” Princess Cadence asked.

All three princesses raised an eyebrow. “What’s on your mind Princess Cadence?” asked Princess Luna. “I honestly doubt that any attack will-”

“Well I am actually worried about this ‘Adalricus’ character that I’ve heard so much about,” said Princess Cadence. “He had a close relationship with Fluttershy, correct?” She looked at Twilight.

“Well yes, yes he did,” admitted Twilight.

“Well I was wondering if there was any way for me to able to see him?” she requested.

Suddenly, all ponies had dropped their jaws. “WHAT?”

Meanwhile…

“Unbelievable! Those…those…those…I WILL DESTROY THEM!” Snarled Queen Chrysalis.

King Sombra looked out the window as the queen of changelings continued to take out her anger on her belongings. He eventually turned to see that she had completely destroyed the room that they were in; green flames and ashes were all that was left. Rolling his eyes, he took one step forward and all of the damage vanished, immediately replaced by new decorations and furniture. The only other who was currently present in the room was Raúl, who simply stood by the doorway with his hands behind his back keeping his professional bearing. Like Sombra he simply kept his cool while the enraged Queen continued to rant on what happened to her child. Safe to say that she could easily snap and attempt to rip one of their heads off. And Raúl was not feeling lucky…

“First I’ll gather all of my forces to raid all of the nearest pony villages, beheading every little stallion and mare while the younglings flee to warn their whore queen of my fury! The intimidation that I shall bring will literally carve nightmares into the very mindset that they live with every single day! The very idea of spotting even a glimpse of a single changeling will cause such anxiety that they commit suicide! I swear that I won’t stop until every drop of their filthy blood perfectly coats every inch of my castle-”

“ENOUGH.”

King Sombra’s voice thundered despite the calm demeanor that he held before them. He did not eye either of them but it did not make his presence any less intimidating. After a few seconds, he said, “I do believe that the well-being of our child is hardly less of a priory than extracting revenge on ponies.” His eyes turned to Chrysalis. “So perhaps you can tone it down Chrysalis?”

Queen Chrysalis was naturally from pleased with what she was being told. “Ugh you lack the drive for retribution? It’s because of those ponies that our son almost lost his life! They deserve nothing less than death!” she spat.

“Oh do not misunderstand me Chrysalis,” said King Sombra as he slowly turned towards her. “I would love nothing less than to reap havoc upon those who are responsible for the condition that my son is in. However, I rather focus my attention on my son’s recovery and remain close to him.” He then turned towards Raúl who was still silent. “Because blood is more reliable than those who are not.”

Raúl was barely fazed by the criticism that Adalricus’ father was bestowing upon him. In truth barely any of the blame towards what happened to Adalricus was aimed towards him. He simply closed his eyes and gave the slightest of nods before saying, “Familia es todo.” in agreement.

“Yes it is Raúl,” said King Sombra before he took a few steps closer. “Why you and Adalricus left the safety of this castle is beyond my understanding, but you placed your life in front of his. You may have gone ahead and recklessly traveled into hostile territory with him despite the obvious dangers, but you nonetheless continued to make sure that he lived for another day. Had it not been for you, there’s a good chance that my son would not be in his room resting at this very moment. And for that, you deserve praise for such deeds.”

Both Raúl and Chrysalis perked their eyebrows, knowing that praise that came directly from a figure such as him was almost unheard of. That and Chrysalis was urging for an opportunity to unleash her anger upon him, only to see the point in Sombra’s words. Yes, Raúl was irresponsible with his duties but he nonetheless acted at the right time and did what was needed. That being said however, did not settle Raúl’s mind.

“With all due respect, I am just thankful that Adalricus is still with us despite his displeasure with how things went,” said Raúl. “And if I may, your highness, I do believe that we need to discuss this with Adalricus himself.”

Queen Chrysalis was dumbstruck by his suggestion. “Why on earth would we involve Adalricus into this? Surely he has better things to worry about than those despicable ponies who attempted to kill him!” she argued.

A small sweat drop dripped from the side of Raúl’s head when he heard her words. Considering on how on edge she currently was, he chose his words carefully. “With all due respect my queen, the ponies were simply attempting to restrain us and lost control when we resisted. If anything, Celestia wanted to make it so that we both were escorted back here even by force. However, Adalricus refused to leave unless it was under our own terms,” he explained.

It took only a few seconds before Sombra and Chrysalis completely comprehended what he just said. “And this was because my heir did not want to leave due to his desires to see a mare named Fluttershy,” said King Sombra.

“What?” Queen Chrysalis remarked.

“He told me himself,” said King Sombra with a nod. “It seems that he has fallen for one of the closest allies of one of our most hated enemies, Twilight Sparkle.”

“WHAT?!” Queen Chrysalis’ jaw dropped after hearing the elaboration from Sombra. “T-Twilight Sparkle’s…closest ally-” She immediately stopped as her face converted from shock and confusion, to pure annoyance as she face-palmed her face. “Oh do I need a drink…” As expected, the changeling queen immediately dropped into a nearby chair while Raúl immediately left the room to fetch her a drink. “Why does everything terrible happen to me?” she asked weakly.

King Sombra actually gave a chuckle as he moved closer. “Faith does work in strange ways Chrysalis,” he said.

“My own child yearns for one who is close to one of my greatest enemies…GAH it’s like the gods are laughing at me and making a mockery out of my life! Like some poorly written sitcom!” she complained.

King Sombra stopped smiling. “What is a ‘sitcom’?”

Queen Chrysalis blinked. “What?”

“What is a sitcom?”

“How do you not know? It’s a type of televised entertainment… Oh wait, you’ve been sealed for so long…” Queen Chrysalis rolled her eyes after realizing the issue here.

King Sombra gave a stern look. “Well excuse me for not being more familiar with this era’s form of entertainment,” he said with annoyance, just as Raúl returned.

“To be fair your highness, we only received such entertainment quite recently.” He held a tray containing an odd-looking alcoholic beverage towards Queen Chrysalis, offering her what she requested. “But now that you’re free, you have all the time in the world to refresh your knowledge with modern events that have occurred since your sealing,” Raúl pointed out.

Before the dark unicorn could respond, Chrysalis decided to continue on as she finally accepted his drink. “Bah! Can’t believe that he would fall for that tramp! My young perfect son corrupted by bucking pony skanks who took advantage of his innocence!” She took a gulp of her strong drink and gasped instead of sighing. A glare was unleashed upon it. “Now my little sweetie is in bed with barely an inch of his life hanging…” Her glare of death suddenly converted into sadness and miserableness. “I will destroy them all!” she snarled, immediately glaring again as her horn glowed and her drink shattered.

“I should also mention that there were ponies who were supporting us your highness,” Raúl pointed out, as her sudden outburst failed to faze him. “In fact, there was one particular pony whom I personally-”

“-slept with?” King Sombra interrupted.

Raúl was actually stunned this time. “Excuse me-”

“Oh for the love of- tell me that you did not sleep with the rainbow maned one!” Queen Chrysalis cried in annoyance as she face-palmed herself again. “I always had a feeling that you were into the ‘rough’ females!”

“Actually, I believe that it was the pink pony correct?” King Sombra assumed with a gentle smirk.

Raúl’s face turned completely red. “T-The point that I am trying to make is that a good amount of these ponies actually cared for our well-being despite the hostilities that we experienced. Hell I was surprised with how much Twilight Sparkle cared for our well-being. Even Celestia was horrified with what occurred and I can guarantee you that it was not just because they feared war with you,” he managed to explain.

“And your point?”

“My point, your highness, is that we shouldn’t be so quick to judge every single pony just like that. This was a complete incident that I honestly doubt that they intended to make a reality. They wouldn’t stop asking questions about Adalricus’ condition before we left and actually requested that I would inform them with updates,” Raúl explained.

Both of them looked at Raúl with curiosity as Queen Chrysalis did not like where he was going with this. “You’ve actually bonded with them…”

“As has Adalricus,” Raúl confessed. “We both have become close to quite a few ponies within Ponyville, and Adalricus does intend to contact them once again.”

“What?!” Queen Chrysalis snarled as she suddenly stood up from her chair. “I will not allow him to ever exchange words with those ponies ever again! Or any pony for that matter! I forbid it!”

“My son was left vulnerable and almost lost his life because of Celestia’s poor response with his presence in her lands! It will be a cold day in hell itself before I allow my son to even acknowledge their attempts to reach him themselves!” King Sombra snarled. “They are not worthy of even speaking his name!”

“Well whether either of you approves of this or not, you can’t prevent Adalricus from doing what he wants. He’s become increasingly independent since we left this castle, and you both know well enough that he’s proven that actions speak louder than words…” Raúl gave them a stern expression as he leaned forward slightly and added, “And the fact that he almost committed suicide for the case of love, tells a lot about how far he’ll go even against your wishes…”

While what Raúl just said to them could have easily resulted in terrible consequences for him, he knew that they would be unable to deny the actual facts. Both exchanged glances as their expressions lightened during each passing second, indicating that they had yield to what he just explained.

“Gruhhhhhh…” Chrysalis continued to groan as she rubbed her temple with one hand endlessly. “Fair point Raúl…I must admit…”

“Indeed…” King Sombra gave a slight nod as both he and the mother of his heir humbled themselves.

“Regardless, it’s not possible for my son to continue associating himself with this ‘Fluttershy’…”

Raúl was not impressed. “But why-”

“Don’t you see? It’s all politics Raúl; we, his parents, have a troublesome relationship with a particular family of rulers who are closely associated with ponies that you and Adalricus have a relationship with. Our interests conflict with theirs on many levels and actual development of diplomatic relations is nearly impossible due to trust issues between both us all,” King Sombra explained with a slight grunt.

“Surely we can fix that? I mean, nothing is impossible my king,” Raúl suggested. “Yes they did not approach the situation in the matter that we wanted, but sparking hostile actions wouldn’t work in our favor so simply. If anything, I say we should take advantage and try to gain something from all of this without blood being spilled,” he explained with a smile.

“A little late for that don’t you think?” Queen Chrysalis growled.

“True but you can still gain something from this and make things more favorable for our kingdom. But to do that, we would need Adalricus to play the most important role in all of this,” said Raúl.

“And what exactly would be his role in all of this?” King Sombra asked.

Giving a slight nod, a small chuckle escaped his lips before he looked to the side while closing his eyes and saying, “The role as a ambassador.”

Meanwhile…

“Yes in theory I can make it possible, but isn’t it dangerous when he’s in a venerable condition?” Luna crossed her arms and kept her eyes closed.

“It’s simply communicating via dream sequence; just how dangerous could it possibly be?” asked Princess Cadence. “Surely whenever you visit the dreams of others, you’re not doing any potential harm are you?”

Princess Luna seemed offended as she suddenly opened her eyes. “Of course not! What I do is to make sure that I can assist as many subjects as possible within my own power! There are rarely any issues following my visits!” she spat. Honestly, it was bad enough that some would dare bring up the possibility of her causing harm after her redemption from her previous crimes.

Princess Cadence happily grasped her hands together as her wings lifted, obviously pleased with what she heard. “Then we shouldn’t have any issues correct? Please auntie, I must speak with Adalricus!”

Princess Luna started to relax after hearing the request from her niece, realizing just how persistent she really was. “I don’t know Cadence… I mean, I am quite concerned for your well-being once you meet him; how will he react once he meets you?”

This time, Cadence became confused with what she was told. “What consequences are there…?” As far as she knew, Cadence didn’t think that she could actually be harmed while maintaining a dream state of being with her aunt. “Is there something different when visiting the dreams of changelings?” she asked.

Unsurprisingly Princess Luna gave a nod to her question as she soon followed with, “Dreams that are brought on by their species are quite hostile when visited. This is because the natural magic that exists within them acts oddly while they sleep. I have yet to completely understand why this occurs, but the experience of visiting their dreams is quite unique.” She closed her eyes for a few seconds before finishing with, “And the fact that he’s a mix of pony and changeling, makes me wonder…”

That would be something, Cadence agreed in her thoughts. “Well judging from his reputation, he seems civilized enough… I do believe that he will be more approachable compared to your previous experiences; with all due respect of course!”

Princess Luna gave a stern look towards her niece, not entirely convinced with her words. Then again, she could be right and it would make things a lot easier on their minds if they were able to communicate with the prince himself. This Adalricus is quite popular, she noted in her mind. Sighing, she gave a slight nod before answering, “Very well, let’s proceed night shall we?” With that, Princess Luna led her niece out of her chambers and back into the hallway, where Celestia, Twilight, and Shining waited. “We have decided to go ahead and attempt to reach Adalricus,” she explained. “Tonight would be best, as he’s more likely to be asleep and reachable.”

“Is this going to be safe for you two?” Twilight asked curiously. “I know that Adalricus isn’t aggressive, but he may have trust issues with us after his relocation by force.”

“Twilight he didn’t show any hostile intentions towards us when he reunited with Fluttershy. I do think that he wouldn’t mind a visit from Luna and Cadence if they wanted to speak to him,” Shining Armor pointed out.

“You trust him Shining Armor?” asked Princess Luna. When he nodded, she looked to her sister. “What of you sister?”

Princess Celestia nodded as well. “He has a good heart. Perhaps better than all of us combined.”

Satisfied with what was said, Princess Cadence responded, “Then let’s do this!”

Meanwhile again…

“He does not understand politics Raúl! It would be pointless if Adalricus attempted to represented this kingdom when he has little experience socializing with other cultures! Even with the time that you two spent away from here isn’t justifiable for this!” King Sombra argued.

Queen Chrysalis couldn’t agree more. “Why do you believe that my son can successfully play the role of an ambassador of my kingdom after what they’ve done to him?! He would likely snap and slit their throats-”

“Your son is stronger than you think your highness,” Raúl interrupted. “He is capable of forgiving them and would do anything to see Fluttershy again. Hell he’ll insist that he wants to go ahead with this because it gives him a crucial opportunity to see new things again,” he added.

King Sombra let out a howl of laugher, which took even Queen Chrysalis by surprise while Raúl stopped smiling. “Ah yes, this Fluttershy that my son is fascinated with…does he truly hold feelings for her as you said? Not once has my son wanted to speak with me ever since we left Ponyville, and so I know little about how he really feels. But you, you alone have actually seen this situation since its beginning no?” Raúl nodded, pleasing the dark unicorn. “So has he told you anything about what he plans to do?”

Both Raúl and Chrysalis were confused by his question. “What do you mean by that exactly?” Chrysalis asked.

“Was he so ‘in love’ with Fluttershy that he would attempt to wed with her?” he elaborated.

“What are you-”

“Perhaps my king,” answered Raúl. “He cared a lot for her to the point where he almost got himself killed…” As expected, Raúl did not showcase a smile at all when he said that.

“Hmmm…” King Sombra closed his eyes and began to walk towards the window, presenting himself in the opening to any who would be spying on them. “…” He opened his eyes and looked across the landscape of the changeling kingdom that was before him. “Why not bring her here then?”

The room became dead silent the moment he said those words. While Raúl’s expression lightened almost immediately after hearing his question, there was an abnormal delay in how Queen Chrysalis was reacting. Once it reached its peak, her expression was best described as “dumbfounded” as her body turned completely towards his direction. She faced him while keeping her baring the same as a solid stone statue. Raúl caught note of this and focused his attention on her, curious if she was going to immediately let hell break loose on her lover. Surprisingly however, she said nothing despite given the opportunity to do so.

“Well I mean…that would be quite complex your highness?” Raúl asked, unsure with how Queen Chrysalis truly felt. He then looked over towards her to see that she was not attempting to take part in the conversation again. Highness?

“Hmmmm… Well now that I think about it, perhaps it would be pointless; inviting either of our enemies into this territory is not exactly ‘appealing’ in their eyes now is it? Perhaps a neutral location would better suit for diplomatic affairs…” King Sombra looked to Queen Chrysalis and then Raúl before asking, “Given that I do not support the idea of having my son dealing with Celestia and her subjects, perhaps you would be better suited for this?”

***Later that night***

“Are you ready Cadence? I warn you, it’s quite dangerous for you the farer apart we become when we travel to the prince’s dream. Thus I cannot stress enough that you mustn’t wander too far from my side.”

Princess Cadence nodded in agreement as she began to relax. “I understand auntie; I am ready now.”

Pleased with her niece, Princess Luna closed her eyes and waited until Princess Cadence fell asleep after a few minutes later. Her state of conscious soon found itself where reality was flexible to any who visited it. Princess Luna found herself standing alone within darkness until Princess Cadence’s dreams began to form, revealing their new environment on top of the castle. It was silent for a few seconds before a sudden rush of wind arrived to lift them up into the air. That sparked a smile in Luna’s face, as the environment suddenly began to change once again.

“Quite the rush no? I do enjoy a nice breeze,” Luna admitted with a small smile.

“It’s so odd that dreams can make you think that it’s real,” commented Cadence. She smiled as their surroundings turned completely white. “So how do we find him?”

“Leave that to me~” she said smoothly. She closed her eyes and they soon began to travel at a fast rate towards a particular direction. Thanks to Luna’s magic, Cadence had no trouble traveling as fast as she did towards their destination. After what felt like ten minutes, they eventually found themselves approaching a large castle that was designed differently than what they typically saw. “Oh yes, that’s her home…”

Princess Cadence blinked as they landed on the roof before saying, “I should have known that Chrysalis held a taste for gothic architecture. Although I had a feeling that everything would be colored ‘black’ with a few tints of green here and there…” As they began to faze into the solid structure, she then asked, “So we won’t be sensed at all?”

“Well we’re basically invisible ghosts; only those who are dreaming outside their own reality just we are could see us. And changelings are quite narrow-minded in general,” Luna explained, leading her niece down a few more floors. “Ah…”

Luna and Cadence froze as they found themselves floating right in front of a doorway where two changelings stood guard. One yawned for a few seconds while the other began to rub his eyes, indicating their weariness with the type of work that they were doing. Regardless, both Luna and Cadence simply floated towards the closed door and easily fazed through without any issue whatsoever, finding the changeling prince that they were looking for.

“Huh, that was easier than I thought,” admitted Cadence as they both floated closer. She noticed that the prince was sleeping on his side where he almost looked as if he was halfway performing the fetal position. His expression was gentle, as it reminded Cadence of her Shining Armor whenever he slept in within the morning. “My he is quite cute,” admitted Cadence with a pleasant smile. “He has such a gentle expression.”

“While that may be true, we must consider the possibility that he’s not dreaming pleasantly.” Luna edged her face closer towards Adalricus’ own. Yes, he was breathing calmly and he wasn’t sweating, but looks could be deceiving. “Now let’s be careful when we…Cadence, what are you doing?”

“Hmm?” Cadence turned red as she was trying to gently stroke Adalricus’ face and mane. “O-Oh n-nothing! Shall we g-go?” she managed to ask. She couldn’t help it; she was envious of his gentle skin and smooth soft mane.

Rolling her eyes, Luna grabbed Cadence’s hand and gently led her towards Adalricus head…

The next thing they knew, they entered the dream reality of Adalricus after their environment converted. Surprisingly bright, it was as if Celestia was making a surprise appearance herself. After their eyes adjusted, they finally took notice of the flower garden that they were in. It brought such pleasantness that both Luna and Cadence could have simply dropped to their knees in awe, as the singing birds and smell of fresh mellow spring was beyond intoxicating. Smiles formed in their faces, as they were dazed by the overwhelming sensation that was brought upon them.

“This is…quite nice…” Luna smiled as she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “My, I don’t believe that even our garden has such a fine combination of flora that compliments each other so nicely,” Luna said happily. “Odd though, I was expecting Adalricus to be having less pleasant dreams if he was truly under stress…”

Princess Cadence blinked a few times before responding with, “Where is Adalricus?” After taking a moment to focus on the task at hand, Cadence led her aunt forward in search of Adalricus. The stone path was not linear, as there were the occasional forked path ways. Regardless it was not difficult for Cadence nor Luna to have an idea of where Adalricus was. “Ah…”

Both Luna and Cadence stopped as the changeling of topic was finally spotted from a respectable distance. He was sitting down on a blanket that was spread across green grass surrounded by flower bushes, large enough to one’s comfort in terms of separation should one become heavily intoxicated by the flora scents. He was wearing white clothing that consisted of shorts and a t-shirt while lacking anything on his feet. He laughed while sipping tea as he spoke to what appeared to be a dream reality version of Fluttershy, who was also wearing white but with a dress instead.

“That didn’t take long at all. Shall we-”

“Wait,” Princess Luna suddenly said. She stepped forward and held her niece’s hand before adding, “We must take this slowly; we have no idea just how hostile he’ll react once he learns of our presence.”

Princess Cadence’s eyes widened. “I doubt that he would be hold a dislike towards us! I mean, Twilight mentioned that he was quite considerate when judging those who he has yet to meet on personal terms. If anything, should he be unpleased, he wouldn’t just take hostile actions towards us auntie!”

“While that may be true, his near-death experience may have changed his character overall,” Luna argued. She looked to the side in concern. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he resents our kind now…”

“But he’s dreaming of drinking tea with Fluttershy; I don’t think that he would only make an exception with her-”

“And why not? She did not do anything wrong whereas other ponies may have angered him to a certain extent. If anything I pray that he’ll at least listen to what we want to say should he request for our leave,” Luna argued.

“Well I am listening,” said Adalricus.

Both Luna and Cadence nearly jumped as they were oblivious to the changeling prince’s approach. He stood there with hands in pocket while expressing a calm smile. Interestingly enough, he was obviously presenting himself as a Pony which was strange to them. At least he didn’t seem hostile as Luna coughed and said, “A pleasure to meet you Prince Adalricus. I am Princess Luna and this is Princess Cadence.”

“We’ve heard so much about you Adalricus,” said Cadence with a friendly smile as she held her hands together.

Adalricus blinked a few times as he looked back and forth at the two princesses. “I would say the same but in my dreams…? Why are you…?”

“Well this was the most effective way to contact you; we had received word from Raúl that things were quite troublesome here in your kingdom. And we thought that it be best to directly contact you for the sake of the relationship between our two kingdoms.” Luna looked at her niece. “And my niece insisted on meeting you herself…”

Adalricus’ expression soften when he heard her words. “Really…” He looked at the princess who continued to smile upon him endlessly. It was almost sickening considering that he wasn’t expecting her to be so friendly; he knew who she was married to. “Um, how is Shining Armor? Is he…?”

“Oh he’s well!” Princess Cadence said cheerfully. “There was some delay with his treatment but he is doing well since he’s recovered fully since the confrontation between you two…”

Prince Adalricus smiled as he said, “Well that’s good to know. How about Twilight? You’re her sister-in-law correct?”

“They’re quite fine.”

“That’s good. And what of Fluttershy…?”

Princess Cadence frowned as she saw some concern on his facial expression. “I am sorry but I know little even from Twilight; we never really went deeper on how she was doing since you left.”

Adalricus frowned as he turned his glaze towards the ground. “I see…” The environment around them suddenly began to convert, as the brightness began to darken intimidating a gray sky. The Fluttershy who was sitting patiently for him suddenly began to fade away.

“Well she’s surely being comforted by her friends,” Princess Luna said. “I don’t think that they would simply just stand and watch as she suffers-”

It suddenly grew darker.

“W-What I mean is that, Fluttershy always has such caring friends especially when either one of them is experiencing a stressful time-”

It began to rain. This time, Luna was unsure what to say.

“T-That is t-to say-!”

“Auntie, I think he gets it…”

Luna shared a frown with Cadence as Adalricus was obviously far from pleased. Her words clearly made him mourn even more at the idea that Fluttershy was suffering.

I am sorry… Adalricus was sicken to the point that he wanted to punch himself in the face. Fluttershy was in pain and he could have likely changed the series of events which occurred beforehand.

“Adalricus.”

He lifted his head.

“We are here to ask if it’s possible for us to meet face to face. There’s been quite some concern regarding you following what happened in Ponyville. Raúl told us that he was going to be used as an ambassador representing your people and we were to meet together. Are you aware of this?” Luna asked.

Adalricus acknowledged them as he began to nod slowly. “Yes, he told me that he accepted the offer, given that he has a less hostile history with them like me,” he explained. “And he mentioned that there was a possibly that he would leave quite soon to meet with your representatives.”

Princess Luna nodded as well before saying, “Yes, I think that it would be wise to strengthen relations this way. Raúl has a positive reputation among us and we wanted to know if there was any chance of you to join him despite your condition?”

Adalricus was confused. “Why would you want me to join him?” he asked.

“Because we believe that it would not only ease the minds of those who care for you, but it would also make Fluttershy happy,” Cadence explained.

“Fluttershy?”

“Yes, Twilight is actually going to request that she comes along due to the fact that you hold a important relationship with her-”

“No.”

“What?” Princess Cadence asked.

“I said, ‘no’,” repeated Adalricus.

“I- But why?” Cadence asked with great confusion. “Don’t you care for her-”

“YOU DARE QUESTION MY LOVE FOR HER?!” thundered Adalricus. The winds and rain increased dramatically, forcing the princesses to regain their balance.

“A-A- Adalricus calm down!” Princess Cadence shouted, suddenly fearing him despite the dream reality that they were in.

“Adalricus! Cease your hostility!” Luna thundered. Her body turned completely black, as her eyes then glowed a silver-like appearance. “I assure you, we do not question your love for Fluttershy! Only what is it that you’re considering if our request does not appeal to you!”

Despite hearing her words clearly, Adalricus did not make the environment less hostile to his guests of honor. However, he did speak in a calm tone. “I can’t see Fluttershy…not anymore.”

“W-What?” Princess Cadence shouted, completely confused now. “I don’t understand!”

“That…” Adalricus slowly dropped his knees as the weather began to settle despite the still gray atmosphere. “…is the issue here. You don’t understand. Neither of you understand why I can’t see Fluttershy again after what happened in Ponyville. I thought that I could easily fix things back to the way that they were suppose to be but I can’t anymore.”

Princess Luna soon regained her original form as she raised an eyebrow before asking, “You’re not making sense; can you possibly explain to us what exactly you’re talking about? What is it about what happened between you and Fluttershy that prevents you from seeing her? We were told that you two were relieved to be together again during your last contact, before you then passed out and returned to your kingdom. Thus what is the issue?”

“I…I can’t be what she wants to see. I can’t keep this…” With that, he slowly revealed his true form as he hugged himself tightly. “…forever.” Finally, he shook gently as tears began to flow out of his eyes. “This lie that she would rather see than my true self.”

Luna frowned. “Adalricus, do you believe that Fluttershy dislikes your true appearance? What makes you believe this-”

“I saw fear in her eyes when my form was forcibly revealed to her. The way she looked at me…like I was to that of a monster…the type that even her kindness and appreciation for all non-pony creatures could not provide for. I can’t maintain my pony form for as long as I thought anymore. At least, that’s how it seems as my body experiences pain if I try to maintain a different form for more than a minute…” Adalricus trembled uncontrollably. “I never want to scare her again…”

“But Adalricus-”

“Get out.”

“Adalricus please!”

“I SAID GET OUT!”

Almost immediately Princess Cadence found herself staring at the ceiling of her room. She immediately stood straight up and saw that Princess Luna was also reacting accordingly as she was sweating and breathing heavily at a dangerous rate. Her eyes were tightly shut as she pressed a hand to her chest and continued to breathe abnormally. She finally opened her eyes and blinked slowly as she turned to face her niece who was in better condition.

“Auntie…what do we…?” asked Cadence.

Princess Luna sighed as she stood up straight and said, “Well, time for my sister’s plan.”

Author's Notes:

It all ends in the final chapter~